Andy Karr

Andy Karr

Andy Karr is a teacher, author, and photographer whose works explore profound and penetrating insights into dharma and mind. At an early age, he dreamed of becoming a Zen master—as he describes, probably the result of reading Zen in the Art of Archery as a teenager and watching too many samurai movies. His interests led him to read Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind and to train under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi at the San Francisco Zen Center and under Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, Colorado.


Andy attended Trungpa Rinpoche’s three-month seminary in 1976, where intense periods of meditation practice alternated with intense periods of study. The message for him was clear: practice and study go together like the two wings of a bird. This became the guiding principle for his own journey. After moving to Paris in 1979, Andy cofounded the first Shambhala Centre in France.



After Trungpa Rinpoche passed away, Andy and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1993 he began studying Mahamudra and the progressive stages of view and meditation with Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. He became a senior teacher in Khenpo Rinpoche’s sangha and also taught at Gampo Abbey’s monastic college, including extended courses on Chandrakirti’s Introduction to the Middle Way and Shantarakshita’s Adornment of the Middle Way.

Andy is the author of Into the Mirror and Contemplating Reality and the coauthor of The Practice of Contemplative Photography. He continues to teach meditation, the Mahayana view, and Mahamudra. To learn more about Andy’s work, go to www.andykarrauthor.com.

Andy Karr

Andy Karr is a teacher, author, and photographer whose works explore profound and penetrating insights into dharma and mind. At an early age, he dreamed of becoming a Zen master—as he describes, probably the result of reading Zen in the Art of Archery as a teenager and watching too many samurai movies. His interests led him to read Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind and to train under Shunryu Suzuki Roshi at the San Francisco Zen Center and under Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, Colorado.


Andy attended Trungpa Rinpoche’s three-month seminary in 1976, where intense periods of meditation practice alternated with intense periods of study. The message for him was clear: practice and study go together like the two wings of a bird. This became the guiding principle for his own journey. After moving to Paris in 1979, Andy cofounded the first Shambhala Centre in France.



After Trungpa Rinpoche passed away, Andy and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1993 he began studying Mahamudra and the progressive stages of view and meditation with Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. He became a senior teacher in Khenpo Rinpoche’s sangha and also taught at Gampo Abbey’s monastic college, including extended courses on Chandrakirti’s Introduction to the Middle Way and Shantarakshita’s Adornment of the Middle Way.

Andy is the author of Into the Mirror and Contemplating Reality and the coauthor of The Practice of Contemplative Photography. He continues to teach meditation, the Mahayana view, and Mahamudra. To learn more about Andy’s work, go to www.andykarrauthor.com.

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GUIDES

Tibetan Buddhist Books in 2023: A Review

See our other Year in Review Guides:
Zen and Chan | Tibetan Buddhism | More in Buddhism
Yoga | Kids Books

Buy 2 books for 20% off, 3 books for 30% off, 4 or more for 35% off.

Applies to physical copies only, Discount applies automatically

We are very happy to share with you a look back at our 2023 books for those who practice in the Tibetan tradition.

Jump to: Reader Guides | Books | Books for Kids | Audiobooks | Forthcoming Books

Reader Guides Released in 2023

Tibetan Buddhist Books Released in 2023

Paperback | Ebook | Audiobook

$21.95 - Paperback

If you are new to Tibetan Buddhism, this short work will help you get started with your practice; and if you are well steeped in these teachings, it will inspire and motivate you to practice them.

While accessible for beginners, this short volume conveys incredible profundity as well.  Originally delivered in the form of advice to retreatants, Pema Wangyal’s teachings cover the practices found across various lineages' foundational practices.  But there is a lot more here including the focus on motivation which carries through all the practices; the specifics of posture and somatic breathing; visualization and mantra; mantra of the Budhhas, the mantra of the Prajnaparamita; the practice of Tonglen, and more.

In the last part of the book, he provides guidance about the preliminary practices using as a model those from the Dudjom  lineage but applicable for everyone. Pema Wangyal’s writing is suffused with warmth and tenderness throughout, making this book quite accessible and inviting to everyone.

gesar
Paperback | Ebook 

$29.95 - Paperback

Gesar: Tantric Practices of the Tibetan Warrior King

By Jamgon Mipham
Foreword by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
Edited and translated by Gyurme Avertin
Contributions by Chogyam Trungpa and Orgyen Tobgyal

Gesar of Ling is well known in Tibetan history, literature, and folklore but for Buddhist practitioners he is an enlightened tantric protector and deity, an emanation of Padmasambhava. Engaging in Gesar practice is meant  to generate positive circumstances and increase one’s experiences and realization in Buddhist practice.

