Rinpoche, Patrul. The Words of the My Perfect Teacher. Trns. Padmakara Tanslation Group. Boston: Shambhala Publication. 1998.
Mathes, Klaus-Dieter. A Fine Blend of Mahamudra and Madhyamaka: Maitrīpa's Collection of Texts on Non-conceptual Realization (Amanasikāra). Vienna: Österreichischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften, 2015.
A Lamp for the Path and Commentary of Atisa. Trans: Richard Sherburne, S.J. London: George Allen & Unwin (publishers) Ltd. 1983
Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment was published in 2002 by Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. The free ebook is essentially a commentary on Atishas Dipamkara Shrijnana’s A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment and Lama Je Tsong Khapa’s Lines of Experience. Buddhism originated from its founding teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha , who gave 84,000 forms of teaching.
Guru Yoga is an important aspect of the tantric practice of Mahayana Buddhism and the foundation on which the whole tantric structure is built; it is also the force that gives vitality to a practitioner's meditation. Unlike other systems, tantric meditation depends largely upon inspiration transmitted in an unbroken lineage through a living person, the teacher. Who better than the Dalai Lama can pre a proper understanding of this practice for Tibetan Buddhists.
Tantric deity yoga is the contemplative practice of visualizing oneself as a buddha, replete with compassion and wisdom, acting altruistically to benefit all sentient beings. This book offers a complete system of Tibetan Buddhist tantric meditation that details the process of transforming oneself through the step-by-step use of the imagination. Hopkins offers a contemporary Western perspective on the practice of deity yoga, based on his study and practice of these techniques.
Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour (sPyod-‘jug, Bodhisattvacharya-avatara) by Shantideva is text translated from Tibetan by Alexander Berzin, 2005. It was composed by the teacher Shantideva (first half of the eighth century C. E.). It was translated into Tibetan,edited, and settled upon from a Kashmiri manuscript by the learned Indian master Sarvajna-deva and the editor-translator monk Peltseg (early ninth century C. E.).
Virtue and Reality by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The teachings of the Buddha, can be divided into two overall categories: extensive method and profound wisdom. In the context of the teachings presented here, method is the loving, compassionate bodhicitta and wisdom is the realization of ultimate reality, the right view of emptiness. It would be hard to find a simpler, clearer, more practical explanation of these two fundamental paths than the one Lama Zopa offers us here. Through practicing method, we attain the holy body of a Buddha; through developing wisdom we attain the enlightened mind.
"A Song of Milarepa – An Authentic Expression of the Middle Way" is a book from Milarepa that was translated by Geshe In Drin. It is a song about the approach of the Kadampa geshe who is stuck at the level of words and the approach of the yogi who has practised at and attained to the meaning beyond words.
In the 1970s and ‘80s most of the great lamas left Tibet, but were still alive and teaching, mainly in India. Many of the teachings in this book were given at Tushita Mahayana Meditation Center, New Delhi, by lamas in exile. Two of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings are also present in this book, the chapters Seeking an inner Refuge and The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation.
How to Practice the Buddhadharma with the subtitle: A Lamp Illuminating the Path to Liberation by Sera Je Lharam Geshe Tsulga is a practical explanation of how to put the Buddha’s teachings into practice, with emphasis on the early stages of the path, guru devotion and the importance of dharma in light of reincarnation. The book gives excellent and throughout instructions for meditations. Geshe Tsulga fled Tibet in 1959 after the Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation. He arrived in USA in 1995 and is now teacher at Kurukulla Center in Boston.
Ego, Attachment and Liberation with the subtitle Overcoming your Mental Bureaucracy – a five-day Meditation Course by Lama Yeshe is a detailed guide to handling the obstacles during retreats and more advanced meditation techniques. At the same time Lama Yeshe presents and explains his own thoughts on concepts such as karma: Every time your ego contacts an object, its interpretation leaves a different imprint on your consciousness. Those imprints react again and again. That’s what we call karma—cause and effect. The imprints are the cause; the reaction is the effect. That’s karma.
The Buddha-Carita, or The Life of Buddha by Aevaghosa edited and translated by Edward B. Cowell is the original biography of the Buddha. The text is translated directly from sanskrift scriptures written in the fifth century.
