Lam rim Chen mo (roughly, "the great book on stages of the path to enlightenment") is the abbreviated title of a massive encyclopaedic manual written by Tson-kha-pa, the founder of the gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. 'Calming the mind and Discerning the Real' marks the first appearance in English of the two most important segments of this work.

This book represents a comparison of the critique of Buddhism as set forth in the interpretations of Sankara, Madhva, and Ramanuja to the sutras of the second section (adhyaya) of the Brahma-sutras concerned with the refutation of Buddhism, with the positions actually elaborated by the Buddhists in their own texts. An attempt is also made to compare the conflicting interpretations of the three commentators to these particular sutras, in accordance with the philosophical approach unique to each commentator. The book is divided into two parts. The first part consists of an Introductory Background. It includes a brief description of the Brahma-sutras as a text and summarizes the philosophical positions of the three commentators. The second part proceeds sutra by sutra to study the three commentators' interpretations of the particular sutras directed against the Buddhists.

In most forms of meditation, the meditator is instructed to let go of thoughts as they arise. As a result, thinking is often taken, unnecessarily, to be something misguided or evil. This approach is misguided, says Jason Siff. In fact, if we allow thoughts to arise and become mindful of the thoughts themselves, we gain tranquility and insight just as in other methods without having to reject our natural mental processes. And by observing the thoughts themselves with mindfulness and curiosity, we can learn a good deal about ourselves in the process.

This eight-volume set brings together seminal papers in Buddhist studies from a vast range of academic disciplines published over the last forty years. With a new introduction by the editor, this collection is a unique and unrivalled research resource for both student and scholar. Coverage includes: - Buddhist origins; early history of Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia - early Buddhist Schools and Doctrinal History; Theravada Doctrine - the Origins and nature of Mahayana Buddhism; some Mahayana religious topics - Abhidharma and Madhyamaka - Yogacara, the Epistemological tradition, and Tathagatagarbha - Tantric Buddhism (Including China and Japan); Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet - Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia, and - Buddhism in China, East Asia, and Japan.

This sweeping study of mysticism by Jess Hollenback considers the writings and experiences of a broad range of traditional religious mystics, including Teresa of Avila, Black Elk, and Gopi Krishna. It also makes use of a new category of sources that more traditional scholars have almost entirely ignored, namely, the autobiographies and writings of contemporary clairvoyants, mediums, and out-of-body travelers. This study contributes to the current debate about the contextuality of mysticism by presenting evidence that not only are the mystic's interpretations of and responses to experiences culturally and historically conditioned, but historical context and cultural environment decisively shape both the perceptual and affective content of the mystic's experience as well. Hollenback also explores the linkage between the mystic's practice of recollection and the onset of other unusual or supernormal manifestations such as photisms, the ability to see auras, telepathic sensitivity, clairvoyance, and out-of-body experiences. He demonstrates that these extraordinary phenomena can actually deepen our understanding of mysticism in unexpected ways. A unique feature of this book is its in-depth analysis of "empowerment," an important phenomenon ignored by most scholars of mysticism. Empowerment is a peculiar enhancement of the imagination, thoughts, and desires that frequently accompanies mystical states of consciousness. Hollenback shows its cross-cultural persistence, its role in constructing the perceptual and existential environments within which the mystic dwells, and its linkage to the fundamental contextuality of mystical experience.

The Buddha-Womb and the way to Liberation This volume resolves the ontology from the two previous volumes concerning the concept of a ‘subtle self’. First a commentary of the Tantra Great Gates of Diamond Liberation, that presents detailed information concerning the nature of the Heart, Throat, Diaphragm, and Splenic centres I and II. This adds to what was earlier provided on the Solar Plexus, Sacral and Base of Spine centres. The focus of this book concerns the attributes of the Sambhogakāya Flower, utilising The Uttaratantra of Maitreya and the Buddha’s testimony, thus revealing an esoteric doctrine that has been veiled in Buddhist scriptures.

If you are reading this, than you're likely plagued with anxiety. The good news is that you don't have to be. You can live a life without so much anxiety and stress. You can train the mind to feel contentment, peace and joy-even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Best-selling author and long-time Buddhist meditation teacher Lodro Rinzler shows us how to work with the mind so that we don't hold ourselves in a state of stress and learn to relax into and appreciate our world once more. What you hold is a guidebook with practical and easy-to-implement steps for how to take back your mind.