How Not to Miss the Point
Cut through the noise and explore mind-changing Buddhist teachings from one of the clearest voices from the Tibetan tradition. Written in her direct and personal style, it's the perfect "first book" for anyone curious about Buddhism, as well as those with experience who will benefit from her powerful message. We're bombarded with advice about how to live--how to find happiness, how to maintain relationships, how to help the world--and yet has this advice brought us peace? In How Not to Miss the Point, beloved Buddhist teacher Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche focuses on the Buddha's core teachings, basic principles that are universally true, whether we are Buddhist or not, as a way to cultivate our inner light and work for good, no matter how the world unfolds around us. Because the simplicity of the Buddha's fundamental teachings can often get lost in complexity, Rinpoche goes straight to their heart to convey the Buddha's core message: If we want this life--our own life, the lives of others, and the life of our planet--to be fulfilling and good, we must accept responsibility for cultivating the best qualities of our human mind. To put the how-and-why into practice, Rinpoche guides us through the steps of the Buddha's path.
Buddhism for Beginners
How To Easily Reclaim Your Natural Joy & HappinessDo you often feel stressed, overwhelmed or anxious?Would you like to increase your wellbeing and happiness?If so, then Buddhism could be the answer. Even if you've tried meditation or mindfulness before only to find you just cannot do it. In fact, it's easier than you think. The Department of Psychology at California University has concluded that Buddhism is a powerful way to deal with life events. Research over the past two decades broadly supports the claim that Buddhism practiced widely exerts beneficial effects on physical and mental health.Which means you can increase your wellbeing and happiness without having to wear robes or live in a distant monastery.Here's just a tiny fraction of what you'll discover in this book: What is Buddhism? What do Buddhists Believe? The Four Noble Truths and How They Can End Suffering Buddha's Guide to a Simple Life and Why It Will Make You Happier How to Find Balance Through Cultivating Enthusiasm The Cycle of Death & Rebirth Explained The Fastest Way to Start Your Spiritual Path Dealing with Stress Scientifically Proven Methods To Increase Positive Feelings Develop Sharper Senses And Freedom From Negatiity Achieve Calmness and Enlightenment Through Yoga & Healing ...and much, much more! Take a second to imagine how you'll feel once you become stress & anxiety free. Even if you're a complete beginner or your not religious, you too can increase your wellbeing and happiness with Buddhism. Ignite your desire to be fully alive and joyous, Read This Book
What Makes You Not a Buddhist
An innovative meditation master cuts through common misconceptions about Buddhism, revealing what it truly means to walk the path of the Buddha So you think you're a Buddhist? Think again. Tibetan Buddhist master Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, one of the most creative and innovative lamas teaching today, throws down the gauntlet to the Buddhist world, challenging common misconceptions, stereotypes, and fantasies. With humor and irony, Dzongsar Khyentse urges readers to move beyond the superficial trappings of Buddhism--beyond the romance with beads, incense, or exotic robes--straight to the heart of what the Buddha taught. Packed with new material, this second edition of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse's classic now features an incisive critique of contemporary Western approaches to Buddhism that lead to some fundamental misunderstandings, paired with a heartfelt encouragement of the power of the teachings to transform us if we approach them with the right intention and view. This edition also includes an all-new discussion of what does make you a Buddhist as well as updated material throughout.
Hidden Treasure of the Profound Path
Even though hundreds of thousands of people have attended a Kalachakra empowerment, very few actually know how to put the Kalachakra teachings into practice. In this direct and clear commentary on Jetsun Taranatha's classic text "The Divine Ladder", Khentrul Rinpoch矇 reveals the profound methods which have been used by Kalachakra masters for hundreds of years to achieve extraordinary realisations. Through these practices, you will be guided in a step-by-step manner through a process of transformation that allows you to gradually experience your greatest potential in this very lifetime. Drawing on the unbiased wisdom of the lineage masters from the Jonang-Shambhala Tradition, this book provides everything that you will need in order to authentically prepare yourself for entering the completion stage practices of the Six Vajra Yogas.
Ocean of Diversity
In a time of particularly strong violence and conflict, whole regions of the globe are engaged in ideological struggles, rooted in widespread ignorance and fear. How do we free ourselves from this situation? How can we learn to heal our wounds and to live in harmony with our neighbors? How can we truly achieve lasting peace and happiness? It is exactly these questions that have been asked for thousands of years by many of the world's great sages. Their profound wisdom has made its way from generation to generation in the form of a diverse range of spiritual traditions that provide ongoing support and inspiration to millions of people.In this book, Khentrul Rinpoche presents a unique set of practical tools that we can all use to tap into the great diversity of wisdom and methods that this world has to offer. Through the development of a broad view that encompasses all of this diversity, we can each find a path that is capable of leading us forward towards the peace that we seek. Then by probing deeper and deeper into that path, we are able to uncover our most profound inner truth. In this process, we learn that diversity does not have to divide us. Instead, it can be a powerful force to bring us together.
