Sixteenth-century wall paintings in a Buddhist temple in the Tibetan cultural zone of northwest India are the focus of this innovative and richly illustrated study. Initially shaped by one set of religious beliefs, the paintings have since been reinterpreted and retraced by a later Buddhist community, subsumed within its religious framework and communal memory. Melissa Kerin traces the devotional, political, and artistic histories that have influenced the paintings' production and reception over the centuries of their use. Her interdisciplinary approach combines art historical methods with inscriptional translation, ethnographic documentation, and theoretical inquiry to understand religious images in context.

The Buddha himself said in a Lesser Vehicle sutra: "Son of the family You are to become expert in the skandhas. You are to become expert in the ayatanas. You are to become expert in the dhatus. You are to become expert in pratityasamutpada. You are to become expert in topics. You are to become expert in non-topics." With these words, the Buddha indicated that there are six topics which must be learned, at least to some extent, by every one of his followers. Although the Buddha gave these teachings in the Lesser Vehicle, they are a necessary foundation for practitioners of all levels, from those studying the Lesser Vehicle to those practising Mahamudra and Great Completion. This book gives a thorough explanation of the six topics using a text written by Zhanphen Chokyi Nangwa, or Khenchen Zhan-ga as he is more commonly known, the greatest of all abbots to have presided over the famous Shri Singha monastic college at Dzogchen Monastery, Tibet. The author of the book, the well-known teacher and translator Tony Duff, supplements the explanations in the text with many clarifications in an extensive introduction. The text is very similar to Mipham Namgyal's famous "mkhas 'jug" or Gateway to Knowledge as it has been called. Unfortunately, Mipham's text is difficult for beginners. Zhan-ga's text is quite different; it was not written merely as a piece of scholarship, but was carefully composed so as not to exclude beginners with excessively difficult explanations and moreover to be helpful to practitioners of all levels. For these reasons, Gangteng Tulku has selected our book rather than Mipham's Gateway of Knowledge in order to teach this topic to students in the second year of his shedra. Extensive explanations of the meaning of the six topics are provided by the author from his own knowledge gathered during forty years of studying with the Gelug, Kagyu, and Nyingma traditions, not to mention his extensive stays at Dzogchen Monastery where he learned the approach of Zhan-ga directly from Zhan-ga's successors. Ample footnotes, an extensive glossary, and a carefully corrected edition of the Tibetan text are also provided.

Dragpa Gyaltsan's writings in Tibetan fill four volumes of almost a thousand pages each. He was a statesman, a physician, an historian, and a poet, not to mention an adept in Buddhist practice, both exoteric and esoteric. The present volume of translations represents a mere sampling of his extraordinary literary acumen. I have made selections from his poetry and historical writings, an account of his dreams, and a few practice related works. These works will be interesting to many kinds of readers, depending on their personal inclinations. I have included one work written by his brother, Sonam Tsemo: The Six Dharmas of Guru Vajrasana. I present these to you as literature for you to enjoy. The practices that are described in some of the works are meant to be pursued under the instruction of a qualified teacher. Readers who find them intriguing are encouraged to seek out such guidance. My translation of a biography of Dragpa Gyaltsan, written by Sakya Pandita, is to be found in the first volume of the Sakya Kongma Series: Sakya Pandita's Poetic Wisdom. A Melody of Experience for Yeshe Dorje, included in this volume, was first published in Melody of Dharma, the official magazine of the Sakya Drolma Podrang.

This selection of precious and practical quotes from great masters of Tibetan Buddhism reflects the immense variety of approaches and the profundity that have made the tapestry of Tibetan Buddhist teachings of deep interest to an ever-increasing number of readers. It includes wisdom from the Buddha; Padmasambhava; Yeshe Tsogyal, Machig Lopdron; Milarepa; Naropa; Saraha; Tilopa; Patrul Rinpoche; and many others.

