Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso

Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso is a noted Buddhist scholar and teacher who was born in Eastern Tibet in 1934. Known for his highly engaging teaching style, he has traveled and taught in North America, Europe, and Asia from 1977 to 2007. He is the author of The Sun of Wisdom, The Moon of Wisdom, and Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness, and numerous songs of realization.

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso

Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso is a noted Buddhist scholar and teacher who was born in Eastern Tibet in 1934. Known for his highly engaging teaching style, he has traveled and taught in North America, Europe, and Asia from 1977 to 2007. He is the author of The Sun of Wisdom, The Moon of Wisdom, and Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness, and numerous songs of realization.

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GUIDES

Asanga and Yogacara: A Guide for Readers

Asanga and Yogacara: A Guide for Readers

Asanga, along with his brother Vasabandu, is an inestimably important figure in Mahayana Buddhism, associated with some of the most important works on ethical and moral dimensions of progress on the path, as well as the Yogacara philosophical school. He is particularly revered in Tibet and East Asia.

Asanga is best known for his two "Summary Treatises" and the teachings he received from Maitreya, the Five Maitreya texts.

The following is from Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism:

Asanga, considered the founder of the Yogachara school, was born into a Buddhist family in the region of Gandhara in northwestern India.3 As a child, he was drawn strongly to meditation but was also schooled in the major divisions of learning then current in India, including writing, debate, mathematics, medicine, and the fine arts. Asanga was a brilliant student and excelled at whatever he tried. At an early age, he took Buddhist ordination within a Hinayana sect, the Mahishasaka, known for the great importance it attached to the practice of meditation.

Asanga trained under several teachers, mastering the Hinayana scriptures and studying Mahayana sutras. When he encountered the Prajnaparamita sutras, however, he found that while he could read their words, he did not really understand their inner meaning or the awakening they described. Asanga felt compelled by these teachings and recognized that the only way he could gain the transcendent wisdom that he longed for would be to enter into a meditation retreat. Having received instruction from his guru, he now went into strict retreat on Mount Kukkutapada. He spent his time meditating and supplicating his personal deity, the future buddha, Maitreya, for guidance, inspiration, and teaching.

$21.95 - Paperback

Essential Texts by Asanga

A Compendium of the Mahayana
Three Volume Slipcase | Ebook 

$150.00 - Hardcover

A Compendium of the Mahayana: Asanga’s Mahayanasamgraha and Its Indian and Tibetan Commentaries

By Karl Brunnholzl

Asanga's The Compendium of the Mahayana, or Mahāyānasaṃgraha, is one of the greatest works expounding the Yogacara teachings of Mahayana.  It is also an incrediblefeat of translation, done by master translator and scholar Karl Brunnholzl.

The Mahāyānasaṃgraha, published here with its Indian and Tibetan commentaries in three volumes, presents virtually everything anybody might want to know about the Yogācāra School of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It discusses in detail the nature and operation of the eight kinds of consciousness, the often-misunderstood notion of “mind only” (cittamātra), dependent origination, the cultivation of the path and its fruition in terms of the four wisdoms, and the three bodies (kāyas) of a buddha.

Volume 1 presents the translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha along with a commentary by Vasubandhu. The introduction gives an overview of the text and its Indian and Tibetan commentaries, and explains in detail two crucial elements of the Yogācāra view: the ālaya-consciousness and the afflicted mind (klistamanas).

Volume 2 presents translations of the commentary by Asvabhāva and an anonymous Indian commentary on the first chapter of the text. These translations are supplemented in the endnotes by excerpts from Tibetan commentaries and related passages in other Indian and Chinese Yogācāra works.

Volume 3 includes appendices with excerpts from other Indian and Chinese Yogācāra texts and supplementary materials on major Yogācāra topics in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha.

Bodhisattva Path or Unusrpassed
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The Bodhisattva Path to Unsurpassed Enlightenment: A Complete Translation of the Bodhisattvabhumi

By Asanga, translated by Artemus Engle

Ārya Asanga’s Bodhisattvabhūmi, or The Stage of a Bodhisattva, is the Mahāyāna tradition’s most comprehensive manual on the practice and training of bodhisattvas—by the author’s own account, a compilation of the full range of instructions contained in the entire collection of Mahāyāna sutras. A classic work of the Yogācāra school, it has been cherished in Tibet by all the historical Buddhist lineages as a primary source of instruction on bodhisattva ethics, vows, and practices, as well as for its summary of the ultimate goal of the bodhisattva path—supreme enlightenment.

Despite the text’s seminal importance in the Tibetan traditions, it long remained unavailable in English except in fragments. Engle’s translation, made from the Sanskrit original with reference to the Tibetan translation and commentaries, will enable English readers to understand more fully and clearly what it means to be a bodhisattva and practitioner of the Mahāyāna tradition.

A Deep Dive on the Bodhisattvabhumi

Once you have a copy of The Bodhisattva Path to Unsurpassed Enlightenment, a great complement to reading the book is to watch translator and scholar Artemus Engle discuss the work in detail, offering great context.  Watch the preview here for a taste, and then jump right into the two talks, free to all.

Overview and Trailer

Part I, 1.5 Hours

Part II, 2  Hours

The Five Maitreya Texts

See also our two interviews on these texts with Karl Brunnholzl and Thomas Doctor of the Dharmachakra Translation Committee.

In Peaceful Heart, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche recounts the story of how Asanga met Maitreya and received the teachings that come down to us as The Five Maitreya texts:

Asanga isolated himself in strict retreat, devoting all his time to practices related to Maitreya. His hope was for Maitreya to appear before him and give him instructions that would lead him to enlightenment. But after six years of diligent practice with no results, Asanga got frustrated and left. On his way home, he met a man who was rubbing a large iron bar with a soft piece of cloth. When Asanga asked what he was doing, the man said he was making a needle. Amazed at the effort people go through to accomplish futile aims, Asanga realized he needed to be more persistent on his path to enlightenment. So he returned to his retreat, determined never to give up. But three years later, when Maitreya still hadn’t appeared, not even in a dream, Asanga again left. This time he met a man who was stroking a massive boulder with a feather dipped in water. The man told him that he wanted to wear away the boulder because it was blocking the sunlight from his house. This gave Asanga renewed determination to keep persevering with his practice. But still Maitreya didn’t come.

Another uneventful and discouraging three years passed. Finally, Asanga left again and began to wander around, feeling hopeless and lost. He saw a crippled dog dragging herself along the road. Her rotting body was infested with maggots that were eating her flesh. Full of pain and aggression, the dog barked viciously at Asanga when he came closer. The sight broke Asanga’s heart. He thought about how to remove the maggots. If he used his hands, the maggots would probably be crushed, so the only way was to use his tongue. Disgusted by the rotting flesh, Asanga closed his eyes and stretched out to lick the maggots out of the dog. But as far as he stretched, he still didn’t feel the maggots. Finally, he felt his tongue touch the ground. He opened his eyes. Instead of the dog, Maitreya stood before him.

"How little compassion you have!" Asanga burst out. "I practiced for twelve years, and you didn’t even appear in my dreams!” Maitreya said, “Since the very first day of your retreat, I’ve been right there with you, but you didn’t have the openness to see me. Your twelve years of practice made your obscurations thinner. Today, your pure compassion for this dog finally made you open enough to see me in person. If you don’t believe me, put me on your shoulder and walk around.” Asanga put Maitreya on his shoulder and walked around at a fair, asking people what they saw on his shoulder. No one saw anything. They just thought he was crazy. Finally, an old woman, who also had developed enough openness to have higher perceptions, asked, “Why are you carrying a rotten dog on your shoulder?"

From then on, Maitreya imparted the teachings which we now know as The Five Maitreya Texts.

The Ornament of Clear Realization: The Abhisamayālaṃkāra

The Abhisamayalamkara summarizes all the topics in the vast body of the Prajnaparamita Sutras. Resembling a zip-file, it comes to life only through its Indian and Tibetan commentaries. Together, these texts not only discuss the "hidden meaning" of the Prajnaparamita Sutras—the paths and bhumis of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas—but also serve as contemplative manuals for the explicit topic of these sutras—emptiness—and how it is to be understood on the progressive levels of realization of bodhisattvas. Thus these texts describe what happens in the mind of a bodhisattva who meditates on emptiness, making it a living experience from the beginner's stage up through buddhahood.

The Ornament of Clear Realization

Karl Brunnholzl discussing the two Gone Beyond volumes on the Kagyu tradition and the Ornament of Clear Realization and Groundless Paths which is the Nyingma take on the same work

Gone Beyond (Volume 1) The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Kagyu Tradition Translated by Karl Brunnholzl
Hardcover | Ebook 

$54.95 - Hardcover

Gone Beyond (Volume 1)
The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Kagyu Tradition

By Asanga, Maitreya, the Fifth Shamar Rinpoche, and Karl Brunnholzl

Gone Beyond contains the first in-depth study of the Abhisamayalamkara (the text studied most extensively in higher Tibetan Buddhist education) and its commentaries in the Kagyu School. This study (in two volumes) includes translations of Maitreya's famous text and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa Goncho Yenla (the first translation ever of a complete commentary on the Abhisamayalamkara into English), which are supplemented by extensive excerpts from the commentaries by the Third, Seventh, and Eighth Karmapas and others. Thus it closes a long-standing gap in the modern scholarship on the Prajnaparamita Sutras and the literature on paths and bhumis in mahayana Buddhism.

The first volume presents an English translation of the first three chapters of the Abhisamayalamkara and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa.

Read the scholarly review on H-Net

gone beyond volume 2
Hardcover | Ebook 

$44.95 - Hardcover

Gone Beyond (Volume 2)
The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Kagyu Tradition

By Asanga, Maitreya, the Fifth Shamar Rinpoche, and Karl Brunnholzl

The second volume presents an English translation of the final five chapters and their commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa.

Read the scholarly review on H-Net

Hardcover | Ebook 

$54.95 - Hardcover

Groundless Paths: The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Nyingma Tradition

By Asanga, Maitreya, Patrul Rinpoche, Mipham Rinpoche, and Karl Brunnholzl

This study consists mainly of translations of Maitreya's famous text and two commentaries on it by Patrul Rinpoche. These are supplemented by three short texts on the paths and bhumis by the same author, as well as extensive excerpts from commentaries by six other Nyingma masters, including Mipham Rinpoche. Thus this book helps close a long-standing gap in the modern scholarship on the prajñaparamita sutras and the literature on paths and bhumis in mahayana Buddhism.

The Ornament of Mahayana Sutras: The Māhayānasūtrālaṃkāra

Padmakara's Stephen Gethin on the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra

A discussion of the Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle and the importance of Mipham Rinpoche's commentary.

