This most influential teacher comes vividly to life in Crooked Cucumber, the first full biography of any Zen master to be published in the West. To make up his intimate and engrossing narrative, David Chadwick draws on Suzuki's own words and the memories of his students, friends, and family. Interspersed with previously unpublished passages from Suzuki's talks, Crooked Cucumber evokes a down-to-earth life of the spirit. Along with Suzuki we can find a way to "practice with mountains, trees, and stones and to find ourselves in this big world."

    Great for the newest member and seasoned practitioners. --sgi-usa.org

    have collected more than a thousand passages from the works of Mr. Ikeda and categorized them by subject for easy reference ... find relevant quotes on topics of importance to the Buddhist practitioner and the concerned citizen of the world"--P. ix.

    The book became the most successful treatise on Buddhism in English, selling more than one million copies to date. Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness is the first follow-up volume to Suzuki Roshi's important work. Like Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, it is a collection of lectures that reveal the insight, humor, and intimacy with Zen that made Suzuki Roshi so influential as a teacher.The Sandokai—a poem by the eighth-century Zen master Sekito Kisen (Ch. Shitou Xiqian)—is the subject of these lectures. Given in 1970 at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the lectures are an example of a Zen teacher in his prime elucidating a venerated, ancient, and difficult work to his Western students. The poem addresses the question of how the oneness of things and the multiplicity of things coexist (or, as Suzuki Roshi expresses it, "things-as-it-is"). Included with the lectures are his students' questions and his direct answers to them, along with a meditation instruction. Suzuki Roshi's teachings are valuable not only for those with a general interest in Buddhism but also for students of Zen practice wanting an example of how a modern master in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition understands this core text today.

    The unambiguous Buddhist perception of reality is transmitted in profound, simple language by one of the foremost masters in the Tibetan tradition. Dzogchen is to take the final result, the state of enlightenment itself, as path. This is the style of simply picking the ripened fruit or the fully bloomed flowers. Tulku Urgyen's way of communicating this wisdom was to awaken the individual to their potential and reveal the methods to acknowledge and stabilize that prospective. His distinctive teaching style was widely known for its unique directness in introducing students to the nature of mind in a way that allowed immediate experience. This book offers the direct oral instructions of a master who inspired admiration, delight in practice, and deep trust and confidence in the Buddhist way.

    The translations were first published by the Nichiren Shoshu International Center (NSIC) over a period from 1979 to 1995 in a seven-volume series entitled "The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin." A total of 172 works make up this series, including the Daishonin's five major works ("On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land," "The Opening of the Eyes," "The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind," "The Selection of the Time," and "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude"). Columbia University Press published 85 of those 172 translations, 12 in 1990 in "Selected Writings of Nichiren," and 73 in 1996 in "Letters of Nichiren." Eager to have all the translations under one cover, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) members asked that they be published in one volume. Thus the Soka Gakkai decided to publish the present volume - all 172 works in chronological order. This work is indeed wonderful news, not only for members of the Soka Gakkai International, but for all English-speaking people interested in Buddhism.

    Hundreds of the author's line drawings depict all the major Tibetan symbols and motifs—landscapes, deities, animals, plants, gurus, mudras (ritual hand gestures), dragons, and other mythic creatures—ranging from complex mythological scenes to small, simple ornaments.

    The Buddha understood suffering and its antidote, and his prescription and philosophy for right living led directly to a Tibetan meditation practice that is the medicine our modern-day hearts have been searching for.On Good Medicine, the remarkable American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Ch�dr�n shares the gift of tonglen, a simple and elegant meditation system for ordinary people like ourselves. Through tonglen, we can use the difficulties in life--those that cause the most suffering--as a way to befriend ourselves, accept the past we have rejected, and widen our circle of compassion. These traditional breathing meditations cut through obstacles on the spot.Skillfully distilled into a two-and-a half-hour workshop, Good Medicine offers a revolutionary practice that is already 1,000 years old--and ready to awaken our hearts today.Note: These CD-ROM-format enhanced CDs contain audio, music, and video clips and are meant to be played on your computer, using an Internet connection, speakers, and Real Player programs, which are free for download. Enhanced content is exclusive to CD version

    "Pema Ch?dr?n and Alice Walker in Conversation" reveals the revolutionary power of"tonglen" through a dialogue between two hearts and minds forged in very different cultures-and yet deeply joined in the simple practice of compassion. Take a front-row seat as the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker and American-born Buddhist nun Pema Ch?dr?n reflect on anger, joy, fear, and the union of spirituality and social activism. Hear their personal experiences of the "giving and taking" meditation and how it has helped heal their lives. Let their combined wisdom illuminate the realm, available to us all, where the barriers between self and others dissolve. Recorded live at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, "Pema Ch?dr?n and Alice Walker in Conversation" comes with a seven-page booklet covering tonglen instructions and suggestions for further reading. Includes a lively Q&A session.

