In a work that contributes both to a general theory of religion and power for religious studies as well as to the problem of the origin of a Buddhist movement, Walser argues that that it is the neglect of political and social power in the scholarly imagination of the history of Buddhism that has made the origins of Mahayana an intractable problem.

Mahamudra in India and Tibet presents cutting-edge research by European and North American scholars on the Indian origins and Tibetan interpretations of one of the most popular and influential of all Tibetan meditation traditions, Mahamudra, or the great seal. The contributions shed fresh light on important areas of Mahamudra studies, exploring the Great Seal's place in the Mahayana Samadhirajasutra, the Indian tantric Seven Siddhi Texts, Dunhuang Yogatantra texts, Mar pa's Rngog lineage, and the Dgongs gcig literature of the 'Bri gung, as well as in the works of Yu mo Mi bskyod rdo rje, the Fourth Zhwa dmar pa Chos grags ye shes, the Eighth Karma pa Mi-bskyod rdo rje, and various Dge lugs masters of the 17th-18th centuries.

Naropa is one of the accomplished lineage holders of the Mahamudra tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In this book, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, a beloved Mahamudra teacher, first tells the extraordinary story of Naropa's life and explains its profound lessons. He follows this with lucid and practical commentaries on two of Naropa's songs of realization, explaining their precious instructions for realizing Mahamudra, the nature of one’s mind. Throughout, Thrangu Rinpoche speaks plainly and directly to Westerners eager to receive the essence of Mahamudra instructions from an accomplished teacher.

Reflecting something of the astonishing range of Matthew Kapstein's work and interests, this collection of essays pays tribute to a luminary in the field by exemplifying some of the diverse work in Buddhist and Asian studies that has been impacted by his scholarship and teaching. Engaging matters as diverse as the legal foundations of Tibetan religious thought, the teaching careers of modern Chinese Buddhists, the history of Bhutan, and the hermeneutical insights of Vasubandhu, these essays by students and colleagues of Matthew Kapstein are offered as testament to a singular scholar and teacher whose wide-ranging work is unified by a rare intellectual selflessness.

Most traditions of Mahamudra meditation can be traced back to the mahasiddha Tilopa and his Ganges Mahamudra, a "song of realization" that he sang to his disciple Naropa on the banks of the Ganges River more than a thousand years ago. In this book, Khenchen Thrangu, a beloved Mahamudra teacher, tells the extraordinary story of Tilopa's life and explains its profound lessons. He follows this story with a limpid and practical verse-by-verse commentary on the Ganges Mahamudra, explaining its precious instructions for realizing Mahamudra, the nature of one's mind. Throughout, Thrangu Rinpoche speaks plainly and directly to Westerners eager to receive the essence of Mahamudra instructions from an accomplished teacher.

Fundamentos del budismo tibetano presenta las practicas mas importantes de esta tradicion de una forma clara y accesible. El libro comienza con una vision en conjunto de la senda budista. De ahí pasa a explicar prácticas como la toma de refugio, las postraciones, la meditacion, las visualizaciones con mandalas o la relacion maestro-discipulo. Luego, aborda los votos de los laicos, la senda del bodhisattva y la del practicante tantrico. El libro termina con una magistral disertacion sobre la meditacion mahamudra, una de las mas elevadas practicas espirituales del budsimo tibetano.

El presente libro desarrolla ciertos aspectos historico-religiosos de la figura de este trascendental maestro espiritual e incide en algunos elementos poco explicados de las ensenanzas budistas. De este modo, ademas de exponer el sustrato filosofico que subyace a cada práctica meditativa -analizando, por ejemplo, las diversas nociones de la vacuidad, la funcion y el significado de las deidades meditativas tantricas o la contemplación de la verdadera naturaleza de la mente-, este trabajo presenta de manera fidedigna una detallada exposicion del dzogchen -o Gran Perfeccion-, unas instrucciones que segun algunos maestros constituyen el punto culminante de la contemplacion budista y que sólo muy recientemente han comenzado a hacerse publicas en Occidente. En la misma tonica, estas páginas tambien recogen el legendario origen de las ensenanzas tantricas, el modo en que se transmitieron las primeras instrucciones del dzogchen o una explicacion sobre los «tesoros espirituales» (termas), un conjunto de textos doctrinales y objetos sagrados ocultados por ciertos maestros en los albores del budismo y que han ido descubriendose a lo largo de los siglos hasta llegar a nuestros días.

Bombarded with information, endlessly pursuing possessions--we look for happiness in all the wrong places. Khenpo Sodargye, one of the busiest Buddhist teachers in the world, shows us how to redirect our attention away from such distractions and instead calm our minds and find true contentment. His wide-ranging advice covers careers and conventional notions of material success, romantic relationships, and the environment. Erudite and compassionate, he points the reader to inspiration from sutras, Zen masters, Confucius, and the daily news, offering warm, heartfelt encouragement for these troubled times.

Beautiful Adornment of Mount Meru by Changkya Rolpai Dorje (1717-86) is a work of doxography, presenting the distinctive philosophical tenets of the Indian Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools in a systematic manner that ascends through increasingly more subtle views. It is a Tibetan corollary to contemporary histories of philosophy. The "Mount Meru" of the title is the Buddha's teachings, and Changkya's work excels in particular in its treatment of the two Mahayana Buddhist schools, the Yogacara (here called the Vijnaptimatra) and the Madhyamaka. Unlike Jamyang Shepa's (1648-1722) much longer Great Exposition of Tenets, which was one of the key sources and inspirations for Changkya, Beautiful Adornment is often praised for the clarity of its prose and its economical use of citations from Indian texts. At the same time, like Jamyang Shepa's work, Changkya's text is not simply a catalog of assertions; it skillfully examines core philosophical issues, including a number of intriguing ancillary discussions. Also like Jamyang Shepa's text, Changkya's is very much a Geluk work, drawing heavily on the works of Tsongkhapa and his disciples.

"This book contains a clear and candid autobiographical account of the events of the life of Sogan Tulku, know also as Pema Lodoe. He describes in detail the circumstances of his birth and upbringing in Tibet, and his development on the Buddhist path from when he learned to read and write, to his study of Buddhist philosophy, and finally to mastering what he learned in practices such as mediation retreats. He elaborates on the particular experiences he had during this time of his life, as well as later in India and in the West."

The six paramitas--generosity, ethical discipline, patience, heroic effort, concentration, and wisdo--are among the core teachings of Buddhism across all its schools. For newcomers and seasoned practitioners alike, they are foundational practices to enter and realize the mind of Buddha. In this sincere and powerful book, Zen teacher Reb Anderson offers teachings and practice stories that elucidate and open up each paramita. Taken together, the six "perfections" form an integrated and complete path--the path of the heroic bodhisattva who vows to practice ceaselessly for the welfare and liberation of all beings.

The Guhyasamaja Tantra is one of the Unexcelled Yoga Tantras of Vajrayana Buddhism. In the initial, generation-stage practice, one engages in a prescribed sequence of visualizations of oneself as an enlightened being in a purified environment in order to prepare one's mind and body to engage in the second stage: the completion stage. The latter works directly with the subtle energies of one's mind and body and transforms them into the enlightened mind and body of a buddha

Buddhism is widely known to advocate a stance of total pacifism towards all sentient beings, and because of this, it is often thought that Buddhist doctrine would stipulate that non-violent food practices, such as vegetarianism, be mandatory. However, the Pali source materials do not encourage vegetarianism and most Buddhists do not practice it.