Hardcover | Ebook 

$54.95 - Hardcover

A Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle: An Explanation of the Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras

By Asanga, Mipham Rinpoche.  Translated and introduced by the Padmakara Translations Group

A monumental work and Indian Buddhist classic, the Ornament of the Mahāyāna Sūtras (Mahāyānasūtrālamkāra) is a precious resource for students wishing to study in-depth the philosophy and path of Mahāyāna Buddhism. This full translation and commentary outlines the importance of Mahāyāna, the centrality of bodhicitta or the mind of awakening, the path of becoming a bodhisattva, and how one can save beings from suffering through skillful means.

This definitive composition of Mahāyāna teachings was imparted in the fourth century by Maitreya to the famous adept Asanga, one of the most prolific writers of Buddhist treatises in history. Asanga’s work, which is among the famous Five Treatises of Maitreya, has been studied, commented upon, and taught by Buddhists throughout Asia ever since it was composed.

In the early twentieth century, one of Tibet’s greatest scholars and saints, Jamgön Mipham, wrote A Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle, which is a detailed explanation of every verse. This commentary has since been used as the primary blueprint for Tibetan Buddhists to illuminate the depth and brilliance of Maitreya’s pith teachings. The Padmakara Translation Group has provided yet another accessible and eloquent translation, ensuring that English-speaking students of Mahāyāna will be able to study this foundational Buddhist text for generations to come.

Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes: The Madhyāntavibhāga

This text explains the vast paths of all three yanas, emphasizing the view of Yogācāra (including the Yogācāra Middle Way) and the distinctive features of the mahāyāna.

Paperback | Ebook 

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Middle Beyond Extremes: Maitreya's Madhyantavibhaga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham

By Asanga, Khenpo Shenga, Mipham Rinpoche.  Translated and introduced by the Padmakara Translations Group

This text employs the principle of the three natures to explain the way things seem to be as well as the way they actually are. It is presented here alongside commentaries by two outstanding masters of Tibet’s nonsectarian Rimé movement, Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham.

Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature : The Dharmadharmatāvibhāga

This text discusses the difference between samsaric confusion and the liberating power of nonconceptual wisdom-the heart essence of all profound sutras.

Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature PB
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Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature: Maitreya's Dharmadharmatavibhanga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham

By Asanga, Maitreya, Khenpo Shenga, Mipham Rinpoche.  Translated and introduced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee

Outlining the difference between appearance and reality, this work shows that the path to awakening involves leaving behind the inaccurate and limiting beliefs we have about ourselves and the world around us and opening ourselves to the limitless potential of our true nature.

By divesting the mind of confusion, the treatise explains, we see things as they actually are. This insight allows for the natural unfolding of compassion and wisdom. This volume includes commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham, whose discussions illuminate the subtleties of the root text and provide valuable insight into the nature of reality and the process of awakening.

Adorning Maitreyas Intent
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Adorning Maitreya’s Intent: Arriving at the View of Nonduality

By Asanga, Maitreya, Rongtonpa, introduced and translated by Christian Bernert

Here, the Tibetan master Rongtön unpacks this manual and its practices for us in a way that is at once accessible and profound, with actual practical meditative applications. The work explains the vast paths of the three vehicles of Buddhism, emphasizing the view of Yogācāra, and demonstrates the inseparability of experience and emptiness. It offers a detailed presentation of the three natures of reality, an accurate understanding of which provides the antidotes to confusion and suffering. The translator’s introduction presents a clear overview of all the concepts explored in the text, making it easy for the reader to bridge its ideas to actual practice.

Mining Wisdom from Within Delusion-1200h
Hardcover | Ebook 

$39.95 - Hardcover

Mining for Wisdom within Delusion: Maitreya's Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena and Its Indian and Tibetan Commentaries

By Asanga, Maitreya, Vasabandhu, Gö Lotsāwa, The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, .  Translated and introduced by Karl Brunnholzl.

Maitreya’s Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena distinguishes the illusory phenomenal world of saṃsāra produced by the confused dualistic mind from the ultimate reality that is mind’s true nature. The transition from the one to the other is the process of “mining for wisdom within delusion.” Maitreya’s text calls this “the fundamental change,” which refers to the vanishing of delusive appearances through practicing the path, thus revealing the underlying changeless nature of these appearances. In this context, the main part of the text consists of the most detailed explanation of nonconceptual wisdom—the primary driving force of the path as well as its ultimate result—in Buddhist literature.

The introduction of the book discusses these two topics (fundamental change and nonconceptual wisdom) at length and shows how they are treated in a number of other Buddhist scriptures. The three translated commentaries, by Vasubandhu, the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, and Gö Lotsāwa, as well as excerpts from all other available commentaries on Maitreya’s text, put it in the larger context of the Indian Yogācāra School and further clarify its main themes. They also show how this text is not a mere scholarly document, but an essential foundation for practicing both the sūtrayāna and the vajrayāna and thus making what it describes a living experience. The book also discusses the remaining four of the five works of Maitreya, their transmission from India to Tibet, and various views about them in the Tibetan tradition.

Maitreya distinguishing
Paperback | Ebook 

$24.95 - Paperback

Maitreya's Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being

By Asanga, Maitreya, and Mipham Rinpoche.  Translated by Jim Scott under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso.

Maitreya’s Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena distinguishes the illusory phenomenal world of saṃsāra produced by the confused dualistic mind from the ultimate reality that is mind’s true nature. The transition from the one to the other is the process of “mining for wisdom within delusion.” Maitreya’s text calls this “the fundamental change,” which refers to the vanishing of delusive appearances through practicing the path, thus revealing the underlying changeless nature of these appearances. In this context, the main part of the text consists of the most detailed explanation of nonconceptual wisdom—the primary driving force of the path as well as its ultimate result—in Buddhist literature.

The introduction of the book discusses these two topics (fundamental change and nonconceptual wisdom) at length and shows how they are treated in a number of other Buddhist scriptures. The three translated commentaries, by Vasubandhu, the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, and Gö Lotsāwa, as well as excerpts from all other available commentaries on Maitreya’s text, put it in the larger context of the Indian Yogācāra School and further clarify its main themes. They also show how this text is not a mere scholarly document, but an essential foundation for practicing both the sūtrayāna and the vajrayāna and thus making what it describes a living experience. The book also discusses the remaining four of the five works of Maitreya, their transmission from India to Tibet, and various views about them in the Tibetan tradition.

The Sublime Continuum: The Uttaratantra Śāstra

Also known as the Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, this is a general commentary on buddha nature and represents a bridge between sutra and tantra.

when clouds part
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$49.95 - Hardcover

When the Clouds Part: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sutra and Tantra

By Asanga, Karl Brunnholzl, Mipham Rinpoche, Pema Karpo, Mönlam Tsültrim, Eighth Karmapa, Jamgon Kongtrul and more.  

This book discusses a wide range of topics connected with the notion of buddha nature as presented in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and includes an overview of the sūtra sources of the tathāgatagarbha teachings and the different ways of explaining the meaning of this term. It includes new translations of the Maitreya treatise Mahāyānottaratantra (Ratnagotravibhāga), the primary Indian text on the subject, its Indian commentaries, and two (hitherto untranslated) commentaries from the Tibetan Kagyü tradition. Most important, the translator’s introduction investigates in detail the meditative tradition of using the Mahāyānottaratantra as a basis for Mahāmudrā instructions and the Shentong approach. This is supplemented by translations of a number of short Tibetan meditation manuals from the Kadampa, Kagyü, and Jonang schools that use the Mahāyānottaratantra as a work to contemplate and realize one’s own buddha nature.

Buddha Nature
Paperback | Ebook 

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Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra with Commentary

By Maitreya, Asanga, Jamgon Kongtrul, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso, translated by Rosemarie Fuchs

All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature—the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. Thus there is neither any reason for conceit nor self-contempt. This is obscured by veils that are removable and do not touch the inherent purity and perfection of the nature of the mind. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the “Five Treatises” said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha’s definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood. This seminal text details with great clarity the view that forms the basis for Vajrayana, and especially Mahamudra, practice.

Study and Practice of Meditation_ Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations
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Study and Practice of Meditation
Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions

By Leah Zahler

Study and Practice of Meditation gives a vivid and detailed account of the meditative practices necessary to develop a calm, alert mind that is capable of penetrating the depths of reality. The Buddhist meditative states known as the concentrations and formless absorptions are best known in the West from Theravada scriptures and from Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Manifest Knowledge.  Asanga's Summary of Manifest Knowledge (abhidharmasamuccaya, mngon pa kun btus) and his Grounds of Hearers (śrāvakabhūmi, nyan sa)also feature heavily.

In this book the reader is exposed to Tibetan Buddhist views on the mental states attained through meditation as described by three Geluk lamas. The book discusses the ways in which certain meditative states act as bases of the spiritual path as well as the nature of meditative calm and the prerequisites for cultivating and attaining it. In addition to reviewing and translating Tibetan sources, the author considers their major Indian antecedents and draws comparisons with Theravadin presentations.

Additional Resources on Asanga

On Lotsawa House Asanga appears in many translations, generally as a figure in a prayer. lotswa house

BDRC has a set of associated works related to Asanga.

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Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso: A Guide for Readers

Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso: A Guide for Readers

Khnpo Tsultrim

Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher in the Kagyu tradition. Born to a nomad family in Ngangchen, Kham (the eastern region of Tibet), Khenpo Tsültrim began his training under Lama Zopa Tarchin at an early age. He later attended intensive retreats and continued his training under the lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. Since fleeing Tibet in the late 1950's under Chinese  rule, Khenpo Tsültrim continued his studies in Northern India and later settled in Bhutan. He is the root teacher of prominent Buddhist teachers such as Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Lama Shenpen Hookham and therefore plays a significant role in their respective organizations—Nalandabodhi and the Awakened Heart Sangha.

Khenpo Tsültrim teaches widely in the West and is known emphasizing the union of practice and study. He is therefore himself a prolific scholar as well as an accomplished practitioner. Below you'll find longer biography from In the Presence of Masters, a selection of books written by Khenpo Tsültrim, as well as texts written and translated by his students under his guidance.

Short Biography

From In the Presence of Masters: Wisdom from 30 Contemporary Tibetan Buddhist Teachers

Edited by Reginald A. Ray

Khenpo Rinpoche was born to a nomad family in East Tibet in 1934. Drawn to spiritual practice, he left home at an early age to train with his root guru, the yogin Lama Zopa Tarchin. After completing this early training, Tsultrim Gyamtso embraced the life of a yogi-ascetic, wandering throughout East and Central Tibet, undertaking solitary retreats in caves to realize directly the teachings he had received. He often lived in charnel grounds in order to practice and master chöd, a skillful means to cut ego clinging, develop compassion, and realize deeper levels of emptiness. Subsequently he took up retreat in the caves above Tsurphu, the seat of the Karmapas, where he received instructions on the six yogas of Naropa, the Hevajra Tantra, and other profound teachings from Dilyak Tenzin Drupon Rinpoche and other masters. Escaping to India at the time of the Chinese invasion, he was able to continue his training, studying the sutras, the tantras, and all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism He became renowned for his skill in logic and debate, and received a khenpo degree from H. H. the sixteenth Karmapa, and the equivalent geshe lharampa degree from H. H. the fourteenth Dalai Lama. In 1975 Khenpo Tsultrim established the Thegchen Shedra in Athens, Greece, and for the next ten years taught throughout Europe. Since 1985 he has traveled widely, completing annual world tours in response to invitations from Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia. In 1986 he founded the Marpa Institute for Translators, in Boudhanath, Nepal, to offer intensive courses in language and scripture. Khenpo Rinpoche continued to supervise this annual event when it moved to Pullahari Monastery above Boudhanath. While Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso unites prodigious intellect with great compassion, he also embodies the training and temperament of a true yogi. In fact, Rinpoche is often compared to the great yogi Milarepa, whom he resembles in both substance and style.

