Rating: 
Summary: To the edge but no leap
Review: Buttefield seems to suffer from double vision in this book. While his descriptions of Buddhist practice are accurate, his focus is unclear. He seems as unable to come to terms with his relationship to Trungpa as he is with his relationship to his own ego. The book struck me as self-indulgent and whimsical, not in the sense of being light-hearted but in the sense of being driven by ever-changing momentary mood. While I believe there is much to be said about Trungpa and his method, this book is not a trustworthy source.
Rating: 
Summary: Double vision
Review: Buttefield seems to suffer from double vision in this book. While his descriptions of Buddhist practice are accurate, his focus is unclear. He seems as unable to come to terms with his relationship to Trungpa as he is with his relationship to his own ego. The book struck me as self-indulgent and whimsical, not in the sense of being light-hearted but in the sense of being driven by ever-changing momentary mood. While I believe there is much to be said about Trungpa and his method, this book is not a trustworthy source.
Rating: 
Summary: A westerner's experiences with Tibetan Buddhism.
Review: Butterfield, Stephen J. The Double Mirror: A Skeptical Journey into Buddhist Tantra was published in 1994 by North Atlantic Books of Berkeley, California. A long-time "student" of the Shambala (Dharmadhatu) tradition established by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche which, besides traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings incorporates certain elements of Zen within an idiosyncratic organizational framework, tells of his progress as well as the problems and conflicts experienced by him especially in the times immediately following Trungpa's death. His description of the travails of ngondro will be especially illuminating to beginners as are the aspects of Vajrayana which emphasize the role of the guru. This is an honest account of one person's experiences and it turned out to be both revealing and helpful rather than a depressing and discouraging expose.
Rating: 
Summary: Good commentary on Buddhist ideaology
Review: Good book, very interesting. Stephen T. Butterfield is quite an entertaining writer. This book is especially good if you have read Trungpa's books. I found myself asking the same questions that Butterfield ask's after reading Trungpa, and came to the same conclusions he does. "Authentic response, fully experienced". Or as Trungpa himself once said, "perhaps there is no such thing as spirituality except stepping out of self deception".
Rating:
Summary: To the edge but no leap
Review: I thought this was interesting, all about trungpa and the gee-whiz attitude everyone had about him and his version of tibetan buddhism in the 70's. then he chronicles the rot as trungpa's overblown ego becomes more evident and the final disillusionment as trungpa's selfless "dharma heir" knowingly infects several people with AIDS. It seemed to me one could practically go into any tavern in the USA at random and pick someone and that person probably wouldn't be slimy enough to knowingly give AIDS to anyone. So, at this juncture you wait for the author to finally connect all this up--this is a bankrupt and phoney tradition, vastly overrated, and we finally begin to get the idea why maybe the Chinese thought this type of religious hierarchy should be run out of town... But, alas, he shrinks from the final revelation. Like all victims of a cult he can't face the fact that all of his time and investment of years have basically come to nothing.That's why this book is interesting but ultimately disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritual Path or Cult?
Review: In Double Mirror, Stephen Butterfield discusses some of his experiences with the controversial Tibetan Buddhist guru, Chogyam Trungpa. There is quite a bit of information here on Tibetan Buddhist beliefs and rituals --the stages of initiation, the principle of "emptiness" and the fundamental law of absolute devotion to the guru. Butterfield never becomes fully reconciled to the latter. His feelings about Trungpa and his organization are ambivalent throughout this book. On the one hand, Trungpa is described as an authentic teacher of Buddhism, inspiring Western students with his "crazy wisdom" tactics (in many ways similar to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). On the other hand, Butterfield gives ample evidence that this was as much a cult as a religion. There is a strict hierarchy within the organization; higher-ups live in luxury while beginners are treated as serfs. Worst of all, Tendzin, Trungpa's second in command, knowingly infected many students with AIDS. To complete the picture, Butterfield describes both Trungpa and Tendzin as alcoholics. These facts seem to go beyond the limits of even tantra or crazy wisdom and into the realm of pure exploitation and hypocrisy. Butterfield never fully reconciles the two sides of his experience, which gives the title of this book a double meaning (the first meaning is that a Buddhist perspective sees the inner and outer worlds as mirroring each other). He tries to reconcile a skeptical mind with a tradition demanding absolute obedience to a guru. This is a very difficult issue for someone raised in a Western culture and following an Eastern discipline, so I can't really fault Butterfield for not solving this dilemma. Still, there is something askew about the way he alternately praises and condemns the organization. More than having mixed feelings about it, he almost seems to have a split personality regarding it. Apparently, he left the group very conflicted and unable to synthesize his thoughts and feelings into either a positive or negative conclusion. He tries to justify this using the Buddhist doctrine of nonduality (the double mirror again), but I don't think this kind of ambivalence is quite the ideal aspired to by mystics. I wish the book had a little more about Butterfield's life and experiences within the group and less about ritual. There are many pages of detailed descriptions of rituals, using technical Buddhist terminology. To me, this detracted somewhat from the larger picture. Still, very interesting and recommended for spiritual seekers, especially those interested in Eastern religions.
