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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism > Tibetan Buddhism
The Life of the Madman of UE tells the story of Kunga Zangpo
(1458-1532), a famous Tibetan Buddhist ascetic of the Kagyu sect.
Having grown weary of the trials of human existence, Zangpo
renounced the world during his teenage years, committing himself to
learning and practicing the holy Dharma as a monk. Some years later
he would give up his monkhood to take on a unique tantric
asceticism that entailed dressing in human remains, wandering from
place to place, and provoking others to attack him physically,
among other norm-overturning behaviors. It was because of this
asceticism that Zangpo came to be known as the Madman of UE.
Written in two parts in 1494 and 1537, this biography provides a
rich depiction of religious life in fifteenth- and
sixteenth-century Tibet. Between his travels across central and
western Tibet, the Himalayas, and Nepal, Zangpo undertook inspiring
feats of meditation, isolating himself in caves for years at a
stretch. The book also details Zangpo's many miracles, a testament
to the spiritual perfection he attained. His final thirty years
were spent at his monastery of Tsimar Pel, where he dispensed
teachings to his numerous disciples and followers. The life of this
remarkable and controversial figure provides new means for
understanding the tradition of the "holy madman" (smyon pa) in
Tibetan Buddhism. This valuable example of Tibetan Buddhist
hagiographical literature is here made available in a complete
English translation for the first time.
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.
Chogyam Trungpa's unique ability to express the essence of Buddhist
teachings in the language and imagery of modern American culture
makes his books among the most accessible works of Buddhist
philosophy. Here Trungpa explores the true meaning of freedom,
showing us how our preconceptions, attitudes, and even our
spiritual practices can become chains that bind us to repetitive
patterns of frustration and despair. This edition features a new
foreword by Pema Chodron, a close student of Trungpa and the
best-selling author of "When Things Fall Apart. "
The Indian master Padmasambhava occupies a special place in the
hearts of practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. By bringing tantric
Buddhism to Tibet from India he inspired a movement of awakening
that for centuries has brought countless practitioners to spiritual
fulfillment. A Practice of Padmasambhava presents two practical and
compelling works related to a visualization and mantra practice of
Padmasambhava. This practice is based on the most important
revelation of the renowned nineteenth-century treasure revealer
Chokgyur Lingpa, Accomplishing the Guru's Mind: Dispeller of All
Obstacles. These two works give an introduction to the preliminary
trainings, outline the primary elements of visualization practice
and mantra recitation, and supply a detailed explanation of the
practice of Padmasambhava's wisdom aspect, Guru Vadisimha. Through
practical step-by-step instructions on this deity, the reader is
guided into the general world of tantric practice common to all of
Tibetan Buddhism.
Realizing emptiness or grasping the true nature of reality lies at
the heart of the Buddhist path. In this book, Gen Lamrimpa offers
practical instruction on Madhyamaka, insight meditation aimed at
realizing emptiness. Drawing on his theoretical training as well as
his extensive meditative experience, he explains how to use
Madhyamaka reasoning to experience the way in which all things
exist as dependently related events.
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Becoming Enlightened
(Paperback)
Dalai Lama; Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins; Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins
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R518
R424
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In "Becoming Enlightened," His Holiness the Dalai Lama powerfully
explores the foundation of Buddhism, laying out an accessible and
practical approach to age-old questions: How can we live free from
suffering? How can we achieve lasting happiness and peace?
Drawing from traditional Buddhist meditative practices as well
as penetrating examples from today's troubled planet, he presents
step-by-step exercises designed to expand the reader's capacity for
spiritual growth, along with clear milestones to mark the reader's
progress. By following the spiritual practices outlined in
"Becoming Enlightened," we can learn how to replace troublesome
feelings with positive attitudes and embark on a path to achieving
an exalted state -- within ourselves and within the larger
world.
Full of personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai
Lama's experiences as a lifelong student, thinker, political
leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, "Becoming Enlightened"
gives readers all the wisdom, support, guidance, and inspiration
they need to become successful and fulfilled in their spiritual
lives.
This is a remarkable and empowering book that can be read and
enjoyed by seekers of all faiths. Readers at every stage of their
spiritual development will be captivated by His Holiness the Dalai
Lama's loving and direct teaching style.
"No one is better qualified than Tucci to write a general yet
comprehensive work on such a complex subject. His explorations in
Tibet, extensive personal experiences, direct observations of
ritual, and unmatched textual knowledge are graciously combined in
this valuable and highly readable volume." (Barbara Nimri Aziz,
Journal of Asian Studies). "Tucci's most significant contribution
is his application of a systematic analysis of parallels and
interconnections among the religious practices of Tibetans...We
have both a thorough analysis of significant texts as well as a
description and appreciation of rituals, architecture, and
artifacts." (Francis V. Tiso, Cross Currents). "[Readers] are not
soon to find a more informative, comprehensive rendering of the
religions of Tibet-minus all the myths and by a scholar as
extraordinary as Giuseppe Tucci." (A. Torn Grunfeld, Focus on Asian
Studies). "We have here a synthesis of Tucci's knowledge and
insight into one of the most extraordinary of the world's great
cultures." (Ninian Smart, Times Literary Supplement).
If any anthropologist living today can illuminate our dim
understanding of death's enigma, it is Robert Desjarlais. With
Subject to Death, Desjarlais provides an intimate, philosophical
account of death and mourning practices among Hyolmo Buddhists, an
ethnically Tibetan Buddhist people from Nepal. He studies the death
preparations of the Hyolmo, their specific rituals of grieving, and
the practices they use to heal the psychological trauma of loss.
Desjarlais's research marks a major advance in the ethnographic
study of death, dying, and grief, one with broad implications.
Ethnologically nuanced, beautifully written, and twenty-five years
in the making, Subject to Death is an insightful study of how
fundamental aspects of human existence--identity, memory, agency,
longing, bodiliness--are enacted and eventually dissolved through
social and communicative practices.
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