Winner of the 2014 Khyentse Foundation Translation Prize.
Nāgārjuna’s renowned twenty-seven-chapter Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā) is the foundational text of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. It is the definitive, touchstone presentation of the doctrine of emptiness. Professors Siderits and Katsura prepared this translation using the four surviving Indian commentaries in an attempt to reconstruct an interpretation of its enigmatic verses that adheres as closely as possible to that of its earliest proponents. Each verse is accompanied by concise, lively exposition by the authors conveying the explanations of the Indian commentators. The result is a translation that balances the demands for fidelity and accessibility.
- Learn more about the Classics of Indian Buddhism series.
Wisdom’s volume On Zen Practice was conceived as the essential primer for beginning Zen practice, offering insight to every aspect of Zen training. The Hazy Moon of Enlightenment takes the reader to the next level, exploring some of the more subtle and sophisticated topics in Zen.
The first two parts of the book explore enlightenment and delusion: What is nature of enlightenement? What does it mean to describe enlightenment as sudden or gradual? What is the nature of delusion, and how can watch out for the particular delusion that masquerades as enlightenment? The third part looks at “enlightenment in action”—what it means for someone to living and acting in order with the deep wisdom of enlightenment, and how we can practice learning “learning how to be satisfied” and enjoy serenity and transquility. The final section is a moving and powerful firsthand account of one woman’s solitary realization of the deepest truths—a story that can become an inspiration for all of us. The contributors to this volume include some the pioneering masters who were seminal in helping Zen take firm root in American soil.
This Truth Never Fails is a playful yet well-grounded narrative of a year in the life of an unusual Zen master. Far from the silent and detached stereotype of Zen teachers, Rynick writes with disarming humor, offering both the struggles and the joys of ordinary life as opportunities for insight. Anyone looking for inspiration to bring a simple spiritual awareness into their daily lives, and also those interested in finding ways to more deeply integrate faith (in any tradition) with practice will find this book reassuring and encouraging.
This book appeals to the broad “mindfulness” and “general spirituality” audiences that transcend any one formal tradition. Leaning toward Anne Lamott’s humor, universal spirituality, and Mary Oliver’s love of the natural world, Rynick’s writing bypasses Zen theory and doctrine. Simple, clear prose illustrates, vividly, an insightful and tender appreciation of ordinary life as the Way itself.
Includes a brief “study guide for further inquiry” offering opportunities for personal reflection and exploration on themes touched on in the book.
Drawing inspiration from such diverse sources as Khalil Gibran, Virginia Woolf, and Frank Sinatra, as well as the Bible and the great Zen masters of old, this book offers a path to rich and lasting happiness achieved through what Huston Smith calls “goal-attaining patience.” In Joyously Through the Days, Les Kaye explores life’s every day complexities and instructs us in the Zen way through our human foibles. Through awareness, patience, and generosity, Kaye argues, we can respond with creative calm to the uncertain conditions of modern life.
Luminous Mind is a remarkable compilation of the oral and written teachings of the late Kalu Rinpoche – who was called “a beacon of inspiration” by the Dalai Lama. A master of meditation and leader of the Shangpu Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, Kalu Rinpoche taught with an inviting, playful and lucid style that was just one natural manifestation of his own profound realization. The teachings presented in Luminous Mind are immediate and timeless.
As the Dalai Lama notes in his foreword, Luminous Mind covers “the full range of Buddhist practice from the basic analysis of the nature of the mind up to its ultimate refinement in the teachings of Mahamudra.” This anthology of Kalu Rinpoche’s writings and oral teachings resonates with his wisdom and compassion.
Comparing Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche with Milarepa, the greatest mediation master Tibet has ever known, His Holiness the Dalai Lama extols the author of Luminous Mind as a “beacon of inspiration” for spiritual practitioners of all traditions. Noting that “there have been few like him before or since,” His Holiness urges us to delve into this remarkable anthology of the late Kalu Rinpoche’s essential instructions so that we may encounter “the full range of Buddhist practice from the basic analysis of the nature of the mind up to its ultimate refinement in the teachings of Mahamudra.” Drawn from both his lucid writings and his eloquent oral presentations, this unprecedented book lays bare the full grandeur of Kalu Rinpoche’s legacy. At the same time, the gentle words and playful stories of this master of meditation are filled with a depth of clarity and warmth that could only arise from a profound realization of both wisdom and compassion.
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.
Dzogchen practice is considered by many to be an extremely powerful path to enlightenment; it brings us into direct communion with the subtlest 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.
This ground-breaking book offers translations of four sacred texts of the Dzogchen tradition alongside the song by Shabkar: Secret Instruction in a Garland of Vision by Padmasambhava, Emptying the Depths of Hell by Guru Chowang, The Extraordinary Reality of Sovereign Wisdom by Patrul Rinpoche, and the Wish-Granting Prayer of Kuntu Zangpo, revealed by Rigdzin Godemchen. With an informative introduction by the translator, Flight of the Garuda is an invaluable resource for both practice and scholarship.
