This collection--among the oldest records of the historical Buddha's original teachings--consists of 152 suttas or discourses of middle length, distinguished as such from the longer and shorter suttas of the other collections. The Majjhima Nikaya might be concisely described as the Buddhist scripture that combines the richest variety of contextual settings with the deepest and most comprehensive assortment of teachings. These teachings, which range from basic ethics to instructions in meditation and liberating insight, unfold in a fascinating procession of scenarios that show the Buddha in living dialogue with people from many different strata of ancient Indian society: with kings and princes, priests and ascetics, simple villagers and erudite philosophers. Replete with drama, reasoned argument, and illuminating parable and simile, these discourses exhibit the Buddha in the full glory of his resplendent wisdom, majestic sublimity, and compassionate humanity.The translation is based on an original draft translation left by the English scholar-monk Bhikkhu Nanamoli, which has been edited and revised by the American monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, who provides a long introduction and helpful explanatory notes. Combining lucidity of expression with accuracy, this translation enables the Buddha to speak across twenty-five centuries in language that addresses the most pressing concerns of the contemporary reader seeking clarification of the timeless issues of truth, value, and the proper conduct of life.Winner of the 1995 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book Award, and the Tricycle Prize for Excellence in Buddhist Publishing for Dharma Discourse.

    This collection--among the oldest records of the historical Buddha's original teachings, given in India two and a half thousand years ago--consists of thirty-four longer-length suttas, or discourses, distinguished as such from the middle-length and shorter suttas of the other collections.These suttas reveal the gentleness, compassion, power, and penetrating wisdom of the Buddha. Included are teachings on mindfulness (Mahasatipatthana Sutta); on morality, concentration, and wisdom (Subha Sutta); on dependent origination (Mahanidrana Sutta); on the roots and causes of wrong views (Brahmajala Sutta); and a long description of the Buddha's last days and passing away (Mahaparinibbana Sutta); along with a wealth of practical advice and insight for all those travelling along the spiritual path.Venerable Sumedho Thera writes in his foreword: "[These suttas] are not meant to be 'sacred scriptures' that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience, with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words."Introduced with a vivid account of the Buddha's life and times and a short survey of his teachings, The Long Discourses of the Buddha brings us closer in every way to the wise and compassionate presence of Gotama Buddha and his path of truth.

    

    "Awakening Compassion is the first audio retreat on the practice of lojong taught by Pema Chodron herself. With many on-the-spot techniques for dealing with jealousy, anger, and fear, this perennial bestseller--now available on CD--is a unique resource for bringing compassion into the world and stopping the cycle of suffering in our own lives.

    

    With extraordinary clarity, he presents all Buddha's teachings in the order in which they are to be practised, enriching his explanation with stories and illuminating analogies. Following these practical instructions, we will come to experience for ourselves the joy that arises from making progress on a clear and structured path that leads to full enlightenment.

    Through its strategies, you can discover for yourself how to find true freedom from worldly suffering. Jack Kornfield opens this eternal view of the mind for all listeners on this detailed, challenging 6-cassette collection.

    Our fear of intimacy—both with others and with ourselves—creates feelings of pain and longing. But these feelings can also awaken in us the desire for freedom and the willingness to take up the spiritual path. In this inspiring book, Sharon Salzberg, one of America's leading spiritual teachers, shows us how the Buddhist path of lovingkindness ( metta in Pali), can help us discover the radiant, joyful heart within each of us. This practice of lovingkindness is revolutionary because it has the power to radically change our lives, helping us create true happiness in ourselves and genuine compassion for others. The Buddha described the nature of such a spiritual path as "the liberation of the heart, which is love." The author draws on simple Buddhist teachings, wisdom stories from various traditions, guided meditation practices, and her own experience from twenty-five years of practice and teaching to illustrate how each one of us can cultivate love, compassion, joy, and equanimity—the four "heavenly abodes" of traditional Buddhism.

    In this practical guide to compassionate living, Geshe Kelsang explains in detail how to take and keep the Bodhisattva vows, how to purify downfalls, and how to practise the Bodhisattva’s deeds of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom.  With this handbook as our companion, we can enter the Bodhisattva's way of life and progress along the path to full enlightenment.

