Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche was born in 1924 in China near the Tibetan border. At the age of seven he was recognized to be a reincarnate tulku and trained at Payul Dhomang Monastery in eastern Tibet. Rinpoche spent many years in solitary retreat before fleeing the Communist invasion of Tibet in 1959. After living in India for twelve years, Rinpoche moved to America and in 1976 was appointed as H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s spiritual representative in America. Rinpoche has founded many Buddhist centers, including Tashi Choling in Oregon, Orgyen Dorje Den in the San Francisco Bay area, Norbu Ling in Texas, Namdroling in Montana, and a center in Ensenada, Mexico.
“Illuminates the most profound questions about who we are and provides a roadmap for the journey through life, death, and rebirth in great depth and simplicity.”—Tulku Thondup
NATURAL LIBERATION
Padmasambhava’s Teachings on the Six Bardos
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In life and in death, in meditation and in sleep, every transitional stage of consciousness, or bardo, provides an opportunity to overcome limitations, frustrations, and fears. The profound teachings in this book provide the understanding and instruction necessary to turn every phase of life into an opportunity for uncontrived, natural liberation.
Like the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Natural Liberation is a terma, a “hidden treasure” attributed to the eighth-century master Padmasambhava. Gyatrul Rinpoche’s lucid commentary accompanies the text, illuminating the path of awakening to the point of full enlightenment. Natural Liberation is an essential contribution to the library of both scholars and practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.
about the author
B. Alan Wallace is president of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies. He trained for many years as a monk in Buddhist monasteries in India and Switzerland. He has taught Buddhist theory and practice in Europe and America since 1976 and has served as interpreter for numerous Tibetan scholars and contemplatives, including H. H. the Dalai Lama. After graduating summa cum laude from Amherst College, where he studied physics and the philosophy of science, he earned his MA and PhD in religious studies at Stanford University. He has edited, translated, authored, and contributed to more than forty books on Tibetan Buddhism, medicine, language, and culture, and the interface between science and religion.
Alan is also the founder of the Contemplative Research (CCR, http://www.centerforcontemplativeresearch.org/) near the town of Castellina Marittima in Tuscany, Italy. The CCR is dedicated to researching the role and methods of the ancient contemplative practices of Shamatha and Vipashyana, and their involvement in mental health and wellbeing and to fathoming the nature and origins of human consciousness.
The program builds on the results of the Shamatha Project (http://www.shamatha.org). It is guided by a Scientific Advisory Board that includes the Nobel Prize-winning biologist Elizabeth Blackburn (Director, Salk Institute), neuroscientist and clinical psychologist David Presti (UC Berkeley), theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser (Director of the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth College), and philosopher Michel Bitbol (Director of Research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique). Cognitive scientists at the University of Pisa, the University of Trent, and the Sculoa Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa are committed to conducting research in collaboration with the CCR. The Nature of Reality: A Dialogue Between a Buddhist Scholar and a Theoretical Physicist: In this public dialogue, Alan Wallace and Sean Carroll, a world-renowned theoretical physicist and best-selling author, discussed the nature of reality from spiritual and scientific viewpoints.
A Special Message from Alan — March 30, 2020
Dear friends,
Amidst these turbulent and cataclysmic times, I have some very special news to share with you. We have come to a point of potential crisis, and at the same time an extraordinary opportunity has arisen with respect to the future of the Center for Contemplative Research.
As many of you know, since I first began negotiating in December 2014 with the local authorities and later indirectly with the regional Tuscan authorities about procuring rezoning and building permits for the property in Castellina Marittima, the most important, irreversible decision I’ve had to make has been to spend virtually all the donations offered by hundreds of my students on the purchase of the 5 hectares of land and the Pellati house. Feeling the gravity of this decision, I made it clear that before making these purchases, I needed absolute assurance that we had been granted both the rezoning and the building permit for the 18 cabins. I was assured that this was the case, and then authorized the purchases last May. So, you can imagine my profound dismay when I was informed on March 18th of this year that we have not in fact been granted the permit for the 18 cabins from either the local or regional government. And with the current lockdown in place throughout Italy, all government meetings have been indefinitely postponed. There is now no way of predicting when the actual building permit will be granted, much less when actual construction could begin.