In the Presence of Masters

$29.95 - Paperback

By: Reginald A. Ray

Books By Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso

Teachings on Buddha Nature and the Two Truths

Khenpo Tsultrim wrote a commentary for each of the most widely known texts in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition: Nagarjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, or Root Verses of the Middle Way, and Maitreya's Mahāyānuttaratantra Śāstra, or the Treatise on the Sublime Continuum.

In addition, Khenpo Tsultrim's Stars of Wisdom explains how to access the nature of reality pointed out in philosophical texts such as those above through analytical meditation, songs of experience, and other practical Tibetan Buddhist tools.

$24.95 - Paperback

The Sun of Wisdom: Teachings on the Noble Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way

By Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso

The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way was written in the second century and is one of the most important works of Nagarjuna, the pioneering commentator on the Buddha's teachings on the Madhyamika or Middle Way view. The subtle analyses presented in this treatise were closely studied and commented upon by many realized masters from the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Using Nagarjuna's root text and the great modern master Ju Mipham's commentary as a framework, Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso explains the most important verse from each chapter in the text in a style that illuminates for modern students both the meaning of these profound teachings and how to put them into practice in a way that benefits both oneself and others.

Buddha Nature

$34.95 - Paperback

Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra with Commentary

By Maitreya & Asanga
With Commentary By Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro TayeKhenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso
Translated by Rosemarie Fuchs

All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature—the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. Thus there is neither any reason for conceit nor self-contempt. This is obscured by veils that are removable and do not touch the inherent purity and perfection of the nature of the mind. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the “Five Treatises” said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha’s definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood. This seminal text details with great clarity the view that forms the basis for Vajrayana, and especially Mahamudra, practice.

Stars of Wisdom: Analytical Meditation, Songs of Yogic Joy, and Prayers of Aspiration

By Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso
Translated byAri Goldfield &  Rose Taylor Goldfield
By Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso

Tibetan Buddhist master Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso is known for his joyful songs of realization and his spontaneous and skillful teaching style. In this book he explains how to gain clarity, peace, and wisdom through step-by-step analysis and meditation on the true nature of reality. He also introduces readers to the joy and profundity of yogic song, and reveals the power of aspiration prayers to inspire, transform, and brighten our hearts.

Translations Under the Guidance of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso

As a scholar-practitioner himself, many of Khenpo Tsultrim's students are active scholars, translators, practitioners, and authorized teachers. Below are a couple examples of translations and scholarship done under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim.

$24.95 - Paperback

Maitreya's Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being

Translated by Jim Scott
By Jamgon Mipham

Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being was composed by Maitreya during the golden age of Indian Buddhism. Mipham's commentary supports Maitreya's text in a detailed analysis of how ordinary, confused consciousness can be transformed into wisdom. Easy-to-follow instructions guide the reader through the profound meditation that gradually brings about this transformation. This important and comprehensive work belongs on the bookshelf of any serious Buddhist practitioner—and indeed of anyone interested in realizing their full potential as a human being.

$39.95 - Paperback

The Moon of Wisdom: Chapter Six of Chandrakirti's Entering the Middle Way with Commentary from the Eighth Karmapa Mikyo Dorje's Chariot of the Dagpo Kagyu Siddhas

By ChandrakirtiThe Eighth Karmapa Mikyo Dorje
Translated by Ari Goldfield, Jules B. Levinson, Jim Scott, & Birgit Scott
Under the Guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso

Nagarjuna, in his seminal text, The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, summarized the vast teachings of the Buddha and used logical reasoning to prove the validity of his words. Entering the Middle Way is Chandrakirti's explanation of Nagarjuna's work. Its sixth chapter, which comprises the majority of the text, has four main sections: an explanation of how in genuine reality phenomena do not truly arise; a refutation of the Mind-Only School's assertion that mind truly exists; a refutation of the true existence of the personal self; and an explanation of the sixteen emptinesses taught by"the Buddha in the Transcendent Wisdom Sutras. The Moon of Wisdom is thus a book that explains the Buddha's ultimate teachings, how to gain confidence in them, and how to put them into practice in one's"own life to the great benefit of oneself and others.

Additional Books by Khenpo Tsultrim's Students and Lineage

As mentioned above, Khenpo Tsultrim has had many prolific students over the years owing to his focus on cultivating practitioners that are both engaged in traditional practice and scholarship. Prominent students include Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, and Lama Shenpen Hookham. In addition to these two, there are a number of translators and senior students from Khenpo Tsultrim's lineage with a remarkable practice and scholastic history including Karl Brunnhölzl and Elizabeth Callahan. These examples of teachers and senior students are just a few illustrations of the flavor and style of teaching and practice presented by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso.

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Tibetan Buddhism

$21.95 - Paperback

Rebel Buddha: A Guide to a Revolution of Mind

By Dzogchen Ponlop

There’s a rebel within you. It’s the part of you that already knows how to break free of fear and unhappiness. This rebel is the voice of your own awakened mind. It’s your rebel buddha—the sharp, clear intelligence that resists the status quo. It wakes you up from the sleepy acceptance of your day-to-day reality and shows you the power of your enlightened nature. It’s the vibrant, insightful energy that compels you to seek the truth. READ MORE

$17.95 - Paperback

The Guru Principle: A Guide to the Teacher-Student Relationship in Buddhism

By Lama Shenpen Hookham

Based on over fifty years of personal experience as both a student and a teacher, Lama Shenpen Hookham writes candidly of the opportunities and challenges facing modern Dharma students who wish to study with a teacher. Traditional texts often do not reflect how the student-teacher relationship really works in practice, which leaves many pressing questions in communities taking root in the West. With honesty and clarity, Lama Shenpen discusses the roles of the teacher, practices related to the guru, and commonly asked questions she receives as a teacher. This handbook is the first of its kind, breaking down in a pragmatic and relatable way everything one needs to know to enter a student-teacher relationship with open eyes and an open heart.

Karl Brunnhölzl

Karl Brunnholzl

$78.00 - Hardcover

The Center of the Sunlit Sky:Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition

By Karl Brunnhölzl

Madhyamaka is a potent and universally accessible means of calming our suffering and awakening to our innate wisdom. The Center of the Sunlit Sky artfully rescues this brilliant teaching from its unwarranted reputation for intellectual opacity and reinstates it as a supremely practical tool kit for everyday living. The aim of this book is to take Madhyamaka out of the purely intellectual corner into which it unjustly gets boxed. It is an attempt to show how Madhayamaka actually addresses and works with all of our experiences in life. READ MORE

Learn more about Karl Brunnhölzl's here: The Works Of Karl Brunnhölzl: A Guide For Readers

Elizabeth M. Callahan

marpa

$49.95 - Hardcover

Marpa Kagyu, Methods of Liberation Part 1 from The Treasury of Precious Instructions

By Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye
Translated by Elizabeth M. Callahan

The seventh volume of the series, Marpa Kagyu, is the first of four volumes that present a selection of core instructions from the Marpa Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. This lineage is named for the eleventh-century Tibetan Marpa Chokyi Lodrö of Lhodrak who traveled to India to study the sutras and tantras with many scholar-siddhas, the foremost being Naropa and Maitripa. The first part of this volume contains source texts on mahamudra and the six dharmas by such famous masters as Saraha and Tilopa. The second part begins with a collection of sadhanas and abhisekas related to the Root Cakrasamvara Aural Transmissions, which are the means for maturing, or empowering, students. It is followed by the liberating instructions, first from the Rechung Aural Transmission. This section on instructions continues in the following three Marpa Kagyu volumes. Also included are lineage charts and detailed notes by translator Elizabeth M. Callahan.

Learn more about this series here: A Guide to the Treasury of Precious Instructions

Related Books from the Kagyu Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism

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Remembering Rigdzin Shikpo

Remembering Rigdzin Shikpo

We are sad to share the news that Rigdzin Shikpo (Michael Hookham) passed away on April 28th, 2023.

A short bio of him is included in Recalling Chögyam Trungpa:

"Rigdzin Shikpo, a qualified master of the Nyingma tradition, has studied and practiced Buddhism for over fifty years. Before meeting his main teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1965, he had trained in the Theravada tradition and in the Mahayana while working as a mathematician and physicist. Trungpa Rinpoche gave him extensive and detailed teaching in the preliminary and main practices of the Nyingma Dzogchen tradition, and before leaving for America Rinpoche made Rigdzin Shikpo a lineage holder of the mahamudra and maha ati, and told him to teach mahayana maha ati according to his instructions. He continues to teach students in the Longchen Foundation, founded in 1975 by Trungpa Rinpoche and Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche, and entrusted to Rigdzin Shikpo to realize the vision. Taking further instruction from Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, who gave him the title Rigdzin Shikpo, he is authorized to teach the whole of the Nyingma tradition."

Included in this volume is his profound account of  Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings in the piece "The Highest Maha Ati Teachings:  Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in Great Britain".  He recounts Trungpa Rinpoche's teaching:

He said that all true creativity and significance came from this immediacy and from nowhere else. There was a natural process of movement within Being, a central expression of fresh creativity that somehow presented the truth and value of Being to itself through the medium of the person. As to the question why there was anything at all, he said that if you were to try to describe the nature of reality, you could speak of it in terms of an ever-yielding space, movement within that space, and a quality of aliveness permeating both. These three qualities were really not independent of each other, only described separately for convenience. The ever-yielding space suggests an intrinsic quality of movement and a certain sensitivity to it; movement implies space in which movement takes place and an aliveness giving rise to it. To be alive always implies a sense of movement and unfoldment.

Rinpoche said that my very questions arose from the play of these three qualities, and that the three qualities were basic to the whole process of questioning itself. He said that within beings there was a great sadness and that the cause of the great sadness was the loss of awareness of our true home, going astray, losing our way in a jungle of confused emotions, projections and misunderstandings. The going astray occurs at some deep level where we have mistaken Being for our ordinary sense of self. It is as though the snare of our self-delusion has trapped us so completely that escape seems virtually impossible. Yet in another sense nothing has really happened at all; for we remain ineluctably embraced within the sphere of Being and can never be apart from the naturalness of its movement.

