The Teachings Of Ajahn Chah

The Teachings Of Ajahn Chah (A collection of Ajahn Chah's translated Dhamma talks)

The following Dhamma books of Ajahn Chah have been included in this collection of Ajahn Chah's Dhamma talks: Bodhinyana (1982); A Taste of Freedom (fifth impression.2002); Living Dhamma (1992); Food for the Heart (1992); The Path to Peace (1996); Clarity of Insight (2000); Unshakeable Peace (2003); Everything is Teaching Us (2004). Also some as yet unpublished talks have been included in the last section called `More Dhamma Talks'. We hope our efforts in compiling this collection of Dhamma talks of Ajahn Chah will be of benefit.

Ajahn Chah in Wikipedia

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Guru Rinpoché

GURU RINPOCHE: His Life and Times by Ngawang Zangpo

To Tibetan Buddhists, Guru Rinpoché is a Buddha. This book recounts Guru Rinpoché's historic visit to Tibet and explains his continuing significance to Buddhists. In doing so, it illustrates how a country whose powerful armies overran the capital of China and installed a puppet emperor came to abandon its aggressive military campaigns: this transformation was due to Guru Rinpoché, who tamed and converted Tibet to Buddhism and thereby changed the course of Asian history.

This book recounts Guru Rinpoché's historical visit to Tibet and explains his continuing significance to Buddhists. Four very different Tibetan accounts of his story are presented:

A Biography of Guru Rinpoché; by Jamgon Kongtrul;

One according to the pre-Buddhist Tibetan religion, Bön:
The Bon Version of the Life of Guru Rinpoché; by Jamyang Kyentse Wongpo;

One based on Indian and early Tibetan historical documents:
The Indian Version of the Life of Guru Rinpoché; by Taranata;

One by Dorjé Tso.

In addition, there are supplications by Guru Rinpoché and visualizations to accompany them by Jamgon Kongtrul.

"The presence of Guru Rinpoché, a figure so important to Tibetan Buddhists he is called simply 'The Precious Master', can be felt still in each of these liberating stories translated here. Read side-by-side, they reveal an even wider picture, deftly highlighted by Ngawang Zangpo's introduction, of how history and culture interact with the inner spirituality that is beyond time and place."--Sarah Harding, author of Creation and Completion

"With a thought-provoking introduction and stimulating cultural, religious, and literary insights, Ngawang Zangpo offers welcome translations of four biographies of Guru Rinpochéand a set of famous supplications. This new work will certainly be enjoyed by everyone interested in the vast spiritual legacy of the 'Second Buddha' in Tibet."--Cyrus Stearns, author

"To experienced practitioners, the Tsadra Foundation Series is more precious than gold dust."--Tricycle Magazine

"Overall, the book provides an authentic account of Padmasambhava's life from the Tibetan devotional perspective"--Religious Studies Review


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Light of Fearless Indestructible Wisdom

Light of Fearless Indestructible Wisdom: The Life and Legacy of H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal

Master of masters, visionary, poet, revealer of profound spiritual treasures, Dudjom Rinpoche was a paramount figure in the history of twentieth-century Tibet. He worked closely with the present Dalai Lama to reinvigorate Tibetan culture and spiritual practice following the Chinese invasion of their homeland. Nyingma masters and devotees, both lay and ordained, unanimously appointed him Supreme Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, and he served in this capacity until his death in 1987. He wrote poetry, music, history, and philosopy, and delivered unprecedented numbers of initiations and teachings. Written by a Nyingma master who served for several years as Dudjom Rinpoche's secretary, this biography celebrates a teacher whose hardships in exile did not diminish his zest for scholarship and practice.

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Smile of Sun and Moon

Smile of Sun and Moon, Commentary on the Praise to the 21 Taras by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche

The twenty-one emanations of Tara, the mother of all the buddhas, manifest swiftly to protect sentient beings from all fears, pacify evils, disease and misfortune, increase longevity, wealth and merit, overpower the deluded perception, and destroy the enemy of five poisons, one's disturbing emotions. The Praise to the Twenty-One Taras,connecting the practitioner to Tara's enlightened activity, was memorized and recited by almost every Tibetan regardless of school or tradition. In this book, Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche clarifies each word of The Praise according to the four levels of meaning: the outer, inner, secret, and the ultimate meaning explained according to Prajnaparamita, Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Dzogchen. The visualization instructions follow the inner practice of The Queen of Great Bliss revealed by Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa as part of Longchen Nyingthig terma cycle. Exquisitely designed, the book contains the root text and the commentary in both Tibetan and English, mantras and color images of the twenty-one Taras.