The present volume is devoted to the writings of Sakya Pandita, and includes a biography of him written by the King of Gungthang, Zhang Gyalwa Pal. Sakya Pandita is famous among the Tibetans for his contributions in the fields of logic, ethics, and folklore. His Treasure on the Science of Logic (Tshad ma rig gter), Discrimination of the Three Vows (sDom gsum rab dbye), and Treasure of Eloquent Aphorisms (Legs bshad rin chen gter) are monumental contributions to their classes of literature. These works have attracted enormous attention throughout the world, particularly among the scholarly. The present collection of translations is intended to reveal Sakya Pandita's character as a poet who contributed to many fields of art and leaning. In his lifetime he worked hard at the reconstruction of Samye Library, one of the very first edifices constructed during Tibet's dynastic period. He contributed largely to efforts at public education and a clear presentation of the Buddhist teachings. He is best known to political historians for his travel to China, where he went with his two nephews and was effectively Tibet's ambassador to the Mongol court there. In his senior years he retired to Wu Tai Shan. I have translated short works, correspondence, and poetry he wrote over the course of his life in an effort to let my readers see Sakya Pandita's humanity and enlightened spirit as he himself expressed it. I do not wish to analyze or comment on these works, as I believe they speak for themselves. The Sakya Kabum, or Collected Works of the Sakya Founders, consists of about fifteen thousand pages of writings in fifteen volumes by five men: Kunga Nyingpo, Sonam Tsemo, Dragpa Gyaltsan, Sakya Pandita, and Chogyal Phagpa. Sakya Pandita's writings take up three volumes of this collection. The translations you are reading represent a sampling of the contents of Sakya Pandita's life's work, and are part of a larger translation effort for which I have, at this writing, completed volumes representing the works of all five Sakya Founders, soon to be published. My intention is to continue with this translation effort toward a comprehensive collection of their writings, while it is my hope that the present compendium will give readers a taste for the quality and variety of the literature you may discover. Critical readers will, of course, find much room for improvement. Please note that I have followed Sakya Pandita's own spellings of Sanskritic loan-words in his work, rather than normalize them into a corrected form of classical Sanskrit. Throughout most of these translations, Tibetan names are converted into a form that will be easy for English readers to read and pronounce. In the case of historical passages, such as those you will find in Sakya Pandita's Biography of his guru, I have transcribed the Tibetan into Wylie Romanization, so that the historically minded will be able to use this information in their research. I apologize for any inconvenience this compromise in the rendering of Tibetan words may cause. There are many loan words that are already commonly used in English, such as "nirvana." You will see a very few loan words that I have not translated. One of these is "Upadesha," which refers to a kind of direct, person to person, often mouth to ear, and experiential advice regarding a teaching or practice. The word "samaya," indicating the vows or obligations one takes on in entering the esoteric Vajrayana path, is another. I do my best to employ the King's English, avoiding hybrid usages and terminology that might be confusing for all but a certain class of insiders. The present volume does not contain esoterica for which special empowerments or privileges are considered requisite. There will be content that excites inquiry and discussion, which I consider a good thing.

This book contains practical instructions on the view of the two truths given according to the conventional or common Great Vehicle approach. The instructions are contained in a short text by a very well-known Tibetan teacher, Jigmey Chokyi Wangpo, also known as Dza Patrul 1808-1887]. A feature of this text is that although it is about sutra, the profound Dzogchen perspective is obviously present. Some masters write compositions in which they keep within the immediate context of their subject. Yogins, and Dza Patrul was a great yogin, often teach a subject but within the context of their own realization. In the text here, Dza Patrul gives a presentation of the two truths that fits with the sutra presentation of the subject, but goes on to connect it to the practical wisdom teachings of the third turning of the wheel and the Quintessence Dzogchen teachings of which he was a master. For example, in a presentation of the two truths that adhered to the sutra context in which the two truths were originally taught, there would be no mention of the key Dzogchen terms "rigpa," "crossing over into," "appearances of the liveliness," and so on, yet these terms appear later in the text. In fact, the final section of teaching in the text is a direct presentation of the Thorough Cut teaching of Quintessence Dzogchen which has been skilfully added to the rest of the compilation to show that, in the end, the practice of the two truths is none other than the practice of Thorough Cut.

