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The Seven Line Prayer of Guru Rinpoche: A Reader’s Guide
The Seven-Line prayer to Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava, is one of the most ubiquitous and important prayers, performed across lineages and in particular the Nyingma tradition who commence nearly every practice with it. What follows is a brief introduction and Reader’s Guide to this short but extremely profound verse. The Padmakra Translation Group has provided some excellent context for the Seven-Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche: The overall significance of the Seven-Line Prayer is perhaps best appreciated in relation to a practice...
Bonus Recipes from Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind
Four Recipes for You to Enjoy We are excited to share with you four bonus recipes developed by the creators of Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind, Kate O’Donnell and Cara Brostrom. Carrot & Green Bean Palya This versatile recipe can be used to prepare all sorts of fresh vegetables. The combination of hing and cinnamon lends a south Indian flair that tastes amazing, but is quite simple to prepare. Serves 2 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp...
The Approach and Intent of Zen | An Excerpt from the Rinzai Zen Way
Understanding the Rinzai Zen Way Studying Zen, one rides all vehicles of Buddhism; practicing Zen, one attains awakening in a single lifetime. —Eisai [From a teisho given in February 2012] In speaking with many beginning Zen students, it seems apparent that although they may be familiar with some of the methods of Zen practice, what is often lacking is an understanding of the overall approach and intent of the Zen way. Without this understanding it will be difficult to follow...
The Chariot of Surpassing Purity | An Excerpt from Finding Rest in Meditation
Prologue Homage to you, O glorious Samantabhadra! Your nature is the ultimate expanse, Primordial and perfect peace. Though free of all conceptual constructs, It is yet embellished by the kāyas and the wisdoms Present of themselves. From this there radiates a myriad rays of light Performing every kind of action In the field of those who might be trained. In joy and veneration I bow down to you Samantabhadra, sun of love and knowledge— To you and all the buddhas...
It was One of Those Lovely Mornings | An Excerpt from Meditations
The Solitude It was one of those lovely mornings that have never been before. The sun was just coming up, and you saw it between the eucalyptus and the pine. It was over the waters, golden, burnished—such light that exists only between the mountains and the sea. It was such a clear morning, breathless, full of that strange light that one sees not only with one’s eyes but with one’s heart. And when you see it the heavens are very...
The Story of the Sadhana of Mahamudra
An excerpt from the introduction to the Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Volume Five. Selections from the sadhana itself are included in this volume. The Background Next in Volume Five are the excerpt from The Sadhana of Mahamudra and an article about the meaning of the text. The sadhana, which Trungpa Rinpoche “discovered” in Bhutan in 1968, is a particular kind of text or teaching called terma. In Tibet, Chogyam Trungpa had already been recognized as a terto¨n, a...
The Future of Religion: A Reader’s Guide
In the world of religion, some things stay the same, while many are constantly adapting to meet our new world of the internet and cell phones, scientific discovery, increasing awareness of gender and race dynamics, multiculturalism, the numbers of people identifying their religion as “none” or “spiritual but not religious,” and so much more. We have chosen a few books below that address these issues, each in its own way. “Rita Gross offers readers an amazing example of a lifelong,...
Conscious Conduct | An Excerpt from The Path of Insight Meditation
The Five Training Precepts The First Aspect: Conscious Conduct or Virtue The first aspect, conscious conduct or virtue, means acting harmoniously and with care toward the life around us. For spiritual practice to develop, it is absolutely essential that we establish a basis of moral conduct in our lives. If we are engaged in actions that cause pain and conflict to ourselves and others, it is impossible for the mind to become settled, collected, and focused in meditation; it is...
Coconut-Lime Baked Sweet Potatoes | A Recipe from Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind
A Recipe to Relax and Calm Rajas SERVES 2–4 These twice-baked sweet potatoes are divine and a feast for the eyes. They are easy to make and offer a calming mixture of digestive spices, along with the smooth, sweet taste of sweet potato and coconut milk. Serve them open-faced, sprinkled with cilantro and mustard seed. 2 medium sweet potatoes 2 Tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for rubbing on potato skins before baking ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk Juice of ½...
What Is Reality? | An Excerpt from Become What You Are
Life and Reality People often say that they are looking for Reality and that they are trying to live. I wonder what that means? Some time ago a group of people were sitting in a restaurant, and one of them asked the others to say what they meant by Reality. There was much vague discussion, much talk of metaphysics and psychology, but one of those present, when asked his opinion, simply shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the saltshaker. He...
The Practice of Loving-Kindness | An Excerpt from Comfortable with Uncertainty
Seven-Step Practice To move from aggression to unconditional loving-kindness can seem like a daunting task. But we start with what’s familiar. The instruction for cultivating limitless maitri is to first find the tenderness that we already have. We touch in with our gratitude or appreciation—our current ability to feel goodwill. In a very nontheoretical way we contact the soft spot of bodhichitta. Whether we find it in the tenderness of feeling love or the vulnerability of feeling lonely is immaterial....
Why Go beyond Gender? | An Excerpt from Buddhism beyond Gender
Rejecting the Idea of Gender Roles The Prison of Gender Roles What “it” has a greater hold on people’s imaginations or limits them more than ideas about what biological sex must mean, what I call “the prison of gender roles”? Almost all conventional people—often called “ordinary worldlings” in Buddhist texts—as well as many Buddhists hold fast to the notion that sex and gender must mean something definitive and incontrovertible. I cannot count the number of times convinced, sincere Buddhists who...
Visitation-Land Dog Nature | An Excerpt from No-Gate Gateway
A Dog Too Has Buddha-Nature A monk asked Master Visitation-Land: “A dog too has Buddha-nature, no?” “Absence,” Land replied. No-Gate’s Comment To penetrate the depths of Ch’an, you must pass through the gateway of our ancestral patriarchs. And to fathom the mysteries of enlightenment, you must cut off the mind-road completely. If you don’t pass through the ancestral gateway, if you don’t cut off the mind-road, you live a ghost’s life, clinging to weeds and trees. What is this gateway...
Embodied Freedom
The Traditions of Passover by David Jaffe, author of Changing the World from the Inside Out The Passover prayer book, or Haggadah, that my family used when I was growing was in English, Hebrew, and transliteration of the Hebrew. The story told is that when I was nine years old, I cut out strips of white paper and taped them over the English and transliteration, wanting only to read the original Hebrew language. A sure sign of a budding zealot...
The View | An Excerpt from The Sound of Cherry Blossoms
Clarify Your Definitions We have all been in gardens—even very costly ones—that we find oddly uninspiring. There are the landscapes around mansions where money has been lavished on moving trees, building pools, patios, and fire pits, and planting lush lawns, yet we don’t much enjoy being in those spaces and may even find them stale and uncomfortable. People can spend a lot for a deeply unsatisfying garden. And we have all experienced the small dead spaces outside commercial areas like hotels...
Book Club Discussion | Wild Comfort
“This is something that needs explaining, how light emerges from darkness, how comfort wells up from sorrow. The Earth holds every possibility inside it, and the mystery of transformation, one thing into another. This is the wildest comfort. That’s what this book is about.” (xi) In an effort to make sense of the deaths in quick succession of several loved ones, Kathleen Dean Moore turned to the comfort of the wild, making a series of solitary excursions into ancient forests,...
The F-Word | An Excerpt from The Logic of Faith
Introduction This entire book hinges on the word faith. You may assume that you know what that means. You may think that it has a single, clear definition. But words are not definitive structures: one word can have limitless—even opposing—meanings. Language morphs over time, and words take on different meanings depending on their contexts. You’ll likely find as many definitions of faith as there are people to define it. Try asking around. Just to give you an idea of some...
Freedom Fighter | An Excerpt from The Revolutionary Life of Freda Bedi
British Feminist, Indian Nationalist, Buddhist Nun Freda’s Mission Her home and working life established, Freda threw herself wholeheartedly into her mission to free India from imperialism and to bring justice and equality to the poor and downtrodden. She traveled all over the Punjab by foot, often taking Ranga with her, going from village to village, absorbing the land and its people, raising their consciousness about the struggle for freedom. She stayed in their huts, ate their food, learned their songs,...
An Everyday Approach to the Ayurvedic Diet
Practical Aspects for Success by Kate O’Donnell, author of Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind & The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook Natural, Seasonal, and Dosha-Specific Diet Helping clients understand the medicinal aspects of food is one thing, while inspiring them to purchase, prepare, and enjoy beneficial foods can be another challenge altogether. Based on personal experience and observation of clients, I am a firm believer in the importance of a natural, seasonal, and dosha-specific diet. Twenty years ago, my first...
The Past | An Excerpt from Integral Buddhism
Historical Introduction The Unique Features of Buddhism Buddhism is a unique spiritual system in many ways, while also sharing some fundamental similarities with the other Great Wisdom Traditions of humankind. But perhaps one of the most unique features is its understanding, in some schools, that its own system is evolving or developing. This is generally expressed in the notion of the “Three Great Turnings” of Buddhism, or three major stages of unfolding that Buddhism itself has undergone. These three Turnings...
Thomas Merton, “Honorary Beatnik”
Thomas Merton’s Influence on the Beats by Robert Inchausti, author of Hard to Be a Saint in the City Thomas Merton, “Honorary Beatnik” It’s hard to say exactly when Thomas Merton became an “Honorary Beatnik.” One could chase the association all the way back to the mid-thirties when, as an undergraduate at Columbia, he first became friends with the hipster Seymour Freedgood, the bohemian poet Robert Lax, and the painter Ad Reinhardt. But it wasn’t until much later that Beat “icons” Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouac, and Gary Snyder all...
Wisdom | An Excerpt from The Bodhisattva Guide
A Commentary on The Way of the Bodhisattva by H. H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Many Kinds of Wisdom 1. All these branches of the Doctrine The Enlightened Sage expounded for the sake of wisdom. Therefore they must cultivate this wisdom Who wish to have an end of suffering. There are many kinds of wisdom. There is, for example, the relative type of wisdom gained through the study of the five major traditional sciences. There is also the...
Why Buddhism for Black America Now? | An Excerpt from Taming the Ox
The Buddhist, Black Experience Originally published in 2014 What I propose is a spiritual revolution. —His Holiness the Dalai Lama The State of Black America In his 1970 work, Buddhist Ethics, Hammalawa Saddhatissa writes in the preface, “Strictly speaking, Buddhism is not a religion in the generally accepted sense of the word, and it would be more accurate to describe it as an ethico-philosophy to be practiced by each follower. And it is only by practice, by an uphill spiritual...
Chögyam Trungpa: A Reader’s Guide
Chögyam Trungpa’s legacy is nearly impossible to measure, but one gauge is his literary output. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s impact on the transmission of Buddhism to the West cannot be overstated. In the quarter century he spent in the West, he taught tens of thousands of students, in many cases introducing them to Buddhism for the first time. His legacy is nearly impossible to measure, but one gauge is his literary output. Shambhala has published about three dozen unique books by,...
Our Longing for Freedom | An Excerpt from The Five Longings
From Compliance to Choice All experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer . . . than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But . . . it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. —Declaration of Independence What Is Freedom? Freedom, at its most basic, is the right and ability to make and act on our own...
Sacred Are the Trees
Sacred Are the Trees: A Retelling of Ancient Stories from Biographies of the Buddha by Wendy Garling, author of Stars at Dawn Why Trees? Those familiar with the Buddha’s biography know that all major events in his life took place under trees. He was born under a shala tree (shorea robusta), for example, as his mother Maya stood upright and grasped a branch with her right hand. Young prince Siddhartha experienced his first deep meditation under a rose-apple tree. Years...
The Anatomy of a Common Tibetan Ritual | An Excerpt from Indestructible Truth
The Anatomy of a Common Tibetan Ritual: The Lhasang The lhasang—literally ‘‘higher purification offering,’’ which may be glossed as ‘‘invocation of the higher beings’’—is one of the most common rituals in traditional Tibet. While some rituals are performed strictly for temporal ends and others for spiritual ends, the lhasang is interesting because it is performed for both mundane and supermundane purposes. And, while most rituals are directed to a particular being, the lhasang is a broad invocation that calls upon...
Yoga, Fascia, and the Feeling of Being Me
by Tias Little, author of Yoga of the Subtle Body What is Fascia? In the same way that a fish swims in water and a bird flies through the air, fascia is the way we move. Every time you practice triangle pose or the camel, you stretch an entire network of cellophane-like tissue (“cling-wrap” if you are in the UK) from your feet to the crown of your head. Fascia, or connective tissue, is everywhere in the body. It wraps...
Self-Care | An Excerpt from Be Mindful & Stress Less
Self-Care As the well-known columnist Ariana Huffington notes, “We take better care of our smartphones than we do ourselves.” When you take care of yourself, you are saying to yourself that you matter. Engaging in self-care doesn’t mean you are selfish. You can’t care for anyone else until you first take care of yourself. Then you can model for others how to take care of themselves. Be For Yourself When a phone’s battery is almost out of power, the phone...
The Essence of Wisdom | An Excerpt from Beyond the Ordinary Mind
The Essence of Wisdom: How to Sustain the Face of Rigpa by Jamgön Mipham To the glorious primordial protector, I pay homage! There are three stages to sustaining the essence of rigpa: (1) recognition, (2) perfecting the strength, and (3) gaining stability. At first, refine your understanding until, through the guru’s instructions, you come to see the actual face of rigpa, nakedly and without intellectual speculation. Once you arrive at certainty, it is crucially important that you sustain rigpa’s essence by...
Meditation Looks Inward, Poetry Holds Forth | An Excerpt from Hard to Be a Saint in the City
We have excerpted part of the chapter “Meditation Looks Inward, Poetry Holds Forth: Is There a Beat Way of Writing?” from Hard to Be a Saint in the City: The Spiritual Vision of the Beats here. In this book, Robert Inchausti explores the Beat canon to reveal that the movement was at its heart a spiritual one. It goes deeper than the Buddhism with which many of the key figures became identified. It’s about their shared perception of an existence in which...