By next month, SBI will likely have raised $800,000 toward creating the first Center for Contemplative Research, but even if we were able to spend that on the first phase of construction—leveling 18 sites, laying the foundations, and digging the septic systems—we would still need to raise another $1.9 million to construct all the cabins. Of course, that’s assuming we will be granted the permit to do so, which we must now admit is still not certain. Furthermore, the prospects for creating the CCR in Tuscany have to be viewed in light of the disastrous impact of the coronavirus on Italy and the entire world, resulting in a catastrophic decline of the global economy and severe limitations on international travel. Since it can also be much more difficult to raise funds during times of economic hardship, there’s simply no telling how long it would be before we could actually finish even a few of the cabins, let alone all 18 of them.
At the same time—and I can only regard this as a blessing from the buddhas—due to the emergency changes in my travel plans, I’ve been in self-quarantine/retreat for the past two weeks at the Nada Carmelite Hermitage in Crestone, Colorado. This stunning retreat center has been on the market for more than a year, initially offered at $1.8 million. It is a 110-acre property set beneath spectacular mountain peaks, with 11 retreat cabins in excellent condition, as well as 6 older cabins that can be rebuilt on essentially the same footprints, and several large structures that could hold Dharma teachings for an audience of at least 50 people. The Nada Hermitage property can now be purchased at a significantly reduced price, even below what is listed on the website. Unlike the Castellina property, which has zero growth potential once the proposed 18 cabins are built, we could easily build another 20-25 cabins on the land here at Nada, in addition to the 17 sites that have cabins already. The realtor’s website linked above offers a clear idea of the enormous potential for this land, which was zoned “Institutional” from its inception 30 years ago for exactly the kind of retreat center we have planned for all along.
For all these reasons, I have a very special request for all of you who have donated toward the $800,000 that we have raised since the purchase of the Castellina land last May. I would like to ask if you would allow SBI to redirect this offering so that, once we have added a substantial portion of SBI’s assets, we will have sufficient funds to purchase the Nada property outright in the near future, with no mortgage. If we are able to acquire the Nada Hermitage within the next few months, it is reasonable to say we could have aspiring yogis meditating in 17 cabins by next year, and could also begin our scientific research without further delay.
For this to take place, however, I will need to rely upon a groundswell of active support from our community so that we may bring our dream to fruition, quickly. I am only one person with two hands and a very limited set of skills. But to develop and maintain the contemplative center of our dreams will require the loving care of many people, with many hands and diverse skills. Only with the help of full-time volunteers stepping forward to help can we create the pure land we have been envisioning for so long. The land here is exquisite, 11 cabins are ready to be occupied, and 6 need to be rebuilt in the near future so that they can house retreatants in comfort for years to come. We are already preparing to draw up long-term architectural plans for cabins of various designs on many more sites, as well as a much larger residence hall in which we could eventually hold 8-week retreats. There is already a substantial maintenance complex here, with a fully-equipped carpentry shop and pottery wheel, as well as an adobe-walled vegetable garden and several greenhouses. To enable this center to flourish in a sustainable way, we must call upon those who have a wide array of skills—from organic gardening to woodworking, pottery, building, land and auto-maintenance, and more—to help support a long-term community of retreatants devoted to reaching shamatha and the Mahayana path in this lifetime.
Of course, the one major drawback here is that we do not presently have a way of acquiring long-term renewable visas for non-American meditators. But I have already enlisted the help of an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles who has enthusiastically agreed to help us explore every option. However, even if we find no way to acquire such long-term visas—which we knew we could get in Tuscany thanks to ILTK—I still envision that non-U.S. citizens could come here to meditate under close spiritual guidance for six months, then return to their homelands to a retreat facility they have arranged in advance, and there continue in retreat with ongoing long-distance guidance from the teachers under whom they have already trained here in Colorado. The advantage to this is that many more non-U.S. citizens could have the opportunity to practice in the same number of cabins, even while some cabins would of course be occupied by Americans for sustained multi-year periods.
