The Great Kagyu Masters

The Great Kagyu Masters
Author:
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2006-03-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1559397721

For inspiration, Buddhists turn to the life stories of how the great masters of their lineage struggled with their circumstances and achieved enlightenment. This important and very readable volume tells the extraordinary tales of the greatest teachers of the Kagyu the lineage with the widest following in the U.S.

A Garland of Gold

A Garland of Gold
Author: Lama Jampa Thaye
Publisher: Rabsel Editions
Total Pages: 65
Release: 2020-03-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 2360170368

'A Garland of Gold' is a history of the early masters of the great Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, such as Saraha, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa and their spiritual heirs. This history represents the testament of the Kagyu lineage forefathers, showing us how they developed devotion and confidence in their gurus, received the inspiration of the dakini messengers, obtained the precious lineages, attained the vision of mahamudra, and spread the keys to enlightenment. Their songs, also translated here, though incomplete without a master' s textual transmission, offer a connection with the world of mahamudra. Lama Jampa Thaye's account of the early masters is based on the histories composed by Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa (1504-1566), Go Lotsawa (1392-1481) and Pema Karpo (1527-1592). He received the transmissions and teachings of the Kagyu forefathers from Karma Thinley Rinpoche and his other gurus such as Ato Rinpoche and Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. The Kagyu tradition is one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism alongside the Sakya, Nyingma and Gelug. It rose to prominence in the eleventh and twelfth centuries C.E. some one and a half millenia after the passing of Lord Buddha and remains one of the great spiritual transmission available in the world today. This book offers a remarkable look into the origins of this world.

The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje

The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje
Author:
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2020-11-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611807085

The first comprehensive overview of the life and writings of the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, a revolutionary figure in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Known for his mastery of teachings across sectarian lines, his treatises on medicine and astrology, and his work as spiritual advisor to the last Yuan emperor of China, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339) is considered one of the most important and influential figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. First recognized as a tulku, or reincarnated Buddhist master, at the age of five, Rangjung Dorje became the Karma Kagyu lineage holder and instituted the reincarnation-based inheritance structure within Tibetan Buddhism that led to the formation of important lineages of tulkus such as the Dalai Lamas. In this groundbreaking work, Ruth Gamble synthesizes her extensive research on Rangjung Dorje into a sweeping biography covering his life, legacy, and important selected writings. Included in her discussions are Rangjung Dorje's synthesis of Dzogchen and Mahamudra in his writings, his devotion to spreading the teachings of Buddha nature, and several works never before translated into English. As the most comprehensive work available on Rangjung Dorje, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.

Wisdom of the Kadam Masters

Wisdom of the Kadam Masters
Author:
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2013-01-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1614290652

Wisdom of the Kadam Masters is the second volume in the Tibetan Classics series, which aims to make available accessible paperback editions of key Tibetan Buddhist works drawn from Wisdom Publications' Library of Tibetan Classics. The phrase "Kadam masters" evokes for many Tibetans a sense of a spiritual golden age--the image of a community of wise yet simple monks devoted to a life of mental cultivation. These eleventh- and twelfth-century masters were particularly famed for their pithy spiritual sayings that captured essential teachings in digestible bites. In these sayings one unmistakably detects a clear understanding of what comprises a truly happy life, one that is grounded in a deep concern for the welfare of others. Like the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Lao Tzu, or Rumi, the teachings contained in Wisdom of the Kadam Masters can be approached as a part of the wisdom heritage of mankind, representative of the long history of the long human quest to understand our existence and its meaning. This volume offers some of the most beloved teachings of the Tibetan tradition.

Portraits of Tibetan Buddhist Masters

Portraits of Tibetan Buddhist Masters
Author: Don Farber
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Photography
ISBN: 8120842057

Renowned photographer Don Farber, one of the most important chroniclers of Buddhism today, brings the face and the spirit of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism alive with this remarkable book. Portraits of Tibetan Buddhist Masters―a collection of superb color photographs presented with brief biographies and teachings from each master―is a vibrant work, a testament to the compassion and wisdom that lies at the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Farber felt compelled to record the last of the living Buddhist masters who received their training in Tibet and then fled the country following the invasion by China, as well as other masters who survived many years of imprisonment during the Cultural Revolution. He has worked with a sense of urgency to photograph and interview these extraordinary beings who have been the custodians of this endangered Buddhist tradition. His collection of portraits also includes some of the bright lights of Tibetan Buddhism, the younger masters who will carry the tradition into the future. As a photographic archive of Tibetan Buddhist masters, this book plays an important role in preserving Tibetan culture, in all its richness and complexity, through the words and faces of its esteemed masters.

History of the Karmapas

History of the Karmapas
Author: Lama Kunsang
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2012-04-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1559393904

Masters of esoteric knowledge and miraculous practices, the lineage of the Karmapas is the earliest of all the recognized incarnate lineages and is said to descend from the great Indian tantric master Tilopa through a chain that includes Naropa, Marpa, and Milarepa. The Karmapas are distinguished by their black crowns, said to have been woven by dakinis and symbolizing the activity of the buddhas. Unlike other Tibetan Buddhist lineage heads, each Karmapa has specific knowledge of his next reincarnation and leaves behind a "Last Testament," a letter to his disciples describing the place and circumstances of their future rebirth, the name of their parents, and so on. At a very young age, each successive incarnation is often able to recognize himself as the Karmapa. In their recounting of the histories of the seventeen Karmapas, the authors reveal the universal and marvelous concealed in the everyday world. Their lively account peppered with anecdotes is the most comprehensive in the West on this subject, with information from Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, French, and English sources.

Like an Illusion

Like an Illusion
Author: Nicole Riggs
Publisher: Charma Cloud
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780970563903

The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje

The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje
Author: Ruth Gamble
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2020-11-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0834843277

The first comprehensive overview of the life and writings of the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, a revolutionary figure in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Known for his mastery of teachings across sectarian lines, his treatises on medicine and astrology, and his work as spiritual advisor to the last Yuan emperor of China, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339) is considered one of the most important and influential figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. First recognized as a tulku, or reincarnated Buddhist master, at the age of five, Rangjung Dorje became the Karma Kagyu lineage holder and instituted the reincarnation-based inheritance structure within Tibetan Buddhism that led to the formation of important lineages of tulkus such as the Dalai Lamas. In this groundbreaking work, Ruth Gamble synthesizes her extensive research on Rangjung Dorje into a sweeping biography covering his life, legacy, and important selected writings. Included in her discussions are Rangjung Dorje's synthesis of Dzogchen and Mahamudra in his writings, his devotion to spreading the teachings of Buddha nature, and several works never before translated into English. As the most comprehensive work available on Rangjung Dorje, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.

Gampopa's Mahamudra

Gampopa's Mahamudra
Author: Sgam-po-pa
Publisher:
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2008
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9789937206075

Collection of Kagyudpa's texts on Mahāmudrā with oral commentary by Benchen Tenga Rinpoche.