Unveiling Your Sacred Truth Book 1
The Kalachakra Path offers a profound method for actualising your greatest potential and contributing to greater peace and harmony within this world. For the first time ever, this extraordinary path is revealed in a step-by-step manner, allowing students to gradually approach this uniquely comprehensive system in a structured and methodical way.Drawing on more than 30 years of intensive training in more than 25 different monasteries from each of the major Tibetan traditions, Khentrul Rinpoch矇 offers an expansive understanding that transcends all sectarian boundaries and cuts through to the essential meaning of the Buddha's teachings.In this first of three books, Rinpoch矇 explores the external reality of the world that we encounter on a daily basis. Through a wealth of practical advice, he provides us with a variety of methods for working with the many ups and downs that we face. He then encourages us to probe deeper into the very nature of our experience in order to develop insight into what is truly important to us and how to make the most of the precious opportunities that this life has to offer.
Heidegger and DAO
In this innovative contribution, Eric S. Nelson offers a contextualized and systematic exploration of the Chinese sources and German language interpretations that shaped Heidegger's engagement with Daoism and his thinking of the thing, nothingness, and the freedom of releasement (Gelassenheit). Encompassing forgotten and recently published historical sources, including Heidegger's Daoist and Buddhist-related reflections in his lectures and notebooks, Nelson presents a critical intercultural reinterpretation of Heidegger's philosophical journey. Nelson analyzes the intersections and differences between the Daodejing, the Zhuangzi, and Heidegger's philosophy and the linguistic and conceptual shifts in Heidegger's thinking that correlate with his encounters and interactions with Daoist, Buddhist, and East Asian texts and interlocutors. He thereby traces hints for encountering things and environments anew, models for intercultural hermeneutics, and ways of reimagining the thing, nothingness, and freedom with and beyond Heidegger's thought. This work elucidates the thing, the mystery, and freedom in Heidegger and Daoism in Part I and Heidegger's thinking of nothingness, emptiness, and the clearing in relation to Daoist and Buddhist philosophy in Part II. In each part, Nelson unfolds a fresh perspective for thinking further with Heidegger and East Asian philosophies in relation to the contemporary existential and environmental situation for the sake of nourishing life amidst damaged life.
Quan Yin
In a simple cup of tea I perceive all the various forms of Quan Yin. When drinking the tea, tasting it, simply being in this moment, Quan Yin is with me. I enjoy the cup of tea as it nestles warmly in my hands, savoring the aroma and watching the water vapor float and ripple in the room. This brings me back to the present moment - to the center of my being. In this cup of tea, I gaze Quan Yin's water from the White Land of the Soul, the rain clouds, the tea plants and much more, so that this moment does not only connect me with my Buddhist tradition, but also with the realms of the invisible worlds. All of this is interwoven and acts hand in hand for the benefit of all beings!Golden stairs appear in front of me, in my dream. They lead upwards. I climb the steps and enter a large hall with many windows. The room is almost empty. However, in the distance I notice an old wooden chest of drawers with a mirror placed on it. In front of the mirror is a bowl filled with white water - a silvery white lotus flower floats gently in the glistening water.I look into the mirror ... suddenly I find myself on a snow-covered mountain. There is a path to my right; prayer wheels are lined up along the path. The mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" shines along the prayer wheels. I am surrounded by many pilgrims turning the prayer wheels. Dressed in white robes, I also begin to set the prayer wheels in motion as I climb up the mountain. The sky is endlessly blue, the sun is shining. When I reach the summit, it is bathed in golden light. Suddenly I feel Quan Yin's presence and hear a loud voice: "Your life is a prayer to Quan Yin!"