This Deepest Self | An Excerpt from The Truth of This Life
We have excerpted the chapter “This Deepest Self” from The Truth of This Life: Zen Teachings on Loving the World as It Is here. “The truth and joy of this life is that we cannot change things as they are.” The import of those words can be found beautifully expressed in the work of the woman who spoke them, Katherine Thanas (1927–2012)—in her art, in her writing, and especially in her Zen teaching. Fearlessly direct and endlessly curious, Katherine’s understanding of Zen was...
Book Club Discussion | Wave in the Mind
Each month, the Shambhala employees gather to discuss a new book as part of our Shambhala Publications Book Club. After each meeting, we will be sharing the notes from our discussion with you to spark your own thoughts and conversations, which you can share in the comments below. Our January pick was The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination by Ursula K. Le Guin. Book Description The Wave in the Mind...
Book Club Discussion | Single White Monk
Single White Monk by Shozan Jack Haubner is a prescient book—not only for its teachings, which are deeply rooted in real-life stories and the humble wisdom that comes from making mistakes and learning to face them, but for its lack of pretension around issues involving sexual abuse and all the opinions, hurt, and life-changing consequences that can, and do, go on because of a scandal. As this is something that is highly relevant in our current socio-political climate, this book has...
Kalu Rinpoche and the Translation of The Treasury of Knowledge
From Sarah Harding’s preface to Book 8, Part 4. Khyabjé Kalu Rinpoché visited Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1986 to consecrate the Bodhi Stupa that had been constructed at his dharma center. Many of his lamas and students were gathered for the occasion, as well as visiting teachers and the general public. It was a joyful reunion for many of us who were scattered in the ten directions and rarely had the opportunity to come together. Although in no position...
A Readers Guide to the Sakya Master Chogyal Phakpa
Chogyal Phagpa Drogon Chogyal Phagpa, better known to the world as Chogyal Phagpa (or Phakpa) is one of the five great founding masters from the Sakya tradition in Tibet. This 13th century master was the nephew of Sakya Pandita. Before going into the various resources in print and online, included below is his biography of Lama Migmar Tseten’s Treasures of the Sakya Lineage. “Drogon Chogyal Phagpa was born amid excellent signs to Sakya Pandita’s younger brother, Zangtsa Sonam Gyaltsen (1184‒1239),...
Everyday Ayurveda Cooking Sampler | Free Download
Enter your email to receive your beautiful, printable PDF. Start reading Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind by Kate O’Donnell before it comes out in March! This sampler includes an introduction to Ayurveda (its history, the power of digestion, how the five elements combine into the three doshas), plus recipes for a calming drink, nourishing lunches, and a wholesome dessert! Email Address * *You are agreeing to receive announcements from Shambhala Publications. You may unsubscribe at any time....
The Most Popular Posts from the Yoga for Healthy Aging Blog
by Nina Zolotow, author of Yoga for Healthy Aging Because the sixth anniversary of the Yoga for Healthy Aging blog is coming up next week, I thought I’d check to see what our nine most popular—or at least most viewed—posts were over all time. (Nine seems like a random number but for some reason that’s the number the Blogger uses.) Here are the results! I don’t know about you but I’m always surprised when I look at this list. Some...
Offering Realization | An Excerpt from The Supreme Siddhi of Mahamudra
We have excerpted the chapter “Offering Realization: In the Presence of Pagmo Drupa” from The Supreme Siddhi of Mahamudra: Teachings, Poems, and Songs of the Drukpa Kagyu Lineage here. The Drukpa Kagyu lineage is renowned among the traditions of Vajrayana Buddhism for producing some of the greatest yogis from across the Himalayas. After spending many years in mountain retreats, these meditation masters displayed miraculous signs of spiritual accomplishment that have inspired generations of Buddhist practitioners. The teachings found here are sources...
The Fourth Trimester Giveaway
Win a Copy of The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson!Enter your name and email below to be entered to win 1 of 10 copies! First Name * Email Address * You are agreeing to receive promotional messages from Shambhala Publications and Kimberly Ann Johnson. You may unsubscribe at any time. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email on March 1, 2018.
The Boy without a Name or The Boy Who Lives by Himself | An Unfinished Story by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
The Boy without a Name or The Boy Who Lives by Himself is an unfinished story written by Chögyam Trungpa at an unknown date. We would like to invite you to read what Chögyam Trungpa wrote and write your own ending to the story. You can post your writing in the comments below. I am the boy who lives by himself. I don’t do anything in particular, I just live—that’s the way I am. I spend my life playing and I make up...
Impermanence | An Excerpt from Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind
We have excerpted the chapter “Impermanence” from Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume 1 here. Written in the fourteenth century, this text is the first volume of Longchenpa’s Trilogy of Rest, a work of the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. This profound and comprehensive presentation of the Buddhist view and path combines the scholastic expository method with direct pith instructions designed for yogi practitioners. To order the full book, click here. 1. So now you have your...
Yoga for Balance | An Excerpt from Yoga for Healthy Aging
We have excerpted the chapter “Yoga for Balance” from Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being by Baxter Bell and Nina Zolotow. This chapter describes balance, how yoga can improve balance, and yoga practices to increase your balance. Click here to read “Yoga for Balance” from Yoga for Healthy Aging. Our friends at Brentwood Yoga in Brentwood, California. Related Books
Meditation on the Third Eye
by Tias Little, author of Yoga of the Subtle Body Meditation on the third-eye center is one of the most classic of all techniques in subtle body training. I have been revisiting the potency of this practice and wanted to share a few thoughts. The bridge of the nose is called the Nasya Mula, or Root of the Nose. There is a marma point in Ayurveda associated with this location in the region between your eyebrows. Look at an anatomy...
Breathing Practice
by Tias Little, author of Yoga of the Subtle Body More than anything it is important to come to know the quality of our own breath. In the beginning, I used to strive to expand my breath in the same way I actively stretched in a yoga posture. But I have learned that it is important, imperative really, not to “push the river of your breath.” Rather, it is best to follow the current of your breath—that is to sense...
Readers’ Picks
In thinking about year-end gifts, we want to share what YOU have to say. Below are some lovely quotations from readers on their favorite Shambhala books. Do you have one to add? Please comment at the bottom! “This book showed me a different way, a way to devote discipline of both my body and mind.” —Clint “As a therapist, I recommend this to anyone seeking permanent life change realistically.” —Paul “If there is one book in my collection that I...
Book Club Discussion | The Buddha Walks into the Office
The Buddha Walks into the Office seemed a particularly apt choice for our Shambhala office book club. After all, if anyone should aspire to an awake, uplifted workplace, it should be us. We dove in to see if Lodro Rinzler, teacher in the Shambhala tradition and founder of MNDFL meditation studios in New York, had any tips for us. If you’re reading along, please comment at the bottom of this guide and let us know if The Buddha Walks into...
Coming to Your Senses in Yoga Poses
by Nina Zolotow, author of Yoga for Healthy Aging Asana works to steady the mind through a focus on physical sensation, breath, or drishti (gaze). If we can bring that same focus into our Accessible Yoga practice, we quickly realize that the outward appearance of a pose is not a sign of whether or not someone is practicing yoga. What’s important is the mental focus and engagement. —Jivana Heyman I think this is a very good summation of what practicing...
Salamba Prasarita Padottanasana | An Excerpt from Restore & Rebalance
We have excerpted the chapter “Salamba Prasarita Padottanasana: Supported Wide-Legged Forward Bend” from Restore and Rebalance by Judith Hanson Lasater. This chapter describes how to complete the Salamba Prasarita Padottanasana or Supported Wide-Legged Forward Bend pose. Click here to read “Salamba Prasarita Padottanasana: Supported Wide-Legged Forward Bend” from Restore and Rebalance Related Books
Children of the Buddha
by Rebecca Hazell The Buddha is well known in popular culture. He is seen as wise, benign, friendly, and peaceful. You can find commercialized representations of him in images ranging from good luck Ho Tai figures to garden statues of him sitting and typing on a laptop. Imagine what a ruckus would ensue if Jesus or Muhammad were depicted like that. It’s taken for granted that the Buddha would laugh at the laptop or smile gently, maybe sadly, and move...
Busy Days | An Excerpt from Relax and Renew
We have excerpted the chapter “Busy Days” from Relax and Renew by Judith Hanson Lasater. This chapter describes three series that bring restorative yoga into your busy life. The first one you can practice at home or on vacation; the second is for the office; the third is for when you’re on the go. Click here to read “Busy Days” from Relax and Renew. Related Books
Skillful Communication in a Digital Age
By Taylor Sumner Student Intern, Prajna Studios I feel so frustrated by my habit of reaching for my phone the moment I open my eyes. Something about the blue-white light, the information, the advertisements in the space I use to rest and reset feels wrong. Starting my day with such a wave of content feels like I am taking away the chance for my heart and mind to approach the day on their own terms. I have been acutely...
The Sweeper Printable Coloring Page Excerpt
The Sweeper: A Buddhist Tale by Rebecca Hazell tells the story of Padme, a young servant girl, who meets the Buddha as she is sweeping her master’s house. When she laments that she is so busy that she would never have time to meditate, the Buddha gives her the instruction to “sweep and clean.” This simple mindfulness practice transforms Padme’s life, and when she encounters the Buddha many years later, he teaches her how to send compassion out to others. We...
Book Club Discussion | Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Each month, the Shambhala employees gather to discuss a new book as part of our Shambhala Publications Book Club. After each meeting, we will be sharing the notes from our discussion with you to spark your own thoughts and conversations. Our October pick was Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryu Suzuki. Book Description In the forty years since its original publication, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind has become one of the great modern spiritual classics,...
Book Club Discussion | Trump and a Post-Truth World
Each month, the Shambhala employees gather to discuss a new book as part of our Shambhala Publications Book Club. After each meeting, we will be sharing the notes from our discussion with you to spark your own thoughts and conversations. Our September pick was Trump and a Post-Truth World by Ken Wilber. Book Description The world is in turmoil. As populist waves roil the Brexit-bound UK, along with Europe, Turkey, Russia, Asia—and most visibly, the US with the election of...
Suffering and the End of Suffering | An Excerpt from Touching the Infinite
We have excerpted a portion of chapter one entitled, “Suffering and the End of Suffering,” from Touching the Infinite: A New Perspective on the Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness here. To order the full book, click here. During a question-and-answer period after a meditation session I was leading, a student asked where meditation was taking us. He said he was confused by my referencing different end points. Sometimes I would talk about the end of suffering, other times the open heart, and...
Samsara | An Excerpt from An Ocean of Blessings
We have excerpted the chapter “Samsara” from An Ocean of Blessings: Heart Teachings of Drubwang Penor Rinpoche here. This inspiring work is the first available collection of teachings by one of the most well-known Nyingmapa masters of the twentieth century, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. To order the full book, click here. Everyone in this world wants perfect comfort and happiness. Not a single being wants to suffer. If we exert ourselves, we may be able to create a comfortable situation, but no matter...
Trusting in Self | An Excerpt from The Light That Shines through Infinity
We have excerpted a portion of chapter one from The Light That Shines through Infinity: Zen and the Energy of Life here. To order the full book, click here. Zen Buddhism is not a philosophy like rationalism or empiricism; Zen is actual life. But when you study Zen, sometimes it may seem that Zen denies the value of intellectual understanding and depends only on direct experience. For example, I’m always telling people how they can learn the meaning of zazen meditation, but...
Coloring Yantras Printable Page Excerpt
MATANGI: Knowledge This yantra is ideal if you’re studying esoteric subjects, music, or art. ARCHETYPE The Knowledge Yantra is associated with the wild and mystical goddess Matangi, who lives by her own laws outside society in the forest. Her presence is said to purify society’s thinking through her innovative interpretation of the scriptures, art, and music. COLOR THIS YANTRA TO CULTIVATE Understanding, spiritual wisdom, and creativity. COLORS TO CONSIDER A quirky interplay of deep and light olive green, pink, silver,...
My Journey on Japan’s Kiso Road
Brad Andrews describes his travels to the Kiso Road in Japan inspired by William Scott Wilson’s Walking the Kiso Road. In early April of this year I made a solo trip from Brooklyn, NY, where I live, to Japan. It was my first trip to the East, and one I had contemplated for years before actually making the plunge. I work in publishing and my employer, Penguin Random House, distributes books from Shambhala Publications. One of my favorite books on Japan...
Introduction to The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Vol. 8
CLICK HERE to read the complete introduction from The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Volume Eight. See more about the Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa here.
The Emphasis of the Gelug Tradition in Western Scholarship on Madhyamaka
While its no longer true in many universities, the presentation of Tibetan Buddhism in western academia—and the books that came out of it—was heavily skewed towards the Gelug philosophical view and its traditions. There are various reasons for this, but the following from the Translator’s Introduction of the Padmakara Translation Group’s The Wisdom Chapter: Jamgön Mipham’s Commentary on the Ninth Chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattva presents an interesting explanation, tracing it to the political dominance of the Ganden...
The Phone Fad
by Tias Little My phone is so close to me at all times it is like having a permanent pet. It is like a yo-yo. In my pocket, on the counter, atop the bed covers. When did we decide we would all marry our devices, make the commitment “to have and to hold?” I’d like to think I am not attached. But I’m totally attached. I have gotten into the practice, kind of an anthropological experiment, of watching the way...
Q&A with Kimberly Ann Johnson of The Fourth Trimester
John Spalding & Kimberly Ann Johnson What made you to decide to write The Fourth Trimester? I didn’t set out to write a book, but I have been a harbinger of a message that is to speak about the unspeakable, and I realized that this information had to become common knowledge. When I was a new mother and struggling with a birth injury (although I didn’t even know that was a category), I combed Google to find holistic resources for...
Creating Mandalas Printable Page Excerpt
Sacred geometry refers to designs imbued with symbolic meanings, as well as the techniques used to create those designs. Once thought of as esoteric knowledge, numbers operate in ways that are amazing even by today’s secular standards. The designs presented in Creating Mandalas with Sacred Geometry draw on the vast history of mathematics and philosophy, from Pythagoras—who believed that reflecting on mathematical truths could shift the psyche closer to the divine perfection of the number gods—to the Fibonacci sequence, Jewish mysticism, and...