“What a wonderful book! Jeremy Safran has assembled an absolutely stellar group of writers and has himself contributed an illuminating introduction. The essays are riveting and the book is the rare edited collection with real thematic unity. If you think you might have an interest in the intersection of psychoanalysis and Buddhism, this is the place to start. If you already know you’re interested, once you look at the table of contents you‘ll find (at least I did) that you want to let Psychoanalysis and Buddhism displace whatever you were going to read next.”—Donnel B. Stern, PhD, author of Unformulated Experience and editor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis
When Adhe Tapontsang—or Ama (Mother) Adhe, as she is affectionately known—left Tibet in 1987, she was allowed to do so on the condition that she remain silent about her twenty-seven years in Chinese prisons. Yet she made a promise to herself and to the many that did not survive: she would not let the truth about China’s occupation go unheard or unchallenged.
The Voice That Remembers is an engrossing firsthand account of Ama Adhe’s mission and a record of a crucial time in modern Tibetan history. It will forever change how you think about Tibet, about China, and about our shared capacity for survival.
Throughout Buddhism’s history, women have been hindered in their efforts to actualize the fullness of their spiritual lives; they face more obstacles to reaching full ordination, have fewer opportunities to cultivate advanced practice, and receive diminished recognition for their spiritual accomplishments.
Here, a diverse array of scholars, activists, and practitioners explore how women have always managed to sustain a vital place for themselves within the tradition and continue to bring about change in the forms, practices, and institutions of Buddhism. In essays ranging from the scholarly to the personal, Women’s Buddhism, Buddhism’s Women describes how women have significantly shaped Buddhism to meet their own needs and the demands of contemporary life.
A wonderful companion to our Prince Siddhartha story book, this children’s coloring book Includes 31 full-size and 31 miniature line drawings with narrative descriptions.
In this pithy and practical handbook, Ven. Jampa Ludrup lays out the fundamentals of feng shui without any of the opaque mysticism that sometimes clouds the practice. “The aim of this book,” he writes, “is to help you have more happiness in your life.” Through his easy-to-understand instructions, diagrams, and photos, Ludrup illustrates how simple alterations to the layout of your home can vastly improve specific areas of your life-romance, prosperity, health, or whatever is troubling you. With nothing more than this book and a good compass, you can rearrange your house, your fortune, and your life.
The book comes with a handy pocket-sized chart that you can carry with you to job interviews or first dates—any important events—so that you can be confident that you will be able to achieve the best possible outcome.
“As a trained scientist and science teacher, I was very skeptical from the beginning. However, as a Buddhist and someone with what I like to think is an open mind, I decided to purchase this book and read it. It is clear, concise, and a must have for any newcomer to feng shui. I have tried implementing a few of these changes in my own home and I must admit, as Jampa has put it, life isn’t as much of a roller coaster. I got married, I enjoy my job, and we are financially sound. But as Jampa says, You really must sew the seeds of good deeds with good intentions. Otherwise, none of it will work! Thanks for writing this great book.”
—Will Robertson
Since its 1976 publication in Tibetan, Dhongthog Rinpoche’s history of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism has been a key reference for specialists in Tibetan studies. Now English readers can consult it as well through Sam van Schaik’s authoritative, fully annotated and accessible translation.
The book begins by examining the development of Buddhism in India and Tibet, setting the scene for the Khon family’s establishment of the Sakya school in the eleventh century. Rinpoche subsequently provides accounts of the transmission of the Lamdre (the heart of Sakya contemplative practice and other major streams of esoteric instruction) and the Ngor and Tshar branches of the Sakya tradition. Highlights also include surveys of great Sakya and nonsectarian masters such as Rongtongpa, Gorampa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. This traditional history, compiled both from earlier histories and from the author’s direct connection to masters of the tradition, is an enormously valuable resource for the study of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Lotus Sutra—one of the most popular Buddhist classics—is here accessibly introduced by one of its most eminent scholars.
“Soon after entering university in December of 1943, I was sent to the front as a student soldier. I wondered if I were allowed to bring but a single book on the trip, possibly to my death, which would I want to bring. It was the Lotus Sutra.”
—from the author’s Preface
Having developed a lifelong appreciation of the Lotus Sutra—even carrying a dog-eared copy with him through service in World War II—Yoshiro Tamura sought to author an introduction to this beloved work of Buddhist literature. Tamura wanted it to be different than other basic explorations of the text; his introduction would be plain-spoken, relevant and sensitive to modern concerns, and well-informed by contemporary scholarship. He succeeded marvelously with Introduction to the Lotus Sutra, which Gene Reeves—Tamura’s student and translator of the popular English edition of The Lotus Sutra—translates and introduces in English for the first time here. Tackling issues of authenticity in the so-called “words of Buddha,” the influence of culture and history on the development of the Lotus Sutra, and the sutra’s role in Japanese life, Introduction to the Lotus Sutra grounds this ancient work of literature in the real, workaday world, revealing its continued appeal across the ages.