Waking Up and Growing Up
​​A fresh, nuanced view of Zen integrates relational and emotional skill-building with traditional practices in a spiritual "cross-training" approach suited for the unique demands of modern life.​ This compelling and innovative view of Zen practice gives people in their 20s and 30s a contemporary approach to spiritual development that is meaningful and actionable within the complexities of modern life. Grounded deeply in the tradition of Soto Zen, professional mediators and Zen practitioners Diane Hamilton and Gabriel Wilson extol the virtues of sitting meditation, dharma study, and the student-teacher relationship. At the same time, they offer insight into the importance of emotional development and the maturation of relationship skills. This approach draws on insights from Integral psychology as taught by philosopher Ken Wilber, neurophysiology, trauma work, adult development, and teachings of the Zen masters to: develop interpersonal communication skills; blend the spiritual path with the realities of contemporary life; learn how to navigate issues of inclusivity and diversity; explore issues of identity; train our power of attention rather than get caught up in social media, division, and crisis; mature our emotional and relational skills; and much more. Complete with practices, exercises, and reflections in each chapter, this book offers an accessible, insightful approach to becoming more personally effective, compassionate, and spiritually awake.
Protestant Relics in Early America
In Protestant Relics in Early America, Jamie L. Brummitt upends long-held assumptions about religion and material culture in the early United States. Brummitt chronicles how American Protestants cultivated a lively relic culture centered around collecting supernatural memory objects associated with dead Christian leaders, family members, and friends. These objects materialized the real physical presences of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and souls of the dead on earth. As Brummitt demonstrates, people of nearly all Protestant denominations and walks of life--including members of Congress, college presidents, ministers, mothers, free Black activists, schoolchildren, and enslaved people--sought embodied and supernatural sense experiences with relics. They collected relics from deathbeds, stole relics from tombs, made relics in schools, visited relics at pilgrimage sites like George Washington's Mount Vernon, purchased relics in the marketplace, and carried relics into the American Revolution and the Civil War. Locks of hair, blood, bones, portraits, daguerreotypes, post-mortem photographs, memoirs, deathbed letters, Bibles, clothes, embroidered and painted mourning pieces, and a plethora of other objects that had been touched, used, or owned by the dead became Protestant relics. These relic practices were so pervasive that they shaped systems of earthly and heavenly power, from young women's education to national elections to Protestant-Catholic relations to the structure of freedom and families in the afterlife. In recovering the forgotten history and presence of Protestant relics in early America, Brummitt demonstrates how material practices of religion defined early American politics and how the Enlightenment enhanced rather than diminished embodied presence. Moreover, Brummitt reveals how the secular historical method has obscured the supernatural significance of relics for the Protestants who made, collected, exchanged, treasured, and passed them down. This book will be an essential resource for scholars and students of early American history, religion, politics, art, and popular culture.
The Gospel of Buddha
The Gospel of Buddha is an 1894 book by Paul Carus. It is modeled on the New Testament and tells the story of Buddha through parables. It was an important tool in introducing Buddhism to the west and is used as a teaching tool by some Asian sects.Carus believed that the modern world required a new Religion of Science. By the 1890s, inspired by the meetings and conversations at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893, he had decided that Buddhism was the closest faith to his ideal and created The Gospel of Buddha to popularize the religion in the West.The work was assembled from existing English translations of Buddhists texts, with significant amendments and reworkings. His selection of texts favoured Buddhism as a philosophy without any supernatural elements. While criticized by contemporary scholars, this interpretation proved popular in the West, leading to a number of reprintings. It also influenced the development of Modern Buddhism in the 18th century in East Asia, notably in a Japanese translation of the book by D. T. Suzuki.For years afterwards, Carus was a strong sympathizer of Buddhist ideas, but stopped short of committing fully to this, or any other, religion. Instead, he ceaselessly promoted his own rational concept which he called the "Religion of Science." Carus had a selective approach and he believed that religions evolve over time. After a battle for survival, he expected a "cosmic religion of universal truth" to emerge from the ashes of traditional beliefs.
The Diamond Sutra (Chin-Kang-Ching) Or Prajna-Paramita
Unlock the timeless wisdom of "The Diamond Sutra," a spiritual masterpiece that has captivated minds for centuries. Once lost to time, this profound text is now beautifully restored and republished by Alpha Editions, offering a rare glimpse into the heart of Buddhist philosophy. This edition is not just a reprint; it s a collector s item and a cultural treasure, meticulously preserved for today s and future generations. Dive into the transformative teachings of the Prajna-Paramita, where the essence of enlightenment unfolds through the dialogue between Buddha and his disciple Subhuti. Discover the path to transcendent wisdom and compassion, as this ancient scripture guides you to see beyond the illusions of the material world. Whether you are a casual reader seeking spiritual insight or a collector of classic literature, "The Diamond Sutra" promises to enrich your soul and expand your understanding of the universe. Embrace this opportunity to own a piece of history, a book that has been out of print for decades, now available to inspire and enlighten once more.
