RECOGNIZING REALITY: Dharmakirti's Philosophy and Its Tibetan Interpretations by Georges B.J. Dreyfus
Dreyfus examines the central ideas of Dharmakirti, one of the most important Indian Buddhist philosophers, and their reception among Tibetan thinkers. During the golden age of ancient Indian civilization, Dharmakirti articulated and defended Buddhist philosophical principles. He did so more systematically than anyone before his time (the seventh century C.E.) and was followed by a rich tradition of profound thinkers in India and Tibet. This work presents a detailed picture of this Buddhist tradition and its relevance to the history of human ideas. Its perspective is mostly philosophical, but it also uses historical considerations as they relate to the evolution of ideas.
THE RI-ME PHILOSOPHY OF JAMGON KONGTRUL THE GREAT: A Study of the Buddhist Lineages of Tibet by Ringu Tulku
This compelling study of the Ri-me movement and of the major Buddhist lineages of Tibet is comprehensive and accessible.
It includes an introduction to the history and philosophy of the Ri-me movement; a biography of the movement's leader, the meditation master and philosopher known as Jamgon Kongtrul the Great; helpful summaries of the eight lineages' practice-and-study systems, which point out the different emphases of the schools; an explanation of the most hotly disputed concepts; and an overview of the old and new tantras.
MOUNTAIN DOCTRINE: Tibet's Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness and the Buddha Matrix by Dol-bo-ba Shay-rap-gyel-tsen, translated, edited and introduced by Jeffrey Hopkins
Translated here for the first time into any language, Mountain Doctrine, Ocean of Definitive Meaning: Final Unique Quintessential Instructions is a seminal fourteenth-century Tibetan text on the nature of reality. The author, Dol-bo-ba Shay-rap-gyel-tsen, was one of the most influential figures of that dynamic period of doctrinal formulation and his text is a sustained argument about the buddha-nature, also called the matrix-of-one-gone-thus.
SCRIPTURE, LOGIC, LANGUAGE: Essays on Dharmakirti and his Tibetan Successors by Tom J. F. Tillemans
Dharmakirti, an Indian Buddhist philosopher of the seventh century, explored the nature, limits and justifications of rationality within the context of Buddhist religious and metaphysical concerns. While Dharmakirti is widely recognized for his crucial innovations in Indian logic and semantic theory, his notoriously difficult thought nonetheless remains poorly understood.
In this volume, one of the world's leading scholars of Buddhist philosophy sheds light on the interrelated topics of scripture, logic and language in the works of Dharmakirti and his philosophical heirs, both Indian and Tibetan. Professor Tillemans' knowledgable explanations of such technical subjects as the "apoha" theory of reference and the problem of entailment (vyapti) are coupled throughout with insightful reflections on how best to evaluate Dharmakirti's theories in light of contemporary philosophical thought. "Scripture, Logic, Language" is an informative and thought-provoking study for students of Buddhism as well as for those in the wider field of philosophy.
THE SVATANTRIKA-PRASANGIKA DISTINCTION: What Difference Does a Difference Make? ed. by Sara McClintock & Georges Dreyfus
Madhyamaka, or "Middle Way," philosophy came to Tibet from India and became the basis of all of Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetans, however, differentiated two streams of Madhyamaka philosophy -- Svatantrika and Prasangika. In this collection, leading scholars in the field address this Tibetan distinction on various levels, including the philosophical import for both Indian and Tibetan Madhyamaka and the historical development of the distinction.
THE TIBETAN BOOK OF YOGA: Ancient Buddhist Teachings on the Philosophy and Practice of Yoga by Michael Roach
Yoga came to Tibet from India more than a thousand years ago, and it was quickly absorbed into the culture's rich traditions.
In this small book readers will discover Tibetan Heart Yoga, which developed over the centuries in the Gelukpa tradition of the Dalai Lamas. The program presented here combines popular yoga exercises with special Tibetan poses and methods of working from the inside to give a healthy and happy heart.
IDENTITY, RITUAL AND STATE IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM: The Foundations of Authority in Gelukpa Monasticism by Martin Mills
This is a major anthropological study of contemporary Tibetan Buddhist monasticism and tantric ritual in the Ladakh region of North-West India and of the role of tantric ritual in the formation and maintenance of traditional forms of state structure and political consciousness in Tibet. Containing detailed descriptions and analyses of monastic ritual, the work builds up a picture of Tibetan tantric traditions as they interact with more localized understandings of bodily identity and territorial cosmology, to produce a substantial re-interpretation of the place of monks as ritual performers and peripheral householders in Ladakh. The work also examines the central and indispensable role of incarnate lamas, such as the Dalai Lama, in the religious life of Tibetan Buddhists.
TRAVELLER IN SPACE: Gender, Identity and Tibetan Buddhism by June Campbell
In this revised edition of June Campbell's ground-breaking work, many of the key issues concerning gender, identity and Tibetan Buddhism are now broadened and further clarified in order to create a better understanding of the historical importance of gender symbolization in the very construction of relgious belief and philosophy.
BOUNDLESS HEART: The Cultivation of the Four Immeasurables by B. Alan Wallace, ed. by Zara Houshmand
The cultivation of the Four Immeasurables, or "divine abidings," is a core practice of early Buddhism and an invaluable complement to insight meditation. "Citta" refers to both the heart and mind, and their integrated cultivation is crucial to balanced spiritual practice. Developing these four qualities of loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity is the indispensable foundation for realizing bodhicitta, the spirit of awakening that animates the Bodhisattva way of life and inspires Vajrayana practice as a whole. Alan Wallace draws on early Buddhist sources and contemporary oral tradition to present accessible meditations on the four immeasurables, together with instructions on meditative quiescence. These teachings were originally offered during a group retreat and includes lively discussions with the participants.
ABSORPTION IN NO EXTERNAL WORLD: 170 Issues In Mind-Only Buddhism by Jeffrey Hopkins
This book examines a plethora of fascinating points raised in six centuries of Tibetan and Mongolian commentary concerning the first two sections of Dzong-ka-ba's The Essence of Eloquence, the Prologue and the section on the Mind-Only School. by providing vivid detail, Jeffrey Hopkins reveals the liveliness of Tibetan scholastic controversies, showing the dynamism of thoughtful commentary and stimulating the reader's metaphysical imagination. In the process of examining 170 issues, this volume treats many engaging points on Great Vehicle presentations of the three natures and the three non-natures, including how to apply these to all phenomena, the selflessness of persons, and the emptiness of emptiness. It concludes with a delineation of the approaches through which the Mind-Only School interprets scriptures.