Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

By: Marvin Casper - editor, John Baker - editor, Chögyam Trungpa, Sakyong Mipham - foreword

Narrated by: Jim Gimian

In this modern spiritual classic, the Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa highlights the commonest pitfall to which every aspirant on the spiritual path falls prey: what he calls spiritual materialism. The universal tendency, he shows, is to see spirituality as a process of self-improvement - the impulse to develop and refine the ego when the ego is, by nature, essentially empty. "The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use," he said, "even spirituality."

His incisive, compassionate teachings serve to wake us up from this trick we all play on ourselves and to offer us a far brighter reality: the true and joyous liberation that inevitably involves letting go of the self rather than working to improve it. It is a message that has resonated with students for nearly thirty years and remains fresh as ever today. This new edition includes a foreword by Chögyam Trungpa's son and lineage holder, Sakyong Mipham.

©1973 Chögyam Trungpa (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Mundane to Supreme

I loved this audible. I have had the book since 1989 and decided to listen to the audible version. The narrator is fantastic and the presentation brilliant. There is so much to learn and feel from this book. The audible makes it accessible in way that allows for so much deeper understanding of the material presented. I already gifted it to a friend and would easily recommend it

Mind blown

Such a well written, informative book of information. One of my all time favorites! I am now learning about Mahayana Buddhism and fascinated by Shunyata.

amazing!

What made the experience of listening to Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism the most enjoyable?

finally the process to enlightenment explained clearly

What did you like best about this story?

clear and concise explanation

What does Jim Gimian bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Gilman is only the narrator but Chogyam Trungpa is the bestI

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

several wow moments

Beautiful & Inspiring

One of my favorite texts yet on the Buddhist perspective of ego. Comes on easy, provides some powerful insights and answers a lot of questions. Definitely enhanced my understand of the concept of spiritual materialism.

Great insight into Buddhist ideology.

Letting it soak in for awhile. Will definitely require listening again. Mainly due to the Tibetan words; pronunciation and meaning.

An elixir for the soul

I don’t know what I’d have to say to convince you to read this book, but it is pivotal, powerful, and paradigm shifting, and your life will be better for it. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Didn’t expect to like it this much

It took me a while for the style and deeper meaning to click but then it became so interesting that I might immediately listen again to absorb more.

Deepening my awareness

Appreciate this first teaching from the master, Trungpa. I refer back to this repeatedly - it's a guide to my journey.

Excellent discourse on Buddhist psychology

Cutting through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trunpa is an excellent guide for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Buddhism.

Taste of Enlightenment

There is a lifetime of wisdom here. Incredibly eye opening in so many instances and on so many levels. Nuggets of information to reshape my awareness and thinking around things I have already experienced and so much more potential to come back to and understand in a new way with more experience and practice.