The Eighty Mahasiddhas of the Mother Tantra


Book Description

TSADZIN LOPON GESHE MONLAM WANGYAL PUGYALWA is from the Pontsang clan which originated from the Dong Lineage. The first Pontsang clan was from Kham, Chamdo, Tibet. The clan had many great masters who were meditators and practitioners of Dzogchen, such as Lama Kunga Tsultrim, Lama Rinchen Tenzin, Pontsang Thekchok Rinpoche, and Khandro Tshuga Rinpoche. The Pontsang clan had seven generations of great artists whose religious art and paintings followed the ancient traditional Tibetan artistic canon. Lopon Monlam Wangyal started learning the Tibetan language at the age of seven and he was schooled at home by his grandfather, Pontsang Takla, for eight years. He was taught thangka painting by his uncle, Pontsang Lodoe Gyurme (also a monk) who was a highly skilled and well known artist of his time. After his uncle's passing, he learned from another famous artist called, Dhondo Tsering Yomphel, who is Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche's uncle.At the age of eighteen, Tsadzin Lopon Monlam Wangyal became a monk at Thongdrol Ritro Monastery in Kham, Tibet. In 1992, he went to India and studied the Yungdrung Bon Sutras, Philosophy, Astrology, Tibetan Grammar, and Poetry at Menri Monastery. In 1997, he came to Nepal and studied the Tantras, Dzogchen, Mandala Painting, Tibetan Medicine, and Tibetan History at Triten Norbutse Monastery. He has acquired knowledge on the Sciences of Buddhists learning, took responsibility of Disciplinarian/Gekhod, and Librarian for ten years after which he was honored with the title of "Tsadzin Lopon".




Legends of the Mahasiddhas


Book Description

A richly illustrated collection of stories about the mahasiddhas, spiritual adventurers who attained enlightenment and magical powers by disregarding convention • A modern translation of ancient legends that reveals the human qualities of the rebellious saints known as siddhas and the vital elements of their philosophy • Recounts stories of enlightened masters from all walks of life, including a washerman, a thief, a conman, a gambler, and a whore, and the magical and “crazy” deeds of each, such as walking through walls, flying, talking with birds, and turning people to stone • Richly illustrated with paintings of the tantric saints by artist Robert Beer Offering a modern translation of “The Legends of the Eighty-four Mahasiddhas,” a 12th-century Tibetan text, translator Keith Dowman shares stories of the spiritual adventurers, rebellious saints, and enlightened tantric masters of ancient India known as “siddhas.” He shows how the mahasiddhas arose from the grassroots of society and represented an entire spectrum of human experience. Counted among the greatest of the siddhas are a washerman, a cowboy, a thief, a conman, a gambler, and a whore, all extraordinary men and women who attained the goal of their meditations, as well as enlightenment and magical powers, by disregarding convention and penetrating to the core of life. Recounting the magical and “crazy” deeds of the mahasiddhas, such as walking through walls, flying, talking with birds, and turning people to stone, Dowman reveals the human qualities of the tantric masters and the vital elements of the siddhas’ philosophy of nonduality and emptiness. Richly illustrated with paintings of the tantric saints by artist Robert Beer, these stories of the mahasiddhas show us a way through human suffering into a spontaneous and free state of oneness with the divine.




Masters of Mahamudra


Book Description

In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahamudra represents a perfected level of meditative realization: it is the inseparable union of wisdom and compassion, of emptiness and skillful means. These eighty-four masters, some historical, some archetypal, accomplished this practice in India where they lived between the eighth and twelfth centuries. Leading unconventional lives, the siddhas include some of the greatest Buddhist teachers; Tilopa, Naropa, and Marpa among them. Through many years of study, Keith Dowman has collected and translated their songs of realization and the legends about them. In consultation with contemporary teachers, he gives a commentary on each of the Great Adepts and culls from available resources what we can know of their history. Dowman's extensive Introduction traces the development of tantra and discusses the key concepts of the Mahamudra. In a lively and illuminating style, he unfolds the deeper understandings of mind that the texts encode. His treatment of the many parallels to contemporary psychology and experience makes a valualbe contribution to our understanding of human nature.