With characteristic humility, His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins this landmark survey of the entire Buddhist path by saying, “I think an overview of Tibetan Buddhism for the purpose of providing a comprehensive framework of the path may prove helpful in deepening your understanding and practice.” In this book, the Dalai Lama delivers a presentation that is both concise and profound, accessible and engaging. As readers explore Tibetan Buddhism more fully than ever before, they will find in His Holiness a great friend and authority.
To read an excerpt from The World of Tibetan Buddhism regarding altruism, follow this link.
Hardcover edition
Minding What Matters could be considered part of a new genre, the “literary self-help” book. Echoing the style of Kundera and the insights of Jung, with dashes of The God of Small Things and Thoughts Without a Thinker, this timely book alternates between discursive sections on Buddhist topics and engrossing fictional scenes between a psychotherapist and a patient. Sometimes going so far as to directly address the reader, the book shows how of any one of us can intimately explore his or her mind. By encouraging readers to create a stare of inquiry and allowing them to put themselves into hypothetical situations-such as participating in therapy or engaging in Buddhist practices-the book shows us how to discover our inner thoughts and then act on them in positive ways. At once informative and evocative, Minding What Matters offers an entrancing vision of, in Robert Coles’s words, “what is possible to do and to be.”
NOW! The Art of Being Truly Present is a collection of 85 original reflections on everyday experience, each paired with “mindful reminders” or meditative invocations, on the subjects that we all deal with on a daily basis and throughout our lives: work, aging, gossip, sex, and friendship—just to name a few. In this gift-sized book, Jean Smith illustrates how spiritual transformation begins when we embrace the present moment and focus on the blessings we have in our daily lives rather than on what we have lost or perhaps never had. People seeking solace in reflection, prayer, and meditation will find this book an inviting and convenient source of inspiration that they will want to keep close at hand. NOW! is an ideal companion to turn to when settling down to sleep at the end of a busy day, or when centering oneself to begin each new one.
All lineages of Tibetan Buddhism today claim allegiance to the philosophy of the Middle Way, the exposition of emptiness propounded by the second-century Indian master Nagarjuna. But not everyone interprets it the same way. A major faultline runs through Tibetan Buddhism around the interpretation of what are called the two truths—the deceptive truth of conventional appearances and the ultimate truth of emptiness. An understanding of this faultline illuminates the beliefs that separate the Gelug descendents of Tsongkhapa from contemporary Dzogchen and Mahamudra adherents. The Two Truths Debate digs into the debate of how the two truths are defined and how they are related by looking at two figures, one on either side of the faultline, and shows how their philosophical positions have dramatic implications for how one approaches Buddhist practice and how one understands enlightenment itself.
Learn more about Tsongkhapa and Gorampa at the Treasury of Lives.
This book contains seven fundamental Buddhist texts considered essential to Western students by Geshe Wangyal, who first brought Tibetan Buddhism to America. Ranging from early scriptural sources to meditation and visualization guides of Tibetan Buddhist practice, this is indispensible reading for those interested in opening the door to the highest realms of freedom, wisdom, and compassion.
Read the biographies of Tsongkhapa, Atisha, and the Fourth Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyeltsen at the Treasury of Lives.
In a village high above the clouds, where nobody’s happy and nothing grows, a little girl dreams of a garden flourishing behind her father’s house. Every day the cynical villagers watch and mock the little girl. But, watered with her kindness and patience, the garden eventually yields the most important fruit: the restored hope and happiness of the entire village. Perhaps the greatest gift you can ever give another is to hold them in the highest regard and to see what is best and unique about them. In Mishan’s Garden, a little girl sees all that is good and beautiful in the hearts of everyone around her and thereby transforms the lives of her entire village.
The Promise of Amida Buddha is the first complete English translation of a seminal collection of writings by the Japanese Pure Land school’s founder, Honen-shonin (1133-1212). The so-called Japanese Anthology (Wago Toroku) collects his surviving short writings composed in Japanese, including letters of exhortation and public pronouncements. The vital writings provide a window into Honen’s life and the turbulent era in which he lived and taught.
Honen-shonin, who lived in Japan in the twelfth century, saw that the complexity of traditional Buddhist practices made them inaccessible to people outside the monastic elite. Drawing on the Chinese Pure Land tradition, he re-imagined Pure Land practice for Japan and ushered in a new and dynamic practice that continues in the present day. In our degenerate age, says Honen, we cannot hope to reach enlightenment via the practices employed by the Buddhist masters of old. For us there is only one avenue to liberation—rebirth in the Pure Land of Amida, from whence our progress is irreversible and our ultimate release assured. The Pure Land is a heavenly destination made manifest through the pure vow of Amida to save all beings, and we secure passage to this land in our next life through pure faith in Amida at the very moment of death. The practice of faith in Amida is performed through nembutsu, the continual recitation of the mantra Namu Amida Butsu, which bonds us to Amida and brings us into his care.