The first Tibetan to attain complete enlightenment was in all probability the woman Yeshe Tsogyal, the closest disciple of Padmasambhava, the master who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century. This classical text is not only a biography but also an inspiring example of how the Buddha's teaching can be put into practice. "Lady of the Lotus-Born " interweaves profound Buddhist teachings with a colorful narrative that includes episodes of adventure, court intrigue, and personal searching. The book will appeal to students of Tibetan Buddhism and readers interested in the role of women in Buddhism and world religions.

This work proposes a theological investigation of the community of the Church as outlined by liberation theology and a possible conversation with liberation from suffering in Tibetan Buddhism. What unites both is the human process of sublimation for others, whereby liberation theologians as well as enlightened lamas give the best of themselves for the liberation of others. At this stage of discussions between inclusivists and exclusivists this work proposes that dialogue with world religions and therefore with Buddhism is not about finding possible dogmatic similarities but a common place, a common purpose through a common humanity.

A young woman leaves her homeland in Australia and goes to live in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and India for thirty years. She becomes a disciple of two Tibetan Masters who had fled Tibet in the 1950, s and resettled in Nepal. Deeply impressed by their 'Presence' and the profundity of their teachings she determines to follow their advice as closely as possible, letting go of her western life of comfort and ease to live in a simple hut in the forest. Given the situation and locality, she was bound to have many adventures, but even she could never have imagined how strange some of these would be. Tibetan Buddhist Tales is a selection of true short stories about some of these adventures. Although they are all contemporary, one might be forgiven for feeling at times that one has entered a very different time and world. Encounters with ghosts, Yetis and other such unlikely adventures, make this book a compelling read. The fact that these stories all actually took place, gives it a distinct and unique flavor, offering a rare glimpse into a culture, which in our times, faces enormous challenges in retaining its 'authenticity' and 'identity.' These stories are given as a humble offering with the prayer that they add some valuable insights to the current documentation of the unique and highly evolved Tibetan spiritual culture.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1884 Edition.

SEARCHING FOR THE HEART OF SACRED SPACE is about Landscape, Buddhism and Awakening - spoken in the same breath. The author personally explores ways of being in sacred landscapes, foundations for designing the contemplative garden. The book candidly reveals a path of transformation. Discovering the riches of the woods in Finland, the author investigates the natural environment for local government in Upstate New York and USAID in Nepal. He begins to taste the meaning of a spiritual home. Mentored by Tom Johnson at Cornell University, he designs a Tibetan Buddhist meditation centre, one of the first in North America. During a private audience, H. H. the Dalai Lama questions the basis for the design. Firmly linking the design of landscape to a spiritual path, the author questions, - "What is the truth of design? How deep would I go to draw inspiration? How deeply am I willing to know myself in order to design sacred landscape?" His search for the heart of sacred space points to an astounding historical connection between Kyoto's temple gardens and Pretapuri in Western Tibet, one of Buddhism's twenty-four sacred tantric sites. Guided by Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, he dissects the reference, an old Japanese garden-making text designating the first stones set upright in the landscape - 8,631 stones on the Tibetan Plateau guarded by the Eight Naga Kings. He makes a pilgrimage to Pretapuri, a landscape charged with the power of spiritual agreement between pilgrims and deities, revealed as three layers of discourse. External explanations enrich physical descriptions with tales told by rivers and terraces about the meaning of life. Internal explanations relate stories and legends investing a place with subtle attributes accorded to a sacred landscape. Secret explanations present a landscape produced by the power of the Six Perfections, graced by the purity and wisdom of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, corresponding to a structured pattern of focal points of energy and subtle channels. As a landscape architect and Buddhist, the author personally speaks with these provocative landscapes and the historical characters who previously addressed their mysteries, calling extensive textual references into the discussion. By disarming the feral conditions left by others, and awakening to the perfection and beauty of sacred landscapes, he uncovers profound tools for designing gardens for contemplation. Discovering layers of subtlety enhanced with hand-drawn maps and sketches in this book, you may never look at landscape the same way again; instead, seeing the world unbound wonder and reverence - naked - in silence ... and the unbearable lightness of space.