An Introduction to Buddhism and Tantric Meditation

An Introduction to Buddhism and Tantric Meditation
Author: His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama
Publisher: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
Total Pages: 62
Release: 2015-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9380359543

The teachings of the Buddha can be summarised as dealing with conduct and view. Conduct refers to the way we should behave, which is essentially to be non-violence. The Buddha counseled us to help each other if we can, and if we cannot at least to avoid doing one another harm. View refers to the way we understand how things exist. The Buddha explained that nothing exists of its own accord in isolation. Everything exists in dependence on something else, the result of a variety of causes and conditions. His Holiness was requested to compose A Tantric Meditation to give an opportunity to people seriously interested in finding out about the practice of tantra the opportunity to do so without the necessity of receiving prior empowerment. Consequently, it includes a simple process of visualization, recitation of the traditional seven branch rite, recitation of mantras and dissolution of the visualised meditational deities into emptiness. If it is performed with faith, this meditation can be a source of great mental purification and merit but whether you do so or not is entirely up to the individual. If the teachings of the Buddha are to help us make spiritual progress it is also most important that we familiarise ourselves with them regularly, either by listening to them or by reading.

Creation and Completion

Creation and Completion
Author: Jamgon Kongtrul
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2014-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0861718208

Creation and Completion represents some of the most profound teachings of Jamgon Kongtrul (1813-99), one of the true spiritual and literary giants of Tibetan history. Though brief, it offers a lifetime of advice for all who wish to engage in-and deepen-the practice of tantric Buddhist meditation. The original text, beautifully translated and introduced by Sara Harding, is further brought to life by an in-depth commentary by the contemporary master Thrangu Rinpoche. Key Tibetan Buddhist fundamentals are quickly made clear, so that the reader may confidently enter into tantra's oft-misunderstood "creation" and "completion" stages. In the creation stage, practitioners visualize themselves in the form of buddhas and other enlightened beings in order to break down their ordinary concepts of themselves and the world around them. This meditation practice prepares the mind for engaging in the completion stage, where one has a direct encounter with the ultimate nature of mind and reality.

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism
Author: John Powers
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 593
Release: 2007-11-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1559392827

This is the most comprehensive and authoritative introduction to Tibetan Buddhism available to date, covering a wide range of topics, including history, doctrines, meditation, practices, schools, religious festivals, and major figures. The revised edition contains expanded discussions of recent Tibetan history and tantra and incorporates important new publications in the field. Beginning with a summary of the Indian origins of Tibetan Buddhism and how it eventually was brought to Tibet, it explores Tibetan Mahayana philosophy and tantric methods for personal transformation. The four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Bön, are explored in depth from a nonsectarian point of view. This new and expanded edition is a systematic and wonderfully clear presentation of Tibetan Buddhist views and practices.

Introduction to Tantra

Introduction to Tantra
Author: Thubten Yeshe
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2001-06-15
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0861711629

This introduction recognizes and explains how to channel the powerful energies aroused by human desires, and how to transform lives with them.

The Secrets of Tantric Buddhism

The Secrets of Tantric Buddhism
Author:
Publisher: Weiser Books
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2015-02-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1609259637

Unlocking the secrets of Tantra—one of the most alluring forms of Buddhism Often misunderstood, Tantrism focuses on a particular style of meditation and ritual. Having far more to do with the sacred than the sexual, Tantric Buddhism is believed to have originated around the 5th Century AD in the rich cultural basin of Bengal and spread throughout the Asian world. Today it is widely practiced in Tibet, Japan, and the West. The Secrets of Tantric Buddhism presents accessible translations of 46 classic texts found in the Carya-Giti, a collection of teachings by more than twenty famous Siddhas, or Tantric adepts, who lived during the illustrious Pala dynasty of the 10th and 11th centuries. Renowned translator and scholar Thomas Cleary unlocks the mysteries of these texts and provides commentary for each that explains the ancient teachings in a way that makes them seem fresh and contemporary. These teachings emanate from one of the most dynamic sources of Buddhism, at the height of its religious development. They are completely nonsectarian and will be greeted enthusiastically by those interested in spirituality, world religions, and classic Buddhism.

Journey Without Goal

Journey Without Goal
Author: Chögyam Trungpa
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2000-10-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0834821370

Meditation master Chögyam Trungpa demystifies the Tantric tradition of Buddhism in this accessible guide for curious students Based on the author’s talks at Naropa University, this volume introduces the reader to the principles of tantra, based on the practice of meditation, which leads to the discovery of egolessness. Trungpa Rinpoche provides a direct and experiential picture of the tantric world, explaining the importance of self-existing energy, the mandala principle, the difference between Buddhist and Hindu tantra—stressing the nontheistic foundation of Buddhism. The role of the teacher and the meaning of tantric transmission are also presented. Written for the student of Buddhism rather than the scholar, Journey without Goal demystifies the vajrayana and at the same time affirms the power and sacredness of its ancient teaching.