Three outstanding figures introduce and present this selection of 52 prayers and practices devoted to Gesar compiled by Ju Mipham Rinpoche (1846–1912).

Dzongsar Khyentse cuts through the web of cultural accretions which westerns tend to get caught up in and shows how “Mipham Rinpoche, who had himself invoked the spirit of profound brilliance, recognized that every­thing about Gesar of Ling had the potential to inspire authentic presence and an appreciation of nowness. And he didn’t think twice about making use of any of it.”

In Chogyam Trungpa’s essay, “Gesar the Warrior” he demonstrates the how Gesar practice embodies the Buddhist notion of warriorship: “Becoming a warrior means that we can look directly at ourselves, see the nature of our cowardly mind, and step out of it. We can trade our small-minded struggle for security for a much vaster vision, one of fearlessness, openness, and genuine heroism”.

And Orgyen Tobgyal, over the course of a disarmingly frank 30 page elucidation of Gesar practice, leaves the reader with a very clear understanding how to approach these practices and understand Gesar.

The forty-five page introduction by the translator gives an overview of all aspects of Gesar and the corpus of texts included in this book.

These practices are meant to be practiced under the guidance of an authentic spiritual teacher. They detail poetic imagery and include guru yoga, praises, invocations, and divinations. Central to all of these practices is raising what is known in Tibetan as lungta, or “windhorse,” a dignified energy that propels and enhances one’s wisdom, compassion, and power to benefit all beings.

into the mirror
 Paperback | Ebook 

$21.95 - Paperback

Into the Mirror is a call to cultivate wisdom and compassion—right within this world of illusion—and an insightful challenge to the rampant materialism of modernity. Andy Karr presents accessible and powerful methods to accomplish this through investigating the way our minds construct our worlds.

Combining contemporary Western inquiries with classical Buddhist investigations into the nature of mind, Karr invites the reader to make a personal, experiential journey through study, contemplation, and meditation. He presents a series of contemplative practices from Mahayana Buddhism, starting with the Middle Way teachings on emptiness and interdependence, through Yogachara’s subtle understanding of nonduality, to the view that buddha nature is already within us to be revealed rather than something external to be acquired.

Sakya II
 Hardcover | Ebook 

$39.95 - Hardcover

The sixth volume of this series, and part two of Sakya: The Path with Its Result, completes Kongtrul’s presentation of a selection of texts from the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. This volume includes the complete teachings and practices of the Eight Ancillary Path Cycles. These eight complete the nine path cycles that begin with Virūpa’s Vajra Verses found in volume five of the series. These path cycles are generally only taught to students who have received the entire Path with Its Result (Lamdre) teaching. They contain oral instructions transmitted to Drokmi Lotsāwa by the early eleventh-century Indian masters—Ācārya Vīravajra, Mahāsiddha Amoghavajra, Pandita Prajñāgupta of Oddiyāna, and Pandita Gayadhara. These cycles provide copious material on the creation and completion stages, which was incorporated later into the Three Tantras literature, the signature Vajrayāna teaching of the Sakya school.

ShangpaV2
 Hardcover | Ebook 

$49.95 - Hardcover

This is the second of two volumes that present teachings and practices from the Shangpa Kagyu practice lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. This tradition derives from two Indian yoginīs, the dākinīs Niguma and Sukhasiddhi, and their disciple, the eleventh-century Tibetan yogi Khyungpo Naljor Tsultrim Gönpo of the Shang region of Tibet. There are forty texts in this volume, beginning with Jonang Tāranātha’s classic commentary and its supplement expounding the Six Dharmas of Niguma. It includes the definitive collection of the tantric bases of the Shangpa Kagyu—the five principal deities of the new translation (sarma) traditions and the Five-Deity Cakrasamvara practice. The source scriptures, liturgies, supplications, empowerment texts, instructions, and practice manuals were composed by Tangtong Gyalpo, Tāranātha, Jamgön Kongtrul, and others.

