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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism > Tibetan Buddhism
Though the abhidharma is recognised as one of the major topics of
the Buddhist teachings, up until now there have been few
translations of any of the great texts on it available in a Western
language. This book gives thorough explanations of all the
fundamental concepts and terms found in the Buddhist teachings. It
presents the nature of the phenomena we experience, describes the
karma and afflictions that create suffering, and shows the factors
of the path that lead to liberation. It is like an encyclopaedia of
Buddhism that thoroughly explains the meaning of the many different
technical terms found in the sutras, vinaya, and other Buddhist
teachings -- if you are wondering what something you have read in a
Buddhist text really means, there is a good chance it is explained
in this book. It thus provides an invaluable aid to students who
want to deepen their understanding not only of the abhidharma, but
of all the Buddhist teachings.
A favorite of Tibetans and recommended by the Dalai Lama and other
senior Buddhist teachers, this practical guide to inner
transformation introduces the fundamental spiritual practices
common to all Tibetan Buddhist traditions.The Words of My Perfect
Teacher is the classic commentary on the preliminary practices of
the Longchen Nyingtig-one of the best-known cycles of teachings and
a spiritual treasure of the Nyingmapa school-the oldest Tibetan
Buddhist tradition. Patrul Rinpoche makes the technicalities of his
subject accessible through a wealth of stories, quotations, and
references to everyday life. His style of mixing broad
colloquialisms, stringent irony, and poetry has all the life and
atmosphere of an oral teaching. Great care has been taken by the
translators to render the precise meaning of the text in English
while still reflecting the vigor and insight of the original
Tibetan. A preface by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, insightful
introductory essays, explanatory notes, and classic illustrations
enhance this quintessential introduction to Tibetan Buddhist
practice. This new edition includes translations of a postface to
the text written a century ago (for the first printed edition in
Tibetan) by the first Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, and a new preface
by the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. The notes, glossary and
bibliography have been expanded and updated, Sanskrit names and
terminology have been given their proper transliterated form, and
the illustrations have been improved in quality and supplemented
with new material.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead was traditionally used as a mortuary text, read or recited in the presence of a dying or dead person. As a contribution to the science of death and of rebirth, it is unique among the sacred books of the world. The texts have been discovered and rediscovered in the West during the course of almost the entire 20th century, starting with Oxford's edition by W Y Evans-Wentz in 1927. The new edition includes a new foreword, afterword and suggested further reading list by Donald S Lopez Jr to update and contextualize this pioneering work. Lopez examines the historical background of OUP's publication, the translation against current scholarship, and its profound importance in engendering both scholarly and popular interest in Tibetan religion and culture.
Here is a treasury of short selections from the best-selling books
of Pema Chodron, the beloved Tibetan Buddhist nun. Sized to fit
easily into a pocket or purse, this little book can be taken
anywhere, providing on-the-go inspiration. Topics of this book
include opening the heart; becoming fearless; breaking free of
destructive patterns; developing patience and joy; and, discovering
one's natural warmth, intelligence, and goodness.
#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - FEATURES EXCLUSIVE NEW MATERIAL ON
THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY "Makes the case for unity in a world rife with
divisions." --New York Times Book Review In this brief yet profound
address to global humanity, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet
reveals that we all hold the seeds of world peace within us: "I see
with ever greater clarity that our spiritual well-being depends,"
the Nobel Peace Prize winner writes, "on our innate human nature,
our natural affinity for goodness, compassion, and caring for
others." Already a major international bestseller, An Appeal to the
World, the new book by one of the most revered spiritual leaders of
our time, outlines both the inward and outward paths to peace,
addressing a wide range of contemporary topics--from the rise of
nationalism, Trump presidency, refugee crisis, climate
catastrophes, and materialism to meditation, universal ethics, and
even neuroscience. Here is a small book that can truly change the
world.
Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Niels Bohr, Einstein. Their insights
shook our perception of who we are and where we stand in the world,
and in their wake have left an uneasy coexistence: science vs.
religion, faith vs. empirical inquiry. Which is the keeper of
truth? Which is the true path to understanding reality?