    How do I prepare my mind for meditation?There is nothing special. I just keep it where it always is.They ask, 'Then are you an arahant?'Do I know?I am like a tree in a forest, full of leaves, blossoms and fruit.Birds come to eat and nest, and animals seek rest in its shade.Yet the tree does not know itself.It follows its own nature.It is as it is.""All the teachings" Ajahn Chah taught, "are merely similes and comparisons, means to help the mind see the truth. If we establish the Buddha within our mind, then we see everything, we contemplate everything, as no different from ourselves.Many of the similes that Ajahn Chah himself used to teach came out of his vast experience of living in the forest. His practice was simply to watch, all the while being totally open and aware of everything that was happening both inside and outside himself. He would say that his practice was nothing special. He was, in his own words, like a tree in a forest, "A tree is as it is," he's say. And Ajahn Chah was as he was. But out of such "nothing specialness" came a profound understanding of himself and the world.Ajahn Chah used to say, "The Dhamma is revealing itself in every moment, but only when the mind is quiet can we understand what it is saying, for the Dhamma teaches without words." Ajahn Chah had this uncanny ability to take that wordless Dhamma and convey its truth to his listeners in the form of a simile that was fresh, easy to follow, sometimes humorous, sometimes poetic, but always striking a place in the heart where it would jar or inspire the most: "We are like maggots; life is like a falling leaf; our mind is like rain water."The teachings of Ajahn Chah teem with similes and comparisons like these. We thought it would be a good idea to collect them all in the form of a book as a source of inspiration for those who may want some respite from the "heat" of the world and seek some rest in the cool and abundant shade of "a tree in the forest".

    As Shakespeare does with English, Dogen utterly transforms the language of Zen, using it in novel and extraordinarily beautiful ways to point to everything important in the religious life.He is known for two major works. The first work, the massive Shobogenzo (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye), represents his early teachings and exists in myriad English translations; the second work, the Eihei Koroku, is a collection of all his later teachings, including short formal discourses to the monks training at his temple, longer informal talks, and koans with his commentaries, as well as short appreciatory verses on various topics. The Shobogenzo has received enormous attention in Western Zen and Western Zen literature, and with the publication of this watershed volume, the Eihei Koroku will surely rise to commensurate stature.Dogen's Extensive Record is the first-ever complete and scholarly translation of this monumental work into English and this edition is the first time it has been available in paperback. This edition contains extensive and detailed research and annotation by scholars, translators and Zen teachers Taigen Dan Leighton and Shohaku Okumura, as well as forewords by the eighteenth-century poet-monk Ryokan and Tenshin Reb Anderson, former abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center - plus introductory essays from Dogen scholar Steven Heine, and the prominent, late American Zen master John Daido Loori.

    In the ninth century, he made the journey across the Himalayan Mountains to establish Buddhism for the people in that country. He also concealed timeless instructions and practices to benefit future generations. The volume presents in-depth explanations of the Tibetan Buddhist perspective. The Light of Wisdom, Vol. II will be of special interest to students of Buddhism for its clear overview from a Vajrayana perspective of teachings particular to Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Included is an extensive commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great, one of the most prominent Buddhist masters of nineteenth-century Tibet.

    In Lack and Transcendence, David Loy brings all three traditions together for the first time in a synthesis receptive to the insights of each, thereby casting fresh light on familiar problems. Dr. Loy's work grew out of the cross-fertilization of two basic ideas: the psychotherapeutic concept of repression and the Buddhist doctrine of nonself. Buddhism implies that our primal repression is not fear of death but the quite valid suspicion that "I" am not real. This shift from libido-instinct to the way we understand our situation opens up new perspectives and possibilities which this book explores. Written in a clear, jargon-free style that does not assume prior familiarity with the topics discussed, this book will appeal to a variety of readers including psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, scholars of religion - particularly of Buddhism - Continental philosophers, and literary and culture critics.

    Historically, this Tibetan woman, a contemporary of Milarepa, was an adept and outstanding teacher, a mother, and a founder of a unique transmission lineage known as the Chöd of Mahamudra. This translation of the most famous biography of Machig Labdron, founder of the unique Mahamudra Chöd tradition, is presented together with a comprehensive overview of Chöd's historical and doctrinal origins in Indian Buddhism and its subsequent transmission to Tibet.Chöd refers to cutting through the grasping at a self and its attendant emotional afflictions. Most famous for its teaching on transforming the aggregates into an offering of food for demons as a compassionate act of self-sacrifice, Chöd aims to free the mind from all fear and to arouse realization of its true nature, primordially clear bliss and emptiness.