    This is the simplest, most obvious truth of our existence, yet very few of us have really come to terms with this fact. This inspiring book helps us to live a happy and meaningful life, to prepare for death and to help others who are dying. In this way, instead of something to be feared or denied, death can become a positive experience.

    Goenka's discourses from a seven-day meditation course on the Mahasatipatthana Sutta, during which Goenkaji reads and interprets the sutta, giving life and inspiring relevance to the primary text of the Buddha about meditation practice.

    Kasl brings a compassionate understanding to the anxiety and uneasiness of new love, and helps readers discover their potential for vibrant human connection based on awareness, kindness, and honesty. She approaches the dating process as a means for awakening, reminding us that when we live by spiritual rules, we bring curiosity and a light heart to the romantic journey. Filled with quotations from Zen, Sufi, and other wisdom traditions, and informed by the experiences of people from all walks of life, here is a relationship book that will appeal to readers looking for more than a Venus-meets-Mars solution to the complex affairs of the heart.

    Be an Island is at once an introduction to the teachings of Buddhism and a rich continuation of Ayya Khema's personal vision of Buddhist practice.

    

    On his two visits to Singapore in 1997, Venerable Lama Ribur Rinpoche taught extensively on how to generate that precious bodhimind. Using scriptural understanding and his personal experience, Rinpoche also gave insightful teachings on lo-jong (thought transformation), the practice of which enables one to transform the inevitable problems of life into the causes for enlightenment. Ribur Rinpoche was born in Kham, Eastern Tibet, in 1923. He was recognized at the age of five as the sixth incarnation of Lama Kunga Osel, a great scholar and teacher who spent the last twelve years of his life in strict solitary retreat. All five of the previous incarnations were principal teachers at Ribur Monastery in Kham. In 1987 Rinpoche left Tibet and travelled to Dharamsala, India, to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Rinpoche lived at Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, where, at the request of His Holiness, he wrote a number of biographies of great lamas and an extensive religious history of Tibet. Rinpoche has also visted and taught in several foreign countries - Australia, New Zealand. America, and around Europe. Ribur Rinpoche spent many years living in northern California where he gave teachings and led retreats, before returning to India, where he passed away in 2006. His warmth, humour, profound wisdom and practical, down-to-earth teachings have endeared him to many students around the world. This ebook was designed & published by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive for Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC). We are non-profit Buddhist organizations affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Please visit us at www.LamaYeshe.com and www.fpmtabc.org.

    

    Presented in both English and the original Tibetan, this modern classic is a collection of Khunu Rinpoche's inspirational verse.

    Why is it so important? Because, with the help of the outer teacher, we can discover the inner teacher, the true nature of our own mind. Until that time, if we wish to progress towards enlightenment, we need the guidance of a qualified master, while we seek to rid ourselves of ignorance and free ourselves from the tyranny of ego. The hallmark of the guru yoga practice, in fact the very practice itself, is a lucid, pure and intelligent devotion. Through the power of devotion and the blessing of the master, a moment will come when a transformation takes place, in which the student recognizes the Wisdom mind of the guru to be no different from his or her own mind, and boundless realization is born. As Khyentse Rinpoche says, Through the guru yoga practice, all obstacles can be removed and all blessings received. And through merging our mind with the mind of the guru and remaining in that state of inseparable union, the absolute nature will be realized. This is why we should always treasure guru yoga and keep it as our foremost practice. This particular guru yoga comes from the famous Longchen Nyingtik revelation of the eighteenth-century visionary master Rigdzin Jikme Lingpa. It was during a summer retreat in France in 1984 that Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche gave these beautiful teachings at the request of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.Kyabje DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE (1910-91) was one of the twentieth century's greatest spiritual figures, and the teacher of many of the Tibetan masters of today, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, a peerless master of the Dzogchen teachings, and revealer of the treasures of Padmasambhava, he was also a champion of the non-sectarian movement, revered and loved by countless students in Tibet and throughout the world. During the final fourteen years of Khyentse Rinpoche's life, his personal assistant was MATTHIEU RICARD, who has been a Buddhist monk for eighteen years. The translator and editor of numerous books on Tibetan Buddhism, he is highly regarded for his scholarship and knowledge of Tibetan religion.