Dudjom Rinpoche was one of the seminal figures in Tibetan Buddhism in the twentieth century, yet very few of his religious writings have been translated into English. This volume contains a generous selection of his inspiring teachings and writings, the core of which is a lengthy discussion of the entire path of Dzogchen, including key instructions on view, meditation, and conduct, along with direct advice on how to bring one's experiences onto the path.
The six Buddhist teachings contained herein come from Tibetan Lama Yeshe’s 1975 visit to Australia. The first three are a series of consecutive evening lectures Lama gave at Melbourne University. By the third night he thought people had heard enough talk and instead offered a guided meditation. It is indicated clearly in the text and suggest that instead of reading it straight through, you pause for a few minutes after each paragraph to think about what Lama just said, as he intended. The last three teachings are public lectures given in Sydney.
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.
The Ratnagotravibhāga is one of the treatises on the Mahāyāna doctrine written in Sanskrit. The Ratnagotravibhaga, elucidates the Third Turning of the Buddha's teachings on Buddha-essence - the inherent qualities and potential for Buddhahood present in all beings. This study includes a critical introduction, a synopsis of the text, a translation from the original in comparison with its Tibetan & Chinese versions and critical notes.
This book provides clear and deep explanations of how to uncover our inherent wisdom and compassion. The authors explain how our minds function and what our primordial nature is; they show us how to go about cultivating insight, bodhichitta, and devotion so that our true nature can manifest. They give detailed instructions on how to meditate using the tantric techniques of visualization, mantra, and formless meditation. At the same time, the book is simple and accessible, pointing out how we can see our fundamentally enlightened nature.
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation is a masterwork of Tibetan Buddhism. For more than eight centuries, this text has provided a complete foundation for Buddhist study and practice - covering the initial entry into the path and continuing through to the achievement of Buddhahood. It includes teachings on Buddha-nature, finding a spiritual master, impermanence, karma, the cultivation of bodhicitta, the development of the six perfections, the ten Bodhisattva bhumis, Buddhahood, and the activities of a Buddha.
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.
Madhyamaka, or the Middle Way, is accepted by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism as the most profound expression, in philosophical terms, of emptiness, the true nature of phenomena. Emptiness is the basis on which the whole of Mahayana practice is founded, from the mind-training meditations on bodhichitta to the advanced yogas of tantra and dzogchen. The Madhyamaka tradition, inaugurated by Nagarjuna and dominant in India for over a thousand years, remains a vibrant force in Tibetan Buddhism.
Given the recent discussion of Trivedi this book is significant in showing how such magical and mythical beliefs in a superman leader with a super race of followers is inherent to Tibetan Buddhism. It's is no wonder then that a certain brand of integral is also sold on Tibetan Buddhism, since its own narrative is astonishingly akin.
A popular guide to the art of living, the Sakya Legshe "Treasury of Good Advice" has been fundamental to the development of Tibetan culture and character. As in Aesop's Fables, Sakya Pandita uses proverbs and stories to address the basic question: "How are we to live peaceably with ourselves and with others?" Ordinary Wisdom is the only available English translation of the Sakya Legshe, a book that reveals the heart of the Buddhist way of life.
In this classic 17th-century presentation of the union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, Karma Chagme, one of the great teachers of both these lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, begins with an overview of the spirit of awakening and the nature of actions and their ethical consequences. Next, drawing from his enormous erudition and profound experience, Karma Chagme gives exceptionally lucid instructions on the two phases of Dzogchen practice - the "Breakthrough" and the "Leap-over" - followed by an accessible introduction to the practice of the transference of consciousness at the time of death.
Whether Vedic or Non-Vedic in origin, Tantricism, both Brahmanical and Buddhistic, represents a special aspect of the religious and cultural life of India. A thorough study of Tiintricism is, therefore, indispensable for a close acquaintance with the special quality of the Indian mind.
The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind Training (Lo Jong) was composed by the 12th-century Tibetan monk Geshe Chekawa and is based on the oral teachings of the Indian sage, Atisha. It consists of a number of aphorisms that form a quintessential guide to the spiritual path. Several commentaries have been published in recent years, suggesting the growing interest in this set of teachings. With Wallace's commentary, which addresses many practical and theoretical issues that arise for modern readers, the Lo Jong arrives firmly in the 21st century.
