Personal memoirs are not uncommon in Tibetan Buddhism, but A Clear Mirror offers an unusual variation: three levels of spiritual teachings, conveying outer, inner, and subtle aspects of wisdom, that give readers full access to the rich life of one of Vajrayana Buddhism's most respected figures. Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904) was a Tibetan visionary and Great Perfection master, or tertön, a revealer of spiritual treasures called terma hidden in the Earth and in the minds of disciples. Dujdom Lingpa is renowned for his revelations on “refining perception” or Nang Jang, and, through dream yoga, trance, and visions, for transmitting the “mindstream” of a number of enlightened spiritual beings, such as Sri Singha, Saraha, Vajradhara, and Manjushri, whose wisdom he received and shares in this book. A Clear Mirror reveals what high lamas regard as most sacred and intimate: spiritual evolution via the lens of an innermost visionary life. Lingpa recounts each step of his own enlightenment process—from learning how to meditate to the highest tantric practices—as he experienced them. A Clear Mirror is a spiritual adventure that also incorporates everyday meditation advice, designed for the lay reader as well as the more seasoned practitioner, in this evocative original translation.
Dzogchen teaches the essence of Chod. We could also say that Dzogchen practice is absolute Chod practice. Many of us know and practice the Dzogchen approach of Trekcho, which means "cutting thoroughly." In Dzogchen, where are we cutting? We're cutting in the space of the dharmadhatu. What are we cutting? All dualistic conceptions. While we're cutting with this view, there is no cutter, no object to be cut, and no cutting. In other words, our practice is free from grasping on to subject, object, and action. This is the essential view that Dzogchen practitioners use to cut all dualistic conceptions, which is also the essential understanding to maintain during Chod practice.We can also regard Chod from yet another point of view. Machig Labdron said, "Chod practice is a combination of the view of the Sutras and the skillful means of the Tantras." The view of the Sutras was taught by the Buddha in the Prajnaparamita Sutras, such as at the beginning of the Heart Sutra: "Inconceivable, inexpressible, unborn, unceasing, by nature like the sky." That is the view of the ultimate truth of reality that we discover within the nature of our own mind. Then we deepen this view using the skillful means of the Tantras, such as the ritual implements, chants, visualizations, and meditations that are taught in each specific sadhana. Combining this view with skillful means brings realization quickly.
A leading authority on the rainbow body traces its history in the encounter of religions in medieval Central Asia, exploring a previously unimagined connection between early Dzogchen and the resurrection of Jesus Francis V. Tiso, a noted authority on the rainbow body, explores this manifestation of spiritual realization in a wide-ranging and deeply informed study of the transformation of the material body into a body of light. Seeking evidence on the boundary between physical science and deep spirituality that might elucidate the resurrection of Jesus, he investigates the case of Khenpo A Chö, a Buddhist monk who died in eastern Tibet in 1999. Rainbow Body and Resurrection chronicles the dissolution of Khenpo's material body within a week of his death, including eye-witness interviews. Tiso describes the spiritual practices that give rise to the rainbow body and traces their history deep into the encounter of religions in medieval Central Asia. His erudite exploration of the Tibetan phenomenon raises the fascinating question of whether there is a connection between the rainbow body and the dying and rising of Jesus. Drawing on a wealth of recent research, Tiso expands his discussion to include the contemplative geography out of which Dzogchen arose some time in the eighth century along the great Silk Road across Central Asia. The result is an illuminating consideration of previously unimagined relationships between spiritual practices and beliefs in Central Asia.
The mind-training practices contained in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism have never before been presented in the English language. The main text translated here, The Steps to Liberation, will be of great interest to Western practitioners, since its instructions are pithy and direct, and experiential rather than scholarly. The contemplations on core Buddhist principles like impermanence and karma, intended for beginning meditators, unfold as dramatic stories in which the meditator is to vividly imagine himself or herself as the main character who undergoes a sequence of experiences that result in transformative realizations. They distill the most essential teachings of the Buddha into a practical system that can be easily implemented in a daily meditation practice. At the same time, they bring together the most foundational Buddhist teachings with the profound methods of the Vajrayana (the esoteric teachings of Buddhist tantra). This is the hallmark of Dzogchen mind training and what sets it apart from other mind-training lineages.
This Volume Covers Translations Into English Of Some Selected Texts Of The Oral Tradition From Zhang-Zhung Which Include Not Only The Biographies Or Haggiographics Of The Principal Early Masters, But Also The Very Words Of That Ponchen Tapihrista Addressed To His Disciple, Nangzher Lodpo. 2 Parts - The History And Lineages - The Literature Of The Zhang-Zhung Nyan-Gyud Cycle - 4 Appendices.
This volume contains a generous selection of inspiring teachings and writings, the core of which is a lengthy discussion of the entire path of Dzogchen.