Despite this momentous change of emphasis right now, I am still as committed as ever to developing a CCR on the 5 hectares of land in Castellina, raising the required money and building as many cabins as are eventually permitted. All the reasons for settling on that land—very much including the blessing and encouragement from Khandrola—are still as compelling for me as they were from the beginning. But as many of you know, I’ll turn 70 next month, and after waiting for more than 5 years on rezoning and building permits, there is still no clear end in sight to the bureaucracy there. In our current global crisis, the imperative is stronger than ever for us to support yogis in long-term retreat so that they may achieve shamatha and vipashyana, identify pristine awareness, and reach the path as soon as possible. We must also begin the scientific research without delay, so that our contemplative and scientific discoveries can be made public. This is no time to simply wait for the global pandemic to subside. As you know, I feel it is crucial for modern meditators to reach such realizations soon, precisely amidst the crisis, both for the revitalization of the Buddhadharma and for the benefit of all beings.
I thank you for all your efforts over the years to help us realize our vision and hope that we will all continue working together to create not just one, but eventually a global network of centers for contemplative research. We need to make a formal offer for the Nada Hermitage property quite soon, so if for any reason you do not wish your previous donation toward the building of cabin foundations at Castellina to be redirected toward the Nada property, please write to Sangay at <[email protected]> by Monday, April 6th. Though it may now be years before we can put those donations designated exclusively for Castellina to use, we will honor your decision and hold those funds until the many difficult situations in Italy have shifted sufficiently for us to resume our CCR project there.
However, if indeed you support my request to redirect your donations toward purchase of the Nada Hermitage property, no answer is needed; I will take your noble silence as a warm affirmation of the marvelous opportunity that has risen up to meet us in this difficult time.
Meanwhile, if you can envision yourself moving to the Nada Hermitage land in the near future as a skilled volunteer—even taking into account the current restrictions of the coronavirus—please write to Sangay as soon as possible. I need to know I have your full support in this newly formed vision of a Center for Contemplative Research in the United States at last. We hope to begin work as soon as the 8-week retreat is complete.
Once again I would like to invite each one of you to consider participating in the coming 8-week retreat online, whether by audio- or video-stream, or both, especially if you would like to be involved directly or indirectly with the CCR in the months and years to come. These teachings, practices, and the realizations to which they lead are the foundation and goal for everything we wish to achieve here.
To honor the sacred lineage of these teachings, I do ask that anyone who registers for this retreat listen to my oral commentary to the Vajra Essence in its entirety, though you may take as much time as you wish to do so. Also, please know that you may register for this particular retreat at any time, even after it is over. We want these teachings to be available to you for the long term.
I am praying for each of you and for all the world, that we may all be blessed with good health, safety, and genuine well-being in these tumultuous times,
Alan
Other books by B. Alan Wallace:
The Attention Revolution
Fathoming the Mind
Open Mind
The Vajra Essence
Heart of the Great Perfection
Buddhahood Without Meditation
Dudjom Lingpa’s Visions of the Great Perfection
Transcending Time
Stilling the Mind
Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up
Discover More
The Tārā Tantra
New release—coming in May!
This volume contains an English translation of the “root text” of the Tārā-mūla-kalpa, a scripture-ritual compendium that captures an important Buddhist tantric tradition in mid-formation. In this regard it is utterly unique and unlike any other text in the Buddhist canon. Its contents document the emergence of the quintessential female Buddha Tārā in seventh-century India. As her popularity grew, her cult spread throughout Southeast Asia, as well as Tibet, where she became revered as the “Mother” of the Tibetan people. Tārā is worshiped for a variety of reasons, from health and long life, to wealth, protection from enemies, and ultimately, the mind of enlightenment. Her presence pervades the evolution of Buddhism in Tibet, including within royal circles, as well as mentor and guide to many important Buddhist scholars, practitioners, and lineage holders.