Shrī Chakrasamvara Sadhana of the Luipada’s Tradition
This Shrī Chakrasamvara Sadhana of the Luipada's Tradition is compiled with Tibetan, phonetics, and English translation by Khenpo Migmar Tseten from traditional sources of Shenphen Nyingpo and Ameshab Ngawang Kunga Sonam. It is our hope that these pages in Sadhana offer a window into the awakened state and inspire you in your own practice. May all sentient beings everywhere experience peace. Important requirement: It is very important to receive the empowerment, transmission, and instruction from a Master who holds the Luipada Shrī Chakrasamvara lineage to do these practices.
Wondrous Ocean of Eloquence
A comprehensive history of the Taklung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, composed in the seventeenth century, and includes glossy color images of recently discovered twelfth-century portraits and inscriptions​.​ This is the first ever English translation of a multilayered and comprehensive historiographical volume on the political, artistic, architectural, biographical, and mystical dimensions of the Taklung, one of four primary subsects of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The bulk of the volume is a translation of an early seventeenth-century Tibetan history by Taklung Ngawang Namgyel and includes supplements to that history written in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Centering an otherwise marginal and understudied Buddhist tradition, this volume contains an extraordinary wealth of historical, religious, and biographical information not found in any other published work. It is a complex tale of Tibetan religiopolitical maneuvering in the face of centuries of civil unrest and armed conflict with Central Asian warring dynasties. While detailing the abbatial succession of the tradition's two main monastic seats, Taklung and Riwoche Monasteries, it is also broad and vast in scale, going back to sixth-century BCE India to include early Indian Buddhist canon formulation, moving then to narratives on the Tibetan Kagyu lineage holders (Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa), to the twelfth-century founding of the Taklung sect in Tibet, and then all the way through to the early twentieth century, which saw Tibet's first modern military and cultural conflicts both within the country and with Chinese, Mongol, and Gorkha forces. An introductory essay by art historian Jane Casey on painting in the Taklung tradition includes her scholarly analysis of the dating and provenance of thirteenth-century portraits and inscriptions, only discovered in recent decades. Glossy color images of these paintings are included in the volume. Shambhala Publications gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Robert H. N. Ho and John Eskenazi in sponsoring the translation, and the Tsadra Foundation in sponsoring the preparation and printing of this book.
The Profound Reality of Interdependence
The Way of the Bodhisattva, composed by the monk and scholar Śāntideva in eighth-century India, is a Buddhist treatise in verse that beautifully and succinctly lays out the theory and practice of the Mahayana path of a bodhisattva. Over one thousand years after Śāntideva's composition, K羹nzang S繹nam (1823-1905) produced the most extensive commentary on the Way of the Bodhisattva ever written. This book is the first English translation of K羹nzang S繹nam's overview of Śāntideva's notoriously difficult chapter on wisdom. The ninth chapter of the Way of the Bodhisattva is philosophically very rich but forbiddingly technical, and can only be read well with a good commentary. K羹nzang S繹nam's commentary offers a unique and complete introduction to the view of Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka, the summit of Buddhist philosophy in Tibet, as articulated by Tsongkhapa. It brings Śāntideva's text, and Tsongkhapa's interpretation of Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka, into conversation with a vast Buddhist literature from India and Tibet. By articulating the integral relationship between emptiness and interdependence, this text formulates a sustained and powerful argument for emptiness as a metaphysical basis of bodhisattva ethics. This volume makes the ninth chapter accessible to English-speaking teachers and students of the Way of the Bodhisattva.
Voice of the Primordial Buddha
Voice of the Primordial Buddha is Anam Thubten's commentary on the well-known text, The Sharp Vajra of Awareness Tantra, by twentieth-century master Dudjom Lingpa (1835-1903). His text is revered by many people in Tibet as a sacred scripture. This book covers the entire Vajrayana path, especially Dzogchen, with language full of potency. Reading it can shake one's mind from its foundation and transform it to its highest potential. Note: There is an Ebook version of this book on all major Ebook platforms.
THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD OR The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lāma Kazi Dawa-Samdup’s English Rendering
The bar do thos grol has become known in the English speaking world as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a title popularized by Walter Evans-Wentz's edition, after the Egyptian Book of the Dead, though the English title bears no relationship with the Tibetan's, as outlined above. The Evans-Wentz edition was first published in 1927 by Oxford University Press.At age 24 Evans-Wentz went to Stanford University, where he studied religion, philosophy, and history and was deeply influenced by visitors William James and W. B. Yeats. He went on to receive B.A. and M.A degrees. He then studied Celtic mythology and folklore at Jesus College, Oxford (1907). He performed ethnographic fieldwork collecting fairy folklore in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Man. In 1911 Evans-Wentz published his degree thesis as a book, The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries. While at Oxford, he added his mother's Welsh surname Evans to his name, being known henceforth as Evans-Wentz.Kazi Dawa Samdup's education began at the age of four learning the Tibetan script from his grandfather. In 1874 he joined the Bhutia Boarding School in Darjeeling where he impressed the headmaster Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Das. His Tibetan teacher was Ugyen Gyatso, a lama from the Pemayangtse monastery in West Sikkim.
