Dzogchen Foremost Instructions, a Garland of Views

by Tony Duff

Author	: Tony Duff
Publisher	:
Total Pages	: 218
Release	: 2015-07-16
Genre	:
ISBN	: 9789937572842

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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.

A Garland of Views

by Padmasambhava

Author	: Padmasambhava
Publisher	: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages	: 153
Release	: 2016-04-05
Genre	: Religion
ISBN	: 0834840065

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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.

Steps to the Great Perfection

by Jigme Lingpa

Author	: Jigme Lingpa
Publisher	: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages	: 227
Release	: 2016-07-05
Genre	: Religion
ISBN	: 0834840316

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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.

The Other Emptiness

by Tony Duff

Author	: Tony Duff
Publisher	:
Total Pages	: 330
Release	: 2014-05-01
Genre	: Religion
ISBN	: 9789937572675

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Other Emptiness is the view of emptiness that goes with wisdom. It has long been thought amongst Westerners that the view of emptiness championed by the Gelug tradition following the views of Tsongkhapa is the one and only view of emptiness in the Buddhist teachings. However, that is not the case. The majority of Tibetan Buddhists accept two approaches to emptiness, a logical approach called empty of self and a non-conceptual approach called empty of other. This book clearly presents all of these views and shows how the empty of other type of emptiness is actually the ultimate teaching of the Buddha, the teaching on how to enter non-dual wisdom. Other emptiness has usually been thought of amongst Westerners who have heard of it as a very complicated and difficult philosophy. It is subtle, that is true, because it describes what it is like to be in wisdom. However, it was not taught as a difficult philosophy. Rather, it was taught as a practical teaching on how to enter non-dual wisdom. The book explores this point at length. The book was written to be useful for all levels of reader. It starts simply, giving a clear explanation of the Buddha's non-dual teaching and how the other emptiness teaching is part of that. Then it goes into details about the history and teaching other emptiness. Finally, it goes in to great technical detail concerning the other emptiness teaching, and supports that with extensive materials from various Tibetan teachers. Unlike many of the books on other emptiness that have appeared, this book does not only present the theory of other emptiness but keeps a proper balance between showing the theory of other emptiness and presenting the practice-based reality of the teaching. The book is divided into four parts, each one a set of presentations from someone knowledgeable of the subject. The first part is several chapters written by the author in plain English in order to get the reader under way. Following that, there are sections embodying the explanations of Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso, and amgon Kongtrul the great. Ample introductions, glossaries and so on are provided.

Omniscience and the Rhetoric of Reason

by Sara L. McClintock

Author	: Sara L. McClintock
Publisher	: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages	: 442
Release	: 2010-05-10
Genre	: Philosophy
ISBN	: 086171931X

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The great Buddhist scholars Santaraksita (725 - 88 CE.) and his disciple Kamalasila were among the most influential thinkers in classical India. They debated ideas not only within the Buddhist tradition but also with exegetes of other Indian religions, and they both traveled to Tibet during Buddhism's infancy there. Their views, however, have been notoriously hard to classify. The present volume examines Santaraksita's Tattvasamgraha and Kamalasila's extensive commentary on it, works that cover all conceivable problems in Buddhist thought and portray Buddhism as a supremely rational faith. One hotly debated topic of their time was omniscience - whether it is possible and whether a rational person may justifiably claim it as a quality of the Buddha. Santaraksita and Kamalasila affirm both claims, but in their argumentation they employ divergent rhetorical strategies in different passages, advancing what appear to be contradictory positions. McClintock's investigation of the complex strategies these authors use in defense of omniscience sheds light on the rhetorical nature of their enterprise, one that shadows their own personal views as they advance the arguments they deem most effective to convince the audiences at hand.

Unbounded Wholeness

by Anne C. Klein

Author	: Anne C. Klein
Publisher	: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages	: 430
Release	: 2006
Genre	: Philosophy
ISBN	: 9780195178500

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Explaining Dzogchen teachings for the Western audience, this text provides a study and translation of the 'Authenticity of Open Awareness', a foundational text of the Bon Dzogchen tradition. This book provides an introductory and explanatory material that situates it in the context of Tibetan thought.

Great Perfection

by Dzogchen Rinpoche

Author	: Dzogchen Rinpoche
Publisher	: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages	: 336
Release	: 2008-01-15
Genre	: Religion
ISBN	: 155939823X

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In the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, the Great Perfection is considered the most profound and direct path to enlightenment. The instructions of this tradition present a spiritual shortcut—a radically direct approach that cuts through confusion and lays bare the mind's true nature of luminous purity. For centuries, these teachings have been taught and practiced in secret by some of the greatest adepts of the Buddhist tradition. Great Perfection: Outer and Inner Preliminaries contains detailed instructions on the foundational practices of this tradition, from "The Excellent Chariot," a practice manual compiled by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche. Distilling the teachings of the Heart Essence of the Dakinis into an accessible, easy-to-practice format, The Excellent Chariot leads the reader through the entire Buddhist path, starting with basic Buddhist contemplations that work to dislodge deeply ingrained patterns of thinking and behaving, and continuing on to the most advanced and secret meditative practices of the Great Perfection. The teachings in this volume are drawn largely from the writings of the great Nyingma master Longchenpa and the root texts of the Heart Essence of the Dakinis itself. The Third Dzogchen Rinpoche begins by discussing the correct way to study and practice the Great Perfection teachings before presenting an overview of the Great Perfection lineage and an explanation on the meaning and importance of empowerment. In the chapters that follow, he presents practical instructions on the outer and inner preliminaries, the so-called "ngöndro" practices. These practices enable the practitioner to transform and purify the mind, preparing it for the advanced Great Perfection meditation of Trekchö and Tögal, the breakthrough and direct leap. In addition to the translation mentioned above, Great Perfection: Outer and Inner Preliminaries contains a beautiful introduction by the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, a contemporary Great Perfection master, and an extensive glossary of key Great Perfection terminology.

Golden Letters

by Garab Dorje

Author	: Garab Dorje
Publisher	: Snow Lion
Total Pages	: 398
Release	: 1996
Genre	: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN	:

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In many ways the best guide to Dzogchen teachings. Includes explanations that were previously thought too secret to publish.' Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

Deity, Mantra, and Wisdom

by Patrul Rinpoche

Author	: Patrul Rinpoche
Publisher	: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages	: 265
Release	: 2020-02-25
Genre	: Religion
ISBN	: 1559394978

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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.