The ancient Tibetans devised a unique system to prove, logically, if something is true or not. Learn how to form a correct argument, how to determine whether an argument is true, and what are the follow up strategies on a line of argument. Applications for their techniques extend into every aspect of one's life: job, family, health. The ability to process information and arrive at a correct, logical conclusion is something we can all benefit from

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.

Ma alas - Their Nature and Development (Volume 4) This book deals with the question of what exactly constitutes a 'cell' metaphysically. The cell is viewed as a unit of consciousness that interrelate with other cells to form ma alas of expression. Each such cell can be considered a form of 'self' that has a limited, though valid, body of expression. It is born, sustains a form of activity, and consequently dies when it outlives its usefulness. This mode of analysis is extended to include the myriad forms manifest in the world of phenomena known as sa s ra including the existence and functioning of chakras. A Treatise on Mind Outline Volume 1 The "Self" or "Non-self" in Buddhism Volume 2 Considerations of Mind-A Buddhist Enquiry Volume 3 The Buddha-Womb and the Way to Liberation Volume 4 Ma alas: Their Nature and Development Volume 5 An Esoteric Exposition of the Bardo Thodol Volume 6 Meditation and the Initiation Process Volume 7 The Constitution of Shambhala Whilst the numbers of Buddhists are growing in the world, the techniques and discourses of Buddhism have not changed to meet the radically different conditions of the contemporary world. Thus Buddhism needs a true restorative flowering to rival that of the renaissance of debate and innovative thinking of the early post-N g rjunian era. In order to achieve this it must synthesise the present wealth of scientific knowledge, alongside the best of the Western world's philosophical output - this is the primary task of this seven volume treatise. The treatise investigates Buddhist ideas concerning what mind is and how it relates to a concept of a 'self'. It is principally a study of the complex interrelationship between mind and phenomena, from the gross to the subtle-the physical, psychic, supersensory and supernal. This entails an explanation of how mind incorporates all phenomena in its modus operandi, and how eventually that mind is liberated from it, thereby becoming awakened. Thus the treatise explores the manner in which the corporeally orientated, concretised, intellectual mind eventually becomes transformed into the Clear Light of the abstracted Mind; a Buddha-Mind.

Dr. Nida's Path to Rainbow Body provides a wonderful initial overview of the marvelous teaching of the Yuthok Heart Essence, the principle spiritual teaching employed in Tibet for the training of physicians in continuous use in Tibetan medical schools since the 12th century, the time of Yuthok Yonten Gonpo the Younger. This book gives a brief but thorough introduction to this unique method of the doctor's essential inner training that must precede and complement the vast external learning that must be mastered over many years of medical school and early practice.

This title is a response to the Buddhism chapter of Pope John Paul II's book 'Crossing the Threshold of Hope'. In 1993, an Italian reporter asked Pope John Paul II to speak on the subject of Buddhism, especially its doctrine of salvation and its relationship to Christianity. The Pope's answer, which was published as part of a book the following year, grossly misrepresents the Buddhist worldview, claims respected Buddhist teacher Thinley Norbu. 'Welcoming Flowers' is Norbu's attempt to identify and correct such errors.

The Marvelous Primordial State of Great Perfection is a profoundly important root text of the Mind series of Dzogchen. Although this ancient text is not as large, nor has it as many chapters as The Supreme Source, it teaches all the essential principles of Ati Dzogchen that can be subsumed in the view without fixations, contemplation beyond concepts, and the fruit that is not obtained by treading a path. Therefore, this book contains the essence of all sutras and tantras of the Buddha's teaching, with nothing missing. Our English translation of The Marvelous Primordial State, an ancient and extraordinary text the like of which is rarely found in the world and whose value is immeasurable, has been made for the benefit of those fortunate ones who wish to gain an understanding of the real meaning of Ati Dzogpa Chenpo. I truly hope and wish that it will serve to open the doors of their minds and engender a genuine understanding of the principle of Ati Dzogpa Chenpo. -Chogyal Namkhai Norbu This teaching leads directly to the level of enlightenment, therefore it does not even speak of hell. In this teaching only omniscience exists, therefore it does not even speak of ignorance. This is a Dharma in which one understands the real meaning without mistakes. -The Marvelous Primordial State, Chapter 30

2014 Reprint of 1932 New York Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Alexandra David-Neel was a Belgian-French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, anarchist and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was still forbidden to foreigners. David-Neel wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels. Her teachings influenced beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, philosopher Alan Watts, and esotericist Benjamin Creme. Seeker, adventurer, pilgrim, and scholar, David-Neel (1868-1969) was the first European woman to explore the once-forbidden city of Lhasa. This memoir offers an objective account of the supernatural events she witnessed during the 1920s among the mystics and hermits of Tibet - including levitation, telepathy, and the ability to walk on water. Includes all the photographs from the original edition.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1884 Edition.

