Situated north of the Himalayas, Tibet is famous for its unique culture and its controversial assimilation into modern China. Yet Tibet in the twenty-first century can only be properly understood in the context of its extraordinary history. Sam van Schaik brings the history of Tibet to life by telling the stories of the people involved, from the glory days of the Tibetan empire in the seventh century through to the present day. He explores the emergence of Tibetan Buddhism and the rise of the Da...
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is celebrated as Buddhism's pre-eminent spiritual master and teacher, embodying the highest aspirations of this rich tradition that is more than 2,500 years old. This fascinating book explores some of His Holiness' most powerful writings and talks. As he explains the elements of the Buddha's teachings and the basic practices of meditation, he also engages and reconciles the innovations of modern science with Buddhist perspectives. Ultimately, His Holiness calls for th...
In Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Chögyam Trungpa offers an inspiring and practical guide to enlightened living based on the Shambhala journey of warriorship, a secular path taught internationally through the Shambhala Training program. Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala is a continuation of that path. Shambhala was an exploration of human goodness and its potential to create an enlightened society—a state that the author calls "nowness." And in that spirit of nowness,...
A practical and inspiring guide for developing our ability to be happy and benefit others this commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas by Gyalsay Togme Sangpo is studied by followers of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The root text gives in thirty-seven short verses the essential practices leading to enlightenment. Gyalsay Togme Sangpo (1295-1369) was renowned as a bodhisattva in Tibet and revered for living according to the bodhisattva ideals and practices that he taught. He i...
A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom
by Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje and Dudjom Rinpoche
Teachings on the foundational practices of Tibetan Buddhism by a renowned and beloved master--now in paperback. In this book, Dudjom Rinpoche explains a key text attributed to Padmasambhava, the great Indian meditation master credited with bringing the Buddha's teachings to Tibet. The instructions here are clear, direct, and personal, illuminating the heart of Vajrayana Buddhist practice and philosophy. Included is the root text ("The Heart Essence of the Dakini") by Padmasambhava and the...
The teaching on Parting from the Four Attachments is universally regarded as one of the jewels of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche leads the reader through a detailed and lucid exploration of the nature of mind, pointing out inevitable pitfalls in spiritual practice and showing how they can be avoided.
Common Ground (Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University)
by Lan Wu
The Qing empire and the Dalai Lama-led Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism came into contact in the eighteenth century. Their interconnections would shape regional politics and the geopolitical history of Inner Asia for centuries to come. In Common Ground, Lan Wu analyzes how Tibetan Buddhists and the Qing imperial rulers interacted and negotiated as both sought strategies to expand their influence in eighteenth-century Inner Asia. In so doing, she recasts the Qing empire, seeing it not as a monoli...
Highly respected by thousands of students throughout the world, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was one of the foremost poets, scholars, philosophers, and meditation masters of our time. Here he speaks frankly, drawing on his own life experience. Condensing the compassionate path to Buddhahood into practical instructions that use the circumstances of everyday life, Rinpoche presents the Seven-Point Mind Training—the very core of the entire Tibetan Buddhist practice.
Guaa del Paraaso de Las Dakinis (Guide to Dakini Land)
by Gueshe Kelsang Gyatso
The first major collection of core texts from the meditation masters of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage, a special yogic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism The Drukpa Kagyu lineage is renowned among the traditions of Vajrayana Buddhism for producing some of the greatest yogis from across the Himalayas. After spending many years in mountain retreats, these meditation masters displayed miraculous signs of spiritual accomplishment that have inspired generations of Buddhist practitioners. The teachings found...
Self-Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness
by John Myrdhin Reynolds
A spiritual classic along the lines of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, this text is a clear and accessible guide to the essence of Dzogchen and the attainment of Buddhahood 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 wr...
Following the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution, the People's Republic of China gradually permitted the renewal of religious activity. Tibetans, whose traditional religious and cultural institutions had been decimated during the preceding two decades, took advantage of the decisions of 1978 to begin a Buddhist renewal that is one of the most extensive and dramatic examples of religious revitalization in contemporary China. The nature of that revival is the focus of this book. Four specialists...