We are very sad to share the news that we have lost an important translator Elio Guarisco, who passed away from covid on November 27, 2020. Elio was born in Como, Italy in 1954. In the early 1970s he met and studied with major exponents of the Theravada tradition in India. He then studied Buddhist

“the only war that matters is the war against the imagination.” —Diane di Prima Onehandclapping, CC BY-SA 3.0 We just learned that Diane di Prima passed away on October 25th, 2020.  While we did not publish any of her extraordinary stand-alone works, she and her work appear in many Shambhala Publications books.  Though I had

We learned yesterday, August 3rd, 2020, that our author and friend Steven Goodman passed away after a long illness. I first met Steven in the 1990s when Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche introduced us and said to me, "Steven is not an ordinary scholar, he is very special" and went on to extoll his genuine connection

The Litany of the Names of Manjushri or Chanting the Names of Manjusri (’jam dpal mtshan brjod; Skt. Manjushrinamasamghiti) and also referred to as The King of All Tantras and Net of Magical Manifestation of Manjushri, is an extremely important tantric text, relied on by all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In particular it is

Patrul Rinpoche See Our Reader's Guide Patrul Rinpoche (1808–1887) was one of the greatest Tibetan teachers of the nineteenth century. Famous for his precise and direct style, he shunned high monastic office and lived the life of a homeless wanderer, writing his book in a rustic hermitage under an overhanging rock. Praise to Patrul Rinpoche

Om Mani Padme Hung: An Explanation of the Six-Syllable Mantra The following is an excerpt from  The Small Golden Key by Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche More on Thinley Norbu can be found at Kunzangatshal.org and Lotsawa House The Small Golden Key$19.95 - PaperbackBy: Thinley Norbu Add to Cart22 reviews on Amazon OM closes the door to

Buddhist End-of-Life Care An excerpt from Living Is Dying What can we do for our dying loved ones, especially if they are not spiritually minded, let alone Buddhist? Does encouraging the dying and the dead to take refuge and arouse bodhichitta really help? And can non-Buddhists understand the bardo teachings? These are very good questions. Confidence

Related Reader's Guides Guide to the Sakya Tradition Guides to Other Important Sakya Figures: Chogyal Phagpa | Sakyasribhadra Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen (1182-1251) Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen (1182-1251), commonly referred to as Sapan, was one of five founding masters of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the principle disciple of Drakpa Gyeltsen and a

The Life of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo: An excerpt from Tulku Thondup Rinpoche's Masters of Meditation and Miracles According to Nyingma tradition, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is the body incarnation of Jigme Lingpa. 259 He became one of the greatest masters, in whom the lineages of all of Tibetan Buddhism find their confluence. He became a prominent

An excerpt from Tibetan Astrology, where Phillipe Cornu summarizes Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche's explanation of each month's 10th day, or Guru Rinpoche Day. The 10th is Guru Rinpoche day. Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava is the Buddha who established Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. At the esoteric level, he is the essence of all buddhas and masters. He