Atisa Dipamkara

Atisa Dipamkara
Author: James B. Apple
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2019-07-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 161180647X

The first-ever biography with selected writings of one of the greatest Indian Buddhist masters in history. Few figures in the history of Buddhism in Tibet have had as far-reaching and profound an influence as the Indian scholar and adept Atiśa Dīpaṃkara (982–1054). Originally from Bengal, Atiśa was a tantric Buddhist master during Vajrayana Buddhism’s flowering in India and traveled extensively, eventually spending the remaining twelve years of his life revitalizing Buddhism in Tibet. Revered by all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Atiśa and his students founded what came to be known as the Kadam school, whose teachings have influenced countless Buddhist masters. These teachings, cherished by all major traditions, are preserved by the Geluk in particular, the school of the Dalai Lamas. Although Atiśa was an influential practitioner and scholar of Tantra, he is best known for introducing many of the core Mahayana teachings that are widely practiced throughout the Tibetan Buddhist world, including the Stages of the Path to Awakening and Mind Training (lojong), as well as having contributed to highly influential commentaries on Madhyamaka that synthesize various schools of thought. This succinct biography of Atiśa’s life, together with a collection of translations, represents for the first time the full range of Atiśa’s contribution to Buddhism. As the most comprehensive work available on this essential Buddhist figure, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.

Atiśa and Tibet

Atiśa and Tibet
Author: Alaka Chattopadhyaya
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Total Pages: 626
Release: 1981
Genre: Buddhism
ISBN: 9788120809284

The book opens with a full account of the baffling personality of the great Bengali Pandit Atisa or Dipamkara Srijnana, the greatest of the teacher-reformers of Tibetan Buddhism. The author proceeds to portray the Tibetan Background of early Buddhism

Jewels of the Middle Way

Jewels of the Middle Way
Author: James B. Apple
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 489
Release: 2019-02-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1614295018

Jewels of the Middle Way documents an important tradition of Madhyamaka and provides insight into both the late Indian Buddhist blend of Madhyamaka and tantra and the Kadampa school founded by the Indian Buddhist master Atisa. This book presents a detailed contextualization of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school in India and Tibet, along with translations of several texts in the Bka’ gdams gsung ’bum (Collected Works of the Kadampas), recently recovered Tibetan manuscripts that are attributed to Atisa and Kadampa commentators. These translations cohere around Atisa’s Madhyamaka view of the two realities and his understanding of the practice and the nature of the awakening mind. The book is organized in three parts based on the chronology of Atisa’s teaching of Madhyamaka in India and Tibet: (1) Lineage Masters, the Mind of Awakening, and the Middle Way; (2) Articulating the Two Realities; and (3) How Madhyamikas Meditate. Each part focuses on a specific text, or set of texts, specifically related to Atisa’s Middle Way. The authorship and date of composition for each work is discussed along with an outline of the work’s textual sources followed by an analysis of the content.

The Complete Works of Atīśa Śrī Dīpaṁkara Jñāna, Jo-bo-rje

The Complete Works of Atīśa Śrī Dīpaṁkara Jñāna, Jo-bo-rje
Author: Atīśa
Publisher:
Total Pages: 632
Release: 2000
Genre: Buddhism
ISBN:

These translations of the 11th century Tibetan texts of Atisa open important charismatic documents for the general reader of Buddhism.Although these texts have been acknowledged for centuries as the source and inspiration of the Dge- lugs-pa and Bka?-gdams-pa monastic orders? in Tibet and Central Asia,the writings of Atisa have only recently found more interest among Western scholars. The Lamp for the Path and its Commentary were translated and published in 1983 by Richard Sherburne,and are included in this book,but newly added are his translations of the Twenty-five Key Texts authored by Atisa himself.The Key Texts are found in the Tibetan Tengyur in a collection called the The Hundred Root Texts (rtsa brgya )which were preserved by Atisa s followers as fundamental for a proper study of Buddhist theory and practice.

Maitripa

Maitripa
Author: Klaus-Dieter Mathes
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2021-11-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611806704

Maitrīpa (986–1063) is one of the greatest and most influential Indian yogis of Vajrayāna Buddhism. The legacy of his thought and meditation instructions have had a profound impact on Buddhism in India and Tibet, and several important contemporary practice lineages continue to rely on his teachings. Early in his life, Maitrīpa gained renown as a monk and scholar, but it was only after he left his monastery and wandered throughout India as a yogi that he had a direct experience of nonconceptual realization. Once Maitrīpa awakened to this nondual nature of reality, he was able to harmonize the scholastic teachings of Buddhist philosophy with esoteric meditation instructions. This is reflected in his writings that are renowned for evoking a meditative state in those who have trained appropriately. He eventually became the teacher of many well-known accomplished masters, including Padampa Sangyé and the translator Marpa, who brought his teachings to Tibet. Drawing on Maitrīpa’s autobiographical writings and literary work, this book is the first comprehensive portrait of the life and teachings of this influential Buddhist master. Klaus-Dieter Mathes also offers the first complete English translation of his teachings on nonconceptual realization, which is the foundation of Mahāmudrā meditation.

