When circumstances are challenging, how do we react? This book offers methods to help us develop greater inner strength and openness to life by changing the habit of what Rob Preece calls self-preoccupation the tendency to act from a narrow perspective dominated by insecurity and isolation. When we learn to look outside this mentality and truly cherish others as well as ourselves, we create a happier, relaxed mind and more fulfilling relationships, as well as realizing our life's purpose in a meaningful way. A long-time Buddhist practitioner and psychotherapist, Preece shares traditional meditations and practices for awakening the mind and heart including tonglen, but he also offers a Jungian perspective on these and his own sense-cultivated during many years' experience of the ways in which Westerners may need to re-see these practices to benefit most from them. Preece's insightful fusion of East and West will help readers tap inner resources of compassion and integrity in order to flourish in times of uncertainty and ultimately generate the altruistic aspiration to realize the awakened mind for the benefit of all living beings. Preece offers meditation practices at the end of many chapters to help the reader digest and integrate the book's information.

a complete guide to the practice of White Tara

Whereas Western society views death as the last taboo, the Tibetan tradition incorporates meditation on death into everyday life. Tibetan Buddhists believe that a conscious awareness of one's own impermanence allows a person to live a happy, fulfilled life. Over the centuries, the Tibetans have developed a wide-ranging literature on death, including inspirational poetry and prose, prayers, and practical works on caring for the dying. This fascinating book presents nine short Tibetan texts. Important writings by the Second, Seventh, and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas and by Karma Lingpa, author of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead," are included. It covers topics such as meditation techniques to prepare for death, inspirational accounts of the deaths of saints and yogis, and methods for training the mind in the transference of consciousness at the time of death.

"Treasures of the Sakya Lineage" is one of the first in-depth looks into the Sakya lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (one of the four major schools) available in English. The book includes a foreword by the head of the lineage, H. H. Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, and an introduction by Dzongsar Khyentse. A rich collection of teachings on a variety of pertinent subjects by key figures, this book provides the reader with a thorough overview of the history, view, key lineage figures, and crucial teachings. This book will be indispensable for Western students of the Sakya lineage, for whom there is very little English language literature available. A great resource for scholars, students, and practitioners of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, this volume contains essays from the key members of the Sakya school, including: H. H. Sakya Trizin, Khenpo Appey, Sakya Pandita, Peter Della Santina, Jetsun Dragpa Gyaltsen, Chogye Trinchen, Choegyal Phagpa, and Migmar Tseten.

Mahamudra, the highest level of teaching within Tibetan Buddhism, rewards study and practice with the realization of the very nature of mind itself. There is not a single experience which is not subsumed within the realizations of Mahamudra. On his first tour of the United States, H.H. Chetsang Rinpoche gave detailed instructions in Mahamudra methods. He carefully explained each of the five stages of Mahamudra and taught its main meditational practices. He also gave precise instructions on posture and breathing for meditation and answered many common questions using the teachings of Tilopa and Gampopa to illustrate his various points. ...the clearest presentation of Mahamudra meditation practice available in English.--Wisconsin Bookwatch

Meditation helps us relax, sharpens our minds, and increases our creativity. In "The Tibetan Book of Meditation," Lama Christie McNally demonstrates that meditation also provides a much greater gift. It awakens our innate potential to shape our reality, to make moments of joy last forever, and to bring us the peace and contentment that we all ultimately seek.
Written in an instructional yet intimate style, the author guides readers through a progression of meditations, from the simple concept of compassion to the transformative concept of emptiness. Teaching technique and content at the same time, this book is unique in its comprehensive approach and will find a special place in the hearts of novice and experienced meditators alike.
Christie McNally, a renowned master teacher and lecturer who has studied with some of the greatest Indian, Tibetan, and western Buddhist masters, explains the central tenets of Buddhism and reveals how they apply to everyday life. Combining ancient wisdom and contemporary teachings, she leads readers along the path to a richer, fuller life through resonant examples and eye-opening insights.
Her engaging tone and fresh approach to the art of meditation will appeal to followers of Pema Chodron and to readers of Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. This down-to-earth guide to meditation brings the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism to a new generation.

1893. This volume is a compilation of speeches and lectures delivered by Sri Sarat Chandra as to what he saw and learnt about the little known works of Indian Aryans in the countries beyond the Himalayas during his sojourn in Tibet.

The Mirror of Turquoise Lake presents two plays from the classical Tibetan Buddhist dramatic tradition, translated by Tenzin Chonyi and Robert Hulton-Baker. With an introductory essay by Robert Hulton-Baker. Illustrated with line drawings. Nangsa Wohbum is a woman's story. Nangsa is a girl of great beauty and virtue in ancient Tibet, and her only wish is to help her family and practice the holy Dharma. But her family and a local king have other plans. Soon she is married off and becomes a wife and mother in an aristocratic family. Her courage in the face of the painful circumstances of her life provide a timeless example of perseverance in the spiritual journey. Drimay Kunden is a prince, a man of great sensitivity and compassion. But when Drimay gives away the kingdom's most precious possession, he and his family narrowly escape execution and are cruelly exiled to the wilderness. His story is one of transcendent generosity, forbearance, and the triumph of compassion.