Everyday Ayurveda: Maintaining Balance Through the Change of Seasons
By Taylor Sumner The first days of autumn have come. With the help of Ayurvedic practice and recipes from Kate O‘Donnell‘s Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook, we explore valuable adjustments to our everyday routines that can help maintain balance through this transitional time. As the mornings grow cooler and the heaviness of summer air begins to dissipate, it becomes time to lean into the change of seasons through adjustments to one’s lifestyle and diet. The beginning of the fall season is an ideal time to...
Who Is Milarepa?
Milarepa, the famous Tibetan yogi, lives on through his joyous, instructional songs and poetry. Both the new translation of The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, from Christopher Stagg, and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s exploration of his life in Milarepa: Lessons from the Life & Songs of Tibet’s Great Yogi bring new light to the resonance Milarepa’s story still carries centuries later. Milarepa is remembered for his remarkable determination and personal growth. His inspiring story traces the very familiar, human progression from confusion to clarity. Early in his life, Milarepa came to understand tenants...
The Offering of the Pigeon Goddess Girl | Excerpt From The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa
In this excerpt, Milarepa is visited by eight goddesses who arrive in the form of pigeons to hide themselves “from people with negativity.” The goddesses perform magic that reveals their bodily forms, and request that Milarepa come to the divine world to teach them the dharma. Milarepa explains the fleeting pleasures of both the divine and material worlds, states his dedication to the realm of humans, and warns that trusting the dharma through suffering and confusion will be difficult. The...
Awe and Love in the New Year
by David Jaffe The Jewish calendar, like all religious systems, has particular ways of marking spiritual time. A weekly sabbath beckons us to stop, prayers for the new lunar month remind us of the constant opportunity for renewal, and the High Holy Days bring us face-to-face with our own mortality. These days are spiritual opportunities pregnant with possibility. We stand at this moment between the two most recognizable and holy days of the year—Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Bursting with...
Book Club Discussion | Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa
by Kate White Kate, our Production Coordinator/Designer, sums up our August meeting of the new Shambhala Publications Book Club! August’s book selection was Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. We invite you to take part by sharing your comments below. There are a lot of different kinds of people who work at Shambhala Publications. We come from a wide array of backgrounds, and each of us has a unique story about how we found our way into our...
The Nyingma Summer Seminar: Reflections on a Buddhist Retreat
By Sanje Phillips This July, I attended the Nyingma Summer Seminar at the Mangala Shri Bhuti retreat land in Ward, Colorado, with Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel (wife), and Dungse Jampal Norbu (son). Over one hundred attendees with varied demographics sat daily meditation sessions, participated in the teachings, endured periods of silence and the usual “plain but healthy” retreat food. My experience was resoundingly positive, as we had an opportunity to explore the depths of many traditional and profound Buddhist teachings. All...
Talking with Jan Chozen Bays About Mindful Eating
Food: A Way to Contentedness and Connection An interview on the publication of the expanded edition of her book Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food By Dave O’Neal Shambhala: What, in a nutshell, is “mindful eating”? Jan Chozen Bays: Mindful eating is deliberately paying full attention to what you are eating or drinking, without criticism or judgement. The last part, “without criticism of judgement,” is very important, since so many people are under constant attack by...
Shambhala Editor Dave O’Neal and Author Roger Lipsey Discuss the Legacy of Thomas Merton and His Relationship to James Fox
A Quality of Being By Dave O’Neal We talk with Roger Lipsey about his book Make Peace Before the Sun Goes Down: The Long Encounter of Thomas Merton and His Abbot, James Fox 2018 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the death of the most famous Trappist monk of modern times—or perhaps of all time—Thomas Merton. From his life of extreme silence and seclusion he became a pioneer in the religious dialogue between East and West, a force in the intellectual...
Overcoming Adversaries in Meditation Practice
Tim Drugan-Eppich shares his thoughts on his meditation practice and the five adversaries that his mind frequently uses to discourage him from continuing his practice. Tim, along with his girlfriend, run a blog for anyone looking for advice on topics ranging from finances and cooking, to health and dating, or for those just curious about how others tackle adulthood. Visit their website at TriedbyTwo.com. “Change yourself—you are in control.” —Mahatma Gandhi The mind doesn’t take kindly to requests for silence. It prides...
Yeshé Tsogyal: Mother of the Victorious Ones
In this chapter from The Life and Visions of Yeshé Tsogyal, Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown explains some of the travails Yeshé Tsogyal went through, including a contested betrothal and a journey through hell, to become the mother of the buddhas, accomplished in faith, courage, and kindness. To order the full book, click here. by Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown In 1959, my root guru, Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, narrowly escaped with his life in the midst of fleeing Tibet with a large group of devotees. He...
Reflections on Secular Buddhism: An Excerpt from Thinley Norbu
Secular Buddhism is for many an oxymoron. Here, the incomparable teacher Thinley Norbu Rinpoche shares some words on the subject. “There have also been lectures available on the Internet about “the secular Buddha.” This kind of negative characterization cannot be given for the origin of all positive qualities. Buddha is ceaseless, everywhere and in every time, unaffected by anything. Buddha means that all obscurations are purified, including the reality phenomena of human beings who think they are either secular or...
Call for Submissions: Bala Kids & The Khyentse Foundation Children’s Book Prize
We are delighted to announce that Shambhala is launching a children’s imprint named Bala Kids in the Fall of 2018. Bala Kids will be devoted to inspiring the next generation through the Buddhist values of compassion and wisdom. With a shared vision to inspire and educate generations to come, and to encourage the development of Buddhist resources for parents and children, Khyentse Foundation and Bala Kids are teaming up to offer the Khyentse Foundation Children’s Book Prize for the best...
Trump and a Post-Truth World Chapter 1
Here, we have excerpted chapter 1 of Trump and a Post-Truth World by Ken Wilber. It will give you a sense of Wilber’s proposition that postmodernism, while leading to many egalitarian victories, has also lead to a crisis of nihilism, narcissism, and anger that has set the stage for President Donald Trump. To order the full book, click here. Chapter 1: Self-Correction at the Leading-Edge On balance, the response to the recent election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States...
First US Air Force Buddhist Chaplain Answers, “Why?”
by Brett Campbell Nobody asks for the chaplain in the good moments. This is an unspoken rule I realized early in my career. Nobody thinks of the chaplain after they’ve delivered a healthy child or they take their first steps following an accident that left them bedbound for weeks. These are the times when life makes sense. We don’t question these experiences. We simply bask in the joy they bring to our hearts. It is in the moments of pain...
The Drikung Kagyu: A Reader’s Guide
Jigten Sumgon, from The Buddhist Art Coloring Book 2 What follows is a guide to some of our books and other resources available on Shambhala.com that relate to the Drikung Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The Drikung lineage comes from Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa through Phagmo Drupa and Jigten Sumgön, who is considered the root of the tradition. His most famous work, the Gongchik, or “Single Intention,” is a collection of profound statements summarizing the entirety of the Buddhist path for which...
The Buddha’s Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path from Chogyam Trungpa’s The Path of Indivdual Liberation, volume One of the Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma There are eight categories of the path of meditation, which are collectively known as the noble eightfold path.* The eight limbs of the noble path are perfect view, perfect understanding, perfect speech, perfect end of karma, perfect livelihood, perfect effort, perfect recollection, and perfect meditation. At the level of the path of seeing, you began to see,...
The Buddha’s First Teaching
One of the commonalities of the many traditions within Buddhism is the centrality of the messages in the Buddha’s very first teaching in Sarnath, shortly after attaining enlightenment in Bodhgaya. He held back from actually teaching the first people he met including the Burmese traders (who tradition tells us brought back some of his hair, which is encased in the incredible Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon) and the naked ascetic Upaka, all of whom were overwhelmed by his presence. The Tibetan...
Happy Birthday Pema Chödrön!
We are proud to be Pema Chödrön’s publisher, and we want to give you the chance to wish her a happy 81st birthday this July 14th. Leave a comment below with your birthday wishes. If you’d like to make a donation to the Pema Chödrön Foundation, you can do so here. PEMA CHÖDRÖN TITLES
Steve Buscemi and Sam Bercholz Discuss A Guided Tour of Hell
Steve Buscemi and Sam Bercholz on the new book A Guided Tour of Hell: A Graphic Memoir
Judging Books by Their Covers: A Defense
by Kate, Production Coordinator/Designer I have a confession to make: I judge books by their covers. And I’m not even sorry about it. I’m baffled by how many amazing books there are in the world that I’ll never have time to read. And there are more being released all the time! It can be so overwhelming to have to choose which books I’m going to make time for and which books I’m just going to have to pass over. There are...
Christianity’s Best-Kept Secret: On Cynthia Bourgeault and The Cloud of Unknowing
“God can be held fast by love, but by thought never.” The questions that arise upon encounter with this and other such confounding lines from the Christian mystical classic The Cloud of Unknowing (What is meant by “God,” anyway? What is love? What can be “known” beyond thought?) are what keep many potential readers from approaching the great fourteenth-century work. But the Cloud was in fact not intended for spiritual professionals or academics. It is a series of intimate instructions...
A Reader’s Guide to Graduation
Graduation means many different things: it means endings as well as new beginnings, celebrations as well as new challenges, uncertainties as well as excitements. This little collection of books—on relationships, change, festivities, and more—will help grads and the people who love them to navigate their rite of passage with grace and support. A LITTLE BOOK OF LOVE The slim volume is packed with profound insights and advice on drawing more love into your life. While its practices and teachings are...
From the Introduction to Asanga’s Bodhisattvabhumi
From Artemus Engle’s introduction to his translation of Asang’a Bodhisattvabhumi A Manual for the Entire Bodhisattva Collection of Discourses I believe it is also reasonable to describe The Stage of a Bodhisattva as a work that represents a new development in the history of the Buddhist Abhidharma tradition and one that focuses exclusively and in a unique manner on the doctrine of the Great Vehicle. At the end of this work, Asanga describes it with a variety of phrases; however,...
A Lecture Series on Asanga’s Bodhisattvabhumi with Translator Artemus Engle
In conjunction with the Tsadra Foundation, premier translator and scholar Artemus Engle brings Asanga’s masterpiece, the Bodhisattvabhumi, to life, unlocking what can be an intimidating text and making its important and power to light. Part 1: Part 2: See also an excerpt from the introduction Art Engle has a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from the University of Wisconsin; adjunct professor, interpreter, and translator; active in the development of a program for teaching Buddhist classics that integrates a study of the...
Padmakara Translation Group Receives the 2017 Shantarakshita Award
Wulstan and Helena at the Asura Cave in Nepal At the June, 2017 Tsadra Translation and Transmission conference which Shambhala Publications was a sponsor of, we were delighted that Wulstan Fletcher and Helena Blankleder were honored with the Shantarakshita award for excellence in translation. Wulstan receiving the award from the Tsadra Foundation’s Eric Colombel To listen to Wulstan discuss he and Helena’s translation process, watch the wonderful video about translating Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva—the whole talk is wonderful but...
An Introduction to the Flower Ornament Sutra
What follows is an excerpt from Entry into the Inconceivable: An Introduction to Hua-Yen Buddhism, the basis of which is the Avatamsaka or Flower Ornament Sutra. This is entire work is included in Classics of Buddhism and Zen, Volume Five To appreciate fully the comprehensive scope and detail of the Huayen teaching, it is necessary of course to delve into the scripture itself. Portions of this immense scripture were among the first Buddhist literature to be introduced to China, and...
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche on Devotion
An Excerpt from Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse’s Guru Drinks Bourbon How to Generate Devotion Most of us think that because we have studied the Dharma for a while we have understood a few things. We may have understood a little, and we may have even had some fleeting experience. If we are aware that this knowledge and experience can always be improved upon and transcended, if we are not satisfied with the little that we have, if we have the courage...
Sakyasribhadra: A Reader’s Guide to the 12th Century Kashmiri Pandita
Image from HAR Sakyasribhadra, also known as Sakyasri or Khache Panchen, was an important Kashmiri pandita in the 12th and early 13th centuries who came to Tibet. His full biography is on the Treasury of Lives site. He has a connection with many of the lineages in Tibet extant during his visit. He is well known in the Sakya tradtion for being one of Sakya Pandita’s teachers. Together they translated Dharmakirti’s Pramanavarttika which Saypan then taught extensively. As described in...
An Excerpt from Coming Home from Tibet
On 14 April 2010, my aunt was wrapping up her prayers and enjoying her morning tea when she felt the windows in her room rattle and the bed beneath her shift. She ran out of her room to join the rest of the family in the yard. “Tsering Wangmo, Kyegu is gone. Everything is gone and I am still here,” she said when I managed to get through to her by phone, hours after an earthquake hit the town of...
A Walk with Dogen into Our Time
Peter Levitt’s introduction to The Essential Dogen In 1954 poet Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem called “Song” that acknowledges the weight of our human circumstance and suffering in a particular and somewhat unusual way. I believe it may also provide a gateway to the following writings by Zen master Eihei Dogen, who addressed the nature of reality as he came to understand the world of people and things through his lifetime practice of Zen. As the poem begins, Ginsberg says:...
Haiku: A Reader’s Guide
Many know haiku as a three-line poem, the first and last lines five syllables long, and the second line, seven. But there is much more to what defines haiku, elements more subtle than prescribed syllable counts or line breaks. In fact, Japanese haiku are typically written in a single column, and many haiku deviate from the syllable count familiar to so many of us. So, what then, makes a haiku a haiku? Demonstrated throughout the haiku tradition is a close...
Samurai and Japanese Culture Reader’s Guide: The Works of Master Translator and Author William Scott Wilson
One of the greatest joys for me as an editor at Shambhala Publications is when I work on books by people I have long admired. This was most definitely the case when Shambhala had the good fortune to become William Scott Wilson’s publisher several years ago. I first encountered his work when I was a young martial arts student; his translation of Takuan Soho’s The Unfettered Mind was a revelation. When, many years later, I began to correspond with him...
The Art of Haiku
From the introduction to The Art of Haiku: Its History through Poems and Paintings by Japanese Masters This book will trace the history of Japanese haiku, including the poetic traditions from which it was born, primarily through the work of leading masters such as Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki, along with a number of other fine poets. Although they are less well-known, haiku calligraphy and haiku-paintings (haiga) of the masters will also be illustrated and discussed as vital elements in the art...