Overview of Buddhist Tantra


Book Description

The overview of Buddhists Tantra, subtitled General Presentation of the Classes of Tantra, Captivating the Minds of the Fortunate Ones, is a scholarly exposition of the framework of Tantric practice presented by its author, Panchen Sonam Dragpa, in a methodical and accessible manner. Detailed explanations within this book include: the historical emergence of Buddhism in our world as interpreted by various Buddhists traditions; the differing tenets of the sects, and the differences between the vehicles(yanas); the doors to the path to liberation; and the classes of Tantric practice leading to that state of liberation.




Buddhist Tantras


Book Description

First published in 1995. The volume is divided into four sections: The introduction places the position of the Buddhist Tantras within Mahayana Buddhism and recalls their early literary history, especially the Guhyasamahatantra; the section also covers Buddhist Genesis and the Tantric tradition. Next is the he foundations of the Buddhist Tantras are discussed and the Tantric presentation of divinity; the preparation of disciples and the meaning of initiation; symbolism of the mandala-palace Tantric ritual and the twilight language. The third section explores the Tantric teachings of the inner Zodiac and the fivefold ritual symbolism of passion. The bibliographical research contains an analysis of the Tantric section of the Kanjur exegesis and a selected Western Bibliography of the Buddhist Tantras with comments.




The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul


Book Description

Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye (1813–1899) was one of the most influential figures and prolific writers in the Tibetan Buddhist world. He was a founder and the single most important proponent of the nonsectarian movement that flourished in eastern Tibet and remains popular today. Two additional texts discuss his previous lives and recount Kongtrul's final days. The Autobiography of Jamgön Kongtrul is part of The Tsadra Foundation Series published by Snow Lion Publications.




Studies in Tara-tantra


Book Description




Tibetan Sound Healing


Book Description

One of the world's oldest unbroken spiritual traditions is the Bn Buddhist tradition of Tibet. This wisdom path has survived thanks to the efforts of a handful of dedicated lamas, such as Bn lineage holder Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Now, with Tibetan Sound Healing, we can connect to the ancient sacred sounds of the Bn practice - and through them, activate our healing potential. The Bn healing tradition invokes the Five Warrior Syllables - ''seed'' sounds that bring us to the essential nature of mind, and release the boundless creativity and positive qualities that are fundamental to it. Through the medicine of sound, we can clear obstacles from our body, our energy and emotions, and the subtle sacred dimensions of our being. In this integrated book learning program, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche gives us the tools to access wisdom and compassion, and use the vibration of sacred sound to purify our body, connect with our inherent perfection and completeness, and awaken spiritual virtue. Bn spiritual master Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche guides you in the use of each of the Five Warrior Syllables, then teaches key practices to harness the medicine of these sacred sounds for purification, vitality, and awakening your natural mind.




LIfe and Thangka


Book Description

"This is a sacred art, a path which can take you to enlightenment." When a Mongolian lama whispered these words to her, she realized she was meant to follow this path. Tiffani H. Rezende was born in Brazil in 1981. Her spiritual search took her through an alternative community, a marine life, an Australian aboriginal reserve, the Russian wilderness and finally to the Mongolia steppes, where she saw Thangka painting for the first time. She followed the suggestion from her lama to study in Dharamsala in northern India, the seat of H. H. the Dalai Lama in exile. There she was accepted as the first western student by the Norbulingka Institute and became a trained Thangka artist. Described with humour and sensibility, a daily life as an apprentice in the art of Thangka painting.




Essence of Vajrayana


Book Description

With this book, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche explains with clarity and precision how we can practice the sublime meditations of Heruka body mandala, and thereby gradually transform our ordinary world and experiences into those of a Buddha, a fully enlightened being. He follows this with definitive instructions on the completion stage practices that can lead directly to the supreme bliss of full enlightenment in this one lifetime. This is a treasury of practical instructions for those seriously interested in following the Tantric path. • The first complete explanation in English of the Highest Yoga Tantra practice of Heruka body mandala • Sublime methods for transforming our ordinary minds and attaining pure selfless joy • The actual method to accomplish the supreme bliss of full enlightenment in this lifetime