A complete Dzogchen meditation manual from the oldest Tibetan tradition.

This book is an edited transcript of the discourse given by Kyabje Menri Tridzin Lungtog Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche during his visit to Shenten Dargye Ling Bönpo centre, France, in 2010. The teachings are based on Athri Bönpo Dzogchen cycle and contain clear and lucid instructions on approaching Dzogchen, starting from Preliminary Practices right up to the Introduction to the Natural State of Mind, Dzogchen itself. Kyabje Menri Tridzin Rinpoche's unique teaching style combines scholastic brilliance and profound personal experience with humour and a knowledge of life's sometimes harsh realities. This book will be equally useful to all, from those who have just discovered the Yungdrung Bön tradition to academicians and scholars, students and practitioners.

With an annotated English translation and critical analysis of the Orgyan-gling gold manuscript of the short Sukhāvativyūha-sūtra Pure Land Buddhism as a whole has received comparatively little attention in Western studies on Buddhism despite the importance of “buddha-fields” (pure lands) for the growth and expression of Mahāyāna Buddhism. In this first religious history of Tibetan Pure Land literature, Georgios Halkias delves into a rich collection of literary, historical, and archaeological sources to highlight important aspects of this neglected pan-Asian Buddhist tradition. He clarifies many of the misconceptions concerning the interpretation of “other-world” soteriology in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and provides translations of original Tibetan sources from the ninth century to the present that represent exoteric and esoteric doctrines that continue to be cherished by Tibetan Buddhists for their joyful descriptions of the Buddhist path. The book is informed by interviews with Tibetan scholars and Buddhist practitioners and by Halkias’ own participant-observation in Tibetan Pure Land rituals and teachings conducted in Europe and the Indian subcontinent. Divided into three sections, Luminous Bliss shows that Tibetan Pure Land literature exemplifies a synthesis of Mahāyāna sutra-based conceptions with a Vajrayana world-view that fits progressive and sudden approaches to the realization of Pure Land teachings. Part I covers the origins and development of Pure Land in India and the historical circumstances of its adaptation in Tibet and Central Asia. Part II offers an English translation of the short Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra (imported from India during the Tibetan Empire) and contains a survey of original Tibetan Pure Land scriptures and meditative techniques from the dGe-lugs-pa, bKa’-brgyud, rNying-ma, and Sa-skya schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Part III introduces some of the most innovative and popular mortuary cycles and practices related to the Tantric cult of Buddha Amitābha and his Pure Land from the Treasure traditions in the bKa’-brgyud and rNying-ma schools. Luminous Bliss locates Pure Land Buddhism at the core of Tibet’s religious heritage and demonstrates how this tradition constitutes an integral part of both Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism.

This Book Will Be Of Great Help To Readers Wishing To Find A Clear Explanation Of The Bon Tradition Of Tibet Especially With Regard To Its Presentation Of The Teachings Of Dzogchen.

The Great Perfection (rDzogs chen in Tibetan) is a philosophical and meditative teaching. Its inception is attributed to Vairocana, one of the first seven Tibetan Buddhist monks ordained at Samye in the eight century A.D. The doctrine is regarded among Buddhists as the core of the teachings adhered to by the Nyingmapa school whilst similarly it is held to be the fundamental teaching among the Bonpos, the non-Buddhist school in Tibet. After a historical introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and the Bon, the author deals with the legends of Vairocana (Part I), analysing early documents containing essential elements of the doctrine and comparing them with the Ch'an tradition. He goes on to explore in detail the development of the doctrine in the tenth and eleventh centuries A.D. (Part II). The Tantric doctrines that play an important role are dealt with, as are the rDzogs chen theories in relation to the other major Buddhist doctrines. Different trends in the rDzogs chen tradition are described in Part III. The author has drawn his sources mainly from early unpublished documents which throw light on the origins and development, at the same time also using a variety of sources which enabled him to explicate the crucial position which the doctrine occupies in Tibetan religions.

Lauded in his own country as a national treasure, Indian painter Charan Sharma is now recognized internationally as a gifted painter and a visionary artist. From his serene depictions of the Buddha’s many faces and contemporary depictions of monks in deep meditation, to captivating and ornate renderings of Rajasthani architecture and crafts, his images can be enjoyed as poetic works of beauty in their own right, or as a window into a deeper metaphysical realm. Widely exhibited, the paintings of Charan Sharma have been shown in museums and galleries in San Francisco, Boston, Vienna, Sydney, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore as well as Delhi, Udaipur and Bombay. Today, Sharma is one of the most well-known modern painters in India, with several international awards to his name.