Freeing the Heart and Mind
Collected from teachings by His Holiness, this book is a warm and comprehensive introduction to the Buddhist path as told by the patriarch of the Sakya order. His Holiness offers explanations of the philosophical tenets of the Mahayana path and in particular the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism—giving down-to-earth advice for practicing in the world today, including
- the principles of tantra,
- the value of retreat,
- the history of the Sakya lineage,
- ecology from a Buddhist perspective,
- biographies of great women practitioners,
- and other fascinating topics.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in following a Buddhist spiritual path.
Dharma Matters
Jan Willis was among the first Westerners to encounter exiled Tibetan teachers abroad in the late sixties, instantly finding her spiritual and academic home. TIME Magazine named her one of six “spiritual innovators for the new millennium,” both for her considerable academic accomplishments and for her cultural relevance. Her writing engages head-on with issues current to Buddhist practitioners in America, including dual-faith practitioners and those from marginalized groups.
This collection of eighteen scholarly and popular essays spans a lifetime of reflection and teaching by Willis. Grouped in four sections—Women and Buddhism, Buddhism and Race, Tantric Buddhism and Saints’ Lives, and Buddhist-Christian Reflections—the essays provide timeless wisdom for all who are interested in contemporary Buddhism and its interface with ancient tradition.
The Tantra Without Syllables (vol 3) and The Blazing Lamp Tantra (vol 4)
“If one knows the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, and the Tantra Without Syllables, one will have command over the general meaning of the tantras, like a king who has command over his subjects.”—Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle
The eleventh-century Seventeen Tantras are among the most important texts in the tradition of the Great Perfection—and in all of Tibetan Buddhism. This set provides two luminous root texts in crystal-clear translation, along with their commentaries, which break down the tantra passage by passage under headings that contextualize many instructions for the practice of the Great Perfection. The two texts are published together because they contain some of the most detailed expositions on which are based the two essential practices of the Great Perfection: trekchö, the view, and thögal, the meditation.
The Tantra Without Syllables focuses on the theoretical basis for trekchö. The actual tantra discussed in this text is not the words of the tantra, but rather the subject matter that the tantra points to: the continuum of one’s own vidyā confirmed in a direct perception, which cannot be explained in words. The Blazing Lamp Tantra focuses on the theoretical basis of thögal, detailing the four lamps, which are crucial for understanding the contemplative visions unique to the Great Perfection.
Malcolm Smith’s simple and lucid introductions bring clarity to an intricate subject, making these volumes vital reading for any student of Dzogchen.
The Buddha’s Single Intention
This book presents an influential and extraordinary teaching of the Kagyü tradition of Tibetan Buddhism known as the Single Intention by the master Drigung Jikten Sumgön (1143–1217), along with its chief commentaries, principally the Light of the Sun by Rikzin Chökyi Drakpa (1595–1659).
Early in the history of the Kagyü school, the teachings of Jikten Sumgön were condensed into 150 core formulations called vajra statements. These pithy, revelatory statements comprise the Single Intention (Dgongs gcig), which presents the thought of the Buddha and the nature of the ineffable (brjod du med pa) in concise and direct expression. The Single Intention weaves the thread of ineffable mahāmudrā through the entire fabric of Buddhism. It presents mahāmudrā as pervading disciplined conduct, meditative concentration, and discriminative knowledge; ground, path, and result; view, practice, and conduct; and the “three vows” of prātimokṣa, of the bodhisattvas, and of mantra. Jikten Sumgön teaches how the fundamental values and insights revealed by the Buddha are woven into reality and therefore accessible to all.
Jan-Ulrich Sobisch manages to convey the unity of the Buddha’s message both in its particulars and in its scope. His deep and authoritative skill makes this the definitive presentation of one of the most unique and compelling works of classical Tibetan literature.
Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra (vol 1) ebook
“If one knows the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, and the Tantra Without Syllables, one will have command over the general meaning of the tantras, like a king who has command over his subjects.”—Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle
The eleventh-century Seventeen Tantras are the most important texts in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of the Great Perfection. This first volume of the new series from Malcolm Smith is the only complete English translation of the Rigpa Rangshar, which is the major commentary tantra on all aspects of the doctrine of the Great Perfection.