Tilopa's Mahamudra Upadesha
All lineages of Mahamudra meditation have their source in a verse teaching--a "song of realization"--sung by the Mahasiddha Tilopa to his disciple Naropa on the banks of the Ganges River more than a thousand years ago. Since that time, the meaning of Tilopa's instructions has been passed directly from master to disciple in a continuous stream that exists unbroken to this day. This book offers the reader a rare glimpse into the Mahamudra oral transmission, given in a traditional Tibetan context by one of the lineage's most learned and accomplished contemporary masters. Mahamudra meditation, while highly advanced, is yet simple, practical, and accessible for anyone, because what is identified and meditated upon is the very nature of one's own mind. In Sangyes Nyenpa Rinpoche's words, "The distinction between deception and liberation lies in whether we understand the ever-present nature of our own mind or not. Knowing our own face is liberation; not knowing our own face is samsara. This is not something far distant from us." The instructions are ideal for Westerners because the root text is manageable and Rinpoche has provided an outline of his own composition that makes it easily understandable. He explains terminology with frequent comparisons between Dzogchen and Mahamudra, quotes prolifically from scripture, gives clear examples, and generally cajoles, admonishes, and encourages his listeners to be true to their own spiritual path.
I Had a Good Teacher
Longtime Zen abbot shares the wisdom of his teacher, who brought Zen to the West and wrote the classic Zen Mind, Beginner's MindI Had a Good Teacher interweaves Les Kaye's Dharma talks with personal stories to reveal the subtleties of integrating Zen practice into a life of work and family. It includes fascinating memories of Suzuki Roshi and short writings about events at the zendo, including the time Steve Jobs visited Les for guidance integrating work and spiritual practice. I Had a Good Teacher is an excellent introduction to Zen in daily life, a warm portrait of a great Zen teacher, and a reminder to meditators to return to basics, keep their meditation real, and practice awareness all day long. "I Had a Good Teacher is a marvelous collection of Les Kaye's talks and writings. I can feel his authenticity and deep understanding. Those who study with him--in person or through this book--have a good teacher." --David Chadwick, author of Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teachings of Shunryu Suzuki and Tassajara Stories"What a wonderful book.... direct and deep, real and rich, filled with down-to-earth wisdom. Enjoy reading about something that could change your life." --Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, and author of Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet"In this lovely plainspoken book, Les offers the spirit of Suzuki Roshi Zen. Sometimes enigmatic, sometimes sweet, sometimes with stories of the past, sometimes timeless wisdom....all passed on to you with a kind heart." --Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
Collected Wheel Publications
Collected Wheel Publications Volume 19 includes Wheels 281-295. WH 281: Colonel Olcott by B. P. Kirthisinghe & M. P. Amarasuriya WH 282-84: Going for Refuge & Taking the Precepts by Bhikkhu Bodhi WH 285/86: Buddhism and Social Action by Ken Jones WH 287-89: Buddhist Stories (from the Dhammapada Commentary, Part I) by Eugene Watson Burlingame WH 290/91: Buddhism in Psychotherapy by Seymour Boorstein, M.D.& Olaf G. Deatherage, Ph.D WH 292/93: Buddhist Women at the Time of the Buddha by Hellmuth Hecker WH 294/95: The Buddhist Layman, Four essays by R. Bogoda, Susan Elbaum Jootla, and M.O C. Walsh (Pariyatti Edition, 2025)
Practicing Safe Zen
In a time when abuse at the hands of religious leaders is too common comes this guide to making the most of the Zen tradition while protecting and empowering yourself"This is a thoroughly engaging exploration based on deep knowledge of the tradition as well as contemporary research." --Martine Batchelor, author, Principles of ZenWhile the liberation that Zen offers is real, it must be engaged with carefully, explains this sensei. Her book is neither a memoir about a single case of abuse nor a bloodless academic study. Nelson reflects on the multiple dangers in Zen, from firsthand experience in Boston--where documented abuse recently took place--integrating her discussion at every step with core Zen teachings."Practicing Safe Zen imparts a lesson we all will have to learn if we want to truly mature in our spiritual practice." --Barry Magid, author, Ending the Pursuit of Happiness