Jalaluddin Rumi : Persia’s Greatest Mystic Poet
An excerpt from Tales of the Land of the Sufis by Mohammad Ali Jamnia andMojdeh Bayat Everyone who is familiar with Eastern mysticism, particularly with Sufism, has heard of Jalaluddin Rumi, for he is one of the most celebrated and most widely translated Sufi teachers of all times. By the same token; students of poetry, especially those interested in Persian studies, look to Rumi’s work as a model for the best poetry in the Persian language. Indeed, the scholars Reynold A....
Ramakrishna on Weeping for God
Who Weeps for God? People shed a whole jug of tears for wife and children. They swim in tears for money. But who weeps for God? Cry to Him with a real cry. Longing is like the rosy dawn. After the dawn out comes the sun. Longing is followed by the vision of God. God reveals Himself to a devotee who feels drawn to Him by the combined force of these three attractions: the attraction of worldly possessions for the...
Lana Wachowski, Writer/Director of “The Matrix,” Interviews Ken Wilber about Brief History
Lana Wachowski: Let’s see . . . always awkward getting started with this kind of thing because there is so much context, so many backstories and memories tucked into various corners of the integral cupboard that would not only help readers understand why I’m sitting on this side of the virtual interview table, but also give them a sense of a relationship that I am grateful for—especially the way every time we talk I immediately feel the same gleeful energy...
Jamgon Kongtrul Reader’s Guide
Jamgön Kongtrul Lodro Thaye was one of the greatest masters of Tibetan history, who the Tibetologist Gene Smith referred to as Tibet’s Leonardo. It’s difficult to imagine a master who was so learned, spent much of his time in retreat, gave countless initiations and teachings, and yet still managed to write 100 volumes inclusive of all the traditions of Buddhism. The Books Shambhala has published twenty-nine titles Kongtrul, wrote, compiled, or is central in. There are eighteen more on the...
Alex Grey’s Artist’s Prayer in The Mission of Art
Creator of the universe, How infinite and astonishing Are your worlds. Thank you For your sacred art And sustaining presence Divine Imagination, Forgive my blindness, Open all my eyes. Reveal the light of truth. Let original beauty Guide my every stroke. Universal Creativity, Flow through me, From my heart Through my mind to my hand, Infuse my work with spirit To feed hungry souls. Art spans human history, from prelinguistic cavedweller to postmodern city dweller, and stands as witness...
Tibetan Language Reader’s Guide
Interested in learning Tibetan or deepening your existing Tibetan language skills? Below is a guide to help you choose the right resources for your needs. We offer two tracks: one for those who plan on traveling or spending a longer period of time in India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Tibet; and another for those who are focused on classical written Tibetan for academic or practice purposes. Spoken and Written Modern Tibetan Learning Practical Tibetan This book, for the casual traveler...
Samurai Wisdom Stories: The Archery Contest
With the introduction of firearms, the art of bow shooting was in danger of disappearing. However, this art was one of the principal disciplines of bushido, the Way of the Samurai. As a means of keeping this tradition alive, the annual Toshiya archery contest was instituted. The site of the contest was a temple in Kyoto known as Sanjusangen-do, famous for its thousand buddha statues. The shooting took place in a covered galley about sixty meters long. The difficulty for...
Korean Zen: A Reader’s Guide
People in the West widely associate Zen with Japan—so much so that the Japanese word Zen has entered the English vocabulary as the common word of choice when referring to the tradition. And to some extent, the tradition is also well known for its Chinese roots. But less known is the extraordinarily rich and unique Zen heritage from Korea (there known as Seon). Although there are precious few resources on the Korean Seon tradition in English, Shambhala Publications is pleased...
The Art of War: A Reader’s Guide to the Way of Leadership and Strategy
For millennia, the classic book of strategy known as The Art of War has been one of the most influential guides to navigating conflict—read and studied not only by military tacticians but by leaders and thinkers of all types. But in many ways, its title is a misnomer. For its author, Sun Tzu (c. 544–496 B.C.E.), the most masterful strategists are able to thwart war altogether by skillfully managing conflicts. Still, Sun Tzu also recognizes that conflicts—even the horrors of...
What to Read this Valentine’s Day
by Lindsay Michko Whether you’re single, in relationship, or “it’s complicated,” February 14th is a day of super-charged emotions: the bliss of being in love, the pangs of loneliness, the bittersweet imperfections of relationship, and everything in between. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, the following titles are sure to heighten your Valentine’s Day. For the Poet Love Haiku: Japanese Poems of Yearning, Passion, and Remembrance translated and edited by Patricia Donegan, with Yoshie Ishibashi The beauty...
The Thirteen Core Indian Buddhist Texts: A Reader’s Guide
There are thirteen classics of Indian Mahayana philosophy, still used in Tibetan centers of education throughout Asia and beyond. They cover the subjects of vinaya, abhidharma, Yogacara, Madhyamika, and the path of the Bodhisattva. They are some of the most frequently quoted texts found in works written from centuries ago to today. Below is a reader’s guide to these works. Khenpo Shenga, who penned influential commentaries on all 13 texts. 1. Pratimokṣha Sūtra The first text is the Sutra for...
Kalachakra Tantra Reader’s Guide
What Is Kalachakra Tantra? The Kalachakra, or “Wheel of Time,” tantra and cycles of teachings and practices are, on the surface, well known among practitioners and those interested in Tibetan Buddhism. Yet it is considered one of the highest teachings of tantra—a highly complex one where initiates take many years accomplishing the practice. The visualization for an advanced practitioner involves 722 figures in the mandala. One of the reasons for its notoriety is that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has bestowed the...
A Reader’s Guide to Greening Your Bookshelf
by Lindsay Michko As spring begins, warmer temperatures and longer days call upon us to deepen our connection to the natural world. We begin spending more time outside and taking notice of all the new growth and colors popping up in the world around us. As a celebration of Earth Day, Shambhala Publications has compiled a guide to books that will help readers to continue to connect to and celebrate the Earth, no matter the season. Mindfully Green: A Personal...
The Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita
From the introduction of Ravi Ravindra’s Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad means “blessed”; Gita means “song.” The Bhagavad Gita is The Song of the Blessed One, although the title is often rendered as The Song of the Blessed Lord, referring to Krishna, an incarnation of the Highest Divinity. The title is also written as Bhagavadgita when the two words are compounded. Within the Hindu tradition, the Bhagavad Gita is regarded as a smriti (that which is remembered) text rather than a shruti...
From the Foreword to the Reality of Being: The Fourth Way of Gurdjieff
George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (1866–1949) regarded knowledge of reality—what he called true “knowledge of being”—as a stream flowing from remote antiquity, passed on from age to age, from people to people, from race to race. He viewed this knowledge as the indispensable means to achieve inner freedom, liberation. For those who seek to understand the meaning of human life in the universe, he said, the aim of the search is to break through to this stream, to find it. Then there...
A. H. Almaas’s Introduction to the Diamond Approach
A.H. Almaas’ foreword from John Davis’ The Diamond Approach: An Introduction to the Teachings of A. H. Almaas I never intended to create the Diamond Approach. It emerged and developed under its own intelligence and dynamics. It is true I am the primary person responsible for presenting it, but I have been more a vehicle and, much of the time, a guinea pig than one who intentionally developed it. At the beginning, I had no idea that a particular complete...
The Nature of People from Mastering the Art of War
Knowing People An excerpt from Mastering the Art of War. Composed by two prominent statesmen-generals of classical China, this book develops the strategies of Sun Tzu’s classic, The Art of War, into a complete handbook of organization and leadership. The great leaders of ancient China who were trained in Sun Tzu’s principles understood how war is waged successfully, both materially and mentally, and how victory and defeat follow clear social, psychological, and environmental laws. Nothing is harder to see into than...
Integral Theory Primer: A Reader’s Guide to Ken Wilber by Ali Akalin
Ali Akalin was born in Turkey, and grew up in Thailand and the Netherlands. Ali is a writer, editor, and teacher at Core Integral. He works closely with Clint Fuhs and Ken Wilber in developing in-depth courses on Integral Theory. Ali currently holds an MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. He would like to invite anyone interested in learning Integral Theory to check out www.coreintegral.com for a curriculum specifically structured to the Integral Approach. In his own words…...
The Energy of Life from Eva Wong’s Being Taoist
Understanding the Energy of Life An excerpt from Eva Wong’s Being Taoist Laozi said the following: The valley spirit that does not die is the Mysterious Female. The gate of the Mysterious Female is the root of the sky and the earth. Heshang Gong (202–157 b.c.e.), known as the Sage of the River, added the following: Valley means protection. If we are able to protect the spirit, we will live long and never die. The spirit guards the five viscera....
Taoism Fundamentals with Eva Wong
Eva Wong is a practitioner of the Xiantianwujimen (Primordial Limitless Gate) lineage of qigong, the Quanzhen (Complete Reality) lineage of meditation, and the Wudangshan (Wudang Mountain) lineage of martial arts. She is the author and translator of over fourteen books on Taoism. In her own words… Tales of the Taoist Immortals by Eva Wong Growing up in Hong Kong and brought up in the Chinese culture, I developed an interest in Taoism when I was about nine years old. My...
Mad Monk: An Excerpt from Zen Confidential
A lot of pissed-off people wind up at our monastery. This place has a tractor beam like the Death Star’s in Star Wars that pulls in anyone within a thousand-mile radius with a four-letter word on the tip of his or her tongue. Her marriage tanked; he’s got an itch in his brain he just can’t scratch; she’s forty-five and smells of cabbage and lives in a small studio apartment and nobody ever calls her back. . . . They...
The Levels of Study of the Karma Kagyu at Larung Gar
We were very pleased to host a talk with Khenpo Jamyang of Larung Gar in Golok on Monday, April 18th, 2016 who discussed the Kagyu curriculum at the largest center of Buddhist study and practice in the world. The talk is available as a video here. Below is a list of the texts that Khenpo will be discussing and include what is available in English translation so interested readers can read these texts, or in some cases read about...
Kharchen Pelgyi Wangchuk
This series of blog posts are meant to be resources guides to complement the biographies of the great masters and scholars on the Treasury of Lives site. Kharchen Pelgyi Wangchuk, from the Shechen Archives The biography in the Treasury of Lives site (http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Pelgyi-Wangchuk/490), like several other sources, alludes to Kharchen Pelgyi Wangchuk possibly being Yeshe Tsogyal’s brother. However, in Yeshe Tsogyal’s biography by Gyalwa Changchub and Namkhai Nyingpo which was discovered by the Terton Samten Lingpa and published in English...
Langdro Konchok Jungne Reader’s Guide
This series of blog posts are meant to be resources guides to complement the biographies of the great masters and scholars on the Treasury of Lives site. Langdro Konchok Jungne, from the Shechen Archives Langdro Konchok Jungne, also known as Langdro Lotsawa, was another of the twenty-five main disciples of Guru Rinpoche and was minister in the court of King Trisong Deutsen. In Lady of the Lotus-Born, we hear how Guru Rinpoche “gave the Chinlap Lamai Druplung and the sadhanas...
Mandarava Reader’s Guide
This series of blog posts are meant to be resources guides to complement the biographies of the great masters and scholars on the Treasury of Lives site. Mandarava Mandarava Mandarava was one of the great 8th century adepts and was one of the main consorts of Guru Rinpoche. As such a central figure at the time of Guru Rinpoche, she is a focus of many works. A wonderful complete biography was published by our friends at Wisdom Publications as The...
Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe
This series of blog posts are meant to be resources guides to complement the biographies of the great masters and scholars on the Treasury of Lives site. Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe, from the Shechen Archives Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe, also known as Sokpo Lhapal, was a direct disciple of both Guru Rinpoche and Nyak Jnanakumara and then later became the teacher of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe. In Masters of Meditation and Miracles, Tulku Thondup Rinpoche relateshow Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe was...
Nyak Jñānakumara Reader’s Guide
This series of blog posts are meant to be resources guides to complement the biographies of the great masters and scholars on the Treasury of Lives site. Nyak Jñ?nakumara, from the Shechen Archives Nyak Jñānakumara, also known as Yeshe Zhonnu was ordained by Santarakshita and was a student of Guru Rinpoche, Vairotsana, and Yudra Nyingpo but is better known for his Vajrakilaya practiced he received through Vimalamitra. He worked alongside Vimalamitra translating the mahyoga and atiyoga tantras, including The Guhyagarbha...
Denma Tsemang the Translator and Calligrapher
This series of blog posts are meant to be resources guides to complement the biographies of the great masters and scholars on the Treasury of Lives site. Denma Tsemang Image from the ToL Site Denma Tsemang was another of Guru Rinpoche’s 25 chief disciples, famed for his calligraphy and, later, his translation skills and of course his practice. Gyalwa Changchub and Namkhai Nyingpo in their terma, later revealed by Terton Taksham Samten Lingpa and translated into English as Lady of...
My Reincarnation, featuring Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
We’re proud to share about My Reincarnation, a documentary featuring Snow Lion author Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. It is available online. Visit his author page to view the full selection. This offer is valid through the end of June. The trailer is available here. Watch My Reincarnation – Trailer on PBS. See more from POV. Synopsis Filmed over 20 years by acclaimed documentarian Jennifer Fox, My Reincarnation chronicles the epic story of exiled Tibetan Buddhist master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and his...
10 Tips for a Mindful Home
Wake with the sun There is no purer light than what we see when we open our eyes first thing in the morning. Sit Mindfulness without meditation is just a word. Make your bed The state of your bed is the state of your head. Enfold your day in dignity. Empty the hampers Do the laundry without resentment or commentary and have an intimate encounter with the very fabric of life. Wash your bowl Rinse away...
Dream Yourself Awake
This recent piece from CBS considers that lucid dreaming might actually be possible. But for those for whom understanding the mind on an experiential level is a way of life, lucid dreaming is not only possible, but can serve as a genuine practice on the path of realization. Our book by B. Alan Wallace, Dreaming Yourself Awake, is an instruction manual for lucid dreaming and Tibetan dream yoga. Wallace lays out techniques that trigger awareness in the dream state to...