    Daisaku Ikeda A translation of the two chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the "Expedient Means" & "Life Span" chapters that we use when we recite the sutra during our morning & evening prayers with an explantion from President Ikeda.-- Soka Gakkai International

    The teachings given here on the outlook and technique of meditation provide the foundation that every practitioner needs to awaken as the Buddha did. Trungpa teaches us to let go of the urge to make meditation serve our ambition; thus we can relax into openness. We are shown how the deliberate practice of mindfulness develops into contrived awareness, and we discover the world of insight that awareness reveals. We learn of a subtle psychological stage set that we carry with us everywhere and unwittingly use to structure all our experience—and we find that meditation gradually carries us beyond this and beyond ego altogether to the experience of unconditioned freedom.

    A pure awareness practice applicable to any circumstance and readily integrated into modern life, Dzogchen directly introduces us to the inherent freedom, purity, and perfection of being that is our true nature. Natural Great Perfection is an inspiring collection of teachings providing the deepest possible insight into the practice of the Dzogchen path. The teachings are followed by a collection of spontaneous vajra songs composed in the tradition of Milarepa as the delightful play of wisdom consciousness.

    

    In the Precious Garland, he offers intimate counsel on how to conduct one's life and how to construct social policies that reflect Buddhist ideals. The advice for personal happiness is concerned first with improving one's condition over the course of lifetimes, and then with release from all kinds of suffering, culminating in Buddhahood. Nagarjuna describes the cause and effect sequences for the development of happiness within ordinary life, as well as the practices of wisdom, realizing emptiness, and compassion that lead to enlightenment. He describes a Buddha's qualities and offers encouraging advice on the effectiveness of practices that reveal the vast attributes of Buddhahood. In his advice on social and governmental policy, Nagarjuna emphasizes education and compassionate care for all living beings. He also objects to the death penalty. Calling for the appointment of government figures who are not seeking profit or fame, he advises that a selfish motivation will lead to misfortune. The book includes a detailed analysis of attachment to sensual objects as a preparation for realization of the profound truth that, when realized, makes attachment impossible.

    The Dudjom Tersar ngondro, a treasure revealed by Dudjom Lingpa, a previous incarnation of Dudjom Rinpoche, is a concise, yet very powerful set of practices for turning the mind to dharma, purifying obscurations, accumulating merit, and opening the door to the mind's true nature through guru yoga.

    The first complete life story of the foremost disciple of Milarepa & one of the forefathers of the Kagyu lineages.

    This volume presents a landmark translation of a classical sourcebook of Buddhist yoga, the Sandhinirmochana-sutra, or "Scripture Unlocking the Mysteries," a revered text of the school of Buddhism known as Vijnanavada or Yogachara. The study of this scripture is essential preparation for anyone undertaking meditation exercise. Linking theory and praxis, the scripture offers a remarkably detailed and thorough course of study in both the philosophical and pragmatic foundation of Buddhist yoga, and their perfect, harmonious union in the realization of Buddhist enlightenment.

    In this long-awaited major work Geshe Kelsang provides an entirely new translation of Chandrakirti's verse masterpiece and explains with outstanding clarity the philosophical reasoning establishing Buddha's most profound view of the middle way. In the course of the book he also charts the progress of a Mahayana practitioner from the initial cultivation of compassion through to the attainment of full enlightenment, providing an indispensable guide for the serious student of Mahayana Buddhism.

    Now, for the first time, The Essential Dalai Lama brings together the best of the Dalai Lama's writings on all aspects of life, from work to meditation. Divided into four sections-The Vision, Buddhist Perspectives, Practice, A World in Harmony-The Essential Dalai Lama contains eloquent applications of the principles of ancient Buddhist thought to contemporary issues, all expressed in the Dalai Lama's uniquely compelling voice. This is the perfect compilation for anyone who wishes to have one source for the Dalai Lama's teachings or who seeks an introduction to the philosophy and practice of Buddhism.

    Many scholars of Buddhism in Thailand and beyond have said that if a person is not able to read the more than 40 volumes of the Pali Buddhist canon, then read this one book.This volume--with a clear introduction that introduces the author and places him in the context of the history of the Thai Buddhist tradition--makes a significant contribution to the scant literature on Theravada Buddhism in English. One of the major contributions of this book is a detailed description of the Buddhist principles of causality, which will add to other works on this topic by modern Buddhist scholars. Furthermore, this book reveals the rational basis of the Buddhist worldview and contains an especially lucid discussion of the distinctive Buddhist notion of no-self and Buddhist "faith" or confidence based on inquiry.

    

    As head of a small Buddhist temple in Taiwan, her generous followers number over four million.Her work and influence through the Tzu Chi Foundation provides disaster relief throughout the world - from sending truckloads of food, blankets, and housing directly to people in need - to building hospitals, colleges, research centers, and developing educational, social, and cultural programs.Master Cheng Yen was recently awarded the Eisenhower Medallion for hercontributions to world peace.