Tantric Buddhist Practice in India

Tantric Buddhist Practice in India
Author: Anthony Tribe
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 453
Release: 2016-06-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 131723085X

Using a commentary on the influential text, the Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti, ‘The Chanting of the Names of Mañjuśrī’, this book deals with Buddhist tantric meditation practice and its doctrinal context in early-medieval India. The commentary was written by the 8th-9th century Indian tantric scholar Vilāsavajra, and the book contains a translation of the first five chapters. The translation is extensively annotated, and accompanied by introductions as well as a critical edition of the Sanskrit text based on eight Sanskrit manuscripts and two blockprint editions of the commentary’s Tibetan translation. The commentary interprets its root text within an elaborate framework of tantric visualisation and meditation that is based on an expanded form of the Buddhist Yoga Tantra mandala, the Vajradhātu-maṇḍala. At its heart is the figure of Mañjuśrī, no longer the familiar bodhisattva of wisdom, but now the embodiment of the awakened non-dual gnosis that underlies all Buddhas as well their activity in the cosmos. The book contributes to our understanding of the history of Indian tantric Buddhism in a period of significant change and innovation. With its extensively annotated translation and lengthy introductions the book is designed to appeal not only to professional scholars and research students but also to contemporary Buddhists.

Vajra Wisdom

Vajra Wisdom
Author: Shechen Gyaltsap IV
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2013-04-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0834829002

Vajra Wisdom presents the commentaries of two great nineteenth-century Nyingma masters that guide practitioners engaged in development stage practice through a series of straightforward instructions. The rarity of this kind of material in English makes it indispensable for practitioners and scholars alike. The goal of development stage meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is to directly realize the inseparability of phenomena and emptiness. Preceded by initiation and oral instructions, the practitioner arrives at this view through the profound methods of deity visualization, mantra recitation, and meditative absorption.

The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism

The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism
Author: Lama Thubten Yeshe
Publisher: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2012-06-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1891868306

The first teaching, "The Three Principal Aspects of the Path," was given in France in 1982. The second teaching, an "Introduction to Tantra," also in two parts, was given at Grizzly Lodge, California, in 1980. It comprises the first two lectures of a commentary on the Chenrezig yoga. "Meditation is not on the level of the object but on that of the subject - you are the business of your meditation. "Bodhicitta is very practical, I tell you. It’s like medicine. The self-cherishing thought is like a nail or a sword in your heart; it always feels uncomfortable. With bodhicitta, from the moment you begin to open, you feel incredibly peaceful and you get tremendous pleasure and inexhaustible energy. Forget about enlightenment - as soon as you begin to open yourself to others, you gain tremendous pleasure and satisfaction. Working for others is very interesting; it’s an infinite activity. Your life becomes continuously rich and interesting. "Historically, Shakyamuni Buddha taught the four noble truths. To whose culture do the four noble truths belong? The essence of religion has nothing to do with any one particular country's culture. Compassion, love, reality - to whose culture do they belong? The people of any country, any nation, can implement the three principal aspects of the path, the four noble truths or the eightfold path. There's no contradiction at all." This book is made possible by kind supporters of the Archive who, like you, appreciate how we make these teachings available in so many ways, including in our website for instant reading, listening or downloading, and as printed and electronic books. Our website offers immediate access to thousands of pages of teachings and hundreds of audio recordings by some of the greatest lamas of our time. Our photo gallery and our ever-popular books are also freely accessible there. Please help us increase our efforts to spread the Dharma for the happiness and benefit of all beings. You can find out more about becoming a supporter of the Archive and see all we have to offer by visiting our website. Thank you so much, and please enjoy this e-book.

Deity, Mantra, and Wisdom

Deity, Mantra, and Wisdom
Author: Patrul Rinpoche
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2020-02-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1559394978

This collection contains four of the most cherished Tibetan Buddhist commentaries on the practices of visualization, mantra recitation, and meditative absorption—elements that form the core of development stage meditation, one of the most important practices of Buddhist Tantra. The texts within this volume—Ladder to Akaniṣṭha, Clarifying the Difficult Points in the Development Stage, The Four Stakes That Bind the Life-Force, and Husks of Unity—are among the most widely studied commentaries on this topic and have formed the basis for spiritual study and practice for centuries. In these eloquent and inspiring translations, Jigme Lingpa, Patrul Rinpoche, and Getse Mahāpaṇḍita explain the fundamental philosophy of the development stage, illuminating its profound insights into the nature of reality and how to utilize these insights through the practice of meditation.