marpa
 Hardcover | Ebook 

$49.95 - Hardcover

Mahāsiddha Practice, the sixteenth volume, presents a selection of teachings and practices centered on the mahāsiddhas, Indian tantric masters. The mahāsiddha Mitrayogin, whose work forms the majority of this volume, visited Tibet in the late twelfth century. His ritual texts along with instructions are here translated from Tibetan, including sādhanas, empowerments, guru yogas, authorization rituals for protector deities, and detailed compositions on Mahāmudrā practice, or resting in the nature of mind. In addition to instructions given by mahāsiddhas, this volume includes ritual practices to visualize them and transmit their blessings, beginning with a devotional text composed by Jamgön Kongtrul himself.

embodying tara
 Paperback | Ebook 

$22.95 - Paperback

Tara, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, can manifest within all of us. In this illustrated introduction to Tara's twenty-one forms, respected female Buddhist teacher and practitioner Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton shows you how to invite Tara’s awakened energy to come alive in yourself through:

  • insight into core Buddhist concepts and teachings;
  • meditations;
  • mantra recitations; and
  • journal exercises.

The relatable stories from Buddhist history and the author’s personal reflections will give you the tools to live a more compassionate life, befriend your fears, and overcome everyday challenges.

Find out how important women and movements in modern history have achieved this through their own embodiment of Tara's enlightened activities. The stories of Jane Goodall, Nawal El Saadawi, Oprah Winfrey, Vandana Shiva, Black Lives Matter, Me Too, and others will inspire you to bring these aspects of Tara into the world in creative and socially conscious ways for the benefit of all.

Rebirths: New Editions of Classics

wisdom nectar
 Paperback | Ebook 

$34.95 - Paperback

Dudjom Rinpoché was one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism in the twentieth century, yet very few of his religious writings have been translated into English. This volume contains a generous selection of his monumental teachings and writings, the core of which is a lengthy discussion of the entire path of Dzogchen, including key instructions on view, meditation, and conduct, along with direct advice on how to bring one’s experiences onto the path.

Also included in this book in their entirety are the oral instructions, tantric songs, and songs of realization from His Holiness’s Collected Works, along with selections from his aspiration and supplication prayers.

Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul
 Paperback | Ebook 

$39.95 - Paperback

The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul: A Gem of Many Colors

By Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye
Translated by Richard Barron (Chokyi Nyima)

This extraordinary account of the life of Tibet’s Leonardo da Vinci provides, in his own words, an illuminating glimpse into the religion, culture, and politics of nineteenth-century Tibet.

Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé (1813–1899) was one of the most influential figures and prolific writers in the Tibetan Buddhist world. He was a founder and the single most important proponent of the nonsectarian Rimé movement that flourished in eastern Tibet and remains popular today.

This volume includes the first English translation of Kongtrul’s autobiography, A Gem of Many Colors, and two additional texts. The first, written by one of Kongtrul’s close personal students, discusses Kongtrul’s final days, his funeral, and the commemorative rites following his death. The second, authored by Kongtrul himself, recounts his past lives. Taken together, these three texts place Kongtrul firmly in his historical context as one of the most important Buddhist masters to ever hail from Tibet.

reflections mt lake cover
 Paperback | Ebook 

$21.95 - Paperback

An inspiring, practical guide to walking the spiritual path with wisdom and ease—from one of the foremost living Buddhist nuns.

This broad-ranging collection of Dharma teachings by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo addresses topics of common concern to Buddhist practitioners from all traditions—including the particular challenges facing Western practitioners, what to expect of a teacher-student relationship, gender issues and the role of women, how to approach meditation practice, and much more. Personable, witty, and profound, Tenzin Palmo presents an inspiring and no-nonsense view of Buddhist practice that comes from a heart infused with wisdom and compassion.

 New in Paperback
Hardcover | Ebook | Audiobook

$21.95 - Paperback

How We Live Is How We Die

By Pema Chodron

In How We Live Is How We Die, Pema Chödrön shares her wisdom for working with this flow of life—learning to live with ease, joy, and compassion through uncertainty, embracing new beginnings, and ultimately preparing for death with curiosity and openness rather than fear.

Poignant for readers of all ages, her teachings on the bardos—a Tibetan term referring to a state of transition, including what happens between this life and the next—reveal their power and relevance at each moment of our lives. She also offers practical methods for transforming life’s most challenging emotions about change and uncertainty into a path of awakening and love. As she teaches, the more freedom we can find in our hearts and minds as we live this life, the more fearlessly we’ll be able to confront death and what lies beyond. In all, Pema provides readers with a master course in living life fully and compassionately in the shadow of death and change.