The Cloud of Nectar is Oriol Aguilar's annotated translation of the biography of Nyagla Pema Dudul, a 19th century master, terton, and well-known exponent of the practice and realization of Total Perfection (Dzogchen) written by Yeshe Dorje. Born in the rugged eastern Tibetan region of Khams, despite an auspicious birth accompanied by miraculous signs and prognostications, like the great 11th century mystic Milarepa, as a fatherless youth Padma Dudul suffered great personal loss, severe deprivation, and repeated violence. A social outcast, his early attempts to obtain spiritual instruction were cruelly thwarted. Time and again, after a vicious beating as he struggled to avoid the starvation that claimed his brother's life, propelled by empathy even toward his attackers, he would renew his quest for bodily and spiritual sustenance. Increasingly recognized for his spiritual attainments, he sought and exchanged teachings with some of the region's leading figures of Buddhist and Bon learning and practice. Generously sharing his spiritual treasure, he gathered a large number of followers and founded Kalzang monastery, which survives to this day. But despite his fame and spiritual influence, Pema Dudul never held a position in any religious hierarchy, choosing instead the austere yet joyous lifestyle of a wandering yogi and remaining in solitary meditation retreat for extended periods until, upon his passing, he attained the Rainbow Body. In this important scholarly work, through his substantial Introduction Oriol Aguilar precisely places his subject in that fertile time and place in which both the struggle to preserve traditional learning and practice and exceptional spiritual creativity flourished against a backdrop of social and political unrest. Although the biography is filled with descriptions of wondrous visions and dreamlike encounters, its vividly frank presentation of the life of Pema Dudul conveys a sense of proximity and relevance rarely found in works of this genre.

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.

The Tibetan Art of Good Karma describes the spiritual practice of traditional Tibetan Medicine, called Yuthok Nyingthig, used as an all-embracing guide by healers, practitioners, and medical doctors. In this book Dr Nida Chenagtsang describes his profound journey of self-discovery: "Since the time I began the practice of the Yuthok Nyingthig, my normal world changed, my view and philosophy of life was changed forever. I was raised in a spiritual and natural way so this was always part of my being, but the Yuthok Nyingthig completely changed my life in an essential way, touching the very core of my being, enhancing wisdom in my practice of Tibetan medicine. This book is essential reading for anyone who intends to embark on a healing path, and will ultimately bring great rewards in their spiritual practice.

This is a book of teachings on how to do a complete session of meditation. The book is a compilation made by the author to help those who would like to practise meditation in the Kagyu or Nyingma way. It emphasizes the practical style of instruction found in the Kagyu tradition for those who actually want to do something with the mind. It deliberately avoids the scholarly style taught in some other Tibetan Buddhist traditions and focusses directly on working directly with one's own mind. Nonetheless, the book is very precise and clear about all of the key points involved in meditation practice. The book emphasizes the Kagyu approach in particular. The author has received teachings from many Kagyu masters and used his knowledge of the tradition as a basis for making the book for his own students. He has selected important texts from Gampopa and other early masters to set the basis for the explanations of meditation. The author has then added other, necessary teachings according to the extensive teachings he has received over many years from many different Kagyu masters, such as Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, and others. The result is a book that contains a complete teaching on how to do a complete session of meditation, especially in the style of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions.

"The Lama of Appearances" provides an introduction to an important Tibetan teaching that is little known here in the West, and that is that nature herself, the world of appearances, is a perfect reflection of the mind, and can be a trusted guide to learning and practicing dharma, in particular where there is no dharma teacher available. This full-color book contains 130 hi-res close-up photos of nature along with three dharma-related articles. The first, mentioned above, is an introduction to using the natural world for training in the dharma. The second article is the personal history of how the author went through preliminary and advanced practices in Tibetan Buddhism and achieved some preliminary recognition of the true nature of the mind. This is a personal story of learning meditation and other Tibetan practices, with all of their joys and trials. In particular, this story is about the author's adventures learning Mahamudra meditation, and how to practice it. And last, "The Seven Points of Mind Training," one of the key texts in Tibetan Buddhism, is presented, with all fifty-nine of its slogans, accompanied by full-page color photographs.

This book presents a Great Vehicle sutra of the third turning of the wheel of dharma which has not been translated until now and which is regarded as specially important for two reasons. Firstly the sutra deals with the issue of whether a bodhisatva can live a householder's life and effectively practice dharma at a high level. In the time when the Buddha gave this discourse it was regarded in Indian culture as a whole that it was necessary to leave the household and additionally to become ordained as a monk or nun in order to practice dharma at the highest level. The Buddha ends the sutra by saying that not only is it possible to practise whilst living as a householder but that a householder bodhisatva can be a much more capable and effective bodhisatva than a bodhisatva living the celibate life of an ordained bodhisatva. The person who petitioned the Buddha for his authoritative statements on this matter was a householder bodhisatva named "Uncouth." His concerns, which are the main issues in the sutra, result in the sutra fitting very closely with the situation of today's Western Buddhists, most of whom do not wish to leave home and become mendicants and most of whom are equally determined that this should not mean that they are relegated to a life which has been officially stamped as lesser than that of an ordained life. These have become prominent issues for Western Buddhists at this time and a careful consideration of the actual meaning embodied in this sutra can be a very fruitful exercise for today's Western Buddhists. I have found that investigating the sutra carefully raises many issues of great relevance and interest to today's Western Buddhists, but more than that, the issues are raised in the environment of the Buddha giving his authoritative statements about them. We found it to be very provocative but very rich at the same time.

