Luminous Essence
Luminous Essence

Author: Jamgon Mipham

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2009-06-16

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1559393270

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Luminous Essence is a complete introduction to the world of tantric thought and practice. Composed by the renowned Tibetan master Jamgön Mipham (1846–1912), the text provides an overview of the theory and experiential assimilation of a seminal tantric scripture, the Tantra of the Secret Essence (Guhyagarbha Tantra). Embodying the essence of tantric practice, this text has been a central scripture in Tibetan Buddhism for well over a thousand years. Mipham's explanation of this text, here translated for the first time, is one of the most celebrated commentaries on the Tantra of the Secret Essence, which today occupies an important place in the tantric curriculum of Tibetan monastic colleges. Luminous Essence is a specialized guide meant for initiated tantric practitioners. To fully appreciate and assimilate its message, it should be studied under the guidance of a qualified teacher by those who have received the appropriate empowerments, reading transmissions, and oral instructions.

Establishing Appearances as Divine
Establishing Appearances as Divine

Author: Heidi I. Koppl

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2013-09-10

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1559394196

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A highly esteemed Buddhist treatise on realizing your divine nature. This concise treatise by the eleventh-century Tibetan Buddhist philosopher Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo sets out to prove the provocative point that everything that appears is actually deity manifest. Many books on Tibetan Buddhism address the important themes of mind training, compassion, and proper conduct, but this book goes beyond that in its aim to bring the reader face to face with his or her divine and pure nature. Transformation not only of one's identity but also of one's environment is an important principle in Tantric Buddhist philosophy. In Tantric scriptures one is instructed to visualize oneself as a deity, a divine identity who resides in a perfect sphere. By repeatedly training in this visualization, one perfects the transformation and ultimately becomes the deity itself. Establishing Appearances as Divine seeks to unravel the interplay between rationality, truth, and divinity, bringing to light the view that underlies Tantric Buddhist practices.

Essence of Clear Light
Essence of Clear Light

Author: 'Jam-Mgon 'Ju Mi-Pham-Rgya-Mtsho

Publisher: Snow Lion Publications, Incorporated

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 9781559393645

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Matrix of Mystery
Matrix of Mystery

Author: Herbert V. Guenther

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2001-05-01

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1570626499

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

World-renowned Buddhist scholar Herbert V. Guenther here offers the first comprehensive study of the rDzogs-chen or Ati tradition of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Matrix of Mystery explores man's ability to preserve as well as transmit essential insights into the structure of reality. Utilizing a key root Buddhist scripture, the Guhyagarbha ("Matrix of Mystery"), along with dozens of commentarial Tibetan textual sources, Guenther presents the most profound teachings of the Buddhist tradition, which represent the culmination of religious thought and practice in Tibet. In relating these teachings in modern scientific and humanistic perspectives, he demonstrates how, in many cases, the traditional religious and modern secular perspectives on the nature of reality interface. Professor Guenther discusses the mandala and the deities that reside therein; the organizing principles of body, speech, mind, quality, and action, the three bodies of the buddha (trikaya); the inseparability of prajna and skillful means; and the complex field of Buddhist iconography. Throughout, quotations from numerous Tibetan sources are used to illustrate various teachings. His book will appeal to any serious student of Tibetan Buddhism.

A Garland of Views
A Garland of Views

Author: Padmasambhava

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2016-04-05

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 0834840065

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A Garland of Views presents both a concise commentary by the eighth-century Indian Buddhist master Padmasambhava on a chapter from the Guhyagarbha Tantra on the different Buddhist and non-Buddhist philosophical views, including the Great Perfection (Dzogchen), and an explicative commentary on Padmasambhava’s text by the nineteenth-century scholar Jamgön Mipham (1846–1912). Padmasambhava’s text is a core text of the Nyingma tradition because it provides the basis for the system of nine vehicles (three sutra vehicles and six tantra vehicles) that subsequently became the accepted way of classifying the different Buddhist paths in the Nyingma tradition. Mipham’s commentary is the one most commonly used to explain Padmasambhava’s teaching. Mipham is well known for his prolific, lucid, and original writings on many subjects, including science, medicine, and philosophy, in addition to Tibetan Buddhist practice and theory.

A Companion to Tantra
A Companion to Tantra

Author: S.C. Banerji

Publisher: Abhinav Publications

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 9788170174028

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Tantra Is A Distinct Philosophical System Many Feel Eager To Know About It, But Few Love The Time And Energy To Understand. The Intricacies Of Tantra. So, A Short-Cut Is Necessary. In The Present Work, An Attempt Has Been Made To Set Forth The Highlights Of The Tantra Works And Their Authors. A Bibliography, Intended To Help Further Reading, Has Been Addes.

Dzogchen Foremost Instructions, a Garland of Views
Dzogchen Foremost Instructions, a Garland of Views

Author: Tony Duff

Publisher:

Published: 2015-07-16

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 9789937572842

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The text Foremost Instructions called "A Garland of Views" by Padmasambhava is regarded as one of the very important texts of the Nyingma tradition. It is an explanation of the thirteenth chapter of the root tantra of Mahayoga, the Guhyagarbha Tantra, the chapter on how the view of Dzogchen applies to the deity practices of Mahayoga. Padmasambhava's teaching is short, so further explanation is needed. For this we have provided a partial translation of the thirteenth chapter with explanations, Mipham's commentary which is the one most commonly used these days to explain Padmasambhava's teaching, and a translation of the relevant section of Longchen Rabjam's major commentary to the tantra Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions. A very long introduction filled with explanations to make all of those items clearer has been provided. It is very important to understand that the teachings on Dzogchen in this book are not limited to instructions on the development stage of Mahayoga. They provide a complete explanation of what Dzogchen is at all levels and are regarded in the Nyingma tradition as required reading for all Dzogchen practitioners. Through this book you will gain an excellent grounding in what Dzogchen is and how it fits into the teachings of the nine vehicles. This book is truly an amazing collection of material that is regarded as crucial for Nyingma practitioners, but has not been available till now in English with all the commentaries needed to unravel the meaning of Padmasambhava's text. The Western Lama Richard Roth, who has been well-trained in the Dzogchen system, has said what an important and well-presented book this is.

The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 1 to 10
The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 1 to 10

Author: Choying Tobden Dorje

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2015-06-02

Total Pages: 941

ISBN-13: 0834829916

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In 1838, Choying Tobden Dorje, a Buddhist yogi-scholar of eastern Tibet, completed a multivolume masterwork that traces the entire path of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism from beginning to end. Written by a lay practitioner for laypeople, it was intended to be accessible, informative, inspirational, and above all, practical. Its twenty-five books, or topical divisions, offer a comprehensive and detailed view of the Buddhist path according to the early translation school of Tibetan Buddhism, spanning the vast range of Buddhist teachings from the initial steps to the highest esoteric teachings of great perfection. Choying Tobden Dorje’s magnum opus appears in English here for the first time. In Foundations of the Buddhist Path, which covers the first ten of the treatise’s twenty-five books, the author surveys the scope of the entire work and then begins with the topics that set the cornerstones for all subsequent Buddhist practice: what constitutes proper spiritual apprenticeship, how to receive the teachings, how to make the best use of this life, and how to motivate ourselves to generate effort on the spiritual path. He then describes refuge and the vows that define the path of individual liberation before turning to the bodhisattva’s way—buddha nature, how to uplift the mind to supreme awakening, the bodhisattva’s training, and the attainments of the paths leading to supreme awakening.