Honoring Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche
The family here at Shambhala Publications is deeply saddened by the loss of the incredible master, teacher, and author Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, who passed away in Australia at 12:10 a.m. on July 24, 2012, the Fourth Day of the Sixth Month of the Tibetan calendar in the Year of the Dragon. Rinpoche was a close friend and teacher of some of us and his breadth and depth of knowledge and experience on the path to enlightenment was tremendous. We will...
Ken Wilber: Remembering Traleg Rinpoche
“At 12:10 am on July 24, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche passed into parinirvana. His death was not only a deep shock, but a truly tragic loss to the world of spirituality in general and Buddhism in particular-well, actually a tragic loss to the world, period. Traleg was one of what can truly be called a genuine Kosmopolitan-a truly universal human who had a deep understanding not only of Eastern culture and practices, but a genuinely profound grasp of the West and...
A Simple Exercise for Relaxation
Did you know that you can alleviate common stress and mood problems by working with different breathing patterns? Here’s an opportunity for you to give it a try. The excerpt and audio exercise below are taken from The Healing Power of the Breath: Simple Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety, Enhance Concentration, and Balance Your Emotions by Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD. Guided exercise: Coherent Breathing Note: Click a file to play it in your web browser. Right...
How Do You Avoid Intimacy?
Practice is intimacy, intimacy as the whole universe, intimacy as our life, as this moment. Because it is so simple and straightforward, for just this reason we find all sorts of ways to avoid our life, our practice, and our zazen. How does this occur? In ordinary language and in ordinary life, we use the word “intimacy” and think we know what it means. We use “intimacy” in terms of specific relationships, specific activities, or we say that we feel...
No Delight; No Courage
The excerpt below features a slogan from Michael Carroll’s new book, Fearless at Work: Timeless Teachings for Awakening Confidence, Resilience, and Creativity in the Face of Life’s Demands. Learn more about the book here. “No Delight; No Courage” One of my favorite Taoist stories passed down through the centuries recounts the tale of a young boy caught in a most distressing predicament, where fearlessness is not a matter of braving untold challenges or shouldering heavy burdens but about...
The Dalai Lama’s Teaching on Stages of Meditation
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Boston His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave an excellent teaching on Kamalashila’s Stages of Meditation at MIT. Below are the texts mentioned by His Holiness in his talk. For those interested in going deeper, you will find them complementary to the teaching: Stages of Meditation – A commentary on Kamalashila’s work by the Dalai Lama Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva Aryadeva’s 400 Stanzas of the Middle Way Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend You...
The Mindful Way through Pregnancy
The audio download below, taken from the companion CD to the book The Mindful Way through Pregnancy, features a guided meditation to help you achieve deep relaxation. This body-awareness meditation can be used during pregnancy and after giving birth. It provides a simple way to relax anytime-something invaluable both during the stresses of pregnancy and afterward. Body-awareness meditation* When we become pregnant, we receive a great deal of medical, dietary, and lifestyle advice. Of course, it is crucial to pay...
Drive All Blames into One
It is quite counterintuitive, quite upside down. What it is saying is: whatever happens, don’t ever blame anyone or anything else, always blame only yourself. Eat the blame and it will make you strong. There’s another Zen story about this one. In Zen there’s a formal eating ritual called oryoki. In Zen monasteries this is the way the monks eat all of their meals: in robes, seated on meditation cushions on raised platforms, with formal serving and chanting, eating in...
The Passing of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche
We are deeply saddened when Lama Tharchin Rinpoche passed away Monday, July 22, 2013. Lama Tharchin was born in Tibet and was a dzogchen master who received his training at Dudjom Rinpoche’s monastery. He fled Tibet in 1959 to live in India and Nepal, before arriving in the United States in 1984. He was the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpas, a family lineage of yogis. Rinpoche founded the Vajrayana Foundation and established a monastic college and three-year retreat center....
Remembering S.N. Goenka
We join our palms and say goodbye to a teacher who had an immense impact on the world. S.N. Goenka was a pioneer in making Vipassana meditation widely available to a secular audience. Over 170 meditation centers have been established around the globe under his auspices. His legacy will resound indefinitely. By learning to remain balanced in the face of everything experienced inside, one develops detachment towards all that one encounters in external situations as well. However, this detachment is...
Omnivore’s Blog: The Experience of A Translator
Sherab Chödzin Kohn, translator of Matthieu Ricard’s new book A Plea for the Animals, gives us a hilarious and poignant glimpse into his experience, as an “unreconstructed omnivore,” of going deep into this call for animal rights. I am an unreconstructed omnivore. I shun food trips and diets. My guide to right eating is the Buddha, whose policy was to eat whatever was put in his begging bowl. Therefore, even though I had translated works of Matthieu Ricard’s before, I...
Hidden Treasure – The Red Thread of Passion
The Red Thread of Passion by David Guy Is sex an enemy that must be subdued before spiritual practice can happen, or is it a powerful creative force and a vehicle of enlightenment? Opinions have differed throughout the ages. Rather than forcing his own answer, David Guy takes the question as an impetus for exploration, examining the lives and works of sexual pioneers-from poets to sex workers-for the wisdom they offer about how the sexual and spiritual might be united.
Hidden Treasure – The Super Human Life of Gesar of Ling
The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling Translated by Alexandra David-Neel and Lama Yongden This little volume may have been surpassed by Robin Kornman’s monumental translation of the Gesar epic (which we also published), but it’s still pretty handy. It serves as a synopsis of the great epic-think of it as the Cliff’s Notes version. It provides a great outline of the life and early adventures of the man who’s sometimes referred to as the King Arthur of Tibet.
Hidden Treasure – An Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism
An Encylopedia of Archetypal Symbolism, Volume Two: The Body by George R. Elder The glory days of Jungian psychology publishing were over before we got to volume three of this projected multi-volume series, but what a wonder volume two is! The large-format hardcover with its full page images of art related to the body, from all times and places, is a delight to spend some time with. The commentary on each image analyses its archetypal significance. This book likely still...
Hidden Treasure – The Natural Laws of Good Luck
The Natural Laws of Good Luck by Ellen Graf A friend of Ellen Graf, thinking they’d hit it off, suggested that Ellen meet her brother. The catch was, he lived in China, he spoke almost no English, and Ellen would have to travel there to meet him. Thus began one of the most unusual blind dates in the history of the world. Though they spoke only a few words of each other’s language and seemingly had little in common, they...
Hidden Treasure – The Awakened One
The Awakened One: A Life of the Buddha by Sherab Chodzin Kohn It’s one of the great archetypal stories-and in it is contained the seeds of liberation for all beings. This retelling is both readable and informed by an understanding of Buddhist history and teaching. This volume also includes a short history of Buddhism and suggestions for further reading.
Hidden Treasure – The Golden Ass of Apuleius
The Golden Ass of Apuleius by Marie-Louise von Franz Nobody ever took apart a myth better than the great Dr. von Franz, one of C.G. Jung’s foremost disciples. Maybe the foremost. Here she analyses the wildly entertaining second-century Roman novel about a man who gets turned into a donkey, and uses it to show us things about ourselves we had no idea of, in this case, the necessity of the integration of the feminine in man–but there’s much else. If...
Hidden Treasure – The Poetry of Zen
The Poetry of Zen Edited by Sam Hammill and J P Seaton This exquisite little book is a delight to hold and look at. It’s even more delightful when you start to read the poetic articulations of enlightenment it contains. So, although it looks great in your hand, don’t neglect opening it up!
Hidden Treasure – Two Strang Tales
Two Strange Tales by Mircea Eliade How many people are even aware that the late renowned scholar of religion and author of such works as The Sacred and the Profane even wrote fiction at all? Not too many, probably. But here is some of the fruit of his little-known spare-time activity: two eerily intriguing novellas that show Westerners caught up in the mystery and magic of the East. It may be one of the more unusual books we’ve ever published.
Hidden Treasure – A Monk’s Alphabet
A Monk’s Alphabet: Moments of Stillness in a Turning World by Jeremy Driscoll, OSB Yes, that’s OSB as in Order of Saint Benedict. This Roman Catholic monk and theologian kept a journal of short reflections inspired by contact with various and sundry experiences: Listening to Beethoven, air travel, Washington, D.C, mosquitoes ¦ He alphabetized them by their fanciful titles to create this idiosyncratic alphabet-from anniversary to oyster to Zaccheus. The chapters can be read consecutively or, even more fun, be...
Hidden Treasure – The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation with Commentary by Chip Hartranft The Yoga-Sutra is certainly one of the most frequently translated of all Eastern philosophical classics. There are so many different translations out there that the neophyte approaching it could be baffled about which to try. We respectfully suggest you try Chip’s. It’s informed by his deep knowledge of Sanskrit and also by his many years of living and practicing with the text. And the commentary is extensive, taking...
Hidden Treasure – Vivid Awareness
Vivid Awareness: The Mind Instructions of Khenpo Gangshar by Khenchen Thrangu In the summer of 1957, the revered Buddhist teacher and scholar Khenpo Gangshar foresaw the difficulties that would soon fall upon Tibet and began teaching in a startling new way that enabled all those who heard him to use the coming difficulties as the path of Dharma practice. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche was one of the grateful recipients of these teachings, which he regards as among the most important he...
Hidden Treasure – The Lady of the Hare
The Lady of the Hare A Study in the Healing Power of Dreams by John Laylard A woman in England had a dream about a hare and told the Jungian analyst she was working with about it. That was the beginning of the process of familial transformation that John Layard (who was that analyst) writes about here. He goes on, good Jungian that he is, to examine imagery of rabbits and hares throughout world culture, with much insight into life...
Hidden Treasure – Echoing Silence
Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing The many fans of Thomas Merton’s writing may be unaware that the famous Trappist monk had much to say about the writing process itself. And his advice is much worth listening to. This volume gathers together much of what he has to say on the subject. Also included are fascinating glimpses of his opinions about other writers of note, among them Henry David Thoreau, Flannery O’Connor, Dylan Thomas, Albert Camus, James...
Hidden Treasure – A Jewish Mother in Shangrila
A Jewish Mother in Shangri-la by Rosie Rosenzweig An old joke tells of a Jewish woman who treks to the Himalayas to seek an audience with a guru sitting in seclusion on a mountaintop. When at last she comes before him, she implores: “Sheldon, come home!” Rosie Rosenzweig was that Jewish mother-but in real life, the story has a different ending. Instead of asking her own Sheldon-her son, Ben-to come home, Rosie accepts his invitation to find out about Buddhism...
Hidden Treasure – Waking Up to What You Do
Waking Up to What You Do: A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation with Intelligence and Compassion by Diane Eshin Rizzetto If you think of the Precepts as a sort of Buddhist Ten Commandments, Diane Rizzetto may change your view. She sees the precepts as, above all, a practice. Rather than keeping your behavior in line, they cause you to be conscious of your actions in a profound way. Living morally becomes a moment-to-moment exercise in being conscious of the...
Hidden Treasure – Out of This World
Out of This World: Otherworldly Journeys from Gilgamesh to Albert Einstein by I. P. Couliano From Homer to Dante to Swami Yogananda, from Hades to the Seventh Heaven to LSD trips, the late scholar of altered states takes us on a journey through the wild world of ecstatic visionary experiences as they’ve occurred throughout the ages and around the globe. More fascinating than their intriguing variety is the fact that they always seem to happen. No age, land, culture, or...
Kawa Peltsek – The Fully Accomplished Translator of Shantideva
Kawa Peltsek was one of the twenty five disciples of Guru Rinpoche. For the full biography, visit his page on the Treasury of Lives site. He is mentioned in many books in English as he was one of the great translators during this formative period. He was responsible for translating key texts including Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara. Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang relates this in The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech, and quotes Ngok Loden Sherab who said “Kawa, Chokro, Zhang are like the sun...
Odren Pelgyi Wangchuk Reader’s Guide
Image courtesy of Treasury of Lives. Odren Pelgyi Wangchuk is another of Guru Rinpoche’s twenty-five disciples, though not that much material on him is available in English. A short bio is available on the Treasury of Lives site. There is also a limited amount of resources on the TBRC site. He is mentioned in some key texts, including Gyalwa Jangchup’s Lady of the Lotus Born where Guru Rinpoche bestowed the outer, inner and secret root sadhanas of the Mamos and...
Nanam Dorje Dudjom
Nanam Dorje Dudjom is another of Guru Rinpoche’s twenty-five disciples and his full biography can be read on the Treasury of Lives site. From the Shechen Archives via Treasury of Lives There are also several references to him in books in English. An exchange between he and Guru Rinpoche is included in Guru Rinpoche: His Life and Times. The full translation includes Nanam Dorje Dudjom requesting a prayer for the benefit of future generations and the 120 line prayer. The...
Lang Pelgyi Senge Reader’s Guide
This series of blog posts are meant to be resources guides to complement the biographies of the great masters and scholars on the Treasury of Lives site. Lang Pelgyi Senge Lang Pelgyi Senge, from the Shechen Archives Lang Pelgyi Senge, also known as Lhalung Pelgyi Senge, should not be confused with another Pelgyi Senge who was his contemporary. There is a wonderful passage in Yeshe Tsogyal’s biography, Lady of the Lotus-Born, where Lang Pelgyi Senge is brought together with Yeshe Tsogyal:...
Hidden Treasure – The Heroine’s Journey
The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock This was a best-seller for us in the late 1980s. Maureen recognized that the “Hero’s Journey” that Joseph Campbell had written about so memorably missed important aspects of the process for women. The fan mail poured in for this book that spoke so profoundly to women’s inner truth. Its wisdom still applies-give it a try.
Hidden Treasure – Voices of Insight
Voices of Insight, edited by Sharon Salzberg This book was actually put together as a benefit project-with the royalties to benefit Ram Dass to help pay his medical bills-but it turned out better than expected. It’s basically a digest of American Insight Meditation teachers-some of them appearing in print for the first time before they went on to be “stars.” Among the contributors are: Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Rodney Smith, Ajahn Sumedho, Gavin Harrison, and Sylvia Boorstein.