    What she saw during her five days of travel through other realms engendered in her a limitless compassion for sentient beings.

    That is, instead of striving toward an ideal image of ourselves, people might aim simply to see more clearly what being human is all about, including what impels striving.

    In this commentary on the Precious Garland, one of Gampopa's masterworks, he outlines what practitioners of varying levels need to know to perfect their spiritual practice. He instructs on the correct view, meditation, and conduct, and offers frank answers to common questions concerning obstacles to Dharma practice.

    The two texts, known to Western students of Buddhism as the "Smaller" and "Larger" Sukhavatiyuha Sutra, explain the conditions that lead to rebirth in the Pure Land and the manner in which human beings are reborn there.

    This volume is a collection of speeches delivered at 18 universities, including UCLA, Moscow State University, and Harvard. Ikeda speaks on many topics, but his main themes are thoughts on human civilization; its mainfestations in education, literature, and art; and the search for a lasting peace for humanity.

    The complete three-volume work is composed of: Excellent Buddhism Profound Buddhism Secret Buddhism The first volume, Excellent Buddhism, contains a number of biographical documents on Kalu Rinpoche, notably the remarkable memories of Lama Gyaltsen. The first volume also contains teachings dealing more specifically with daily life and with the relationship between Buddhism and the West. The second volume, Profound Buddhism, presents the teachings on Hinayana and Mahayana as esoteric aspects of Buddhism. Profound Buddhism expounds on the absolute nature of mind, emptiness, and compassion; dealing with conflicting emotions; the situation of the individual in the cycle of existence; and karma. Finally, the third volume, Secret Buddhism, reveals the principles of Vajrayana, mantras, empowerments, the six yogas of Naropa, and so on. It includes important chapters on the bardo (the period of time between death and rebirth), Tibetan medicine, and initiation lineages. Kalu Rinpoche, Lama of Light, came to France for the first time in 1971. Tibet, an inaccessible stronghold of highest spirituality, had remained separate up to this time, on the grounds that the rest of the world could not understand her. Kalu Rinpoche, then almost 70 years old, was the first, despite the skepticism of the majority of his peers, to believe that Tibetan Buddhism could have an impact in the West. History proved that he was right. He taught many people during numerous trips until his death in 1989. A great number of them were captivated by his charismatic radiance and set out on the path of liberation. Kalu Rinpoche is no longer with us, but the wealth, depth, and diversity of his recorded teachings remain. Unfortunately, these recordings are not accessible to the public. Not only is the lamp kept in the dark, but this treasury runs the risk of becoming lost. Reflecting on this situation, Lama Gyaltsen, who was for 40 years Rinpoche's servant and then his secretary, asked us to collect and edit all the available teachings of Kalu Rinpoche.

    Although the aggregates are only a "convenient fiction," the Buddha nevertheless made frequent use of the aggregate scheme when asked to explain the elements at work in the individual.In this study Mathieu Boisvert presents a detailed analysis of the five aggregates (pa�cakkhandhā) and establishes how the Theravda tradition views their interaction. He clarifies the fundamentals of Buddhist psychology by providing a rigorous examination of the nature and interrelation of each of the aggregates and by establishing, for the first time, how the function of each of these aggregates chains beings to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth -- the theory of dependent origination (paticcasamuppāda). Boisvert contends that without a thorough understanding of the five aggregates, we cannot grasp the liberation process at work within the individual, who is, after all, simply an amalgam of the five aggregates.The Five Aggregates represents an important and original contribution to Buddhist studies and will be of great interest to all scholars and students of Buddhism.

    Dogen was the founder of the Soto branch of Japanese Zen, but his teaching was not limited by any particular school of Buddhism. His writings are generally regarded today as a great summit of Japanese Buddhist philosophy, meditation practice, psychology, and poetic insight into the nature of reality.Eihei Shingi contains Dogen's principal guidelines and instructions for everyday life and rituals in the monastic training center he established. Included are a collection of dramatic teaching stories, or koans, on the attitude and responsibilities for practitioners in the community, the only collection of traditional koans with this practical focus.In addition to the translation, the book includes detailed annotation, a substantial introduction, glossaries of Japanese technical terms and persons mentioned, and lineage charts, all providing relevant background in historical and religious context.