After forty years of study with some of the greatest scientific
minds, as well as a lifetime of meditative, spiritual, and
philosophic study, the Dalai Lama presents a brilliant analysis of
why all avenues of inquiry--scientific as well as spiritual--must
be pursued in order to arrive at a complete picture of the truth.
Through an examination of Darwinism and karma, quantum mechanics
and philosophical insight into the nature of reality, neurobiology
and the study of consciousness, the Dalai Lama draws significant
parallels between contemplative and scientific examinations of
reality.
This breathtakingly personal examination is a tribute to the Dalai
Lama's teachers--both of science and spirituality. The legacy of
this book is a vision of the world in which our different
approaches to understanding ourselves, our universe, and one
another can be brought together in the service of humanity.
For inspiration, Buddhists turn to the life stories of how the
great masters of their lineage struggled with their circumstances
and achieved enlightenment. This important and very readable volume
tells the extraordinary tales of the greatest teachers of the Kagyu
the lineage with the widest following in the U.S.
"Apparitions of the Self" is a groundbreaking investigation into
what is known in Tibet as "secret autobiography," an exceptional,
rarely studied literary genre that presents a personal exploration
of intimate religious experiences. In this volume, Janet Gyatso
translates and studies the outstanding pair of secret
autobiographies by the famed Tibetan Buddhist visionary, Jigme
Lingpa (1730-1798), whose poetic and self-conscious writings are as
much about the nature of his own identity, memory, and the
undecidabilities of autobiographical truth as they are narrations
of the actual content of his experiences. Their translation in this
book marks the first time that works of this sort have been
translated in a Western language.
Gyatso is among the first to consider Tibetan literature from a
comparative perspective, examining the surprising fit--as well as
the misfit--of Western literary theory with Tibetan autobiography.
She examines the intriguing questions of why Tibetan Buddhists
produced so many autobiographies (far more than other Asian
Buddhists) and how autobiographical self-assertion is possible even
while Buddhists believe that the self is ultimately an illusion.
Also explored are Jigme Lingpa's historical milieu, his revelatory
visions of the ancient Tibetan dynasty, and his meditative
practices of personal cultivation. The book concludes with a study
of the subversive female figure of the "Dakini" in Jigme Lingpa's
writings, and the implications of her gender, her sexuality, and
her unsettling discourse for the autobiographical subject in
Tibet.
There are more connections between spirituality and science than
you might think... In 2004, biologist Dee Denver heard the Dalai
Lama speak in Bloomington, Indiana. The famous Tibetan monk's
speech that day exposed him to the centrality of impermanence in
Buddhist thinking, a topic that directly connected to his mutation
research in evolutionary biology. He left the event shocked and
startled by the unexpected parallels between Buddhism and biology.
This experience is not wholly unique to Denver. Spirituality and
science are two inherently humane ways to approach our world. Why
shouldn't more people look at them in tandem? In this book, Denver
shares Buddhist ideas and the tradition's colonial and more recent
interactions with biology. He then applies the scientific method to
Buddhist principles and draws connections between Buddhist ideas
and current research in biology. In doing this, he proposes a new
approach to science, Bodhi science, that integrates Buddhist
teachings and ethical frameworks. Denver's research supports a
connected synergy between biological and Buddhist thinking. This
scientific approach to Buddhism offers strong evidence supporting
the validity of fundamentally Buddhist principles and logic. The
book builds on historical evidence from Sri Lanka, Japan, and
Tibetan Buddhism to illustrate these connections.
This book opens the way to a deeper knowledge of mahamudra, a
Buddhist system of meditation on the nature of the mind. In
providing a detailed commentary on the Vajra Song of the first
Jamgon Kongtrul (1813-1899), the author elucidates the stages of
ground, path, and fruition for those who wish to meditate according
to this system.
An indispensable guidebook through the journey of life and death,
"Mind Beyond Death" weaves a synthesis of wisdom remarkable in its
scope. With warm informality and profound understanding of the
Western mind, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche makes the mysterious
Tibetan teachings on the bardos--the intervals of life, death, and
beyond--completely available to the modern reader.