"If you recite this when you arise, then you will accomplish all of your wholesome aims for the day. If you recite it when you go to sleep, then you will have nourishing dreams. If you recite it before you go to into action, you will be virtuous and successful. If you recite it when you begin an activity, then the good that you aspire to will increase. If you recite it daily, then health, longevity, glory, prosperity, auspiciousness, happiness and virtue will accompany you according to your thoughts and actions. All harmful actions and obscurations will be purified. Both the higher realms and the resplendent Buddhahood - all aims will be accomplished. This was said by the Supreme Victor - Jamgon Ju Mipham."

This book presents a text called "A Lamp's Illumination" Condensed Advice on Great Completion's Thorough Cut, written by the Tibetan master Jigmey Tenpa'i Nyima, the third Dodrupchen 1849-1907]. The text is an explanation of the Thorough Cut practice of innermost unsurpassed Great Completion.

This concise treatise by the 11th-century Tibetan Buddhist philosopher Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo sets out to prove the provocative point that everything that appears is actually deity manifest. Many books on Tibetan Buddhism address the important themes of mind training, compassion, and proper conduct, but this book goes beyond that in its aim to bring the reader face to face with his or her divine and pure nature.

Most of us tend to dismiss the importance of our dreams. Even if we sense a deeper meaning, we are generally unable to say what a dream symbolises or see its connection to the important aspects of our everyday life. The Tibetan Art of Dream Analysis reveals how for over a thousand years Tibetan dream masters have been able to see the deep link between the dream world and the waking one. Through them we understand why nightly dreams can give clear signs of health warnings, conflicts, or foretell events yet to happen such as death, a birth, or other harbingers of wealth and happiness. This book provides a useful list of dream symbols and their hidden meanings as well as case studies of easy to read analyses of dreams. Those interested in going beyond merely understanding what a dream might mean will find, within its pages, very detailed, step-by-step approaches as practised by dream yoga masters long ago. For the truly committed this book holds out the ultimate goal of spiritual enlightenment for someone prepared to undertake the rigorous journey of an adept dream yoga practitioner.

"The teacher appears in human form, gives teachings, and shows us the Path. Through their instructions and blessing a time will come when their realization and ours will become One. At that time we will realize that the absolute-inner-teacher has always been present and 'is' our very nature." -Jamgon Kongtru

The lineage of the reincarnated line of Dalai Lamas has held primary spiritual authority and, until recently, temporal power in Tibet since the beginning of the 15th century. The translations in this book represent a curated set of their writings specifically on tantra, the advanced path of Tibetan Buddhism in which practitioners use a variety of methods and techniques to directly overcome delusion and conflicting emotions.

The Gesar epic encompasses a vast range of ancient Central Asian cultural and spiritual traditions. At its center, Gesar, King of Ling battles tirelessly in a world riven by greed, confusion, fear, and religious ambition to open pathways to an enlightened society. The Warrior Song of King Gesar follows the unbroken heritage of that warrior tradition and presents the saga of Gesar's life, from the hardships of his youth through his great battles against the demonic enemies of the four directions. This ever evolving epic tradition continues to inspire people in diverse societies by showing that, despite failures, an unsparing spiritual journey is integral to a secular life and that, despite defeats, such a quest is inseparable from working towards true social harmony. The Venerable Tulku Thondup's introduction is uniquely valuable for its profound scholarship and contains the only account in English of King Gesar's mind teachings. * "I hope that the wisdom, imagination, and humor with which Douglas Penick has conveyed both Gesar's story and the energy of his being will rouse unconditional confidence throughout the world." Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of Shambhala International, author of Making the Mind into an Ally, and Ruling Your World. "The Warrior Song of King Gesar maintains traditional Asian epic genres and conventions while simultaneously transforming them into a completely contemporary vehicle of expression. The book captures in a remarkable way the nomadic warrior traditions from which Gesar's inner life emerged while uncovering the personal reality hidden within them. This work then is not a 're-telling' of the Gesar saga, but an authentic continuation of that tradition which thus becomes available to modern audiences in new and provocative ways." Kidder Smith- former Professor of Chinese History at Bowdoin College, author of articles on the East Asian classics, lead translator in the Denma Translation Group's Sun Tzu's Art of War.