Malcolm Smith also offers a comprehensive introduction. Two vital appendices and a rich index for both volumes can be found in volume 2, The Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, available in ebook form here.
This is vital reading for any student of Dzogchen.
The Six Perfections
The six perfections are the actions of the bodhisattvas—holy beings who have transcended selfless concerns. But they’re also skills we can and should develop right now, in our messy, ordinary lives.
In this clear, comprehensive guide to the backbone of Mahayana Buddhist practice, Lama Zopa Rinpoche walks us through each of the six perfections:
- charity
- morality
- patience
- perseverance
- concentration
- wisdom
As he carefully describes each perfection, he not only reveals the depth of its meaning and how it intertwines with each other perfection, but he also explains how to practice it fully in our everyday lives—offering concrete ways for us to be more generous, more patient, more wise. With the guidance he gives us, we can progress in our practice of the perfections until we, like the bodhisattvas, learn to cherish others above ourselves.
“The perfections are the practices of bodhisattvas, holy beings who have completely renounced the self; they have transcended selfish concerns and cherish only others. Each perfection is perfect, flawless. Each arises from bodhichitta and is supported by the other perfections, including the wisdom of emptiness. Because of that, a bodhisattva generates infinite merit every moment, whether outwardly engaged in working for others or not. A bodhisattva’s bodhichitta never stops.”
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The Rice Seedling Sutra
One of Tibet’s great scholars presents the Buddha’s profound teachings on the laws of karma and dependent arising.
In the Rice Seedling Sutra, the Buddha unpacks the law of cause and effect. He notes how in the natural world, a seed becomes a sprout, which produces a flower, which bears fruit. A seed has no intention to sprout; when the right conditions are assembled the fruit arises. Similarly, when our senses encounter an object, a sense consciousness arises naturally, without our intending it. This, says the Buddha, is also how karma works and how actions performed out of ignorance create suffering, whether we want it or not. And this same law of causality also governs enlightenment—when the right conditions are assembled, awakening is assured.
In many sutras like this one, the Buddha explains that to understand his Dharma is to understand dependent arising. Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe explores dependent arising, and the corollary teaching of emptiness, through this sutra and others. Commenting on the works of Indian masters such as Śāntarakṣita, he shows how belief in a creator god is incompatible with dependent arising, and by illuminating the teachings of Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti, he shows how we do—and do not—exist.
Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe was among the last generation of scholars to be trained in Tibet before the Chinese occupation. He has been teaching Westerners for decades, having worked with top scholars in the United States, and he is especially familiar with this sutra, having translated the commentary by Kamalaśīla into Hindi. Here his deep familiarity, combined with his extensive command of the Buddhist scriptures, allows him to present the Buddha’s words in a rich and authoritative context.
Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra (vol 2) ebook
“If one knows the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, and the Tantra Without Syllables, one will have command over the general meaning of the tantras, like a king who has command over his subjects.”—Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle
The eleventh-century Seventeen Tantras are the most important texts in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of the Great Perfection. The Self-Liberated Vidyā Tantra, a translation of the Rigpa Rangdrol, outlines the structure of Dzogchen tantras in general and also provides a detailed outline of the Self-Arisen Vidyā Tantra, available here as an ebook. This volume also includes a brief historical account and survey of the Seventeen Tantras, an examination of the themes of the Seventeen Tantras, translated from the commentary to the String of Pearls Tantra, and an exhaustive index that encompasses both the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra and the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra.
This is vital reading for any student of Dzogchen.
The Vajra Rosary Tantra
The Vajra Rosary Tantra (Śrī Vajramālā Vyākhyā Tantra) is one of the most significant and detailed tantras attributed to the Buddha, in his emanation as Vajradhara. It instructs a practitioner how to overcome the 108 energies and their related instinctual conceptions that circulate in the subtle body and mind and drive continued rebirth in cyclic existence, in order to attain the freedom of enlightenment. One of the explanatory tantras of the Buddhist Esoteric Community (Guhyasamāja) Tantra, its unexcelled yoga tantric system is among the most advanced systems described in Tibetan Buddhist literature. It mainly focuses on the final stage of Buddhist tantric practice, the perfection stage by means of which a person is said actually to become a buddha.
