Vajrayana Tantra
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This bookprovides an entrée into the Tantric (or Vajrayana) Buddhism of Tibet, as conveyed by Tibetan masters teaching in the West, and as received by their Western students. The Tantric tradition is a unique collection of lesser-known texts, concepts, and meditation practices that are usually made available only to experienced and specially initiated practitioners.The “Vajra World” ( vajradhatu in Sanskrit) is a realm of indestructibility, the level of reality beyond all thought and imagination, all impermanence and change, which a fully realized person knows and inhabits. Used metaphorically, “Vajra World” refers to the traditional culture of Tibet and the unique spirituality that is its secret strength. |
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Deity, Mantra and Wisdom contains four of the most cherished Tibetan Buddhist commentaries on the practices of visualization, mantra recitation, and meditative absorption. These three elements form the core of development stage meditation, one of the most important practices of Buddhist Tantra. The authors of these timeless classics--Jigme Lingpa, Patrul Rinpoche, and Getse Mahapandita--have all profoundly shaped Tibetan Buddhism with their vast scholarship and deep spiritual realization. In these eloquent and inspiring writings, they explain the fundamental philosophy of the development stage, showing not only its profound insights into the nature of reality, but also how to make this view a living experience through the practice of meditation. |
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This book is a translation of the first part of Jigme Lingpa’s Treasury of Precious Qualities, which in a slender volume of elegant verses sets out briefly but comprehensively the Buddhist path according to the Nyingma school. The concision of the root text and its use of elaborate poetic language, rich in metaphor, require extensive explanation, amply supplied here by the commentary of Kangyur Rinpoche. |
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This acclaimed spiritual masterpiece is widely regarded as one of the most complete and authoritative presentations of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings ever written. A manual for life and death and a magnificent source of sacred inspiration from the heart of the Tibetan tradition, The Tibetan Book Of Living and Dying provides a lucid and inspiring introduction to the practice of meditation, to the nature of mind, to karma and rebirth, to compassionate love and care for the dying, and to the trials and rewards of the spiritual path. |
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Yeshe Tsogyel, consort of Guru Padmasambhava, is the most famous of the enlightened women of Tibet. Women have a special place in tantra but except for Sky Dancer there are few writings that present the spiritual practices and evolution of female aspirants. Here, women are in an eminent position, and a path of practice is given for present day initiates to emulate. Keith Dowman has added a commentary on the path of inner tantra, woman and the dakini, and the Nyingma lineages. |
Lives of the Yogin
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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. |
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The Life of Shabkar has long been recognized by Tibetans as one of the masterworks of their religious heritage. Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol devoted himself to many years of meditation in solitary retreat after his inspired youth and early training in the province of Amdo under the guidance of several extraordinary Buddhist masters. With determination and courage, he mastered the highest and most esoteric practices of the Tibetan tradition of the Great Perfection. He then wandered far and wide over the Himalayan region expressing his realization. Shabkar’s autobiography vividly reflects the values and visionary imagery of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the social and cultural life of early nineteenth-century Tibet. |
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A rare combination of exciting travel book and spiritual wisdom, which uncovers Tibetan spiritual traditions lost or destroyed in Tibet itself. New paradigms of mind are revealed through a series of meetings with the yogins and lamas of Ladakh. The book describes the values, way of life, meditational practices and philosophical understanding of the yogis as the authors came to know them within the context of their daily lives. |
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A beautifully illustrated collection of the stories of the Mahasiddhas, the magicians and saints who founded the lineages of the Tantric tradition. This bookis a highly readable translation of legends from the Tibetan oral tradition. It recounts stories of the masters who embodied various paradigms for psychic and spiritual awakening.There is no better illustration of the nature of Tantric Buddhism than the lives of the masters who founded it. Extraordinary men and women who attained enlightenment and magical powers by disregarding convention and penetrating to the core of life, the Mahasiddhas show us a way through human suffering into a spontaneous and free state of oneness with the divine. |
The Terma Tradition
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In all religions, sacred texts and objects have appeared miraculously. Among the most remarkable of these revelatory traditions is the terma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Termas herald a fresh opportunity for the renewal of spiritual practice. Here Tulku Thondup Rinpoche tells the story of the terma tradition initiated by Padmasambhava, the ninth-century saint who established Buddhism in Tibet. |