    There is not a single experience which is not subsumed within the realizations of Mahamudra. On his first tour of the United States, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche gave detailed instructions in Mahamudra methods. He carefully explained each of the five stages of Mahamudra and taught its main meditational practices. He also gave precise instructions on posture and breathing for meditation, and answered many common questions using the teachings of Tilopa and Gampopa to illustrate his various points.

    Bokar Rinpoche presents the various aspects of Tara and the origin of her tantra, relates contemporary examples of her benevolent activity, provides an explanation of her praise, offers instruction for devotional practice, and discusses remarkable women in Indian and Tibetan Buddism. An extensive iconography completes the text.

    The Essential Ch�gyam Trungpa blends excerpts from bestsellers like Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Meditation in Action, and other titles into a concise overview of Trungpa's teachings. Forty selections from fourteen different books articulate the secular path of the Shambhala warrior as well as the Buddhist path of meditation and awakening. This "new classic" vividly demonstrates Trungpa's great appreciation of Western culture which, combined with his deep understanding of the Tibetan tradition, makes these teachings uniquely accessible to contemporary readers. It will appeal to beginning students of meditation as well as seasoned readers of Eastern religion.

    The wish for freedom, an altruistic intention, and the wisdom of emptiness constitute the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment.

    Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) is unquestionably the most significant religious figure in Japanese history. Founder of the Soto school of Zen (which emphasizes the practice of "zazen" or sitting meditation), he was a prolific writer whose works have remained popular for six hundred years. "Enlightenment Unfolds" presents even more of the incisive and inspiring writings of this seminal figure, focusing on essays from his great life work, "Treasury of the True Dharma Eye," as well as poems, talks, and correspondence, much of which appears here in English for the first time. Tanahashi has brought together his own translations of Dogen with those of some of the most respected Zen teachers and writers of our own day, including Reb Anderson, Edward Espe Brown, Norman Fisher, Gil Fronsdal, Blanche Hartman, Jane Hirschfield, Daniel Leighton, Alan Senauke, Katherine Thanas, Mel Weitzman, and Michael Wenger.

    This book will interest Buddhist practitioners, scholars, and psychologists who seek a deeper understanding of Buddhist psychology and epistemology.

    Each painting is analyzed in terms of iconography and religious meaning, style, regional lineage and sources.

    With remarkable clarity, he makes the Six-Session Guruyoga practice accessible to all practitioners, and deepens our understanding and appreciation of this sublime teaching of the Buddha. Gen Lamrimpa begins this eminently practical explanation by emphasizing the importance of a compassionate motivation for spiritual practice. He then explores the nature of suffering and the cycle of existence that traps all living beings, and concludes with a detailed account of the Six-Phase Yoga, which is meant to be recited and contemplated three times during the day and three times at night. Alan Wallace's introduction illuminates both Kalachakra's rich history and Gen Lamrimpa's unique contribution to our understanding. This book provides a clear explanation of Kalachakra as set forth within the context of the Six-Session Guruyoga, a daily meditation practice for initiates. Transcending Time presents all phases of Kalachakra practice--the preliminaries, the initiation, and finally, the stages of generation and completion.

    In this elegant, inspiring book, he integrates essential Buddhist practices with a variety of other spiritual philosophies and wisdom traditions, to show you how to create a personalized spiritual practice based on your own individual beliefs, aspirations, and needs. Through reflections on his own life quest, thoughtful essays, and entertaining stories, Surya Das examines the common themes at the heart of any spiritual path, including faith, doubt, love, compassion, creativity, self-inquiry, and transformation. He then explores prayer, yoga, chanting, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and myriad other rituals, providing practical examples of each that we can use day-to-day to nurture our inner spirit.

    But he goes beyond these issues to discuss contemporary matters and questions he has encountered in his years of teaching in the United States. Sometimes personal and always instructive, Sheng-yen's introductory work is perfect for those just coming to Buddhism, and for those who are already very familiar with the Tibetan and Zen schools.

    

    

    Yet, generally, there is very little explanation available about liturgy. This book addresses both the spirit and the forms of Zen liturgy, especially as they can function for lay practitioners. In exploring liturgy at home, we uncover the deepest truths which are the lives of each one of us, evoke them, and transform what we consider mundane activities into sacredness itself.