Hidden Treasure – Ego and Archetype
Ego and Archetype: Individuation and the Religious Function of the Psyche by Edward F. Edinger If you’ve heard C. G. Jung’s ideas are good for you, but you’re put off by the sheer volume of his work, try looking at him through this marvelous lens provided by the late Dr. Edward Edinger. He takes Jung’s ubiquitous concept of individuation and shows how it works in the individual and society. Edinger believed that the encounter with the self is modern equivalent...
Hidden Treasure – Beneath a Single Moon
Beneath a Single Moon: Buddhism in Contemporary American Poetry, edited by Kent Johnson and Craig Paulenich Oh, just open this marvelous book sometime-anywhere-and fall into it. It’s an anthology of the work of 45 poets who (at least around 1990, when this was published) practiced some form of Buddhism and had some idea that the practice had an effect on their work. Each of them provides a little essay explaining him or herself, and then lets a few poems speak...
Hidden Treasure – Personality Type
Personality Type: An Owner’s Manual by Lenore Thomson If you’ve ever taken the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) and gotten your result (INFJ? ESTP?), you probably read the description of your type and moved on. Few know that the MBTI is actually based on ideas of personality typology developed by C. G. Jung. This book fleshes out Jung’s ideas about typology as they apply to you. It shows you how to recognize and access your strengths, to overcome your weaknesses, and...
Hidden Treasure – My Name is Chellis and I’m in Recovery from Western Civilization
My Name Is Chellis, and I’m in Recovery from Western Civilization by Chellis Glendinning It’s a funny title, and Chellis Glendinning is a fun gal, to be sure-but she’s also very serious in her assertion that our relationship to the Earth bears traces of traumatic stress syndrome. Chellis was one of the pioneers in the field of eco-psychology, whose proponents recognized not only that a psychological world-view can be applied to our relationship with the planet, but that a deep...
Hidden Treasure – Dakini’s Warm Breath
Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism by Judith Simmer-Brown Dakinis-those semi-wrathful feminine figures of Tibetan Buddhist cosmology-get a bum rap today. They often end up serving as poster-girls for goddess-spirituality or as exemplars of the “shadow” for proponents of Jungian psychology. The reality is a lot more complex than that-and much more interesting. Judith Simmer-Brown’s classic study is a wonderful corrective to the popular misconceptions. In the spiritual journey of the meditator, she shows, the dakini symbolizes...
Hidden Treasure – In Buddha’s Kitchen
In Buddha’s Kitchen: Cooking, Being Cooked, and Other Adventures in a Meditation Center by Kimberley Snow Anyone who’s ever sat a meditation retreat knows how that much time on the cushion can cause one’s inner absurdities to spew like Mount Vesuvius. It can be agony when it’s happening, but hilarious to recall later. Kimberley Snow’s several-year experience as head cook at a retreat center gave her a ringside seat at the eruption, and her account of it is laugh-out-loud funny....
Hidden Treasure – Mountain Record of Zen Talks
Mountain Record of Zen Talks by John Daido Loori This book, now more than a quarter-century old, is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the late esteemed Zen master John Daido Loori (1931-2009). He was a lineage holder in both Soto (a dharma heir of Taizan Maezumi) and Rinzai schools, and he was founder and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskill Mountainsof New York State. This early collection of his dharma talks shows how accessible...
Hidden Treasure – Swampland Flowers
Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, translated by J. C. Cleary The writings of the twelfth-century Chan Buddhist master Ta Hui Tsung Kao are testimony to the timelessness of Zen teaching. His letters, sermons, and lectures, often addressed to laypeople, are utterly simple-and utterly effective in helping us to see and let go of discursive thinking. If you’re inclined to think that, as a twenty-first-century person, you need a contemporary teacher to convey the buddhadharma...
Hidden Treasure – The Practice of Lojong
The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind, by Traleg Kyabgon The lojong slogans-those fabric-softeners of the heart-have been the focus of much attention in the West the past couple decades, with good reason. They’re a particularly effective practice for disciplining the mind in a way that makes compassion bloom. But they’re sometimes misunderstood as something akin to the “affirmations” that were popular a few years back. Such a misunderstanding can’t easily survive a reading of this book....
Hidden Treasure – The Cloud of Unknowing
The Cloud of Unknowing with the Book of Privy Counsel: A New Translation by Carmen Acevedo Butcher What makes Carmen’s translation of this classic of Christian mysticism stand out from the others is that she puts it in a modern voice that aims to be the equivalent of the original Middle English: the simple and intimate instructions of a spiritual elder (or possibly an eldress-the author is anonymous) to a disciple on approaching the knowledge-beyond-knowledge. Most other translations miss the...
Hidden Treasure – The Attentive Heart
The Attentive Heart: Conversations with Trees by Stephanie Kaza People sometimes chuckle when they read the subtitle, but you have to read it to see why it’s not a joke at all. Zen environmentalist Kaza spent quality time with a number of individual trees, meditating near them, getting to know them, and listening to their subtle messages. The result is this book of meditative essays on the environment that’s like no other.
Hidden Treasure – Unholy Hungers
Unholy Hungers: Encountering the Psychic Vampire in Ourselves and Others by Barbara E. Hort Did you ever have a friend, colleague, or lover who seemed to, inexplicably, drain the spirit right out of you, leaving you depleted of energy, ideas, and focus? You may be the victim of a psychic vampire! Psychotherapist Hort shows that the vampire archetype of myth and literature is an expression of something that really happens between people, even if it doesn’t usually literally involve blood-sucking....
Hidden Treasure – Enso
Enso: Zen Circles of Enlightenment by Audrey Yoshiko Seo These circular brushstrokes have become a kind of Zen cliché. Here’s a chance to look past your preconceived ideas about them and appreciate their original energy, whimsy, and beauty. Each is a work of art that’s executed in a split second-but the actual work in fact takes many years, for the enso is nothing other than an an expression of the whole life and practice of the person who brushes it.
Hidden Treasure – What the Stones Remember
What the Stones Remember: A Life Rediscovered by Patrick Lane At age 62, after forty years spent in a haze of heavy drinking, the poet Patrick Lane got sober–and the beauty of the world knocked him off his feet. He spent a good deal of his time working in the garden and recording what arose in his heart from memory, dream, and nature. This memoir of his first fragile year of clear seeing can change the way you look at...
Hidden Treasure – The Eight Gates of Zen
The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training by John Daido Loori If you want to practice Zen but there’s no zendo for miles around, this book may be the next best thing. It contains the complete, eight-phase program of training taught at Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt. Tremper, New York. It’s a training that’s not in any way limited to sitting meditation (that’s only part one). It also includes training in teacher interaction, study, ritual, ethics, art, body...
Hidden Treasure – A Guided Tour to the Collected Workks or C.G. Jung
A Guided Tour of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung by Robert Hopcke When people get their heads rearranged by Jung–sometimes after reading his Man and His Symbols-it often instills in them a craving for more writings of the founder of analytical psychology. But they hit a roadblock: Jung’s Collected Works run to more than eighteen volumes! Do you need a PhD in Jungian studies just to know where to start? Not if you have this little book. Rob...
Hidden Treasure – The Buddha and His Teachings
The Buddha and His Teachings Edited by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn This book was inspired by Bernardo Bertolucci’s movie Little Buddha back in 1993-and it was intended as a reference for viewers of the film who wanted to learn more about Buddhism. It worked, and it sold a lot of copies back then. But it’s not dated. It still serves as an excellent introduction to the buddhadharma. It’s an anthology of classic texts and works by modern...
Hidden Treasure – Living in the Light of Death
Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive by Larry Rosenberg Here’s a preview of the rest of your life: you’re gonna get old and/or sick and you’re gonna die. A great remedy for not forgetting that pesky fact is repetition of the Buddhist text known as the Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection. Larry shows that the Five Subjects aren’t the “downer ” you might expect. In fact, contemplating them is a way to become...
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche: A Reader’s Guide
This edition of the Great Masters Series focuses on Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991). This, like the other posts in this series, is not meant to be an exhaustive biography, but rather a look at the life and teachings of this great master through the lens of his works published in English. For those interested in his life story, we have posted his brief biography by Tulku Thondup that appears in volume two of his Collected Works here. For a...
The Seventeen Panditas
Image from http://www.rigpashedra.org/ His Holiness the Dalai Lama has often said that Tibetan Buddhism is none other than the Buddhism of India in the tradition of Nalanda, the great center of Buddhist learning that was located in present-day Bihar, India. Many of the greatest masters and scholars in Indian Buddhism resided-and often presided-at this monastic center of learning which in its heyday included thousands of monks, dozens of temples and an enormous library. While we do not know with certainty...
Nalanda and Its Legacy
The Nalanda Tradition This entry to the Great Masters series kicks off a series within a series that looks at the great Buddhist center of learning at Nalanda in India and what are known as the Seventeen Panditas of Nalanda, a grouping conceived by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as they are the core group of masters whose works further articulate the teachings of the Buddha and which form the basis of Buddhist philosophy we have today. This group begins...
Nagarjuna Reader’s Guide
Nagarjuna was a skilled master of Mahayana teachings and sutras, the Madhyamaka view, and tantra. This article for the Great Masters Series focuses on Nagarjuna, the first of what His Holiness the Dalai Lama refers to as the Seventeen Pandits of Nalanda, whose works form the foundation for Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. While Nagarjuna is usually considered to have lived in the second century and there are many stories and prophecies about him, there is little in the way of material...
Aryadeva Reader’s Guide
Mahayana Buddhist philosophy This article for the Great Masters Series focuses on Aryadeva, the second of what His Holiness the Dalai Lama refers to as the Seventeen Pandits of Nalanda, whose works form the foundation for Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. Birth and Training While early biographies vary in detail and timing, traditional accounts such as those by Taranatha, Butön in his History of Buddhism, and Chandrakirti identify Aryadeva as being born in Sri Lanka in a royal family in the late...
Words of Advice from Chatral Rinpoche
The world lost one of its greatest meditation masters and teachers in the past few days, Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche, at the age of 103 or 104. Chatral Rinpoche was a teacher’s teacher – a bridge between the great teachers the 19th and early 20th centuries like Khenpo Ngagchung, Sera Khandro, and Dudjom Rinpoche to the teachers of today. His list of students is a Who’s Who of some of the most brilliant and accomplished teachers, mostly in the...
Steve Jobs Reading Chögyam Trungpa
Steve Jobs read Chögyam Trungpa, according to Bianca Bosker in the Huffington Post article “The Steve Jobs Reading List: The Books and Artists That Made the Man. ” Bosker reports that, “during his freshman year at Reed College, Jobs befriended Daniel Kottke, who went on to work at Apple, and together they devoured books such as Shunryu Suzuki’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind [and] Chögyam Trungpa’s Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism ¦ ” What might have been the ideas in Cutting...
A Reader’s Guide to The Way of the Bodhisattva
Please visit The Way of the Bodhisattva: An Immersive Workshop for more on Shantideva’s work, or sign up for our Tibetan Buddhist email list for more information. The great nineteenth-century master Patrul Rinpoche, author of The Words of My Perfect Teacher and revered by all Tibetan Buddhists, was known for his wandering ascetic lifestyle, eschewing fame, generous offerings, and all but the most meager possessions. However, wherever he went throughout his peripatetic life, he carried with him a copy of...
The Discovery and Recognition of Ogyen Trinley Dorje
The following is an account of the discovery and recognition of the Seventeenth Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, excerpted from The History of the Karmapas: The Odyssey of the Tibetan Masters with the Black Crown The Last Testament Most of his previous reincarnations left behind a Last Testament giving indications of their rebirth. But in 1981, when the sixteenth Karmapa died, no one was able to find a Last Testament. For nine long years everyone searched, hoping for a sign that...
Hidden Treasure – Way of the Pilgrim
The Way of a Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His Way translated by Olga Savin This is the little book that Franny clings to throughout her doomed date with Lane in the J.D. Salinger classic Franny and Zooey, which is likely how most people came to know about it after 1961. But this classic of Orthodox Christian spirituality is truly timeless: it’s the account of the life of a pilgrim who wanders the vast Russian countryside sometime in the late...
Hidden Treasure – Untrain Your Parrot
Untrain Your Parrot: And Other No-Nonsense Instructions on the Path of Zen by Elizabeth Hamilton It has nothing to do with birds. The “parrot” Elizabeth Hamilton refers to is nothing other than discursive thinking, and the untraining she offers is about learning not to let it run your life. The wise and quirky voice of this teacher from the San Diego Zen Center is delightful and quite effective for just that kind of parrot-reeducation.
Hidden Treasure – Individuation in Fairy Tales
Individuation in Fairy Tales by Marie-Louise von Franz Here’s another one from the days when we published extensively in Jungian psychology-and it’s arguably one of the best. Von Franz was likely Jung’s closest student, and her insights into how fairy tales can tell us who we are can be world-view transforming.
Hidden Treasure – Mango Elephants in the Sun
Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be in My Skin by Susana Herrera It’s a funky title, but don’t let that hold you back. Susana’s account of her two years in the Peace Corps in Cameroon is a rollicking good read. As much for the wisdom it contains as for the fun tales of her cross-cultural adventures. Oh, and there’s a talking lizard.
Hidden Treasure – Cave of Tigers
Cave of Tigers: The Living Zen Practice of Dharma Combat by John Daido Loori Grrrrrrrrr. These records of public teaching encounters between the founder of Zen Mountain Monastery and his students are disorienting (in the best way), thought-provoking, and funny, and they show that this ancient practice for manifesting wisdom is alive and well in our own time.
Hidden Treasure – Faith in Mind
Faith in Mind: A Commentary on Seng Ts’an’s Classic by Chan Master Sheng Yen “The Supreme Way is not difficult, if only you do not pick and choose…” The late Master Sheng Yen is the most wonderful Buddhist teacher you never heard of. He wrote so many books that it’s hard to know where to begin, but this commentary on the short Zen text everybody else comments on too is an excellent place to start.
Hidden Treasure – Hundred Verses of Advice
The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group And what is it that matters most? Turns out it’s practicing with great sincerity on behalf of all beings. Starting right now. Dilgo Khyentse’s commentary on Padampa Sangye’s verses of advice to the villagers of Tingri is a wonderful tool for getting your priorities straight. It’s classic Dilgo Khyenste: a compassionate kick in the butt. It’s also a...