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The Treasure tradition of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism is richly permeated with wonder and controversy. This unique, mysterious tradition embraces revelation as the primary path to spiritual awakening. Over the course of Tibetan history, revelations--known as Treasures--have been discovered hidden in nature or have emerged directly from the great minds of the Nyingma School, creating a profound and lasting effect on Tibetan religious society and culture.This book discusses central themes in the history and practice of Treasure revelation and presents translations of seminal texts of the tradition. |
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The Legend of the Great Stupa of Boudhanath, a Padmasambhava treasure text revealed by Lhatsun Ngonmo, hidden again to be rediscovered by Ngakchang Sakya Zangpo in the 16th century, introduction and translation by Keith Dowman; and The Life Story of the Lotus Born Guru, a Padmasambhava treasure text revealed by Orgyen Chogyur Lingpa in the 19th century, translated by Keith Dowman and Taklung Tsetul Pema Wangyel, with introduction and commentery by Keith Dowman; |
Dzogchen
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Flight of the Garuda conveys the heart advice of one of the most beloved nonsectarian masters of Tibet. Ordained as a Gelug monk, the itinerant yogi Shabkar was renowned for his teachings on Dzogchen, the heart practice of the Nyingma lineage. He wandered the countryside of Tibet and Nepal, turning many minds toward the Dharma through his ability to communicate the essence of the teachings in a poetic and crystal-clear way. Buddhists of all stripes, including practitioners of Zen and Vipassana, will find ample sustenance within the pages of this book, and be thrilled by the lyrical insights conveyed in Shabkar’s words. Along with the song by Shabkar, translator Keith Dowman includes several other seminal Dzogchen texts. Dzogchen practice brings us into direct communion with the most subtle nature of our experience, the unity of samsara in nirvana as experienced within our own consciousness. Within the Nyingma school, it is held higher than even the practices of tantra for bringing the meditator face to face with the nature of reality. |
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Dzogchen or the Great Perfection is the apex of Tibetan Buddhism, and Longchen Rabjam is recognized as the pre-eminent master of Dzogchen and one of Tibet’s greatest writers and sages. His Treasury of Reality encompasses and optimizes the radical precepts of Dzogchen and is a shining example of why people continue to turn to the traditions of Tibet for spiritual and personal transformation. Transcending the Tibetan context, Longchen Rabjam’s book is a manual of practical wisdom for all people of all times, cultures, and traditions. Dzogchen teaches the natural perfection of all experience, phenomena, and life, just as it is, with no need to alter or fabricate complex ideas or philosophical views. This discipline of spiritual transcendence provides the key not only to our inner enlightenment but to the health and survival of our planet. |
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For centuries, the form of Buddhist meditation known as Dzogchen was a closely held tradition, one virtually unknown outside of Tibet’s monasteries. Now available in an accessible guide, the essential tenets and methods of Dzogchen -- as relayed by a master -- show readers how to access the pure, clear awareness that sits just beneath a constant flow of anxious thoughts. Helpful for both study and practice, this book is an ideal adjunct to following this rich spiritual path |
Mahayana Buddhism
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Treasured by Buddhists of all traditions, The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara) is a guide to cultivating the mind of enlightenment, and to generating the qualities of love, compassion, generosity, and patience. This text has been studied, practiced, and expounded upon in an unbroken tradition for centuries, first in India, and later in Tibet. Presented in the form of a personal meditation in verse, it outlines the path of the Bodhisattvas—those who renounce the peace of individual enlightenment and vow to work for the liberation of all beings and to attain buddhahood for their sake. |
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The Platform Sutra records the teachings of Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch, who is revered as one of the two great figures in the founding of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism. This translation is the definitive English version of the eighth-century Ch’an classic. |
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This complete translation of the original collection of sermons, dialogues, and anecdotes of Huang Po, the illustrious Chinese master of the Tang Dynasty, allows the Western reader to gain an understanding of Zen from the original source, one of the key works in its teachings; it also offers deep and often startling insights into the rich treasures of Eastern thought. Nowhere is the use of paradox in Zen illustrated better than in the teaching of Huang Po, who shows how the experience of intuitive knowledge that reveals to a man what he is cannot be communicated by words. With the help of these paradoxes, beautifully and simply presented in this collection, Huang Po could set his disciples on the right path. It is in this fashion that the Zen master leads his listener into truth, often by a single phrase designed to destroy his particular demon of ignorance. |