One of his closest students is Francesca Freemantle who worked with Trungpa Rinpoche to translate the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  She went on to write Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead, one of the most beloved books of readers of Tibetan Buddhism.  The book begins with the following dedication:

This book is dedicated
to the memory of
the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche,
incomparable messenger of dharma
and to
Rigdzin Shikpo (Michael Hookham)
who continues his tradition

In the preface, Freemantle writes,

"When work on the [Tibetan Book of the Dead] translation was finished, I came back to England to live in London, fully intending to return frequently to the United States. But at that time I was not committed enough to be able to follow a single path, and too many other interests absorbed my attention; in particular, a deep karmic link with Bengal and Hindu tantra needed to be resolved. However, the connection with Rinpoche was never broken, so eventually, after a long, roundabout journey, I came back to the practice of vajrayana, thanks to the influence and example of my dharma brother, Rigdzin Shikpo.

As Michael Hookham, Rigdzin Shikpo was one of Trungpa Rinpoche’s earliest Western students. He had already been practicing various types of Buddhist meditation for ten years when they met in 1965, so he was exceptionally well prepared. Rinpoche gave him the teachings and transmission of the Nyingma lineage and later authorized him to establish the Longchen Foundation, which at present is based in Oxford and North Wales. In 1993, Michael completed a three-year retreat under the direction of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and was given the name Rigdzin Shikpo, by which he is now known.

With a deep knowledge of Buddhism, he has an extraordinary gift for expressing it in vivid and poetic ways and for creating links with many aspects of Western culture. Above all, he has an attitude of complete devotion, so that his mind has become one with the mind of the guru. Listening to him talk about dharma, I often feel as though Trungpa Rinpoche is speaking through his voice. Without him, I would never have gained the experience or the confidence to write about these profound teachings. With regard to this book, he has answered my innumerable questions with endless patience and interest. I am particularly grateful to him for his help in understanding the practices and terminology of dzogchen, and especially for sharing the insights of his yogic experience."

Recalling Chogyam Trungpa

$24.95 - Paperback

By: Fabrice Midal & Chogyam Trungpa

Luminous Emptiness

$49.95 - Paperback

By: Francesca Fremantle

The Guru Principle

$17.95 - Paperback

By: Lama Shenpen Hookham

Shenpen Hookham also related his wisdom in her 2021 book The Guru Principle: A Guide to the Teacher-Student Relationship in Buddhism

The Mahayana sutras such as the Avatamsaka present the kalyanamitra or guru within the context of a vast cosmic vision of the whole of space and time. Here again we see this play between the personal and the impersonal, the one and the many, the guru in principle and the guru as person. Reciting the King of Aspiration Prayers, the Aspiration for Noble Excellent Conduct (Samantabhadracharya Pranidhana) is about following the example of the greatest of the bodhisattvas, receiving their adhishtana, and making the right karmic connections to meet perfect kalyanamitras in all our future lives, working together as one great mandala of awakening in order to bring all beings to awakening. In other words, it is all about the awakened heart (bodhichitta).

As Rigdzin Shikpo says in his book Mahayana Sutra Principles, this is the Mahayana vision that connects us into the power of the universe itself.* What we think of as the materiality of this universe takes its form from the volitions, aspirations, prayers, and intentions of awakened beings and beings striving for happiness and awakening. Samsara is simply a distorted version of the true nature of the universe. The reality of totality is trying to enlighten beings and bring them back to itself.

Rigdzin Shikpo's piece, "Always Turn Towards, Never Turn Away", appears in the volume Best Buddhist Writing 2008.

The power of our false view of the world is like an enchantment. The great fourteenth-century master Longchen Rabjam spoke of it in these terms. Enchantment is a good word for it. It’s as if we are under a spell, or “glamour,” that causes us to see things that aren’t there and fail to see things that are. This false view makes up the world as we know it.

This spell is not cast upon us by some evil magician; in a sense, we create it ourselves. Through our practice of openness and awareness, we become convinced that we are under an enchantment. A gradual sense of disenchantment—in the positive sense—arises. Now you might think that this would come as a great relief, but not so, unfortunately. The biggest shock often comes as the spell dissolves, and we find ourselves saying, “Where has my world gone?” Suddenly we realize that the universe is a much vaster place than we ever imagined. We see what a parochial view we had before. We may yowl that we don’t want to go there!We don’t want it to be so vast and open! But it’s just a sign that we need to straighten ourselves out.

Fortunately, it’s not fundamentally that difficult. Many others have done so before, and so can we. This is the Buddhist view and the path of openness, which is certainly not pessimistic."

Rigdzin Shikpo also appears in three of the volumes (One, Six, and Nine) of the Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa where he contextualizes several articles and works by Trungpa Rinpoche.

We here at Shambhala Publications raise our hands together in appreciation for a lifetime of work that benefited so many.

Nikko Odiseos

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The Works of Karl Brunnhölzl: A Guide for Readers

The Works of Karl Brunnhölzl: A Guide for Readers

This guide for readers is dedicated to the works of author, translator, and teacher, Karl Brunnhölzl.

Originally trained as a physician, Karl Brunnhölzl later studied Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy at the Marpa Institute for Translators and later the Nitartha Institute. Since 1989 he has been a translator and interpreter from Tibetan and English. He is presently involved with the Nitartha Institute as a teacher and translator.

Karl is well known among the Tibetan Buddhist community for his translations of some of the most widely known texts including works by Nagarjuna, Rangjung Dorje, as well as Five Maitreya Texts. Below you'll find an introduction to the selection of works found here at Shambhala Publications.

Texts and Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā "Perfection of Wisdom" Sutras

The Prajñāpāramitā or "the Perfection of Wisdom" sutras are a collection of Mahāyana Buddhist scripture geared toward realizing the genuine nature of reality. The earliest texts that are included in the collection of Prajñāpāramitā sutras are believed to be from the 1st century BCE. Historically there have been a range of interpretations and schools of thought that derived from the Prajñāpāramitā sutras in India, most notably Madhyamaka and Yogācara, two distinct schools of thought stemming from Nāgārjuna and Asanga, respectively. Additional schools of thought have branched out from Madhyamaka and Yogācara, making their way to different regions of Asia including Japan, Tibet, China, and Korea.

In this reader guide we'll focus on the expansion of these two schools as they were explored in India and Tibet. As a Tibetan translator, interpreter, and practitioner in the Kagyu tradition, Karl Brunnhölzl offers of plethora of knowledge and experience enabling him to translate these complex and often dense philosophical texts from both the Madhyamaka and Yogācara tradition of Buddhism.

Perfection of Wisdom & the Five Maitreya Texts

According to the tradition, the Five Maitreya Texts were presented to Asanga by the bodhisattva Maitreya. These treatise include

1) The Ornament of Clear Realization (Abhisamayālaṃkāra)

2) The Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras (Māhayānasūtrālaṃkāra)

3) Distinguishing the Middle from the Extremes (Madhyāntavibhāga)

4) Distinguishing Phenomena from their Intrinsic Nature (Dharma-dharmatā-vibhāga)

5) The Sublime Continuum (Uttaratantra Śāstra)

Of the above treatise, Karl Brunnhölzl translated The Ornament of Clear Realization along with commentary from different schools of Tibetan Buddhism published as a trilogy (see below). Along the same vein, Brunnhölzl Compendium of Mahayana presents virtually everything anybody might want to know about the Yogācāra School of Mahāyāna Buddhism.

Abhisamayalamkara: The Ornament of Clear Realization

The Abhisamayalamkara summarizes all the topics in the vast body of the prajñaparamita sutras. Resembling a zip-file, it comes to life only through its Indian and Tibetan commentaries. Together, these texts not only discuss the "hidden meaning" of the prajñaparamita sutras—the paths and bhumis of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas—but also serve as contemplative manuals for the explicit topic of these sutras—emptiness—and how it is to be understood on the progressive levels of realization of bodhisattvas. Thus these texts describe what happens in the mind of a bodhisattva who meditates on emptiness, making it a living experience from the beginner's stage up through buddhahood.

Groundless Paths
The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Nyingma Tradition
Translated by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

Groundless Paths contains the first in-depth study of the Abhisamayalamkara (the text studied most extensively in higher Tibetan Buddhist education) and its commentaries from the perspective of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. This study consists mainly of translations of Maitreya's famous text and two commentaries on it by Patrul Rinpoche. These are supplemented by three short texts on the paths and bhumis by the same author, as well as extensive excerpts from commentaries by six other Nyingma masters, including Mipham Rinpoche. Thus this book helps close a long-standing gap in the modern scholarship on the prajñaparamita sutras and the literature on paths and bhumis in mahayana Buddhism.

Gone Beyond, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Kagyu Tradition
Translated by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

Gone Beyond contains the first in-depth study of the Abhisamayalamkara (the text studied most extensively in higher Tibetan Buddhist education) and its commentaries in the Kagyu School. This study (in two volumes) includes translations of Maitreya's famous text and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa Goncho Yenla (the first translation ever of a complete commentary on the Abhisamayalamkara into English), which are supplemented by extensive excerpts from the commentaries by the Third, Seventh, and Eighth Karmapas and others. Thus it closes a long-standing gap in the modern scholarship on the Prajnaparamita Sutras and the literature on paths and bhumis in mahayana Buddhism.

The first volume presents an English translation of the first three chapters of the Abhisamayalamkara and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa. The second volume presents an English translation of the final five chapters and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa.

In the video below listen to Karl Brunnhölzl discuss the trilogy on the Abhisamayalamkara: Groundless Paths and Gone Beyond Vol. 1 & 2.

Maitreya's Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena

Maitreya's Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena or Dharma-dharmatā-vibhaṅga is one of 13 core texts taught as part of monastic curriculum. The essential point of the text is, as the title entails, help a person distinguish between the illusory pheonemena of samsara and the ultimate reality, the nature of one's mind.

Mining for Wisdom within Delusion
Maitreya's Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena and Its Indian and Tibetan Commentaries
Translated by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

Maitreya’s Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena distinguishes the illusory phenomenal world of saṃsāra produced by the confused dualistic mind from the ultimate reality that is mind’s true nature. The transition from the one to the other is the process of “mining for wisdom within delusion.” Maitreya’s text calls this “the fundamental change,” which refers to the vanishing of delusive appearances through practicing the path, thus revealing the underlying changeless nature of these appearances. In this context, the main part of the text consists of the most detailed explanation of nonconceptual wisdom—the primary driving force of the path as well as its ultimate result—in Buddhist literature.

The Uttaratantra Śāstra "The Sublime Continuum"

The Uttaratantrashastra also called the Ratnagotravibhāga is another one of the 13 core texts studied in monastic shedras. In short, it is a commentary on the third turning of the wheel and focuses on the essential Buddhanature of all sentient beings.