Rating:
Summary: In Memoriam
Review: Raised in New England, Steve was well-indoctrined in our culture of plain speaking and no b.... For a time, opposition to the war and formation of a union occupied his best efforts, as well as an active teaching career. Then he discovered Tibetan Buddhism. What appealed to him most, I think, was its attack on vanity. When you strip away all the high-flown, hypocritical ideals that lead us hither and yon, what is left? Steve thus entered the cult already possessing what it had to offer, and not knowing it. One of the key tenets of Buddhism is no b.... (perfect honesty is the path of Nirvana). He practised that with might and with main. His total honesty in this book led the cult to reject him, and they refused to officiate at his funeral. One of his last memories was of standing unadmitted outside the hall listening to the drunken party going on inside and feeling hurt and rejected. The thing that made him hurt, that was his soul. He had one. I should know, I was his brother.
Rating:
Summary: Skeptic describes Trungpas Vajrayana no holds barred
Review: Stephen T. Butterfield was a student of the school of Buddhism founded by Chogyam Trungpa in the 1970's. At first enthralled by the authentic, liberating practices of Tibetian Buddhism, he also comes to grips with the inevitable corruption and authoritarianism inherent in any large organization. He grapples with the issues that every religious practitioner must confront, the paradox that the very practices so enriching and enlightening are contained within a structure full of ego, psychosis and greed. He discovers that Buddhism is not any more pure than Christianity, and that this is part of the thin line that a truthful, honest practitioner must always walk. He also describes the stages and teachings given at the stages within the Vajrayana tradition. Always honest in his critiques as well as praises, Stephen captures the journey of a seeker unwilling to settle for dogma, always seeking the truth behind the words, in actual experience. Although his conclusions are not always happy and comfortable, his appraisal of his Buddhist education is quite engaging.
Rating:
Summary: No spiritual materialism here
Review: The author recounts the story of his journey on the Shambhala buddhist path, a path originated for Westerners by the controversial Trungpa Rinpoche. He speaks from his experience, relating both his experiences and his thoughts about them in a way that allows the reader to separate the two. And I might add that it's a well-crafted and enjoyable read. Butterfield views the ideosycracies and controversies of the Shambhala organization more completely than I have seen in print anywhere, at the same time that he introduces the reader to Tibetan Buddhist practice. Butterfield was an arhat; his book is embued with clarity and insight. I wish the reviewer who thought Butterfield missed the point of Tibetan Buddhism would explain what else he thinks it is. I was saddened to read that Butterfield was rejected by his sangha on account of this book. I don't get it.
Rating:
Summary: No spiritual materialism here
Review: The author recounts the story of his journey on the Shambhala buddhist path, a path originated for Westerners by the controversial Trungpa Rinpoche. He speaks from his experience, relating both his experiences and his thoughts about them in a way that allows the reader to separate the two. And I might add that it's a well-crafted and enjoyable read. Butterfield views the ideosycracies and controversies of the Shambhala organization more completely than I have seen in print anywhere, at the same time that he introduces the reader to Tibetan Buddhist practice. Butterfield was an arhat; his book is embued with clarity and insight. I wish the reviewer who thought Butterfield missed the point of Tibetan Buddhism would explain what else he thinks it is. I was saddened to read that Butterfield was rejected by his sangha on account of this book. I don't get it.
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