Gendun Chopel is considered the most important Tibetan intellectual of the twentieth century. His life spanned the two defining moments in modern Tibetan history: the entry into Lhasa by British troops in 1904 and by Chinese troops in 1951. Recognized as an incarnate lama while he was a child, Gendun Chopel excelled in the traditional monastic curriculum and went on to become expert in fields as diverse as philosophy, history, linguistics, geography, and tantric Buddhism.
This is a wonderful (fairly advanced) book, on Dzogchen with considerable material on Mahamudra woven in (see below). It addresses Jigme Lingpa's "Longchen Nyingtig" cycle of Termas (Treasure Texts) including discovered texts, texts resulting from "pure visions" of 14th century Dzogchen master Longchenpa while Jigme Lingpa (18th century) was in retreat, and supporting texts authored by Jigme Lingpa. All but one of these texts has been included in both English and Tibetan. Van Schaik's introductory material focuses upon certain main themes: simultaneous vs.
"In giving an overview of the Buddhadharma, as practised by the Tibetans, I generally point out that the Buddhism we practice is an integrated form comprising teachings of the low, Bodhisattva and Tantric vehicles, including such paths as the Great Seal. Because quite a number of people have already received initiations, teachings and so on, they might find it helpful to have an explanation of the complete framework.
The Tibetan Books of the Dead are a diverse collection of Buddhist scriptures that yield valuable insight into the psychology of death and dying and suggest the importance of meditative practice and knowledge as tools for self-understanding. This in-depth study of this rich body of Buddhist literature details the Tibetan Buddhist belief in the bardos, of intermediate states, and serves as an illuminating companion volume to The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Introduction to the Middle Way presents an adventure into the heart of Buddhist wisdom through the Madhyamika, or "middle way," teachings, which are designed to take the ordinary intellect to the limit of its powers and then show that there is more.
This book is an edited transcript of Rinpoche’s teachings during the Vajrasattva retreat at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, February through April, 1999. It contains explanations of the various practices done during the retreat, such as Vajrasattva purification, prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas, Lama Chöpa, making light offerings, liberating animals and much, much more. There are also many weekend public lectures covering general topics such as compassion and emptiness.
A Spacious Path to Freedom is a classic manual of Tibetan meditation, offering the Dzogchen and the Mahamudra systems of practice. Chapters explain the stages of meditation, and author Karma Chagma applies his extensive experience and familiarity with Tibetan oral traditions to reveal how these two meditative systems can be integrated into a single approach. Commentary by Gyatrul Rinpoche enhances this core addition to advanced Buddhist Studies shelves.
This article is the first of two comparing findings of studies of advanced practitioners of Tibetan Buddhist meditation in remote regions of the Himalayas, with established results on long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation programs. Many parallel levels of improvement were found, in sensory acuity, perceptual style and cognitive function, indicating stabilization of aspects of attentional awareness. Together with observed increases in EEG coherence and aspects of brain function, such changes are consistent with growth towards a state of total brain functioning, i.e.
The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world's treasury of sacred literature. The author, Tsong-kha-pa (1357-1419), completed this masterpiece in 1402 and it soon became one of the most renowned works of spiritual practice and philosophy in the world of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world's treasury of sacred literature. The author, Tsong-kha-pa (1357-1419), completed this masterpiece in 1402 and it soon became one of the most renowned works of spiritual practice and philosophy in the world of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world's treasury of sacred literature. The author, Tsong-kha-pa (1357-1419), completed this masterpiece in 1402 and it soon became one of the most renowned works of spiritual practice and philosophy in the world of Tibetan Buddhism.
This book analyses the transplantation, development and adaptation of the two largest Tibetan and Zen Buddhist organizations currently active on the British religious landscape: the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) and the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC). The key contributions of recent scholarship are evaluated and organised thematically to provide a framework for analysis, and the history and current landscape of contemporary Tibetan and Zen Buddhist practice in Britain are also mapped out.