If objects don't exist the way they appear, is mind itself an illusion, or is it merely empty of illusions? Is the reality of the mind already endowed with ultimate Buddha qualities, or is reality just the immaculate nature of the mind that allows for Buddha qualities to be developed? Tsong-kha-pa (1357-1419), the great Tibetan Buddhist master, had to address these and a host of other questions in order to formulate the nature of liberation in Buddhism. This volume presents the explanations found in Tsong-kha-pa's Medium-Length Exposition of the Stages of the Path and in a commentary Tsong-kha-pa supplied for Chandrakirti's supplement to Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Middle, contrasting them with views of his predecessor Dol-bo-ba Shay-rab Gyel-tsen (1292-1391), as found in Dol-bo-ba's Mountain Doctrine. The two systems--Dol-bo-ba's doctrine of other-emptiness and Tsong-kha-pa's doctrine of self emptiness--emerge more clearly, contributing to a fuller picture of reality as viewed in Tibetan Buddhism.

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"My recipe is simple: tell people the necessity of finding something which can carry them through sickness, aging, and death, and don't be afraid to give them a glimpse of your joy of life. Tell people that the mind is like space: open, clear and limitless, and talk about both the way and the goal." In 1969 Ole and Hannah Nydahl became the first Western students of H.H. the Karmapa, the head of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. After years of practice in the Himalayas, he authorized them to teach and start centers in his name. An audience with the Queen of Denmark started their work in the West. A basement in historical Copenhagen became the first Tibetan Buddhist center on the European continent, and a rusted-through VW-bus with race-car qualities got them everywhere. Riding the Tiger is the inside story of the development of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. In his refreshingly unsentimental style, Lama Ole shows all aspects of the work. With breathtaking intensity, he highlights both healthy and unhealthy tendencies in the light of the Buddha's ultimate aim: to bring about the fully developed beings whose every activity blesses the world. Amazon Review: Jason Anderson from Monterey, CA: "Lama Ole Nydahl is a unique figure in modern Buddhist history--first Western student of the Black Hat lama, H.H. the XVIth Gyalwa Karmapa, married lama 'without robes, ' and spiritual figure personally chosen by the Karmapa to teach and make foundations in his name--and Riding the Tiger is filled to overflowing with his particular energies and gifts. It is a galloping book that takes the reader around the world, inviting him in for a close-up look at the making of a Buddhist center for meditationand study, and Lama Ole has successfully started over one hundred such centers. And a deep look, as well, at the nature of Buddhism in the West, how it has been transplanted, how it has flourished. ... This is a magical book and a magical ride "

Practical instruction in a Tibetan Buddhist method for developing radical compassion--from a contemporary master with a gift for making the ancient teachings speak to modern hearts.

Dzigar Kongtrul's lively and accessible presentation of the Tibetan training method known as "lojong" (mind training) focuses on what he considers the heart of that practice: "tonglen," the practice of exchanging self for other, for taking in others' pain and suffering and sending out kindness, ease, and consolation. It's a powerful method for developing compassion of the most tranformative kind, and its supreme expression is found in the classic text "The Great Path of Awakening "by Jamgon Kongtrul. This book is Dzigar Kongtrul's commentary on that beloved text, based on a series of talks he gave on it. It includes his fresh translation of the "Great Path," and it is full of his characteristic humor as well as his skill in translating esoteric concepts into terms that not only are easily understood but that speak directly to the heart. "

This stimulating book demonstrates that happiness can be attaines, imparting traditional Tibetan techniques through positive thought. Included is a series of simple meditations and exercises introducing the benefits of Tibetan thought into daily life. Also shown are ways to apply a spiritual understanding of thought processes to any area of life, whether it be work, finances, love, friendships, or health.

This book is an historic outline of Lamaism in Sikhim. Waddell describes the Lamaism or Tibetan Buddhism religion while providing information based on his own personal studies of Lamas while living with them. Illustrations.

Despite the daunting barriers of geography and language that separate them, Buddhism and contemporary feminism have much to say to each other. Buddhist practices such as mindfulness (in which calm centering and keen awareness of change coexist) and compassion (in which the self is recognized as both powerful in itself and interdependently connected with all others) can be important resources for contemporary women, while feminism can expand the traditional horizons of Buddhist concerns to include social, historical, and psychological issues. The image and ritual of the Great Bliss Queen, an important Buddhist figure of enlightenment, form the unifying theme of the book modeling the practices and theory that can assist each of us in being at one with ourselves and fully engaged with others.

A complete translation of Asanga's classic work on the distinguishing qualities of bodhisattvas that describes how to awaken, develop, and perfect the mind of enlightenment in the Great Vehicle, or Mahayana, Buddhist tradition. Arya Asanga, famous for having been the conduit through which the teachings contained in the Five Texts of Maitreya were received and recorded, is also considered to be the author in his own right of several other foundational works of Yog c ra philosophy. One of these, considered the definitive text of the Yog c ra school of Buddhism, is the encyclopedic synthesis of Mahayana Buddhist doctrines and practices known as the "Yog c rabh mi, " or "Stages of Spiritual Practice." The "Bodhisattvabh mi," or "Stages of the Bodhisattva Path," is one portion of that massive work, though it is considered a stand-alone text in the Tibetan traditions--for example, it is counted among the six core texts of the Kadampas. However, despite the text's centrality to the Yog c ra school and its seminal importance in the Tibetan traditions, it has remained unavailable in English except in piecemeal translations; Engle's translation will therefore be especially welcomed by scholars and students alike."