    Each was an outstanding figure who manifested Zen in his own way. Ikkyu was unconventional and uncompromising, a relentless enemy of the sham and hypocrisy that pervaded the religious circles of his day. Hakuin underwent a lengthy and strenuous apprenticeship to become a Master Teacher of Zen, training hundreds of disciples and insisting that they endure the same trials and surmount the same massive barriers that he had. Ryokan, in contrast, was a gentle, self-effacing recluse who never became an abbot but lived in quiet hermitages, savoring nature and writing poetry. All three were artists of the highest order, employing brush, ink, and paper as a means of transmitting Zen teachings and creating unique works of art.These are three of the greatest Zen masters in history-each unique, each an outstanding artist, and each a teacher of future generations. The biographies of these three men, in one volume, constitute an enlivening reading experience, full of insight on leading a meaningful life.John Stevens lived in Japan for thirty-five years, where he was a professor of Buddhist studies at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. Stevens is a widely respected translator, an ordained Buddhist priest, a curator of several major exhibitions of Zen art, and an aikido instructor. He has authored more than thirty books and is one of the foremost Western experts on aikido, holding a ranking of 7th dan Aikikai. Stevens has also studied calligraphy for decades, authoring the classic "Sacred Calligraphy of the East." Other John Stevens titles that are likely to be of interest include "The Philosophy of Aikido, " and "The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei.""

    Gen Lamrimpa explains in a practical and down-to-earth fasion how to analyze experience to fathom how it has been mispercieved and misunderstood because of our many delusions, and how to use Madhyamaka reasoning to experience how all things only exist as dependently related events rather than in themselves.

    Boundless Heart presents a unique interweaving of teachings on the Four Immeasurables and instruction on quiescence, or shamatha, meditation practices.

    ed. of: The gem ornament of manifold oral instructions. c1999.

    Enlightenment, this discourse claims, is neither a goal to be achieved nor a potential to be realized but the true status of all things. Every animate and inanimate object manifests the primordially enlightened Buddha just as it is. Seen in its true aspect, every activity of daily life--eating, sleeping, even one's deluded thinking--is the Buddha's conduct. Emerging from within the powerful Tendai School, ideas of original enlightenment were appropriated by a number of Buddhist traditions and influenced nascent theories about the kami (local deities) as well as medieval aesthetics and the literary and performing arts.Scholars and commentators have long recognized the historical importance of original enlightenment thought but differ heatedly over how it is to be understood. Some tout it as the pinnacle of the Buddhist philosophy of absolute non-dualism. Others claim to find in it the paradigmatic expression of a timeless Japanese spirituality. According other readings, it represents a dangerous anti-nomianism that undermined observance of moral precepts, precipitated a decline in Buddhist scholarship, and denied the need for religious discipline. Still others denounce it as an authoritarian ideology that, by sacralizing the given order, has in effect legitimized hierarchy and discriminative social practices. Often the acceptance or rejection of original enlightenment thought is seen as the fault line along which traditional Buddhist institutions are to be differentiated from the new Buddhist movements (Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren) that arose during Japan's medieval period.Jacqueline Stone's groundbreaking study moves beyond the treatment of the original enlightenment doctrine as abstract philosophy to explore its historical dimension. Drawing on a wealth of medieval primary sources and modern Japanese scholarship, it places this discourse in its ritual, institutional, and social contexts, illuminating its importance to the maintenance of traditions of lineage and the secret transmission of knowledge that characterized several medieval Japanese elite culture. It sheds new light on interpretive strategies employed in pre-modern Japanese Buddhist texts, an area that hitherto has received a little attention. Through these and other lines of investigation, Stone problematizes entrenched notions of "corruption" in the medieval Buddhist establishment. Using the examples of Tendai and Nichiren Buddhism and their interactions throughout the medieval period, she calls into question both overly facile distinctions between "old" and "new" Buddhism and the long-standing scholarly assumptions that have perpetuated them. This study marks a significant contribution to ongoing debates over definitions of Buddhism in the Kamakura era (1185-1333), long regarded as a formative period in Japanese religion and culture. Stone argues that "original enlightenment thought" represents a substantial rethinking of Buddhist enlightenment that cuts across the distinction between "old" and "new" institutions and was particularly characteristic of the medieval period.