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Penetrating Wisdom: The Aspiration of Samantabhadra

Penetrating Wisdom: The Aspiration of Samantabhadra by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

"Penetrating Wisdom" is a book of teachings on the Buddhist paths of Dzogchen and Tantra by an innovative Tibetan master who is both authoritative and modern. Basing himself on "The Aspiration of Samantabhadra", a proclamation in the Buddhist tantras of the Buddha Samantabhadra, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche illuminates the philosophy and meditation practices of Dzogchen, the highest and most profound teaching of all of Tibetan Buddhism. With precision that does not intimidate the uninitiated, Rinpoche explains the basic nature of our very own mind - complete enlightenment - and how we may go about making this nature of mind manifest through making profound aspirations and through relying on the skillful methods of the Vajrayana, Tibetan Buddhism's "indestructible" path of insight.

Snow Lion Publications | ISBN: 1559392665 | 2006-11-25 | PDF | 192 pages | 1.21 Mb

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Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition by John Powers

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 Bon 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.

"The vitality of Tibetan Buddhism in exile has exceeded anything anyone could have predicted; hence the need of a book that presents its history, doctrines, lineages, practices, and tantric essence in a comprehensive and cogent way. John Powers' Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism does this!"—Huston Smith, Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Syracuse University

"...presents the wide spectrum of Tibetan Buddhism in clear, concise form with Western methodology and critical appreciation. This work beautifully elucidates the nature of the complex religious and philosophical disciplines of Tibet."—Lobsang Lhalungpa, author of The Life of Milarepa

"Every Buddhist Studies major worth his or her salt is most likely familiar with John Powers' Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, an essential text in college classrooms throughout the country. The revised edition [is]...now updated to reflect political developments, fresh resources, and shifting theoretical perspectives...comprehensive yet succinct...with a jargon-free, straightforward style that makes learning...[a] pleasurable pursuit."—Tricycle

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The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

Thomas Cleary - The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

Known in Chinese as Hua-yen and in Japanese as Kegon-kyo, the Avatamsaka Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture, is held in the highest regard and studied by Buddhists of all traditions. Through its structure and symbolism, as well as through its concisely stated principles, it conveys a vast range of Buddhist teachings.
This one-volume edition contains Thomas Cleary's definitive translation of all thirty-nine books of the sutra, along with an introduction, a glossary, and Cleary's translation of Li Tongxuan's seventh-century guide to the final book, the Gandavyuha, "Entry into the Realm of Reality"
"There is no doubt in my mind that Thomas Cleary is the greatest translator of Buddhist texts from Chinese or Japanese into English of our generation, and that he will be so known by grateful Buddhist practitioners and scholars in future centuries. Single-handedly he has gone a long way toward building the beginnings of a Buddhist canon in English. . . . His translation of the Flower Ornament Sutrafrom Shikshananda's Chinese translation of the Sanskrit is one of the monuments in Buddhist Studies of our time."—Robert A. F. Thurman, Tricycle
"As to the Avatamsaka-Sutra, it is really the consummation of Buddhist thought, Buddhist sentiment, and Buddhist experience. To my mind, no religious literature in the world can ever approach the grandeur of conception, the depth of feeling, and the gigantic scale of composition, as attained by the sutra. Here not only deeply speculative minds find satisfaction, but humble spirits and heavily oppressed hearts, too, will have their burdens lightened. Abstract truths are so concretely, so symbolically represented here that one will finally come to a realization of the truth that even in a particle of dust the whole universe is seen reflected—not this visible universe only, but a vast system of universes, conceivable by the highest minds only."—D. T. Suzuki

Publisher: Shambhala | 1993-10-12 | ISBN: 0877739404 | PDF | 1643 pages | 109.89 MB

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Ven. Sangye Khadro: Understanding the Heart Sutra

Kathleen McDonald was born in California in 1952, and took her first courses in Buddhism in Dharamsala, India in 1973. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 1974. She has studied Buddhism with various teachers such as Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Thubten Yeshe, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey and Geshe Jampa Tegchog, and in various countries such as India, Nepal, England, France, and Australia. At the request of her teachers Ven Sangye Khadro began teaching in 1979, while living in England, and since then has taught in many countries around the world, most recently at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore, for 11 years. In 1988 Sangye Khadro took the full ordination or Gelongma vows. Her book, How to Meditate, is a best selling book of Wisdom Publications now in its 14th printing.