This compelling study of the Ri-me movement and of the major Buddhist lineages of Tibet is comprehensive and accessible. It includes an introduction to the history and philosophy of the Ri-me movement; a biography of the movement's leader, the meditation master and philosopher known as Jamgon Kongtrul the Great; helpful summaries of the eight lineages' practice-and-study systems, which point out the different emphases of the schools; an explanation of the most hotly disputed concepts; and an overview of the old and new tantras.
Jamgon Kongtrul the Great (1813-1899) is a giant in Tibetan history, renowned for his scholarly and meditative achievements, but also for his energetic yet evenhanded work to unify and strengthen the different lineages of Buddhism. The Ri-me movement, led by Kongtrul and several other leading scholars of the time, was a unifying effort to cut through interscholastic divisions and disputes that were occurring between the different lineages. These leaders sought appreciation of the differences and acknowledgment of the importance of variety in benefiting practitioners with different needs. The Ri-me teachers also took great care that the teachings and practices of the different schools and lineages, and their unique styles, did not become confused with one another. This lucid survey of the Ri-me movement will be of interest to serious scholars and practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.

This concise but revealing book gives a glimpse inside the relatively unexplored thought world of the Jonangpa School of Tibetan Buddhism. This seminal text from that tradition situates the doctrine of other-emptiness within the tenet systems of the four traditional schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

This book is a first. There has never been one entirely dedicated to the spiritual life of the Dalai Lama. Yet as one of the world's most recognised, and respected, spiritual leaders there is already great interest in such a work from His Holiness' thousands of friends and followers around the world. The Dalai Lama sees himself first and foremost as a human being, secondly as a monk and thirdly as the former political leader of Tibet. In this extraordinary autobiography we read many hitherto unknown stories from his childhood, his formation as a monk and his gradual development as a leader of his people. We are offered a view of his daily spiritual practise, invited to listen in on the dialogue he has been pursuing with other religions, with non-believers and with scientists in his search for ethical and environmental principles, and shown how he brings a sense of goodness and conscience to political life around the globe. In a world that is so profoundly interdependent, the Dalai Lama explains how he transforms himself through spiritual means in order to have a positive effect on the world, and he encourages us to do the same by working on ourselves first of all.

Through the eventful life of a Himalayan Buddhist teacher, Khunu Lama, this study reimagines cultural continuity beyond the binary of traditional and modern. In the early twentieth century, Khunu Lama journeyed across Tibet and India, meeting Buddhist masters while sometimes living, so his students say, on cold porridge and water. Yet this elusive wandering renunciant became a revered teacher of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. At Khunu Lama's death in 1977, he was mourned by Himalayan nuns, Tibetan lamas, and American meditators alike. The many surviving stories about him reveal significant dimensions of Tibetan Buddhism, shedding new light on questions of religious affect and memory that reimagines cultural continuity beyond the binary of traditional and modern. In Renunciation and Longing, Annabella Pitkin explores devotion, renunciation, and the teacher-student lineage relationship as resources for understanding Tibetan Buddhist approaches to modernity. By examining narrative accounts of the life of a remarkable twentieth-century Himalayan Buddhist and focusing on his remembered identity as a renunciant bodhisattva, Pitkin illuminates Tibetan and Himalayan practices of memory, affective connection, and mourning. Refuting long-standing caricatures of Tibetan Buddhist communities as unable to be modern because of their religious commitments, Pitkin shows instead how twentieth- and twenty-first-century Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist narrators have used themes of renunciation, devotion, and lineage as touchstones for negotiating loss and vitalizing continuity.

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Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche provides an illuminating, expansive, and practical commentary on Mi-pam-gya-tso's incisive work on the Great Completeness view of ultimate reality called "The Meaning of Fundamental Mind Clear Light." "Fundamental Mind "begins with a biography of Mi-pam-gya-tso, after which Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche explains the aim of the book: the differentiation of mistaken mind and fundamental mind. The main theme is primordial enlightenment in the basal clear light, self-arisen pristine wisdom. The emphasis is on being introduced to and identifying fundamental mind in naked experience through a lama's quintessential instructions.

Tired of being an armchair activist, Isabel Losada decides to take matters into her own hands. From the streets of London to the temples of Dharamsala, in this adventure, Isabel falls in love with a monk, impersonates a member of the Chinese army, starts an activist organization, breaks the law, puts lives at risk (including her own), and appears on the news around the world. In the end, she meets the Dalai Lama to ask him the crucial question, "Can one person make a difference?"

Mullin provides a readable and comprehensive introduction to the life and times of the Second Dalai Lama, and the selections of works contained herein greatly enrich our understanding of his exalted realizations.