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Tibetan Buddhism
Calling the Lama From Afar: The Yogini Nuns of Nangchen's Gebchak Gompa by Jampa Kalden
£18.99
Calling the Lama from Afar is a journey into the world of the remarkable yoginis of Gebchak Gompa, a nunnery in a remote valley in the Eastern Tibetan region of Nangchen, known as the land of meditators. Situated at an altitude of over 14,000 feet, Gebchak is home to more than 300 nuns renowned for their practice and realisation and is the heart and hub of a group of more than 30 gompas under the care of Tsoknyi Rinpoche III. Bokar Rinpoche wrote that of the many practice centers for women, Gebchak Gompa is “the most renowned center” in Tibet. The Gebchak yoginis are particularly known for their accomplishment of the practice of tummo or inner fire meditation, which they demonstrate in an annual winter ceremony, using tummo to dry wet sheets wrapped around their bodies as they walk slowly around the gompa in temperatures far below freezing. At the heart of the book are interviews with Gebchak nuns, including some very accomplished elderly yoginis who speak openly about their lives and their meditative realization. Just as inspiring are the new generation of yoginis who maintain the Gebchak tradition of meditation, and attain realization even as young nuns. Those interviewed include nuns in their 30’s who have been authorized to give pointing out instruction on the nature of mind. Others talk about taking part in the annual tummo ceremony, and about their lives at Gebchak Gompa. The nuns also recount tales of the deaths of Gebchak yoginis – events marked by wondrous signs of attainment. These nuns’ stories are first-hand, contemporary accounts, not history or legend. This is a living tradition that did not end with the yoginis of old but continues to this day, despite the destruction of the gompa during what they call “the troubled times.” Many humorous episodes enliven the text, and the nuns’ story is enriched with historical accounts of early visitors to the region, side trips to other gompas and meetings with remarkable Nangchen lamas.
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Rainbow Body by Loel Guinness
£85.00
There is no better illustration of the radical transformative power of the ancient Tibetan contemplative teachings of Dzogchen than the extraordinary phenomenon of bodily disappearance or “rainbow body”, which is considered its ultimate fruit. In this groundbreaking study of rainbow body in the Bön tradition, which is the first of its kind in a western language, the neophyte reader is guided into the profound insights of Dzogchen, while all the components required to understand this most mysterious and enigmatic of phenomena are laid out gently and methodically.
Illustrated by unique thangkas commissioned especially for this study, the book’s emphasis is on clarity of exposition. Simple enough for the layman, but detailed enough to do justice to these ancient and subtle traditions, Rainbow Body serves both as an introduction to Bön Dzogchen, and also as a pioneering study of Tibetan textual sources related to the phenomenon of rainbow body. It is offered to the public in the hope that as many people as possible may benefit from the profundity of this ancient wisdom. For as Loel Guinness states in his preface, “Dzogchen is not just for monks. It is as suitable for the businessman, the academic, the adventurer, or the practitioner. The insights of Dzogchen are relevant for all”.
The 2021 edition is updated and revised in a smaller, more accessible format, of the 2018 edition.
Bo and Bon by Dmitry Ermakov
£34.99
Bѳ and Bön: Ancient Shamanic Traditions of Siberia and Tibet in their Relation to the Teachings of a Central Asian Buddha.
Hailed as a fascinating and unique book, this is the first in-depth study of its kind comparing the ancient Bon religion with the Siberian shamanic tradition of Lake Baikal. Combining scholarly research with spiritual insight and with over 200 illustrations, maps and diagrams, the information is presented in a clear and lively way, enabling the reader to navigate easily through the various topics dealt with and to follow the threads of the intricate tapestry which is woven as the parallels between the ancient shamanic traditions of Tibet and Siberia unfold.
A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission by Longchen Rabjam
£46.99
Among the works in Longchen Rabjam's famous collection, The Seven Treasuries, is this book commonly known as the Chöying Dzod. The Chöying Dzod consists of two texts: a set of source verses entitled The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena and Longchenpa's own commentary on those verses, A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission.
Padma Publishing is engaged in the long-term project of translating into English the revered Dzogchen commentaries known as the Seven Treasuries, authored by the fourteenth-century Nyingma master, Longchen Rabjam (Longchenpa). This masterpiece, admired by scholars for centuries, synthesizes more than 600 years of development in the spiritual tradition first brought to Tibet by Padmasambhava in the eighth century. Padma Publishing editions include the English translation as well as structural outlines, critical notes, lists of key terms, and glossaries.
Producing an English edition of the Seven Treasuries is a daunting task, both scholastically and linguistically. Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, late head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, felt that such a project would be an extremely important undertaking, but pointed out that these comprehensive and profoundly intricate texts presented enormous challenges to quality translation. Every line, and often each word, of Longchenpa's text presents challenges. The Padma Translation Committee established a multi-leveled editorial process, similar to the traditional manner of translation projects in Tibet's great monastic institutions. In addition to having received input and direction from Chagdud Rinpoche, the translators have benefited from several visiting scholars, who have lent their expertise in elucidating and clarifying difficult points in the texts.
It was Chagdud Rinpoche's vision that the Seven Treasuries of Longchenpa be made available to Western students of the Dzogchen tradition, and for this reason he founded the Translation Project in 1987, inviting Richard Barron (Lama Chökyi Nyima) to assist Padma in its endeavors. To date, the Padma Translation Committee has produced five of the Seven Treasuries, as well as numerous sadhana texts, ritual liturgies, prayers, and other practice materials.
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