The Heart Sutra is a member of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā) class of Mahāyāna Buddhist literature, and along with the Diamond Sutra, is considered to be the primary representative of the genre. It consists of just 14 shlokas or verses in Sanskrit and 260 Chinese characters in the most prevalent Chinese version, Taisho Tripitaka Vol. T08 No. 251, translated by Xuan Zang. This makes it the most highly abbreviated version of the Perfection of Wisdom texts, texts which exist in various lengths up to and including 100,000 slokas. This sutra is classified by Edward Conze as belonging to the third of four periods in the development of the Perfection of Wisdom canon, although because it contains a mantra (sometimes erroneously called a dharani), it does overlap with the final tantric phase of development according to this scheme.
The study of the Heart Sutra is particularly emphasized in the practice of East Asian Buddhism. Its Chinese version is frequently chanted (in the local pronunciation) by the Chan, Zen, Seon and Thiền sects during ceremonies in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam respectively. It is also significant to the Shingon Buddhist school in Japan, whose founder Kukai wrote a commentary on it, and to the various Tibetan Buddhist schools, where it is studied extensively.
A striking feature of the sutra is the fact that the teaching is not actually delivered by the Buddha, which places it in a relatively small class of sutras not directly spoken by the Buddha.



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Jon Landaw: Death and the Process of Dying

Jon Landaw, author of Buddhism for Dummies, was born in New Jersey in 1944. From 1972 to 1977 Jon worked as an English editor for the Translation Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, producing numerous texts under the guidance of Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. As a student of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche since 1973, Jon has edited numerous works for Wisdom Publications, including Wisdom Energy and Introduction to Tantra. He is also the author of Prince Siddhartha, a biography of Buddha for children, and Images of Enlightenment, published by Snow Lion in 1993. As an instructor of Buddhist meditation, he has taught in numerous Dharma centers throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. He currently lives in Capitola, California, USA with his wife and three children, and leads the Discovering Buddhism courses at Land of Medicine Buddha.

-Whether our death is going to be an occasion for dread and panic, or an opportunity to gain unparalleled insight into the deepest nature of our mind, is solely a matter of attitude and preparation.

In this course, Jon will introduce a variety of meditational practices, drawn from the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition, designed to transform our
attitudes towards death and help prepare us to face the inevitable with confidence and clarity.



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Ven. Robina Courtin: Audio Teachings

Robina Courtin (born Melbourne, Australia, December 20, 1944), is a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Buddhist Gelugpa tradition and lineage of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa. She is director of the Liberation Prison Project.

Courtin was raised Catholic, and in her youth she was interested in becoming a Carmelite nun. In her young adulthood, she initially trained as a classical singer while living in London during the late 1960s. She became a feminist activist and worked on behalf of prisoners' rights in the early 1970s. In 1972 she moved back to Melbourne. Courtin began studying martial arts in 1974, living in New York and, again, back in Melbourne. In 1976, she took a Buddhist course taught by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa in Queensland.
In November 1977, Courtin traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal to study at Kopan Monastery, where she was ordained as a Buddhist nun. She was Editorial Director of Wisdom Publications until 1987 and Editor of Mandala until 2000. She left Mandala to teach and to develop the Liberation Prison Project.
Robina Courtin's work was featured in two documentary films, Christine Lundberg's On the Road Home (1998) and Amiel Courtin–Wilson's Chasing Buddha (2000), and in Vicki Mackenzie's book Why Buddhism? (2003). Her nephew's film, Chasing Buddha, documents Courtin's life and her work with death row inmates in the Kentucky State Penitentiary. In 2000, the film was nominated for best direction in a documentary by the Australian Film Institute.
Since 2001, Courtin has led pilgrimages to Buddhist holy sites in India, Nepal, and Tibet to raise money for the Liberation Prison Project.

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