When the Clouds Part
The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sutra and Tantra
Translated by Karl Brunnhölzl

“Buddha nature” (tathāgatagarbha) is the innate potential in all living beings to become a fully awakened buddha. This book discusses a wide range of topics connected with the notion of buddha nature as presented in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and includes an overview of the sūtra sources of the tathāgatagarbha teachings and the different ways of explaining the meaning of this term. It includes new translations of the Maitreya treatise Mahāyānottaratantra (Ratnagotravibhāga), the primary Indian text on the subject, its Indian commentaries, and two (hitherto untranslated) commentaries from the Tibetan Kagyü tradition. Most important, the translator’s introduction investigates in detail the meditative tradition of using the Mahāyānottaratantra as a basis for Mahāmudrā instructions and the Shentong approach. This is supplemented by translations of a number of short Tibetan meditation manuals from the Kadampa, Kagyü, and Jonang schools that use the Mahāyānottaratantra as a work to contemplate and realize one’s own buddha nature.

The Mahāyānasaṃgraha "A Compendium of the Mahayana"

The Mahāyānasaṃgraha, published here with its Indian and Tibetan commentaries in three volumes, presents virtually everything anybody might want to know about the Yogācāra School of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It discusses in detail the nature and operation of the eight kinds of consciousness, the often-misunderstood notion of “mind only” (cittamātra), dependent origination, the cultivation of the path and its fruition in terms of the four wisdoms, and the three bodies (kāyas) of a buddha.

A Compendium of the Mahayana 
Asanga's Mahayanasamgraha and Its Indian and Tibetan Commentaries
Translated by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

Volume 1 presents the translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha along with a commentary by Vasubandhu. The introduction gives an overview of the text and its Indian and Tibetan commentaries, and explains in detail two crucial elements of the Yogācāra view: the ālaya-consciousness and the afflicted mind (klistamanas).

Volume 2 presents translations of the commentary by Asvabhāva and an anonymous Indian commentary on the first chapter of the text. These translations are supplemented in the endnotes by excerpts from Tibetan commentaries and related passages in other Indian and Chinese Yogācāra works.

Volume 3 includes appendices with excerpts from other Indian and Chinese Yogācāra texts and supplementary materials on major Yogācāra topics in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha.

Perfection of Wisdom & Madhyamaka

Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya "The Heart Sutra" 

The Heart Sutra is a classic distillation of the Prajñāpāramitā Sutras, known for the famously stated "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form is no other than emptiness, emptiness is no other than form"a notable quotation in other Madhyamaka sutras and commentary. Often thought of as radical by some Buddhist thinkers, the Heart Sutra, along with the entire collection of Prajñāpāramitā Sutras pushes the barrier beyond conceptual thought through the doctrine of the two truths (relative and ultimate) pointing to the empty nature of outer and inner phenomena.

Brunnhölzl plays on this radical view of reality with the title of his commentary, The Heart Attack Sutra. To learn more about his choice of title check out the video below.

The Heart Attack Sutra
A New Commentary on the Heart Sutra
by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

The radical message of the Heart Sūtra, one of Buddhism's most famous texts, is a sweeping attack on everything we hold most dear: our troubles, the world as we know it, even the teachings of the Buddha himself. Several of the Buddha's followers are said to have suffered heart attacks and died when they first heard its assertion of the basic groundlessness of our existence—hence the title of this book. Overcoming fear, the Buddha teaches, is not to be accomplished by shutting down or building walls around oneself, but instead by opening up to understand the illusory nature of everything we fear—including ourselves. In this book of teachings, Karl Brunnhölzl guides practitioners through this 'crazy' sutra to the wisdom and compassion that lie at its core.

Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition

While Brunnhölzl's above works present commentaries from a mix of Kagyu and Nyingma voices, the following works focus specifically on the Kagyu orientation to Madhyamaka.

The Center of the Sunlit Sky
Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition
by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

Madhyamaka is a potent and universally accessible means of calming our suffering and awakening to our innate wisdom. The Center of the Sunlit Sky artfully rescues this brilliant teaching from its unwarranted reputation for intellectual opacity and reinstates it as a supremely practical tool kit for everyday living. The aim of this book is to take Madhyamaka out of the purely intellectual corner into which it unjustly gets boxed. It is an attempt to show how Madhayamaka actually addresses and works with all of our experiences in life.

The book follows the original Indian sources as well as the standard commentaries on Madhyamaka in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. At the same time, these materials are adapted for a contemporary audience, combining the familiar sharpness of Madhyamaka reasonings (launching a massive assault on our cherished belief systems) with exploring the practical relevance of the Madhyamaka way of mind training.

Commentaries from the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje

While the above books make a clearer distinction between the philosophcal traditions of Yogacara and Madhyamaka, Brunnhölzl also has two translations of works by the great Kagyu master Rangjung Dorje, the Third Karmapa. Indicative of the deeper levels of Kagyu philosophy and practice, the union of Yogacara and Madhyamaka represent some of the more subtle teachings of Mahayana Buddhism.

In Praise of Dharmadhatu
Nagarjuna and Rangjung Dorje on Buddha Nature
by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

Nāgārjuna's works sit at the heart of Mahāyāna Buddhist thought and practice, but he was renowned in Asia not only for his Madhyamaka work, but also his poetic collection of praises, most famously In Praise of Dharmadhatu. This book explores the scope, contents, and significance of Nāgārjuna’s scriptural legacy in India and Tibet, focusing primarily on this seminal work. The translation of Nāgārjuna’s hymn to buddha nature—here called dharmadhatu—shows how buddha nature is temporarily obscured in the experience of ordinary sentient beings, gradually uncovered through the path of bodhisattvas, and finally revealed in full bloom as buddhahood. Included is a translation of the text’s earliest and most extensive commentary by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339), supplemented by relevant excerpts from all other available commentaries.

Luminous Heart
Essential Writings of Rangjung Dorje, the Third Karmapa
by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

This extraordinary collection of writings on buddha nature by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339) focuses on the transition from ordinary deluded consciousness to enlightened wisdom, the characteristics of buddhahood, and a buddha’s enlightened activity. The Third Karmapa’s unique and balanced view synthesizes Yogacara Madhyamaka and the classical teachings on buddha nature. Included are commentaries by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé that supplement the view of the Third Karmapa on two fundamental treatises on buddha nature, emphasizing the luminous empty mind of buddha nature as presented by the great Indian masters Maitreya and Asaṅga. For those practicing the sutrayāna and the vajrayāna in the Kagyü tradition, what these texts describe can be transformed into living experience.

Poetry, Song, and "Pith Instructions"

The last book for this reader's guide is a collection of teachings, songs of realization, and advice for practitioners on the path from both Indian and Tibetan masters.

Straight from the Heart
Buddhist Pith Instructions
by Karl Brunnhölzl

 

Straight from the Heart brings together an inspiring collection of Buddhist teachings, songs of realization, meditation instructions, and enlightened poetry—all chosen for their power to speak directly to the student. Drawn from Indian Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism as well as from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, some will impress with their beautiful poetry and powerful imagery, others with their profound power of instruction. Still others share personal advice for life that seems to come directly from the mouth of the author, and some serve as immediate and profound practice instructions. Several are just delightfully unconventional, even outrageous, letting in fresh air on petrified views or musty traditions. Most of them are simply unknown precious gems, which deserve a wider audience. Each of the works is preceded by a brief introduction and a short biography of its author. Many of these are legendary accounts of supernatural feats, edifying examples for students on the same spiritual path meant to expand their limited outlook with “mind-blowing” stories. Miraculous deeds, magnificent songs, and pithy instructions distinguish this collection assembled by the Buddhist scholar and translator Karl Brunnhölzl, whose years of work among dharma texts and his skill as a translator yield a rich mine of teachings all chosen for their ability to speak directly to the heart.

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SNOW LION NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Nitartha Institute: Dharma Without Compromise

The following article is from the Autumn, 2003 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

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"Dharma without compromise"
NITARTHA INSTITUTE

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche had just finished a talk at a Public Day program at this past summer's Nitartha Institute in which he used the above phrase. Afterwards, as we were walking back to his residence, he turned and said, with the usual sparkle in his eye, "Maybe this should be Nitartha's new slogan...."

Nitartha Institute was founded in 1996 by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche under the guidance of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. While many Western Buddhists have embraced two of the three main elements of the Buddhist path, meditation and conduct, the study of Buddhist view has been underdeveloped and undernourished in the West. It is this gap which the Institute aims to fill by making translations, transcripts and live oral teachings by master teachers available to Western students through a creative blend of Eastern and Western styles of pedagogy. The Institute offers Western students an authentic transmission of higher Buddhist philosophical theory and practice from the monastic college (shedra) tradition of the Tibetan Kanna Kagyu lineage.

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Above photo: Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche teaching (photo by Steve Seely)

Combining a systematic course of study with training in Tibetan Buddhist forms of meditation and debate, the Institute introduces Western students to the ancient Tibetan Buddhist science of mind and gives them a sound basis in Foundational and Mahayana Buddhism for understanding Vajrayana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Through the transmission of oral teachings and translations of key texts along with their commentaries, the Institute is helping to transplant this ancient oral and philosophical tradition to the West.

Nitartha Institute convenes for annual programs each summer in North America and Europe, as well as for shorter programs throughout North America. It is envisaged that the Institute will grow into a year- round educational institute that will permit students to continue into a course of study designed to develop fully trained Western acharyas (senior teachers), authorized to teach and represent the tradition and, thus, to aid in its transplantation to the West.

This summer, for the eighth year in a row, Nitartha Institute had a most successful month-long program, for the first time on Vancouver Island at Queen Margaret's School in Duncan, British Columbia. Over 50 students attended, most for the entire month. People came from all over North America, with surprisingly many from the East Coast. Some were very new practitioners, some were very old (in more ways than one). All were connected by the desire to invigorate their practice by going more deeply into the meaning of the view.

Ponlop Rinpoche taught Vajrayana View from the Profound Inner Reality by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, while our two Acharyas, Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen and Tashi Wangchuk (who both graduated from the same Rumtek shedra as Rinpoche), taught Analytical Meditation, Madhyamaka/Middle Way School and the Mahayana Stages of the Path.

For the first time, the three traditional courses of the first year student curriculum were combined into one course called "Mind and Its World." This course brings together the study of three classic shedra texts: 1) the "Classifications of Mind" (Lorik),on the various types of mind, and how they function, 2) the "Collected Topics" (Dudra), which gives a detailed analysis of all the categories of phenomena according to the Abhidharma tradition and how they are apprehended by mind, and 3) Hinayana tenet systems (Truptha), which presents the view, path, and fruition of two major schools of Foundational Buddhism. Also for the first time, analytical meditation was tied in closely with the daily content of this new unified class, instead of proceeding as a separate class.

As a confirmation of the continuing transplantation of the tradition to the West, ten Western faculty were formally certified as teachers of the Nitartha Institute Foundation Curriculum by Rinpoche: Karl Brunnholzl, June Crow, Tyler Dewar, Stephanie Johnston, Harrison Miller, Joseph Parent, Linda Patrik, Steve Seely, Phil Stanley, Scott Wellenbach

Nitartha has grown to the extent that Steve Seely has been hired as the Managing Director of the Institute. He will take on additional administrative responsibilities, while continuing to serve as codirector along with Scott Wellenbach and Phil Stanley. By hiring a Managing Director, Nitartha will be able to sustain its growth and stabilize the administration for the long-term. This is possible because of the generosity and enthusiasm of many of Nithartha's students and benefactors.