For Kids

In 2023 we published several wonderful books parents who want to expose their kids to the ideas, culture, and figures of Mahayana and Tibetan traditions.  We hope these delight them!

Magical Life of the Lotus
 Hardcover | Ebook 

$21.95 - Hardcover

The Magical Life of the Lotus-Born

By Sherab Kohn

Explore a fresh telling of the inspiring, mysterious, and magical life of the great master Padmasambhava—the Lotus-Born—who planted the seed of Buddhism in Tibet that is still blossoming today, beautifully illustrated for ages 10+.

The Lotus-Born is one of the most iconic and important figures in Tibetan history. Here, his magical life story is outlined in colorful and captivating detail, offering young readers a rare glimpse into his fierce adventures and battles that transformed Tibet, a land of malevolent spirits and wild folk, into a fertile ground for Buddhism. The rich and vibrant spiritual tradition that resulted in Tibet has thrived for over one thousand years. This timeless tale is sure to capture the imagination of future generations, just as the oral, theatrical, and written accounts of it have in the Himalayas for centuries.

Buddhist Audiobooks

living is dying audiobook
this precious life audiobook
turning confusion into clarity
awakening wisdom cover

Forthcoming in 2024

And we have even more from the Tibetan tradition coming out next year from the likes of Sera Khandro, Khenpo Sodargye, Khangsar Tenpe Wangchuk, Jamgon Kongtrul, Khenpo Sherab Sangpo, Gaylon Ferguson, Jigme Wangdrak, Orgyen Chowang, Thubten Chodron, Dza Kilung, Cortland Dahl, Dzigar Kongtul, Tina Draszczyk, and more.  So make sure you sign up for our emails so you do not miss them!  Here is a sneak peek at our first 2024 release which you can pre-order now and take advantage of the discount.

Cover of Tibetan Buddhism - Sodargye
Paperback | Ebook | Audiobook

$21.95 - Paperback

tibetan buddhism audiobook

Tibetan Buddhism: A Guide to Contemplation, Meditation, and Transforming Your Mind

By Khenpo Sodargye

Your genuine, go-to overview of Tibetan Buddhism from a leading contemporary teacher who has traversed the wisdom path.

This guide shares Tibetan Buddhist insight and tools that will benefit everyone in transforming their mind. Khenpo Sodargye, who has attracted hundreds of thousands of students worldwide with his concise, easy-to-follow teaching style, sketches the big picture of the Mahayana path in straightforward language with stories relevant to everyday life. He draws on authentic texts and teachings by renowned Buddhist masters to explain complex concepts like:

  • The Four Dharma Seals
  • Faith
  • Bodhicitta
  • The Three Supreme Methods
  • The Two Truths
  • Rebirth and karma
  • Spiritual teachers
  • The Great Perfection

This book introduces a systematic approach to studying Buddhism. Through proper listening, contemplating, and meditating, we can generate the wisdom that enables us to recognize, control, and uproot our afflictions, which is the essence of Buddhism. This book is the perfect companion for anyone wanting to learn more about the basics of Mahayana Buddhism or to strengthen the foundations of their spiritual practice.

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Seeing Fresh: The Art of Contemplative Photography in Action

Seeing Fresh: The Art of Contemplative Photography in Action

The Practice of Contemplative Photography offers a series of photographic assignments, along with examples of images that successfully fulfill them. The purpose of these assignments is to help people connect directly with the visual world and to express that experience photographically.

The book’s companion website www.seeingfresh.com invited readers to submit their assignment photos. Over 15,200 photos were submitted, reviewed, and published in the site’s galleries from 2011 through 2017. Some of the best images were selected as “Photos of the Week.” These are those images.

Contemplating Reality

$26.95 - Paperback

By: Andy Karr

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EVENTS

Darkness, Emptiness, Luminosity: A Journey Into the Mirror | Andy Karr | Halifax Shambhala Centre

April 19, 2024 | 7:00 PM ADT to April 20, 2024 5:00 PM ADT | Halifax Shambhala Centre

In this weekend program, we will explore techniques for cutting the karmic chain reactions that bind us in samsara. We will look into contemporary thinking that challenges our materialistic assumptions. We will investigate techniques for deconstructing mental fabrications and elaborations. Finally, we will learn how recognizing the basic ground of being dissolves the foundations of duality.

Click here for more information about this event

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