Drawing on a breathtaking range of material, "Mind Beyond Death"
shows us how the bardos can be used to conquer death. Working with
the bardos means taking hold of life and learning how to live with
fearless abandon. Exploring all six bardos--not just the three
bardos of death--"Mind Beyond Death" demonstrates that the secret
to a good journey through and beyond death lies in how we live.
Walking skillfully through the bardos of dream meditation and daily
life, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche takes us deep into the
mysterious death intervals, introducing us to their dazzling
mindscape. This tour de force gives us the knowledge to transform
death, the greatest obstacle, into the most powerful opportunity
for enlightenment. With both nuts-and-bolts meditation techniques
and brilliant illumination, "Mind Beyond Death" offers a clear map
and a sturdy vehicle that will safely transport the reader through
the challenging transitions of this life and the perilous bardos
beyond death.
A masterwork of Tibetan Buddhism--providing the complete foundation
for study and practice--from beginning to Buddhahood. Includes
teachings on Buddha-nature, finding the spiritual master,
impermanence, karma, cultivation of bodhicitta, development of the
six perfections, the ten bodhisattva bhumis, Buddhahood, and the
activities of the Buddha.
For a healing system that has been practiced for 1,300 years,
Tibetan medicine is surprisingly contemporary in its assumptions.
Under the guidance of skilled lama-physicians, it views good health
as a balance between material and spiritual concerns and marshals
an impressive array of physical, psychological, and spiritual
practices in its extensive medical kit. To explore the modern
legacy of the Medicine Buddha tradition, Peter Fenton journeyed to
India and Nepal to see first-hand how Tibetan medicine is practiced
today and to discover whether its ancient secrets can help us
improve our own well-being. His first-person account, full of
fascinating stories and interviews and illustrated with
photographs, charts, and botanical drawings, demonstrates that
traditional Tibetan healing is a vibrant, living system that can
help each of us rebalance body, mind, and spirit---the essence of
good health.
A manual of Tibetan meditation that simply and thoroughly presents
the practices of Dzogchen and Mah?mudr?. These are two of the most
profound methods of Tibetan Buddhist meditation, and in this book,
the reader is given instructions on how to bring them together into
a single unified approach that leads to realizing the ultimate
nature of consciousness.
Santideva's eighth-century work, the Guide to Bodhisattva Practice
(Bodhicaryavatara), is known for its eminently practical
instructions and its psychologically vivid articulations of the
Mahayana path. It is a powerful, succinct poem into which are woven
diverse Buddhist traditions of moral transformation, meditative
cultivation, and philosophical insight. Since its composition, it
has seen continuous use as a ritual, contemplative, and
philosophical manual, making it one of the crucial texts of the
Buddhist ethical and philosophical tradition. This book serves as a
companion to this Indian Buddhist classic. The fifteen essays
contained here illuminate the Guide's many philosophical, literary,
ritual, and ethical dimensions. Distinguished scholars discuss the
historical significance of the text as an innovative piece of
Indian literature, illuminate the important roles it played in
shaping Buddhism in Tibet, and bring to light its contemporary
significance for philosophy and psychology. Whether experienced or
first-time students of Buddhist literature, readers will find
compelling new approaches to this resonant masterpiece.