The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

The Wheel of Sharp Weapons
Author: Dharmarakshita
Publisher: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2019-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, one of the most important and influential texts in the Mahayana training of the mind. It was composed by the great Indian Yogi Dharmarakshita and he transmitted these teachings to Atisha (982-1054), who later transmitted the same to his greatest disciple Upasaka Dromtonpa and together translated it into Tibetan from Sanskrit. The present English translation is based on its Tibetan text, done by the Translation Bureau of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Commentary to The Wheel of Sharp Weapons was given by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey.

Dogen

Dogen
Author: Steven Heine
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2021-12-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611809800

An essential introduction to the life, writings, and legacy of one of Japan's most prolific Buddhist masters. The founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan, Eihei Dogen (1200–1253) is one of the most influential Buddhist teachers of all time. Although Dogen’s writings have reached wide prominence among contemporary Buddhists and philosophers, there is much that remains enigmatic about his life and writings. In Dogen: Japan’s Original Zen Teacher, respected Dogen scholar and translator Steven Heine offers a nuanced portrait of the master’s historical context, life, and work, paying special attention to issues such as: The nature of the “great doubt” that motivated Dogen’s religious quest The sociopolitical turmoil of Kamakura Japan that led to dynamic innovations in medieval Japanese Buddhism The challenges and transformations Dogen experienced during his pivotal time in China Key inflection points and unresolved questions regarding Dogen’s teaching career in Japan Ongoing controversies in the scholarly interpretations of Dogen’s biography and teachings Synthesizing a lifetime of research and reflection into an accessible narrative, this new addition to the Lives of the Masters series illuminates thought-provoking perspectives on Dogen’s character and teachings, as well as his relevance to contemporary practitioners.

Peacock in the Poison Grove

Peacock in the Poison Grove
Author: Lhundub Sopa
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2016-05-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0861717449

Geshe Sopa offers insightful commentary on two of the earliest Tibetan texts that focus on mental training. Peacock in the Poison Grovepresents powerful yogic methods of dispelling the selfish delusions of the ego and maintaining purity in our motives. Geshe Sopa's lucid explanations teach how we can fight the egocentric enemy within by realizing the truth of emptiness and by developing a compassionate, loving attitude toward others.

The Life of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great

The Life of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great
Author: Alexander Gardner
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 521
Release: 2019-07-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611804213

The first-ever extensive biography of Tibet's most famous nonsectarian Buddhist lama Known as the “king of renunciates,” Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813–1899) forever changed the face of Buddhism through collecting, arranging, and disseminating the various lineage traditions of Tibet across sectarian lines. His extensive treasury collections of profound Buddhist teachings continue to be taught and transmitted throughout the Himalayas by all major traditions and represent the breadth and profundity of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice. Jamgon Kongtrul was a polymath, dedicated retreatant, ritual expert, writer, and teacher from the eastern Tibetan kingdom of Derge. During the nineteenth century, while central Tibet experienced extreme sectarian divides, Jamgon Kongtrul, along with Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Chokgyur Lingpa, set about collecting, teaching, and transmitting the major practice traditions found in Tibet. Their activity—much of which did not adhere to the traditional divides of the Tibetan “schools” and included both tantric lineages coming from India as well as Tibetan treasure (terma) lineages—is one of the finest examples of Tibetan ecumenism, or Rimay, and Jamgon Kongtrul is perhaps the most famous among Tibet’s Rimay masters. This is the most accessible work available on Jamgon Kongtrul’s life, writings, and influence, written as a truly engaging historical biography. Alexander Gardner provides an intimate glimpse into the life of one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist teachers to have ever lived.

Xuanzang

Xuanzang
Author: Benjamin Brose
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2021-10-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0834844095

The life and legacy of Xuanzang: a Buddhist seeker, philosopher, and intrepid traveler who became the world's most famous pilgrim. In the fall of 629, Xuanzang (600–662), a twenty-nine-year-old Buddhist monk, left the capital of China to begin an epic pilgrimage across the country, through the deserts of Central Asia, and into India. His goal was to locate and study authentic Buddhist doctrine and practice, then bring the true teachings back to his homeland. Over the course of nearly seventeen years, he walked thousands of miles and visited hundreds of Buddhist monasteries and monuments. He studied with the leading teachers of his day and compiled a written account of his travels that remains a priceless record of premodern Indian history, religion, and culture. When Xuanzang finally returned to China in 645, he brought with him a treasure trove of new texts, relics, and icons. This transmission of Indian Buddhist teachings to China, made possible by Xuanzang’s unparalleled vision and erudition, was a landmark moment in the history of East Asian Buddhism. As with many great pre-modern religious figures, the legends surrounding Xuanzang’s life have taken on lives of their own. His story has been retold, reshaped, and repurposed by generations of monastics and laypeople. In this comprehensive and engaging account, Benjamin Brose charts a course between the earliest, most reliable accounts of Xuanzang’s biography and the fantastic legends that later developed, such as those in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Xuanzang remains one of the most consequential monks in the rich history of Buddhism in East Asia. This book is an indispensable introduction to his extraordinary life and enduring legacies.