The Sole Panacea


Book Description

An esteemed teacher comments on the Seven-Line Prayer, a popular devotional prayer recited daily by practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. Of all the heartfelt devotional prayers used as a support for Dharma practice, the Seven-Line Prayer is the most essential, often repeated many thousands of times by practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. This concise prayer invokes the blessings of Padmasambhava, also called Guru Rinpoche (“Precious Teacher”) and known as the Buddha of our time. Guru Rinpoche brought the Dharma from India to Tibet in the eighth century and is the source of the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition, the Great Perfection teachings that awaken the enlightened nature of one’s own mind. Although the prayer is short and simple, its different levels of meaning make this commentary a welcome study aid for practitioners. Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche provides an account of the historical origin of the prayer and the power of its blessings, and comments on its two levels of meaning: one, according to the common Mahayana teachings; the other, according to the uncommon Dzogchen realizations. He repudiates various mistaken interpretations and clarifies a number of important philosophical views and meditation methods. The book also includes the text of the Seven-Line Prayer in English and Tibetan.




A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar


Book Description

Like a spontaneous cascade of wisdom nectar, the open and natural words of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, uncomplicated by scholarly elaboration, flow here in the tradition of the direct transmissions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past. Through commentary on the Preliminary Practices (Ngöndrö) prayer from the treasure text of the great master Tragtung Düdjom Lingpa, insights into many central practices emerge in order to deepen understanding of the foundations of Vajrayana Buddhism. Also included in the book is a commentary on Tsok Khang Dechen (Assembly Palace of Great Exaltation), the root text prayer of the second Kyabje Düdjom Rinpoche, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje.




White Lotus


Book Description

The commentary translated in these pages is unusual and rare. But if the commentary is a rarity, its subject matter—the seven-line invocation of Padmasambhava—is one of the best-known prayers in the Tibetan Buddhist world. The overall significance of the Seven-Line Prayer is perhaps best appreciated in relation to a practice called guru-yoga, or "union with the nature of the guru." The purpose of guru-yoga is to purify and deepen the student's relationship with his or her teacher. It is introduced as one of the preliminary practices, and it remains crucial—in fact, its importance increases—as one progresses through the more advanced levels of the tantric path. The cultivation of devotion to the guru and the blending of one's mind with his or her enlightened mind is, in the words of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, "the most vital and necessary of all practices and is in itself the surest and fastest way to reach the goal of enlightenment." Regarding the origin of this commentary, Mipham refers in the colophon to an event that triggered the abrupt appearance in his mind of the hidden meaning of the prayer. It is interesting to note that the language Mipham uses suggests that the commentary itself is not an ordinary composition but perhaps a treasure teaching, specifically a "mind-treasure" or gongter.




Gypsy Gossip and Other Advice


Book Description

This book contains the direct counsel and imperishable wisdom speech of Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, one of the great realized Nyingma masters of our age. Many problems arise when modern values clash with the precious teachings of the Buddha. Western Dharma students are faced with obstacles born of materialism, attachment to self, and resistance to traditional doctrines like karma, rebirth, and devotion to the Guru, while Asian students under the influence of modernity risk succumbing to foreign nihilistic beliefs, the neglect of their own unique heritage, and sectarian conflicts between indigenous lineages. The four teachings assembled here address these troubles in different ways, which are united by the powerful quality of Rinpoche’s voice as a writer and his ability to inspire deep faith that leads to the rekindling of Buddha nature and the flourishing of the Buddha Dharma through learning and practice with reverence and belief.




Echoes


Book Description

In colorful, bustling Boudhanath—Buddhism's great pilgrimage site in Nepal—a small group of students gathered to speak with Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche in an informal, relaxed atmosphere. This is the record of their lively dialogue, which the author described as "using the traditional method of question and answer to connect ordinary experience with sublime Dharma in a flexible way." The contents cover a wide range of inquiry: How should Westerners understand the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on karma and rebirth, monastic discipline, the importance of keeping vows, and devotion to the Guru? What is the Buddhist stand on male supremacy? Must Vajrayana practitioners have a consort? What is the antidote to self-hatred? How do we put into practice the "same taste" of suffering and pleasure? First published privately in an exclusive limited edition in 1977, Echoes is part of the cherished legacy of one of the greatest realized Nyingma masters of our age.




The Changing Forms of Identity Politics in Nigeria Under Economic Adjustment


Book Description

"The Niger delta region of Nigeria which is at the heart of the country's oil industry, has a long history of struggles for self-determination dating back to the early years of the 20[superscript th] century. In the 1980s and 1990s, these struggles, unfolding as they did within the context of military authoritarianism and structural adjustment, took the form of widespread agitation for greater control by local communities of the revenues accruing to the Nigerian state from exploration and extraction of oil." "This study attempts to capture the transformations in ethnic minority identity politics in the oil-producing areas of the Niger delta. In doing this, attention is simultaneously drawn to the factors informing the shift from peaceful agitation to violent protest as well as the dynamic of decay and renewal in the various ethnic minority movements that are active in the delta. It is suggested that part of the solution to the crisis in the delta will involve not only a thorough-going restructuring of the Nigerian state but also the re-orientation of the mode of operation of the giant oil multinationals in order to make them both more sensitive and accountable to the local communities."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved




Thus to Revisit


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The Ruby Rosary


Book Description

An in-depth presentation of one of the most profound traditions of Tibetan Buddhism--the Dudjom lineage--beginning with the Buddha and tracing the origins and development of the lineage through its Indian and Tibetan masters. The Ruby Rosary is Thinley Norbu's commentary on a short prayer written by his father, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, who was a revered leader of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism as well as a "revealer of treasures" in the Tibetan tradition. The root text, entitled "The Pearl Necklace," is a prayer of devotion to the eighteen primary masters of the Dudjom incarnation lineage, "strung together into a necklace of liberated lifetimes." With lively storytelling, Thinley Norbu illuminates the life of each of these great yogis, scholars, and masters of the Buddha's teachings, from Nüden Dorje Chang, Shariputra, and Saraha to Dudjom Lingpa. It concludes with an account of the enlightened activities of Dudjom Rinpoche himself, a towering figure, thus completing this awe-inspiring portrait of a modern master.




Poems Obiter


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Biennial Report


Book Description