Hidden Treasure – The True Dharma Eye
The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen’s Three Hundred Koans, translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and John Daido Loori The notion that koans don’t belong to the Soto Zen tradition can’t withstand the fact that Soto’s founder, Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), compiled this monumental collection. Dogen collected the three hundred koans contained in this work called in Japanese Shobogenzo (not to be confused with that other, more famous Shobogenzo he’s known for) during his famous travels in China between 1223 and 1227,...
Hidden Treasure – Sacred Time and the Search for Meaning
Sacred Time and the Search for Meaning by Gary Eberle Before time became commodified-before there were clocks and the schedules they engendered-we humans operated according to the subtle seasons of the days and seasons. Gary Eberle’s study of what was lost when time came to be measured draws on philosophers from Aristotle to Heidegger and on theorists from Jung to Foucault to understand our culture of efficiency. This is one of those books that surprises you by showing you how...
Hidden Treasure – Subtle Sound
Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart, edited by Roko Sherry Chayat Maurine Myo-on Stuart (1922-1990), spiritual director of the Cambridge Buddhist Association in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a Zen teacher of legendary wisdom and dedication. Before coming to Zen, she was a musician who never wasted a note; as a Zen teacher, she never wasted a word, a look, or a gesture. This book is a precious record of the teaching of this ferociously compassionate woman who happened to...
Hidden Treasure – City of Lingering Splendor
City of Lingering Splendor: A Frank Account of Old Peking’s Exotic Pleasures by John Blofeld On a stroll through the streets of Peking in 1934 you might meet beautiful courtesans, Confucian scholars, Tsarist refugees, aging palace eunuchs, teenage opium addicts, Taoist adepts or Buddhist monks. You might even run into Shura, the White-Russian hermaphrodite. The young John Blofeld met them all in the three years he spent imbibing the charms of the great city at the very end of the...
An Interview with Thubten Chodron
Thubten Chodron is an American Buddhist nun in the Tibetan tradition. A student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan masters, she became a nun in 1977. She is abbess of Sravasti Abbey, a Buddhist monastery in eastern Washington State. She is the author of several books, her most recent being Don’t Believe Everything You Think. Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in...
A New Perspective on an Ancient Practice: An Interview with Zoketsu Norman Fischer
Shambhala: How did you first encounter Zen, and what was your introduction to practice like? Norman Fischer: I got involved at first through reading-reading and thinking about my life. This was in the very early days, when there were no Zen centers or practice centers of any kind (at least that I was aware of) and the idea that Buddhism could be practiced in the West was not even thinkable. What a difference from today! So, as a young man...
The Way of Judo: An Interview with John Stevens on Jigoro Kano
Shambhala: Why did you want to write about Jigoro Kano? JS: Since I have written books on three of the other most important martial artist masters of the 20th century-Tesshu Yamaoka (kendo), Awa Kenzo (kyudo), and Morihei Ueshiba (aikido)-I felt it imperative to write a book on Jigoro Kano, the founder of Kodokan judo, to round out the picture. Shambhala: How are the masters different? JS: While both Tesshu and Awa based their teachings on Zen, and Morihei was a...
The Unitive Way and the Future of Christianity: A Discussion with Cynthia Bourgeault
Last time Cynthia was in our office, she and her editor, Dave O’Neal, had an interesting conversation about centering prayer, the future of Christianity, her book The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, and much more. Please enjoy these videos from her visit.
Pointing to the Heart of the Buddhadharma: An Interview with Guo Gu, author of The Essence of Chan
Shambhala: Can you tell us something about your background-how you encountered the Buddhadharma? Guo Gu: I first learned meditation when I was in Taiwan at age four. A meditation master named Guangqin taught me how to sit in meditation, and I thought it was fun to copy what he was doing. Later, my family immigrated to the States when I was 11. We studied Chan Master Sheng Yen. He was to become my Shifu, or “teacher-father, ” the most important...
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s Pilgrimage to China
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, author of Into the Heart of Life , Reflections of a Mountain Lake, and Cave in the Snow, and who is profiled in the recently released Dakini Power, just returned from a pilgrimage in China, following the footsteps of Xuanzang and visiting the Four Sacred Mountains and four Buddhist rock grottoes. Here she shares some of her experiences of the pilgrimage and observations about Buddhism in China and of nuns in particular. Jetsunma and Xuanzang Shambhala...
Heidi Koppl on the Importance of Rongzom
We recently interviewed Heidi Koppl, author and translator of Establishing Appearances as Divine, about the importance of the great Nyingma scholar Chökyi Zangpo Rongzom’s writings and the inspiration behind her work. Shambhala Publications: What inspired you to take on this text? Heidi Koppl: While I was living at my teacher Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche’s monastery in the Kathmandu Valley in the early 1990s, Khenpo Chöga Rinpoche was teaching there, and I had the opportunity to attend some of his wonderful classes....
Rodney Smith on What it Means to Awaken
An Interview with Rodney Smith, author of Awakening: A Paradigm Shift of the Heart Shambhala: In your new book you take on the possibly daunting task of describing what enlightenment is and how it happens. To what extent can it even be described? Rodney Smith: I think the words used to describe awakening can intimate something that we all feel is true though we may not have had the actual experience. When this book speaks of the paradigm shift toward...
About Kazuaki Tanahashi: An Interview with Roshi Joan Halifax
Shambhala: How long have you known Kaz? Roshi Joan: I met Kaz in the mid 1980s when we invited him and other artists to the Ojai Foundation with Thich Nhat Hanh. I felt an instant connection with him, and since that time we have collaborated on many projects and have become good friends and allies in the work of nonviolence. S: How long have you and he been teaching together-and what form does that take? RJ: We have been teaching...
Sitting Still…Like a Kid: An Interview with Eline Snel
Shambhala: How did you first become interested in teaching mindfulness to kids? Eline Snel: I led a training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for a group of twelve principals at my local school board. They asked me to develop a training method for children. So I did, after several tryouts in different schools and age groups. S: How do you explain to a child what mindfulness is? ES: I use the metaphor of a frog to help children become familiar...
Normalcy at Its Best: An Interview with David Chadwick, Biographer of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
Shambhala: Your teacher Shunryu Suzuki’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind has now been in print for more than forty years, and is still often recommended as the best first book to read about Zen practice. Why do you think its popularity has endured throughout the explosion of Buddhist publishing the last few years? David Chadwick: Hard to say. It’s just got a unique chemistry that has worked in many ways for many people. ZMBM can be a warm, inviting introduction to...
Sacred Syllables: An Interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
QUESTION: Sound is important in the world’s spiritual traditions and is central to many Tibetan healing and spiritual practices. It seems that sound affects us on all levels-physical, mental, and spiritual. TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE: Yes, there are different levels of sound practice. Ancient Tibetan yogis who lived in the wilderness far from medical care used sound and other yogic techniques to maintain their health, for example. We know that in acupuncture, when a needle is placed in a part of...
Translating the Maitreya Treatises: An Interview with Thomas Doctor
We recently interviewed Thomas Doctor, a translator on the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, about the importance of their recent translations of the Maitreya texts and commentaries. Shambhala Publications: The Dharmachakra Translation Committee has now published two of the five Maitreya texts, with a third on the way soon. Can you give a brief overview of why you chose to translate these? Thomas Doctor: There is a set of thirteen classic Indian texts that make up the core curriculum of sutra studies...
A Year of Mindfulness: A Reading List
What would you like to accomplish this year? Have you made New Year’s resolutions to start meditating or pick up your practice again? To be more mindful with your children or adolescents? To mend a broken heart or learn to cook? To finally figure out your dosha, prioritize, or simply to relax? We at Shambhala have books covering all these topics and more to help you have your most satisfying, healthy, and mindful year yet. From favorite authors like Pema...
The Way of the Bodhisattva: An Immersive Workshop in Boulder May 18-22, 2016
[Note, this event occurred in the past and the videos are all available on this site for free.] Few texts are more frequently taught and quoted, have as colorful a history, and as much relevance to Buddhists today more than the eighth-century Indian Buddhist monk Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva. The Dalai Lama has said that “if I have any understanding of compassion and the bodhisattva path, it all comes from studying this text. ” The living tradition of this...
Relating to Fear, Anger, and Conflict: A Reader’s Guide
2016 was certainly a year of high emotions and global challenges-a confusing and contentious U.S. election, civil wars in Syria and Iraq, Olympic scandals, Brexit, the spread of the Zika virus, continuing international acts of terrorism, and so much more. But as we open the New Year, we also have the opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and how we can approach our lives with new energy and clarity. It’s a natural reaction for us to become disoriented and...
Intermediate States: Bardos and Living and Dying from Ancient India to 21st Century New York
The term bardo, often translated as “intermediate state ” is a term that entered the popular imagination in the West with the publication of W.Y. Evans-Wentz’s 1927 translation of The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States, which he rendered as The Tibetan Book of the Dead. It is curious that such a specialized esoteric text packed with the imagery of Buddhist tantra and intended for practitioners who had undergone years of training and received the proper initiations,...
Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche: A Reader’s Guide
This article is a reader’s guide to the great Rimé master Mipham Rinpoche (sometimes written Mipam), who reinvigorated the Nyingma tradition in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Mipham Rinpoche’s Life Relative to his impact, and somewhat surprising given that he passed away only one hundred years ago, the details of Mipham Rinpoche’s life are not that well known. But what we do know is covered in a great overview in Jamgon Mipam: His Life and Teachings. This...
Hakuin Ekaku: A Reader’s Guide
Hakuin: self-portrait. Ink on paper, 101.6 x 28.6 cm. Eisei Bunko Foundation. Two and a half centuries after his death, the thing Hakuin ((c.1685-1768) is most remembered for is his line “What is the sound of one hand? ” which, for some unknown reason, became the most famous of all koans-those notoriously confounding questions Zen masters use to check their students’ awakening. It pops up in the strangest places whenever Zen inscrutability needs to be demonstrated: it’s been the title of...
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: A Reader’s Guide
DALAI LAMA TITLES Dalai Lama Books Updated in April 2018 with the Dalai Lama’s latest books. For this latest installment of our Great Masters series, we turn to a contemporary master, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, often referred to by Tibetans as Gyalwa Rinpoche or Kundun. As with previous posts, this is not intended to be a complete biography but rather a look at His Holiness’s teachings through the lens of his books, mostly the two dozen published by...
An Exploration of Different Kinds of Love
This exploration will help reveal how you experience the opposition or conflict between the selfless giving of love and the passionate wanting of lusty desire. Spend fifteen to twenty minutes considering these questions. If you are doing this exercise alone, you may want to write them down in a journal and respond in writing. How do you experience the selfless giving of love? How do you experience passionate wanting? How do you experience the relationship of the two in your...
Hand Tai Chi
The following exercise is excerpted from The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi by Peter M. Wayne, PhD, and Mark L. Fuerst. A good way to experience the interactions between gentle, pulsing move ments, relaxation, imagery, and intention and their potential to alleviate pain is by practicing a simple exercise I developed called “Hand Tai Chi. ” As a Tai Chi teacher, I have found that this exercise is often therapeutic for those who have arthritis or repetitive-stress injury....
In Praise of Longchen Rabjam
By Khenpo Shenga Translated by Adam Pearcey Due to the kindness of Guru Padmasambhava, there have been many great holders of the teachings here in Tibet, the Land of Snows. There have appeared highly accomplished saints who were no different from the vidyadharas of India, the Land of the Aryas. Yet although there have been countless eminent scholars, none of them might be compared with the Six Ornaments and Two Supreme Ones of India in terms of wisdom and enlightened...
Lojong / Mind Training Reader’s Guide
Lojong, or mind training, is a core practice in all the lineages of the Tibetan tradition. They can perhaps best be characterized as a method for transforming our mind by turning away from self-centeredness and cultivating instead the mental habits that generate bodhicitta, the awakened mind that puts the benefit of others above all else. The teachings on it are more diverse than many people realize, so we thought we would lay out a map of its origins and development...
A Reader’s Guide to the Five Maitreya Texts: The “Zip Files” of the Mahayana
by Karl Brunnhölzl The five works that the Tibetan tradition ascribes to Maitreya resemble zip files that contain all the profound and vast topics of the Buddhist teachings. In their traditional order: The Ornament of Clear Realization comments on the emptiness taught in the prajnaparamita sutras and on what happens in the minds of bodhisattvas familiarizing themselves with emptiness on the paths and bhumis. The Ornament of Mahayana Sutras is a synopsis of all topics of those mahayana sutras that...
The Story behind the Bodhicharyavatara
by Nikko Odiseos The text with the Sanskrit title Bodhicharyavatara (shortened from the longer Bodhisattvacharyavatara)-usually known in English as either The Way of the Bodhisattva or A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life-is by far the best-known work attributed to the eighth-century Indian monk Shantideva. It would be impossible to adequately summarize its importance and impact in this small space, but what follows is a brief account of the origin of this classic that has come to be considered...
Writing from the Senses: Wherever Music Takes You
As I approached the Golden Gate Bridge on my way out of town, I cranked up Willie Nelson singing “On the Road Again. ” A song of freedom, here we go! By the time I was midway across the span, I was waltzing in the driver’s seat to the dreamy sounds of “Georgia, ” symbolically telling the world “I’m on my way; don’t bother me. ” When I compiled this audiotape (those were the days of tapes), I had matched...
Nagarjuna as Described by Buton
From Butön’s History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet Four hundred years after the Buddha passed away, in the southern country of Vidarbha, there lived a prosperous Brahmin who was childless. In a dream, gods foretold that if he invited one hundred Brahmins to a religious festival, a son would be born to him. He did as he was told, made prayers, and ten months later a son was born. When he showed the child’s distinguishing marks...
Saying Goodbye to B.K.S. Iyengar
The great, perhaps the greatest living yoga master, B.K.S. Iyengar died today in Pune, India, at the delightfully advanced age of 95. There will be many public tributes and even more private tributes as his innumerable devoted students honor his legacy. In memoriam, we offer Iyengar in his own words, from his classic work, The Tree of Yoga: “Death is unimportant to a yogi; he does not mind when he is going to die. What happens after death is immaterial...