Some of current activities of the Institute include:

  • The growing annual summer program. Next year, at Rinpoche's request, a new Health and Healing module directed by Dr. Phil Weber will be added to the core curriculum.
  • Year-round regional programs in various centers in North America are being instituted to make Nitartha more widely available to those who cannot make it to the summer program. Refer to the Web site at www.nitarthainstitute.org for scheduled programs.
  • Starting this fall, Naropa University is offering a sequence of eight courses based on the Nitartha Institute materials and curriculum as part of several of its M.A. and Master of Divinity degrees, which will allow students to receive a systematic grounding in the shedra curriculum within a graduate degree program. These courses are under the direction of Phil Stanley, chair of the Religious Studies Department there. Please refer to the Web site at www.naropa.edu/tibetantradition/ index.html. It is expected that about 10 of those students will attend Nitartha next summer.
  • The great classic Kagyu (and, in the future, Nyingma) texts and commentaries are continuing to be translated and published, many for the first time in English. Some of them have only recently been discovered in Tibet or China. Texts to replace those lost to the lineage are also being written by Rinpoche and the Acharyas so that they can be re-introduced. Over $70,000 in major foundation support has been committed to these projects.
  • Nitartha is happy to announce that it is allying with Snow Lion Publications to produce a Nitartha Institute Series of classic Kagyu and Nyingma texts, texts on their related oral traditions, and new texts to introduce Westerners to these in-depth teachings. There are four books in the works at the moment: one each on Lorik and analytical meditation and two on Madhyamaka to be brought out by Snow Lion within the coming eighteen months. The books will be available for use in the Nitartha educational programs at the Institute, at Naropa University and Buddhist centers, as well as being available to the general public.

Nitartha's 2004 summer program will return to Mt. Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. The tentative dates for the two-week sessions are:

  • Session 1 July 10-24
  • Session 2-July 24-Aug 8

Students may come to one session or both (all first-year students should come to the first session or both). Please refer to our website at www.nitarthainstitute.org to confirm dates and for information about the curriculum and registration, or write to us at [email protected].

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Rhythms of a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in America

The following article is from the Spring, 2003 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

BY KATHY WESLEY

Woodstock, NY—In the basement of a Buddhist monastery in the Catskills, with soft rock music playing on a radio in the background, David Fischer tussles with a challenge of metaphysical proportions.

"We want to make sure the table is at the right height for the seat," says Mr. Fischer, rubbing his hand along the smooth-sanded poplar wood. "The cushion will be 10 inches high and there will be an extra puja table placed on top of this one. We just want to make sure it all comes together for His Holiness."

Figuring out how to harmonize the two components of a traditional Tibetan teaching throne for His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is not the only activity going on this day at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, His Holiness' seat in America.

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Above photo: His Holiness Karmapa consecrating the KTD grounds. His Eminence Jamgong Kangtrul Rinpoche is to His Holiness' right. Tenzin Chonyi, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Bardor Tulku Rinpoche are to His Holiness' left. (Summer of 1980.)

Upstairs, Shrinekeeper Elaine White is helping clean the main shrine room for the arrival of dozens of Sherpa tribes people from the New York City area, who are coming to the mountains to celebrate Tibetan New Year.

"[KTD Abbot] Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche will be giving a long-life empowerment here for the Sherpas," says Ms. White. "This is a major cultural event for the Sherpa community. They come here and do their traditional dances and songs. It's a joyful event."

Elsewhere on the site, KTD staffers are proofreading the six-month teaching schedule for 2003, preparing a program that will include teachings by Traleg Rinpoche, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso, and Mingyur Rinpoche—all of them major teachers of the Karma Kagyu tradition.

In the kitchen of the old guest house, cooks are preparing lunch for some of the 20 permanent staff members; in the Namse Bangdzo Bookstore, Peter Van Deurzen and Basia Majewska are processing a major order of Tibetan statues and thankas for sale to Buddhist practitioners.

And in the back of the shrine room, a young dharma student in sweat pants and a T-shirt is working away at the polished hardwood floor, performing dozens of prostrations in an ancient ritual of purification and devotion.

In many ways, says Tenzin Chonyi, the Tibetan-born president of KTD, the American monastery is a reflection of the activities of His Holiness, who is himself considered an embodiment of the enlightened activity of all buddhas.

A Home for American Dharma

Nearly 30 years have passed since His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, first set foot on the North American continent. Since that day in 1974, the Gyalwa Karmapa's activity has been instrumental in the development of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, Mr. Chonyi says.

The 16th Karmapa giving blessings white walking (Summer of 1980)

"Through the inspiration of His Holiness, great teachers like the Very Ven. Kalu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche came to this country and planted the seeds of the Kagyu dharma here," Mr. Chonyi says. "The many Shambhala centers founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the many dharma centers founded through Kalu Rinpoche The 16th Karmapa giving blessings white walking (Summer of 1980) are all part of the great blessing and activity of His Holiness." Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, created in 1976 in New York City, was the first center under His Holiness' direct guidance, Mr. Chonyi says. The organization moved to the slopes of Mount Guardian in 1978, when a patron purchased the former Meads House and gave it to KTD.

In the years since then, through the efforts of resident teachers Ven. Bardor Tulku Rinpoche and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, KTD has helped establish more than 40 practice centers in Canada, the United States and South America. It also has built, mostly with volunteer labor, a traditionally styled Tibetan monastic temple on the road between Mount Guardian and Overlook Mountain.

"KTD is like the root and the trunk, and these many centers, including those in Canada and. Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, are like the branches of this great tree," Mr. Chonyi says.

Those efforts are visible in the spectacular hand-painted wonder of the main KTD shrine room, decorated by the full-color artistry of Tinley Chojor, a renowned temple painter. The shrine room houses an eleven-foot-tall image of Buddha Shayamuni and four-foot-tall images of Guru Rinpoche, White Tara, Manjushri, and Vajrasattva. A large stupa containing relics of the 16th Karmapa, who passed away in 1981, and a statue of the 16th Karmapa are also present, as is a complete collection of Buddhist scriptures in the Tibetan language.

The effect of this single room on visitors, says Ms. White, is enormous.

"The minute someone opens the shrine room door and sees the room for the first time, there is, for many people, an intense generation of devotion and a wish to know more about who His Holiness Karmapa is, and what Buddhism is," she says.

This strong feeling, she adds, brings the visitors back again and again—bringing along their friends and relatives.. "Sometimes, they don't even know why; they just want to come back," Ms. White says. "Sometimes, they cry; sometimes they ask questions; sometimes they just sit in the silence—even if we are in the room busy working. They say they feel the silence more here than anywhere else."

Even non-Buddhists are moved by visits to the monastery shrine room, which has been open to tourists on weekends since its altar pieces were installed in 1992.

"There are people who, through a previous karmic connection, upon seeing [the statues of] His Holiness and the Buddha, have a seed planted for them to go on the path of dharma," says Tom Schmidt, director of operations for KTD. "There are other people who may not necessarily have a connection, but seeing the shrine room opens in them a reverence and respect for Tibetan Buddhism, even if it is not their chosen path."

A Fountain of His Holiness Karmapa's Activity

 

The monastery is not completed, as the traditional sangha residence structure and courtyard have yet to be built. But Mr. Schmidt says the place still evokes a strong response in visitors. This happens, he says, because KTD is a container for the activity of His Holiness—both the 16th Karmapa and his reincarnation, the 17-year-old 17th Karmapa, who was born in Tibet and escaped to India in 2000.

"I think it opens people on some subtle level, because of the authenticness of the place," Mr. Schmidt says.

The monastery temple is not the only example of His Holiness' activity on the 23-acre site at KTD. Mr. Schmidt says the organization at KTD—housed in the monastery temple and guesthouse—has been a steady fountain of dharma activity since it was founded.

"In some ways, the place hasn't changed much since I came here in 1978," says Mr. Schmidt. "On the other hand, the activity here has never leveled off. It is still climbing. The monastery itself is still being completed, and we're getting ready for His Holiness [the 17th Karmapa] to return."

Because KTD is considered His Holiness's third most important seat—the first is his ancient home at Tolong Tsurphu Monastery near Lhasa in Tibet, and the second is Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, northern India—great Kagyu masters make a point to visit it and give teachings there.

"As students of His Holiness, the great lamas teach here, not just for the benefit of sentient beings, but as service to their guru," Mr. Schmidt says. "The previous Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche taught here every year to fulfill His Holiness' wishes. I remember one year when we gave him an offering for teaching and he gave it back to us, saying, 'This is His Holiness' monastery, and because I am inseparable from His Holiness, this is my monastery, too.'"

 

KTD also is home to the Namse Bangdzo Bookstore, as well as the Karma Kagyu Institute, an educational program; Karma Thegsum Choyang Music, a recording project; and Karma Rinchen Tongdrol Video, which is making video teachings available to the public. The organization also is the center for website development. "In terms of technical development, KTD is already taking an important role in aiding His Holiness' activity in the world," Mr. Schmidt says.

Waiting for a Universal Teacher

As Tibetan Buddhism enters the next phase in its transition from Asia to the West, the monastery at KTD will continue to be part of His Holiness' activities. Mr. Chonyi, who recently spent three months with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa in India, says that the young Karmapa already is having a powerful effect on people in India.

"Everywhere he goes, His Holiness is being sought out by pilgrims who seek his blessing," Mr. Chonyi says. "People from India, Nepal, Ladakh, even Mustang—all the countries of the Himalayan region—have come to see him. We hope to bring this same benefit to people all over the world."

Mr. Chonyi says KTD is waiting with anticipation for the Indian government to give His Holiness permission to travel abroad, at which time he plans to invite His Holiness to return to visit his monastery in America.

"His Holiness' activity here has been great, and we hope to enhance this activity by his arrival in America," Mr. Chonyi says. "He is a universal teacher, and should not be secluded in just one place. He has disciples all over the world, and his activity has pervaded every place where there is freedom of religion."

Even though there have been some challenging times in the development of His Holiness' seat in North America, Mr. Schmidt says he remains inspired by what's happened on the mountain in the Catskills.

"When the previous Kalu Rinpoche was here in 1982, he told us that working for and building the monastery was not like what Milarepa did—he said it was the same as what Milarepa did," Mr. Schmidt says.

Rinpoche went on to say that of course he was not a teacher like [Milarepa's master] Marpa, and that we were not students like Milarepa, but we were doing the same thing that Milarepa did," Mr. Schmidt says. "It was all Ngondro [preliminary practice] and purification for us."

That sentiment probably would be echoed down in the basement of the monastery, where cabinetmaker David Fischer carefully sands the Asian-carved snow lions on the throne and speaks with excited anticipation about the deep red paint and gold leaf what will adorn it.

And will his job be finished then?

"Not quite," he says, eyeing the throne.

Unless His Holiness has another method for ascending the throne, says Mr. Fischer, "he's going to need some stairs."