If you have been practicing Buddhism for a while, why do you still have problems? And how do you balance the sometimes different needs of spiritual and psychological perspectives? Rob Preece draws on his personal experience - over two decades as a psychotherapist and many years as a meditation teacher - to explore and map the psychological influences on our struggle to awaken. Wisdom does not always come as a flash of inspiration, but from the slow-often painful-working of experience. As we detach from our ideals of perfection and develop our acceptance of imperfection, our love and compassion can grow, and with this, our psychological and spiritual health will benefit as well. The Wisdom of Imperfection delves into this journey of individuation in Buddhist life, looking at the psychological process beneath the traditional path of the compassionate-minded Bodhisattva.
The Great Perfection (rDzogs chen in Tibetan) is a philosophical and meditative teaching. Its inception is attributed to Vairocana, one of the first seven Tibetan Buddhist monks ordained at Samye in the eight century A.D. The doctrine is regarded among Buddhists as the core of the teachings adhered to by the Nyingmapa school whilst similarly it is held to be the fundamental teaching among the Bonpos, the non-Buddhist school in Tibet.
Saturated with direct, pithy instructions, Rainbow Painting presents the very quintessence of the Buddhist Spiritual approach through the authentic personal experience of one of the greatest living meditation masters.Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche expresses what he himself has undergone, instructing us in a complete manner of training. To attain enlightenment we must experience our innate nature. The ultimate object of realization, the natural state of mind, unmistakenly and exactly as it is, need not be sought for elsewhere but is present within ourselves. Stability in this unexcelled state of unity is not achieved by separating what we know from what we do.This book contains astute instructions that address these key points of spirituality.
Penetrating Wisdom is a book of teachings on the Buddhist paths of Dzogchen and Tantra by an innovative Tibetan master who is both authoritative and modern. Basing himself on The Aspiration of Samantabhadra, a proclamation in the Buddhist tantras of the Buddha Samantabhadra, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche illuminates the philosophy and meditation practices of Dzogchen, the highest and most profound teaching of all of Tibetan Buddhism. With precision that does not intimidate the uninitiated, Rinpoche explains the basic nature of our very own mind--complete enlightenment--and how we may go about making this nature of mind manifest through making profound aspirations and through relying on the skillful methods of the Vajrayana, Tibetan Buddhism's "indestructible" path of insight.
It is common in both Buddhism and Freudian psychoanalysis to treat desire as if it is the root of all suffering and problems, but psychiatrist Mark Epstein believes this to be a grave misunderstanding. In his controversial defense of desire, he makes clear that it is the key to deepening intimacy with ourselves, each other, and our world. Proposing that spiritual attainment does not have to be detached from intimacy or eroticism, Open to Desire begins with an exploration of the state of dissatisfaction that causes us to cling to irrational habits. Dr. Epstein helps readers overcome their own fears of desire so that they can more readily bridge the gap between self and other, cope with feelings of incompletion, and get past the perception of others as objects. Freed from clinging and shame, desire’s spiritual potential can then be opened up.
Readers are hard-pressed to find books that can help them understand the central concept in Mahayana Buddhism - the idea that ultimate reality is "emptiness." In clear language, Introduction to Emptiness explains that emptiness is not a mystical sort of "nothingness," but a specific truth that can and must be understood through calm and careful reflection. Newland's contemporary examples and vivid anecdotes will be helpful to students trying to understand one of the great classic texts of the Tibetan tradition, Tsong-kha-pa's Great Treatise.
This book explores the Buddhist view of death and its implications for contemporary bioethics. Writing primarily from within the Tibetan tradition, author Karma Lekshe Tsomo discusses Buddhist notions of human consciousness and personal identity and how these figure in the Buddhist view of death. Beliefs about death and enlightenment and states between life and death are also discussed. Tsomo goes on to examine such hot-button topics as cloning, abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, organ donation, genetic engineering, and stem-cell research within a Buddhist context, introducing new ways of thinking about these highly controversial issues.
This short work by Longchen Rabjampa, one of the great codifiers of the Dzogchen teachings belonging to the Nyingmapa tradition expounds the four themes of Gampopa and surveys the nine vehicles of enlightenment as describing the final goal.