Staff Picks: Senior Editor Dave O’Neal’s Top Ten
Senior editor Dave O’Neal took a look back at the entire Shambhala catalog and came up with this list of his top ten titles. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind Shunryu Suzuki Still the best first book on Zen practice and why you’d want to do it. There are so many other wonderful books on Zen now, but I’d still suggest this to anyone just starting to get a taste for it, mainly because it conveys something of the joy of...
Landscape as Spirit
Gardens can be so much more than merely pleasing to the eye; they can also evoke a contemplative state of mind, connecting us more fully to ourselves and to the world around us. In Landscape as Spirit, Martin Mosko explains his meditative approach to garden and landscape design and then walks us through five of his gardens. Along the way is the constant reminder that these outer environments are actually reflections of the natural balance and harmony that lie within...
Lama Sonam Tsering on The Complete Nyingma Tradition
The multi-volume set, The Complete Nyingma Tradition From Sutra to Tantra includes a moving foreword from Alak Zenkar Rinpoche. Today we would like to share with our readers a special introduction from Lama Sonam Tsering in which he examines Lama Tharchin Rinpoche – instrumental in bringing this text to English – and his relationship with the dharma throughout his life and the structure of The Complete Nyingma Tradition. Although it does not appear in the book itself, this piece acts...
Losar Tashi Delek!
On February 9th, 2016, we welcome the Year of the Fire Monkey–a year full of opportunity and transformation! To celebrate, you may want to clean your home, dress up, and make some Tibetan delicacies. We hope you enjoy this free cookie recipe from Tibetan Cooking: Recipes for Daily Living, Celebration, & Ceremony by Elizabeth Esther Kelly:
Color Yeshe Tsogyal
Our Buddhist Art Coloring Books by Robert Beer are flying off the shelves! Enjoy this free full-size page and see for yourself how fun, relaxing, and enlightening coloring can be: Yeshe Tsogyal
Natalie Goldberg Day in Taos
Aligning with the release of her new book The Great Spring and the thirtieth anniversary edition of Writing Down the Bones, February 19 is officially Natalie Goldberg Day in Taos, New Mexico. Writing Down the Bones has sold over a million and a half copies and has been translated into fourteen languages. The deceptively simple writing manual started a revolution in writing practice and continues to inspire, create, and instruct writers of all levels. Mayor Dan Barrone will present Natalie Goldberg with a Proclamation...
Celebrating Our Home
All of our books are published on planet Earth! In honor of our favorite planet, we put together a list of some of our most earthy books. Read on for suggestions in gardening, children’s activities, ecospirituality, and memoir. GARDENING Landscape as Spirit: Creating a Contemplative Garden by Martin Hakubai Mosko and Alxe Noden “This is the only garden book that I have read from cover to cover. Alxe’s and Martin’s fine writing and stunning photographs teach us that the...
Pema Chodron on Remaining Like a Log
The practice of “remaining like a log ” is based on refraining, not repressing. When you realize you’re thinking, just acknowledge that. Then turn your attention to your breath flowing in and out, to your body, to the immediacy of your experience. Doing this allows you to be present and alert, and thoughts have a chance to calm down. With this practice, it can be helpful to gently breathe in and out with the restlessness of the energy. This is...
South Indian Sambar from Everyday Ayurveda
Check out this free recipe for tomato, dal, and tamarind soup from Kate O’Donnell’s The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating and Living Well, available today: South Indian Sambar, pages 124-125. 40% off + free shipping on all books with code FFBF15 through 12/15/15
Tias Little on the Subtle Body
At the Yoga Journal Conference last month in Estes Park, CO, our marketing coordinator Emma Sartwell caught Tias Little, a master teacher who synthesizes years of study in classical yoga, Sanskrit, Buddhist studies, anatomy, massage, and trauma healing, on the lawn to discuss chaturanga, Zen, yoga butts, the sacrum, and more. Find out more about Little’s new book Yoga of the Subtle Body here: shmb.la/yoga-subtle-body Emma: So I thought I’d start with a little context about you-how did...
The Pema Chödrön Reader’s Guide
For more than thirty years, she has been the abbot of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the wildest and remotest part of Nova Scotia. But from that isolated spot-where she spends a good deal of her time even more isolated in solitary retreat-she has become one of the most influential spiritual teachers of our time. That her best-selling books reach a remarkably broad audience, including many non-Buddhists, is testament not only to the universal applicability of the teachings to which...
A Reader’s Guide on Tibetan Buddhist Essentials: An Exploration of the Nyingma Lineage with Tulku Thondup
Tulku Thondup Rinpoche was born in East Tibet and was recognized to be a tulku at age five. He studied at Tibet’s famed Dodrupchen Monastery, settling in India in 1958, and teaching for many years in its universities. He came to the United States in 1980 as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. For the past three decades he has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he writes, translates, and teaches under the auspices of the Buddhayana Foundation. His numerous books...
Michael Stone: A Yogi’s Reader’s Guide for Beyond the Mat
Michael Stone (1974–2017) was a prominent and innovative Buddhist teacher, yogi, psychotherapist, and author. He was the founder and director of the Centre of Gravity Sangha, a community of yoga and Buddhist practitioners based in Toronto, and he taught widely and had a large international following. For more information visit michaelstoneteaching.com. In his own words… The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali A New Translation with Commentary translated by Chip Hartranft In 2003 when Chip Hartranft translated the Yoga-Sutra attributed to Patanjali, it...
Buddhism 101 with Rev. Danny Fisher
Rev. Danny Fisher, MDiv, DBS., is a professor and coordinator of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program at University of the West in Rosemead, California. An ordained Buddhist minister with the Los Angeles Buddhist Union and the Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California, he is also certified as a mindfulness meditation instructor by Naropa University in association with Shambhala International. In 2009, Danny became the first-ever Buddhist member of the National Association of College and University Chaplains. A blogger for Patheos.com, Shambhala...
Reader’s Guide: Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, who passed away in 1987, came from a long line of the some of the greatest masters of Buddhism in India and Tibet. A direct descendant of Tibet’s king Trison Detsen, the pearls in his succession of rebirths include the Buddha’s disciple Shariputra, the Brahmin Saraha, Rongzompa, Dudjom Lingpa, and many more in between. Known as a great terton, or treasure revealer, Rinpoche was also known for his many works preserving the wider Nyingma tradition....
On Translation: Sarah Harding and Larry Mermelstein
In our second On Translation video series cosponsored with the Tsadra Foundation, we are pleased to share this recording of Sarah Harding (Naropa University and the Tsadra Foundation) & Larry Mermelstein (Nalanda Translation Committee). This session is for any student, practitioner, or translator of Tibetan Buddhism and is an opportunity to enter the world of translators of the Buddhadharma with two of the most experienced Tibetan translators. Most people encounter the Buddhist teachings through translations of texts, so like...
History of the Treasury of Precious Instructions
The following is an excerpt from Ringu Tulku’s The Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great: When they were together at this time, Kongtrul asked Khyentse [Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo] what he thought of their collecting the most important instructions they had received from the eight practice lineages, in order to keep these teachings from fading away. Khyentse Rinpoche replied that he had already written down about twenty volumes of explanations and commentaries, but his writings were unorganized and there were...
Ringu Tulku Discusses the Treasury of Precious Instructions
Ringu Tulku paid a visit to Shambhala’s Prajna Studios and had some thoughts on the landmark publication of The Treasury of Precious Instructions. Resources Guide to The Treasury of Precious Instructions Resource Guide: An Overview A History of the Collection High-Quality Recordings of the Video Workshop: A great way to really immerse yourself in this work! Download the catalog describing in great detail the 18 volumes A Reader’s Guide to the Works of Jamgön Kongtrul Ringu Tulku...
How to Build a Caravan of Joy: a review of The Mishap Lineage
Excerpt reprinted with permission from Tricycle Magazine. Reviewed by Stuart Smithers I almost met Chogyam Trungpa. When I arrived at the steps of the New York Historical Society, just off Central Park, there was a notice posted on the massive wooden doors: Trungpa RinpocheÕs talk had been canceled for health reasons. I was disappointed, and didn’t realize at the time that he would soon die and I would never have the chance to see him teach. I was young, studying...
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and Meditation in Action
Reviewed by Charles Prebish In the spring of 2002, following a short bout with cardiac problems, I decided to move most of my books from my university office to my home study to allow me to work in a more relaxing environment. By some odd chance-probably karmically inspired-the very first books I grabbed down off the shelf were old, yellow, held-together-by-Scotch-tape copies of Chogyam Trungpa’s Meditation in Action and Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. These were the first books of Trungpa...
When Things Fall Apart: The App
New! When Things Fall Apart: The App There is a fundamental opportunity for happiness right within our reach—yet we usually miss it, ironically, while we are caught up in attempts to escape pain and suffering. Drawn from traditional Buddhist wisdom, Pema Chödrön’s When Things Fall Apart reveals her radical and compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our lives. There is only one approach to suffering that is of lasting benefit, Pema teaches, and that...
Larung Gar’s Kagyu Curriculum:: A Talk by Khenpo Karma Jamyang Gyaltsen
Shambhala Publications, the Tsadra Foundation, and the Tibet Himalaya Initiative at the University of Colorado were pleased to present this talk by Khenpo Karma Jamyang Gyaltsen on the Kagyu curriculum of Buddhist study and practice in Tibet’s largest center for monastic and lay study and practice. Khenpo Jamyang is a senior teacher at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in Serthar, Sichuan, part of the Tibetan area known as Kham. He is the director of training in the Kagyu tradition at...
Larung Gar Resource Guide
By Chensiyuan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia CommonsLarung Gar, or “The Encampment of the Larung Valley”, is a magical, incredible place. Located in the remote high-altitude grasslands in the region of Golok in the far east of Tibet, outside of the Chinese demarcated Tibetan Autonomous Region in the province of Sichuan, it is has become home to the world’s largest Buddhist institute of study and practice. It is a striking place. Founded in the late 1800s by Dudjom...
Way of the Bodhisattva Resource Page
A Resource Guide for The Way of the Bodhisattva* We are pleased to share the following resources for the Bodhicharyavatara, or The Way of the Bodhisattva. Readers Guide – A guide to the many translations, commentaries, and deep dives into specific chapters published by Shambhala Publications and others. A Brief History – A very brief history of this text. An Immersive Workshop on The Way of the Bodhisattva – Shambhala Publications and the Tsadra Foundation are pleased to share with you this immersive four...
A Brief History of the Way of the Bodhisattva
The Story Behind the Bodhicharyavatara The text with the Sanskrit title Bodhicharyavatara (shortened from the longer Bodhisattvacharyavatara)—usually known in English as either The Way of the Bodhisattva or A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life—is by far the best-known work attributed to the eighth-century Indian monk Shantideva. It would be impossible to adequately summarize its importance and impact in this small space, but what follows is a brief account of the origin of this classic that has come to be considered an indispensable guide for...
Translating the Way of the Bodhisattva
This talk with Wulstan Fletcher of the Padmakara Translation Group, facilitated by CU Professor Holly Gayley, will be of great interest not just for translators—for whom it will be invaluable—fbut for any practitioners or scholars interested in the transmission of Buddhism in the west. The talk focuses on the translation of the text itself and how a master translator approaches such a daunting and challenging masterpiece. With a rich background of language expertise, deep knowledge of both Buddhist traditions and...
The Way of the Bodhisattva: An Immersive Workshop
Few texts are more frequently taught and quoted, have as colorful a history, and as much relevance to Buddhists today more than the eighth-century Indian Buddhist monk Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva. The Dalai Lama has said that “if I have any understanding of compassion and the bodhisattva path, it all comes from studying this text.” The living tradition of this text radiates most brightly from the Tibetan tradition where it was translated from Sanskrit in the ninth century and is central to all...
Chokhor Duchen
The following is an excerpt from the great Buton Rinchen Drup’s History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet: A Treasury of Priceless Scripture. Upon arriving at Varanasi, the Buddha collected alms of food, ate, and then went to Descent of the Sages. The group of five saw the Teacher approaching and said, “The mendicant Gautama who violated his renunciant’s vows approaches, relaxed and well-fed. No one need go to greet him. No one need stand, or...
Immersive Workshop on Kongtrul’s Treasury of Precious Instructions
The workshop preserved here was co-sponsored by the Tsadra Foundation and Shambhala Publications and encompasses 5 sessions with translators and teachers working on Jamgön Kongtrul’s Treasury of Precious Instructions. Please see our Resource Guide for this collection for the full context. Sessions Note: Session 1 of this workshop was a conversation about translating Buddhism from Tibetan to English with Larry Mermelstein and Sarah Harding. It is not specific to this text so is not included on this page. In other...
Anne Klein Discusses Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche’s Life and Work
We were pleased to have Anne Klein, professor at Rice University and founder of the Dawn Mountain Buddhist center, pay us a visit and talk about her 2016 work, a translation of and introduction to the great Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche’s Strand of Jewels: My Teachers Essential Guidance on Dzogchen. Also see our interview with Khetsun Sangpo from the Snow Lion newsletter of October, 2006 ANNE KLEIN TITLES
Kilung Rinpoche Profile
We were pleased to have Dza Kilung Rinpoche founder of Pema Kilaya and the Kilung Foundation. Rinpoche paid a few visits to our Shambhala Publications’ Prajna Studios in Boulder and we are delighted to share a series of videos where he discusses his book, The Relaxed Mind. We will also be offering a course with him in 2017. Born in 1970, Rinpoche was officially discovered as a tulku in his youth. There had been signs that he was a reincarnated lama...
A Resource Guide to the Treasury of Precious Instructions
Overview The Treasury of Precious Instructions or Dam-ngak Rinpoché Dzö is one of Jamgön Kongtrul’s Five Treasuries, his major collections of writing. It is considered one of the most important contributions to Tibetan literature and a further statement of Jamgön Kongtrul’s non-sectarian values. This Treasury contains the collected transmissions and esoteric instructions of the eight principal practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, which trace their lineages back to India. These eight lineages of accomplishment (one model of classifying the practice traditions of Tibet) are...
Tibetan Lunar Calendar
A calendar showing the key practice days according to the Tibetan calendar. NEW & FORTHCOMING