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Khenchen Thrangu: Essential Practice

The following article is from the Summer, 2002 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

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"Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is among the wisest and most compassionate Buddhist masters alive today."—PEMA CHODRON

"In presenting the very first meditation instruction crafted for Tibetans by the master Kamalashila, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche distills the wisdom of India in an intimate, personal instruction, as true for the contemporary western practitioner as it was in eighth century Tibet. This text is a must for every serious Buddhist meditator."—Judith Simmer-Brown, Professor of Buddhist Studies, Naropa University

"Centuries ago, the Indian master Kamalashila taught Tibetans the essential points of Mahayana practice in a clear, step-by-step, and easy-to- follow way. Now, the great scholar and meditation master Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche makes these profound teachings readily accessible to Western students. I encourage all those interested in beginning or deepening their practice of the Mahayana path of wisdom and compassion which leads to the highest enlightenment for the benefit of all beings to read this book."—Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Teaching on Kamalashila's treatises outlining the stages of meditation, Thrangu Rinpoche explains the need for compassion and the way to develop it, the necessity for a bodhisattva's vast and durable altruism, as well as the means to generate, stabilize, and fortify it, and the elements key to the meditative practices of calm abiding and insight.

The following is an excerpt from the chapter The Selflessness of Phenomena from Essential Practice.

In our study of the master Kamalashila's The Stages of Meditation, we are considering his presentation of the mind turned toward supreme awakening. That mind has two aspects: conventional and ultimate, We are now considering the ultimate mind of awakening. Generally, that consists in the way to meditate upon the selflessness of persons and the way to meditate upon the selflessness of phenomena. Yesterday, I spoke about the selflessness of persons. Today, I will talk about the selflessness of phenomena.

As for the selflessness of phenomena, it is said that all phenomena are not inherently established and are emptiness. Generally, those who do not hold the tenets of Buddhists see the Buddhadharma as depressing. They feel that the Buddhadharma does not strengthen the hearts of human beings. Rather, by speaking of the impermanent, the selfless, and the empty, it saddens human beings and thus weakens their hearts. They cannot find in the Buddhadharma any capacity to strengthen the hearts or increase the good qualities of human beings. Thus, they will regard this teaching of the selflessness of phenomena as a dreary matter.

They are mistaken because the recognition of selflessness does not diminish the strength of our heart. We need peace and gentleness in our lives. In the absence of mental afflictions such as extraordinarily strong desire and hatred, our lives naturally become peaceful and gentle. If we meditate that all phenomena naturally lack an essence and are empty, then attachment and aversion naturally dissipate. In dependence upon that, we naturally enjoy a sense of peace and leisure.

Those of you who have heard many of the Buddha's teachings and have practiced a lot understand the meaning of emptiness quite well. Nevertheless, beginners will be shocked upon first hearing of emptiness. When told that all phenomena are emptiness, they will think that such is probably not the case. For instance, when I was young and began to study texts, I read about selflessness and thought, "No, it is not so, I am pretty sure that there is a self." Then I studied the Treasury of Higher Knowledge, composed by the master Vasubandhu, and I decided, "Okay, probably there is no self, but as for emptiness, no way! That is just not possible." That is how I saw it. Later, the reasonings of the Middle Way School were taught to me, and I came to feel differently. Probably these phenomena are emptiness. Yes, most likely they are emptiness. That is how it goes when you begin to consider these teachings.

I will be talking about emptiness today, and when we talk about emptiness, we find ourselves speaking about elevated reasonings and high views. However, many beginners have come here today, and for that reason I want to make the meaning accessible and the reasonings less forbidding. Those of you who have studied extensively and practiced a lot may find this explanation to be weak and pathetic. You may feel that, I have not explained the depth and the height of this view. You may wonder, with some dismay, why I have given such a low and easy presentation of emptiness. Please do not look at it that way. If I explain the height and the depth, beginners will not understand. I will tune this explanation of emptiness to beginners. and I will explain it in a simple way that is relatively easy to understand. It is said that dharmas have no self. This means that individual dharmas have no essence and are not inherently established, What, then, are "dharmas"? This Sanskrit term, "dharma," has ten meanings. Sometimes, dharma refers to the dharma that we practice. Sometimes dharma refers to meditative stabilization. Sometimes, dharma refers to all things. In the statement, "A self of dharmas does not exist," dharma refers to all things. Thus, that statement is to be understood as meaning that all phenomena have no essence.

The Selflessness of Phenomena

How is way in which phenomena lack a selflessness taught in Kamalashila's The Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School? First, external things, which are composed of particles and have form, are not inherently established. Nevertheless, appearances do dawn for us. If they are not established by way of their own nature, then how do they dawn? They dawn as appearances for the internal mind; they dawn in dependence upon the internal mind. Here, Kamalashila presents a view that accords with that of the Mind Only School, which is one of the four schools of Buddhist tenets. After that, Kamalashila demonstrates that the internal, mere mind, is also not inherently established. Mind has no true establishment whatsoever; it is Emptiness. Here, Kamalashila settles the lack of inherent establishment in all phenomena—external, apprehended objects and internal, apprehending minds—in a manner that accords with the tenets of the Middle Way School.

Science has progressed remarkably in its ability to investigate external things. That has enabled all of us to understand that external things are not truly established. Scientists have already settled that, and we are already familiar with their findings: where they look with reasoning and with instruments, they see that all phenomena are not inherently established. Still, they do not come right out and say that phenomena are emptiness, and who would blame them for that? From time without beginning they have grown accustomed to believing in the existence of things. The force of that leads them to feel that they need those things, and they cannot say that things are emptiness despite seeing that things are emptiness. We tend to think, "For some time, I have seen these things, and it will not do to say that they are emptiness." Even these brilliant scientists cannot quite relinquish their grip upon things. After all, they say, "There may not be things, but there is energy." That seems to be where they wind up. Apparently, they are not able to toss away the predispositions to which they have become accustomed from time without beginning. They are held back by the nagging doubt that, if they say that things are emptiness, that will not agree with what they experience. "We're not sure what, but something exists." Buddhists teach that things do not exist. Rather, things are emptiness. In general, that much difference divides the two points of view.

To us, all these appearances look like they exist. I'll use a simple example to challenge that appearance and our agreement with it. Take a look at the pieces of paper that I'm holding. This piece of paper is large, and this one is small. It really does look that way. Ask anyone. "Is this one large?" "No, no, not at all, it is small." "Is this one small?" "No, no, not at all, it is large." Show these pieces of paper to anyone and they will agree: this one is large, and this one is small. When I look at them, that is what I see, and when other people look at them, that is what they see.

Things do appear that way, but what happens when I change the mix? If I ask, "Is this one large?", I will be told, "No, it is small." It does not matter who looks at it. Anybody would say that this one is large and this one is small, and that is the way it looks, to me too. So why does our sense of the sizes of things change? Because things are neither large nor small. Neither of those properties abides with the thing in question.

Someone may respond that, even though large and small do not abide with things, nevertheless other properties do. For instance, how about long and short? If I were to ask, "Is this long?", everyone would say that it is long, and no one would say that it is short. If I then add another stick to the group, then everyone will say that this one is long and that the other one, which seemed long a moment ago, is short. If we extend this line of reasoning, we can understand that all things are like this. Large, small, long, short, good, bad, and other qualities that appear to reside in objects do not really dwell there.

Furthermore, even though I consider myself to be I, no one else does. If I ask someone "Do you think of me as 'I'" then that person will reply, "Of course not. I think of you as 'you.'" Suppose I ask about a third person. "No, that's him." From my point of view, another person "you," but from that person's point of view, he or she is "I." I, you, he—they all lack stability. Sometimes my mind thinks "I," sometimes "you," sometimes "he"—not much stays put.

Places are like that too. For instance, when I stay here, I call this place "here" and that place "there." When I go there, I call it "here" and refer to this place as "there." "Here" does not always remain here. Similarly, standing here, we say "that mountain" and "this mountain." Then we go to the far mountain and look back from there: "this mountain" has become "that mountain" and "that mountain" has become "this mountain." They really seem to be that way, but it is my mind that makes them so. There is no far mountain or near mountain, here or there, I, you, he, or she. Mind makes all of these to suit the occasion.

The master Nagarjuna applied the reasoning of dependent relationship to these properties. All things arise individually in dependence upon other things. When we investigate and analyze with reasoning, such properties disappear. Therefore, ultimately, they are emptiness. Nevertheless as mere conventions, they are present. In what manner are they present? Through the power of dependent relationship. In dependence upon something large, some other thing is small. In dependence upon something small, some other thing is large. For instance, in relation to one another, this stick of incense is large, and this one is small. In dependence upon one another, is one of them large? Yes. Is the other one small? Yes. As mere conventions and for the perspective of my mind, some things are large and other's are small. Are they actually and ultimately large a small? No. Ultimately, nothing is either large or small.

For that reason, external appearances are internal mind. Externally there is neither large nor small. Large and small are made in the internal mind. Internal mind declares that this is large and that, in relation to it, that is small. Internal mind makes that. Who makes good and bad, I and you, and all the other categories? They are not external. Those properties are not present with things. Internal mind makes them. Therefore, all appearances are mind. They are not appearances of an external; they are the mind that is internal. Therefore, there are no external things; they are internal mind. Kamalashila explains the matter that way; in the view of the Mind Only School, it settled that way also.

Having shown external things to be emptiness, Kamalashila then demonstrates that internal mind is emptiness also. When we investigate and analyze with reasoning, we see that external things do not exist. However, we may think that internal mind really does exist. In fact, internal mind is not established inherently. When we actually investigate and analyze, it is not present. How is the internal mind's lack of establishment demonstrated? Kamalashila cites a passage from the Heap of Jewels Sutra. In this passage, the Buddha addresses Mahakashyapa.

Kasliyapa, when mind is sought thoroughly, it is not found.

Looking for the mind and asking "Where is it?", there is nothing to be found. When we do not investigate and analyze, we think that mind does exist. However, if we look for the mind and a Where is it?, it is not present. Similarly, in his Ornament for Precious Liberation, Gampopa writes that mind does not exist. Why not? 'I have not seen mind. Others have not seen mind. In fact, no one has seen mind. Therefore, mind does not exist.'

How is it that no one has seen mind? Generally, we have six collections of consciousnesses. Consider the eye consciousness, which is one of the six. An eye consciousness sees forms. What happens when we look for the eye consciousness and ask "Where is it?" Is it in the eye? No. There are various things in the eye, but consciousness is not one of them. Suppose that I see a glass; is my eye consciousness with the glass? No. Is my eye consciousness somewhere in between my eye and the glass? No. Nothing at all. Through the power of dependent relationship, an eye consciousness sees a glass. However, if we look for the consciousness that sees, nothing turns tip.