There is no more authoritative endorsement than that of the great Tibetan renaissance scholar, Lama Tsong Khapa, who strongly recommended the Vajra Rosary Tantra as follows: “Nāgārjuna, in condensing the perfection stage into the five stages, follows this tantra; he also follows it regarding the creation stage three samadhis, four yogas, thirty-two deities, and so forth. . . . It explains the many stages of creation and dissolution of the body in terms of the channel structure, wind energy movement, and enlightenment-spirit substance as a factor in the decisive ascertainment of the internal and external life-energy controls for bringing forth the four voids and the magic body, depending on . . . the hidden discipline of desire and of the vajra recitation . . . and the limitless ways for the dawning of realization. . . . It seems that such excellent elucidation is rarely seen.”
Beyond Tranquility
Beyond Tranquility is an invitation to inner experience. In these pages, one of Buddhism’s most respected scholar-sages creatively distills decades of practice, reflection, and teaching into essential truths. Touching on the full scope of core Buddhist philosophical and meditation traditions, Charles Genoud draws on ancient Buddhist suttas, masters like Nagarjuna and Dogen, and even seers and philosophers such as Eckhart, Nietzsche, and Sartre, as well as the great innovators of the modern novel and modern dance. Weaving together the wisdom of these great minds in a poetic style uniquely his own, Genoud invites you into the heart of Buddhist meditation and practice. Here, with the immediacy and wry humor of haiku, he proves an astute and subtle guide to the pitfalls and paradoxes that eventually confront every meditator, and to the most skillful ways through them.
Genoud’s powerful, experiential language transmits the meditative experience rather than merely describing it—and his style will resonate with the teachings of Zen and Dzogchen, the writings of contemplative philosophers, and with dancers and other artists whose work is built upon a “body of presence.”
What, Why, How
Everything you ever wanted to know but never had a chance to ask about meditation and Buddhist spiritual practice, from one of the greatest mindfulness teachers of our time.
How can I fit meditation into my busy life?
How should I understand karma and rebirth?
Is enlightenment even possible for me?
Sound familiar? If you’ve ever meditated or studied Buddhism, you may have found yourself asking these questions—and many more! Here’s the good news: there are answers, and you’ll find them all in this book. Imagine that you could sit down with one of Buddhism’s most accomplished and plainspoken teachers—and imagine that he patiently agreed to answer any question you had about meditation, living mindfully, and key Buddhist concepts—even the myriad brilliant questions you’ve never thought to ask! What, Why, How condenses into one volume a half-century of Bhante G.’s wise answers to common questions about the Buddha’s core teachings on meditation and spiritual practice. With his kind and clear guidance, you’ll gain simple yet powerful insights and practices to end unhealthy patterns and habits so that you can transform your experience of the world—from your own mind to your relationships, your job, and beyond.
Luminous Melodies
Presented here for the first time in English is a collection of dohās, or songs of realization, carefully and thoughtfully selected and translated from the large compendium the Indian Texts of the Mahāmudrā of Definitive Meaning, which was compiled by the Seventh Karmapa and drawn primarily from the Tengyur.
Beautiful, profound, and often outrageous, these verses were frequently composed spontaneously and thus have a moving sense of freedom, openness, and bliss. They range from summaries of the entire path of Mahāmudrā to pithy four-liners that point directly to the buddha within us. The authors include famous masters such as Saraha and Nāropā, ḍākinīs, kings, and also courtesans and cobblers—showing that realization is accessible to all of us, right here in our lives.
Buddhist Suttas for Recitation
Bring the Buddha’s teachings more deeply into your life.
Buddhist Suttas for Recitation provides everything you need to begin and maintain a practice of contemplative recitation and reflection. These practices will deepen your connection to the Buddha, strengthen your faith in the Path, and nurture your intellectual understanding of the Dhamma.
This unique volume includes carefully chosen discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon—presented in inspiring and accessible English with accompanying Pali—that convey the essence of the Dhamma. The introductory material explains the relationship between meditation and devotional practice, offers instructions on setting up a home altar, and gives advice on how to use these texts to enhance your spiritual development.