    

    The complete three-volume work is composed of: Excellent Buddhism Profound Buddhism Secret Buddhism The first volume, Excellent Buddhism, contains a number of biographical documents on Kalu Rinpoche, notably the remarkable memories of Lama Gyaltsen. The first volume also contains teachings dealing more specifically with daily life and with the relationship between Buddhism and the West. The second volume, Profound Buddhism, presents the teachings on Hinayana and Mahayana as esoteric aspects of Buddhism. Profound Buddhism expounds on the absolute nature of mind, emptiness, and compassion; dealing with conflicting emotions; the situation of the individual in the cycle of existence; and karma. Finally, the third volume, Secret Buddhism, reveals the principles of Vajrayana, mantras, empowerments, the six yogas of Naropa, and so on. It includes important chapters on the bardo (the period of time between death and rebirth), Tibetan medicine, and initiation lineages. Kalu Rinpoche, Lama of Light, came to France for the first time in 1971. Tibet, an inaccessible stronghold of highest spirituality, had remained separate up to this time, on the grounds that the rest of the world could not understand her. Kalu Rinpoche, then almost 70 years old, was the first, despite the skepticism of the majority of his peers, to believe that Tibetan Buddhism could have an impact in the West. History proved that he was right. He taught many people during numerous trips until his death in 1989. A great number of them were captivated by his charismatic radiance and set out on the path of liberation. Kalu Rinpoche is no longer with us, but the wealth, depth, and diversity of his recorded teachings remain. Unfortunately, these recordings are not accessible to the public. Not only is the lamp kept in the dark, but this treasury runs the risk of becoming lost. Reflecting on this situation, Lama Gyaltsen, who was for 40 years Rinpoche's servant and then his secretary, asked us to collect and edit all the available teachings of Kalu Rinpoche.

    Translated here are over 100 of Ikkyu's finest poems. Also included is a translation of his famous prose poem "Skeletons", which focuses on Buddhist themes. Twenty-three 19th-century woodblock prints depicting events of Ikkyu's life accompany the translations.

    Incidentally they contain a large number of references to the social, political, and religious condition of India at the time when they were put together. We do not know for certain what that time exactly was. But every day is adding to the number of facts on which an approximate estimate of the date may be based. And the ascertained facts are already sufficient to give us a fair working hypothesis. In the first place the numerous details and comparative tables given in the Introduction to my translation of the Milinda show without a doubt that practically the whole of the Pâli Pitakas were known, and regarded as final authority, at the time and place when that work was composed. The geographical details given on pp. xliii, xliv tend to show that the work was composed in the extreme North-West of India. There are two Chinese works, translations of Indian books taken to China from the North of India, which contain, in different recensions, the introduction and the opening chapters of the Milinda{1}, For the reasons adduced (loco citato) it is evident that the work must have been composed at or about the time of the Christian era. Whether (as M. Sylvain Levy thinks) it is an enlarged work built up on the foundation of the Indian original of the Chinese books; or whether (as I am inclined to think) that original is derived from our Milinda, there is still one conclusion that must be drawn--the Nikâyas, nearly if not quite as we now ha ve them in the Pâli, were known at a very early date in the North of India.

    For some 800 years this masterly overview of the Buddha's teaching has served as a handbook for followers of the twelve Kagyü traditions, which all stem from Jé Gampopa's disciples. Placing the quintessential meaning of hundreds of Buddhist scriptures in the palm of one's hand, it provides an ideal resource for those new to Buddhism and is an invaluable reference work for experienced practitioners.Jé Gampopa's life had been predicted by Lord Buddha in the Great Compassion Lotus Sutra. A saintly monk and accomplished scholar, he was inspired to seek out Milarepa — who has since become Tibet's most famous yogin — under whose guidance he attained enlightenment. Gems of Dharma, Jewels of Freedom contains a wealth of knowledge, presented through the lucidity and authority of a truly enlightened mind.This new translation, the result of 15 years of study under the most distinguished tutors of the Kagyü tradition, carries the blessing of the Lineage and conveys the meaning of Gampopa's text as it has been traditionally taught down the centuries.With a Preface by the XIIth Tai Situpa

    First published in French in 1956, this classic work integrates the study of Buddhist doctrine with that of Chinese society from the fifth to the tenth centuries.

    Mahayana Buddhism, to which the Zen and Tibetan traditions are related, emphasizes the ideal of the Bodhisattva, one who seeks to become Enlightened out of a compassionate desire to help all living beings. In the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa we meet the Bodhisattva Vimalakirti, a worker of wonders, a formidable debator and skilful teacher. Sangharakshita's commentary illuminates this original text, its myths and symbols, and explores the powerful figure of Vimalakirti and the significance of his teachings. By journeying into this scripture we can find the wisdom and compassion that lie at the heart of the Bodhisattva path and discover, communicate and put into action Vimalakirti's message.