The same holds for the other sense consciousnesses—those of the ear, nose, tongue, and body. What about the mental consciousness? Sometimes the mental consciousness generates coarse thoughts. For instance, sometimes hatred accompanies the mental consciousness. At other times, compassion accompanies the mental consciousness. At still other times, pride accompanies the mental consciousness. In that manner, the mental consciousness generates coarse thoughts. How does that come about? Other causes and conditions play their roles, but ignorance lies at the root of the matter. From the start, our consciousnesses face outwards. What is the internal mind? We have never looked there. Have we ever seen it? I do have a mind! We think so; after all, our minds generate our thoughts, right? But have we ever looked for our minds? Where are they? Where are our thoughts born? Suppose we become really angry. Now we have a chance to inquire—"Now I'm furious! Okay, what is that hatred? Where is that hatred born?" We look, but we do not find anything. We may imagine that hatred is born in a particular place and travels along a certain path to some other place. Except for knowing that it has vanished as suddenly and inexplicably as it arose, we cannot find it anywhere. We are sure that we feel hatred, but no matter where we look—outside, inside, or somewhere in between—we do not find anything at all. Desire and other thoughts, whatever they may be, are like that too. Look wherever we will, nothing turns up.

If I were to ask someone, "Do you ever feel hatred?", he or she would certainly respond, "I have felt hatred many times." If I were then to ask, "When you feel hatred, what is it like?", he or she would probably answer, "I don't really know." Why would someone not understand his or her own feeling of hatred? Because the very entity of hatred itself, like the entity of other consciousnesses, is not established. To realize the emptiness of external things, we have to analyze with reasoning. To realize the internal mind's lack of inherent establishment, we can dispense with reasoning and took directly. There is nothing to be seen; and nothing will be found. Therefore, the noble Gampopa wrote, "Because no one has seen mind. Mind is not present." Why not? Because no one has seen it. We have not seen our own minds, and we have not seen others' minds.

In that way, we ascertain that both internal mind and external things are not inherently established. Then we must familiarize with what we have ascertained. When we investigate and analyze with knowledge, ascertain that all phenomena are not inherently established, and then meditate upon, which is to say, familiarize with, what we have understood, we are practicing the analytical meditation of the sutras, which is called the analytical meditation of learned persons.

When we meditate, investigating and analyzing in stages, flaws may assail our practice. What flaws? Many thoughts will dawn. On one occasion, we meditate well, and on another occasion, many thoughts will dawn. What should we do when many thoughts dawn? First, we investigate and analyze. That is to say, we ask ourselves, "What thoughts are dawning for me?" Sometimes, the mental affliction of hatred will arise. That may begin as it barely noticeable thought. If we follow thoughts of hatred, more of them will arise. We may discard them repeatedly, and yet they may continue to arise. In that fashion, such thoughts interrupt meditative stabilization, At other times, a barely noticeable thought of desire will arise. We attempt to meditate, but such thoughts return again and again, interrupting meditative stabilization. At still other times, we do not enjoy meditative stabilization and we have no wish to meditate; we feel lazy. The first step toward stability in meditation will be to identify the thoughts that are interrupting our practice of meditative stabilization during a particular session of practice. That identification will spur us to recognize the good qualities of meditative stabilization, which will enable us remedy the flaw.

Having finished the session of cultivating meditative stabilization, we allow our minds rise from meditative stabilization but hold our bodies upon the cushion in the posture of meditation. Then, we must consider our own situation and the situations of others in the following I understand how to meditate, and I am able to meditate well. Other sentient beings do not realize the abiding nature of phenomena, and they are not able to meditate well or generate meditative stabilization. Therefore, having meditated well, in the future I must enable all sentient beings to realize the abiding nature of phenomena, to bring the excellent dharma into their experience, to achieve the rank of a buddha. Having made that resolution and established that motivation slowly unfold our legs, stand up, prostrate to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas in the ten directions, make offerings to them, and conclude with a good prayer of aspiration.

Kamalashila's treatise on the stages of meditation contains three sections. In the first of those three, he discusses compassion. In the second, he considers the mind of awakening, in particular he presents the methods for cultivating a conventional mind of awakening and an ultimate mind of awakening. We have now heard the explanations of those two sections. In third and final section, Kamalashila writes about skill in method. This morning, I will stop here this afternoon and again tomorrow morning, I will speak about skill in method. If you have questions, please ask them.

Essential Practice

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By: Jules B. Levinson & Khenchen Thrangu

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Nitartha Institute

The following article is from the Spring, 2001 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

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Summer 2001

Experienced practitioners of Buddhism may be especially interested to deepen their practice and knowledge of the dharma at Nitartha Institute this summer.

Nitartha Institute, under the direction of the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, is an annual summer program modeled on a Tibetan shedra (Buddhist college).

The fundamental goal of Nitartha Institute is to present the student with a systematic foundation in the central ideas of the Buddhist tradition, as taught by the Kagyu lineage. The Institute provides training in the specific methods that have been used to probe and understand the entire range and depth of the Buddhist view. After two years of training at the Institute, the student can expect to have a strong foundation in the core scholastic disciplines of the Kagyu path.

In Summer 2001, two sessions are being offered. You may choose to attend either session (Session 1: July 7 to 21, Session 2: July 21 to August 5) or both. This summer, the Nitartha Institute program will be held at Mt. Allison University in Sackville, New Branswick, Canada.

Mt. Allison is approximately a two-hour drive from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is an intimate and beautiful setting, reminiscent of a small New England campus. Bordering a large nature conservancy, Mount Allison is an ideal setting for the contemplative and focused program at Nitartha. The program is fully residential, with all meals provided.

To study and practice at Nitartha is to experience moments of heart transmission between teacher and student as the innate meaning of the dharma arises in the stream of day- to-day teaching and practice. Nitartha offers a singular experience of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition interactively passing into Western culture, with all of its color, precision, intensity, and practical how-to-do-it detail.

The Founding Teachers

Ven. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Thrangu Rinpoche was born in Tibet in 1933 and holds the teaching degree of Geshe Rabjam. Rinpoche led Karma Shri Nalanda Institute, the shedra at Rumtek Monastery, for many years. He has taught and traveled worldwide, and is currently the main tutor for the Seventeenth Gyalwa Karmapa. The abbot of Gampo Abbey, it was his inspiration that led to the founding of Nitartha Institute.

Ven. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Klienpo Rinpoche is one of the most highly accomplished practitioners in the Kagyu tradition, and is widely respected as a Buddhist scholar. As senior abbot of the Nalanda Institute of Tibetan Studies in Rumtek, Sikkim, his teaching was instrumental in educating most of the younger generation of Tibetan teachers in the Karma Kagyu. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including Lorig and Tagrig, which are used for the logic and valid cognition courses at Nitartha Institute. Khenpo Rinpoche closed the third session of Nitartha in 1998 with a week-long series of teaching and spontaneous songs on the view of mahamudra.

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The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche Director and Principal Teacher

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Nitartha's Director and principal teacher, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars of his generation in the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche is the founder of Nitartha International, a non-profit educational corporation dedicated to preserving the ancient literature of Tibet in computerized formats. He is a graduate of the Karma Shr Nalanda Institute at Rumtek and has completed courses of study in English and comparative religions at Columbia University. He lias traveled and taught extensively in the West since 1980 and supervises the activities of meditation centers in Europe and North America Rinpoche lives in Vancouver, British Columbia He is known for his intellect, sharp humor and the lucidity of his teaching style.

Acharyas

Acharya Tenpa Gyaltsen and Acharya Sherab Negi Gyaltsen graduated from Karma Slui Nalanda Institute at Rumtek where they both excelled in their studies under some of the greatest living scholars in the Kagyu lineage. Acharya Tenpa currently resides and teaches at Kamalashila in Hamburg, Gennany, and Acharya Sherab is responsible for the educational program at Lava Monastery in Kalimpong, India.

A Typical Day

A day at Nitartha starts with morning exercises followed by breakfast at 7:30 AM. and analytical (contemplative) meditation. It continues with classes, main course teachings by Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Tenpa Gyaltsen, study periods, discussion and debate groups. Mealtimes provide opportunity for particularly animated questions, comments, and observations between participants about the day's teaching and practice. There is one day off per week. Because Nitartha is a residential program, there are plentiful opportunities to question and relate to the principal teachers before and after classes, during breaks, and while serving and attending.

The 2001 Summer Program Courses

The following courses will be taught this summer:

Studies in Hinayana and Mahayana Schools

This course examines the fundamental views of the traditional Hinayana and Mahayana schools, and provides the student with an overview of the key points of understanding within the schools. This field of study, in its broadest scope, ranges from such key Abhidharma views as the four marks of impermanence, egoless- ness, suffering and liberation up through the Mahayana understandings of mind-only and emptiness.

The Collected Topics

This course forms the foundation for all other studies in the Buddhist view, using a text compiled by Acha- rya Tenpa Gyaltsen specifically for Nitartha Institute. It presents the definitions and basic concepts that are key to an understanding of the Buddhist philosophical tradition. Drawn from Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye's Treasury of Knowledge and other sources, the course explores what we really mean by mind, perception and phenomena.

Abhisamaya-alankara

Taught by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, and the main course for Nitartha 2001, this is one of the foundational texts in the educational curriculum of all Tibetan lineages. This course will continue with the teachings begun by Rinpoche last summer, but is open to all students. The

Ornament of Clear Realization

(Skt. Abhisamaya-alankara) is attributed to Maitreya and was recorded by the great Buddhist master Asanga in the fourth century. Its focus is the paths and bhumis, and the stages of realization on the Buddhist path. The commentary by Mikyo Dorje, the Eighth Karmapa, is an extensive work dating from the 16th century.

Classifications of Mind

(Lorig) In precise detail, this course explores how mind perceives its world. The principal text used for this study, Classifications of Mind, is by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.

Advanced Lorig (Returning Students)

This will examine a second text by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche based on the Classification of Mind teachings. In it, Khenpo Rinpoche deepens the understanding of certain key points in the Lorig and challenges students to debate and clarify the points for themselves.

Madhyamaka Analysis (Returning Students)

Students will continue to deepen their understanding of the Madhyamaka analyses through in-depth explorations and discussions.

Tibetan Language Class

Introductory Tibetan will be offered as an elective two evenings a week. This course will assume no prior knowledge of the language. Students can expect to acquire a foundation in the Tibetan alphabet, calligraphic skills, pronunciation, and spelling.

Nitartha Institute

Since 1996, teachers, students and translators have been gathering annually as a community based on the example of a Tibetan shedra. Nitartha Institute brings the 1,200-year-old Tibetan Buddhist tradition of learning, contemplating and meditating to North America in an enriching and practical way.

At Nitartha, participants are trained to uncover and experience the nitartha, or definitive meaning, of the Buddha's teachings. Under the close guidance of some of the most eminent teachers in the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, participants are inspired to take their practice and understanding of these teachings to a new level in an atmosphere of generosity, humor and precision.

For More Information:

For more information or to receive an application, contact: Mike Munro, do 88 Bayview Rd., Halifax, NS B3M 1L9, CANADA. Phone: 902431-5499, Fax: 902-429-0990, Email: [email protected] Or check the web site at: http://nitarthainstitute.org ä_æ

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