Category:
Tibetan Buddhism
£23.99
(Hardback edition)
The Cuckoo of Rigpa (Rig pa’i khu byug), or Six Vajra Verses, is known to be one of the first five translations through which the great Tibetan translator Vairocana (eighth century) introduced the Dzogchen scriptures from Oḍḍiyāna. Although its essence is contained in only six lines, it unmistakably expresses the principles of the base, path, and fruit of Dzogchen in their entirety. In the Dunhuang manuscript the six verses are followed by a commentary, possibly the work of Vairocana himself, that explains the meaning of each verse with utmost clarity, including in relation to specific points of the view and practice of the Vajrayāna path of transformation.
In this book, the Dunhuang commentary is followed by the Author’s annotational commentary elucidating the most important points. In the detailed introduction, which makes up the largest part of the book, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu first undertakes to identify the location of the ancient kingdom of Oḍḍiyāna, the birthplace of the Dzogchen teachings, by relying on historical sources such as the travelogue of Ugyenpa Rinchen Pal (1230–1309), a Tibetan siddha who visited Oḍḍiyāna in the thirteenth century. He then proceeds to show the connection between Oḍḍiyāna and the ancient kingdom of Shang Shung by means of six reasons, on the basis of several Bönpo historical accounts such as from the Dzogchen Oral Transmission of Shang Shung, and concludes with short biographies of the first human master of Dzogchen, Garab Dorje of Oḍḍiyāna, of the great Guru Padmasambhava (eighth century), also from Oḍḍiyāna, and of the Tibetan translator Vairocana.
This book has been published with the generous support of the Ka-Ter Translation Project
£120.00
Out of print hardback edition.
Condition: Fine - As New.
In Kurukulla: Goddess of Bewitchment – A Devotional Path to the Red Enchantress of Uddiyana, author Verónica Rivas combines academic research with personal experience to offer a theoretical-practical study of Kurukulla, the goddess in Hinduism related to desire, lust, magic, and witchcraft.
Many of these aspects were left aside, however, as her importance and popularity within Tantric Buddhism continued to grow. In Kurukulla, we have a goddess of tribal origins, initially venerated as a protector by various nomadic clans who related her to fertility and material affairs, yet also considered her dangerous and fearsome. Progressively, the goddess was incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon, and during this process, Kurukulla acquired different roles and lost others. Many practices were developed related to issues such as protection against animals and certain diseases, obtaining influential positions in society, love affairs, and even getting rid of one’s enemies.
Kurukulla: Goddess of Bewitchment offers a tantric perspective on a deity considered the goddess of eroticism, the mistress of enchantments and bewitchment, who uses desire as a weapon for transcendence. Practicing with Kurukulla allows us to reach our true nature by making our daily life, our fears and weaknesses, the very source of liberation.
The goddess of the red body represents the pure manifestation of intrinsic wisdom, the primordial energy that nourishes all realms of existence, as well as life and death as complementary opposites.
The rituals and devotionals presented in this book are intended to openly and freely establish a deep connection with the deity. They are shared in a simple and understandable way that will allow practitioners to integrate them into their life easily and completely.
£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.
£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.