Start Here, Start Now
The paperback version of this book is currently out of stock.
A master of mindfulness, who has taught thousands to meditate, Bhante G. will show you exactly how to start your own practice and make it a part of your daily life. The book includes practical advice on
- what to do with the body and mind in meditation;
- how to work with distraction;
- how to deal with physical discomfort in meditation;
- how to overcome drowsiness, boredom, and inability to concentrate;
how to work with fear and agitation, judgments, and self-criticism; - how to avoid trying too hard, expecting too much, or getting discouraged;
- 11 common misconceptions and 10 tips for effective practice; and
- how to get the most out of your practice.
You can start meditating today and, with Bhante G.’s guidance, discover more peace, presence, and joy in everyday life.
Sera Monastery
The definitive history of Sera Monastery, one of the great monastic universities of Tibet, from its founding to the present.
Founded in 1419, Sera Monastery was one of the three densas, the great seats of learning of the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism. With over 9,000 monks in residence in 1959, it was the second largest monastery in the world. Throughout its history, Sera has produced some of Tibet’s most important saints, scholars, and political leaders.
The scholars José Cabezón and Penpa Dorjee begin Sera Monastery with the history of monasticism from the time of the Buddha through its early development in Tibet and then tell the 600-year story of Sera from its founding to the present. They recount how the monastery grew and evolved during the centuries, how it has fared under Chinese rule, and how it was transplanted in the Tibetan refugee camps of South India. We are introduced to some of Sera’s most important lamas and hermits, as well as its curriculum, yearly calendar, the daily life of scholar monks, and the role Sera monks played in the political history of Tibet.
Former Sera monks themselves, Cabezón and Dorjee demonstrate their firsthand knowledge of the monastery, its traditions, and daily life on every page. Scrupulously researched over decades, Sera Monastery is the most comprehensive history of a Tibetan monastery ever written in a Western language.
Creativity, Spirituality, and Making a Buck
“How do I make a living doing what I love?”
“Am I a sellout as an artist if I want to be successful?”
“How do I integrate my spiritual principles with the art of running a business? And actually, um, how do I run a business?”
Are you struggling to reconcile your calling with your need to make a living wage? Are you wondering what to do once your art starts selling, or how to achieve success in your field, or what it even means to be successful?
In Creativity, Spirituality, and Making a Buck, David Nichtern—a beloved Buddhist teacher and successful musician, composer, and producer who has worked with the likes of Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Jerry Garcia, and Lana Del Rey—offers his lived, learned experience as an entrepreneur, musician, and Buddhist teacher to first help you figure out what “success” means to you and then show you how to get there. If you’re trying to align your spiritual, creative, and financial pursuits and discover what it means to truly live well, this book is for you.
“Everybody has a hungry heart. We are hungry for so many different kinds of food. The table is set and the meal is laid out for us…but how do we put that food into our mouths and TASTE IT? In this book, David Nichtern guides us with wisdom, joy, and humor to make our whole lives a tasty meal to be enjoyed and shared with others.”—Krishna Das, author of Chants of a Lifetime and Grammy-nominated kirtan artist
Beautiful Adornment of Mount Meru
The lucid literary style of Beautiful Adornment of Mount Meru has made it a classic in the study of Indian philosophical thought, both in Tibetan monasteries and contemporary academic circles.
Beautiful Adornment of Mount Meru is a work of doxography, presenting the distinctive philosophical tenets of the Indian Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools in a systematic manner that ascends through increasingly more subtle views. It is a Tibetan corollary to contemporary histories of philosophy. The “Mount Meru” of the title is the Buddha’s teachings, and Changkya’s work excels in particular in its treatment of the two Mahayana Buddhist schools, the Yogācāra (here called the Vijñaptimātra) and the Madhyamaka. Beautiful Adornment is often praised for the clarity of its prose and its economical use of citations from Indian texts. It skillfully examines core philosophical issues, supplemented with several intriguing ancillary discussions, and draws heavily on the works of Tsongkhapa and his disciples in the Geluk tradition he founded.