A visual presentation of Tibetan yoga, the hidden treasure at the
heart of the Tibetan Tantric Buddhist tradition - Explains the core
principles and practices of Tibetan yoga with illustrated
instructions - Explores esoteric practices less familiar in the
West, including sexual yoga, lucid dream yoga, and yoga enhanced by
psychoactive substances - Draws on scientific research and
contemplative traditions to explain Tibetan yoga from a historical,
anthropological, and biological perspective - Includes full-color
reproductions of previously unpublished works of Himalayan art
Tibetan yoga is the hidden treasure at the heart of the Tibetan
Tantric Buddhist tradition: a spiritual and physical practice that
seeks an expanded experience of the human body and its energetic
and cognitive potential. In this pioneering and highly illustrated
overview, Ian A. Baker introduces the core principles and practices
of Tibetan yoga alongside historical illustrations of the movements
and beautiful, full-color works of Himalayan art, never before
published. Drawing on Tibetan cultural history and scientific
research, the author explores Tibetan yogic practices from
historical, anthropological, and biological perspectives, providing
a rich background to enable the reader to understand this ancient
tradition with both the head and the heart. He provides complete,
illustrated instructions for meditations, visualizations, and
sequences of practices for the breath and body, as well as esoteric
practices including sexual yoga, lucid dream yoga, and yoga
enhanced by psychoactive plants. He explains how, while Tibetan
yoga absorbed aspects of Indian hatha yoga and Taoist energy
cultivation, this ancient practice largely begins where
physically-oriented yoga and chi-gong end, by directing prana, or
vital energy, toward the awakening of latent human abilities and
cognitive states. He shows how Tibetan yoga techniques facilitate
transcendence of the self and suffering and ultimately lead to
Buddhist enlightenment through transformative processes of body,
breath, and consciousness. Richly illustrated with contemporary
ethnographic photography of Tibetan yoga practitioners and rare
works of Himalayan art, including Tibetan thangka paintings, murals
from the Dalai Lama's once-secret meditation chamber in Lhasa, and
images of yogic practice from historical practice manuals and
medical treatises, this groundbreaking book reveals Tibetan yoga's
ultimate expression of the interconnectedness of all existence.
Himalayan Hermitess is a vivid account of the life and times of a
Buddhist nun living on the borderlands of Tibetan culture. Orgyan
Chokyi (1675-1729) spent her life in Dolpo, the highest inhabited
region of the Nepal Himalayas. Illiterate and expressly forbidden
by her master to write her own life story, Orgyan Chokyi received
divine inspiration, defied tradition, and composed one of the most
engaging autobiographies of the Tibetan literary tradition.
The Life of Orgyan Chokyi is the oldest known autobiography
authored by a Tibetan woman, and thus holds a critical place in
both Tibetan and Buddhist literature. In it she tells of the
sufferings of her youth, the struggle to escape menial labor and
become a hermitess, her dreams and visionary experiences, her
relationships with other nuns, the painstaking work of
contemplative practice, and her hard-won social autonomy and
high-mountain solitude. In process it develops a compelling vision
of the relation between gender, the body, and suffering from a
female Buddhist practitioner's perspective.
Part One of Himalayan Hermitess presents a religious history of
Orgyan Chokyi's Himalayan world, the Life of Orgyan Chokyi as a
work of literature, its portrayal of sorrow and joy, its
perspectives on suffering and gender, as well as the diverse
religious practices found throughout the work. Part Two offers a
full translation of the Life of Orgyan Chokyi. Based almost
entirely upon Tibetan documents never before translated, Himalayan
Hermitess is an accessible introduction to Buddhism in the
premodern Himalayas.
A text belonging to the same cycle as "The Tibetan Book of the
Dead," this instruction on the method of self-liberation presents
the essence of Dzogchen, "The Great Perfection," regarded in Tibet
as the highest and most esoteric teaching of the Buddha. Teaching
the attainment of Buddhahood in a single lifetime, this text was
written and concealed by Guru Padmasambhava in the eighth century
and rediscovered six centuries later by Karma Lingpa. The
commentary by the translator is based on the oral teachings of
Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and Lama Tharchin Rinpoche.
The Buddha Party tells the story of how the People's Republic of
China employs propaganda to define Tibetan Buddhist belief and sway
opinion within the country and abroad. The narrative they create is
at odds with historical facts and deliberately misleading, but,
John Powers argues, it is widely believed by Han Chinese. Most of
China's leaders appear to deeply believe the official line
regarding Tibet, which resonates with Han notions of themselves as
China's most advanced nationality and as a benevolent race that
liberates and culturally uplifts minority peoples. This in turn
profoundly affects how the leadership interacts with their
counterparts in other countries. Powers's study focuses in
particular on the government's "patriotic education" campaign-an
initiative that forces monks and nuns to participate in propaganda
sessions and repeat official dogma. Powers contextualizes this
within a larger campaign to transform China's religions into
"patriotic" systems that endorse Communist Party policies. This
book offers a powerful, comprehensive examination of this ongoing
phenomenon, how it works and how Tibetans resist it.
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