AVAILABLE IN THE TARA INSTITUTE BOOKSHOP
WISDOM ENERGY: BASIC BUDDHIST TEACHINGS
Lama Yeshe (Author), Lama Zopa Rinpoche (Author)
This is a deeply refreshing book about elementary Buddhist ideas. The authors, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, present the material in a clear logical way that immediately rings true. They are empirical and scientific in their approach, even comparing Buddhist inquiry about the nature of self to a scientific investigation. Their refrain throughout the books is "check it out" --- verify for yourself, in your own practice, that their observations are true. They are not preaching dogma: quite to the contrary, they are proposing "testable hypotheses" of inner life, and they suggest inner "experiments" for the reader to carry out. The analyses are precise, and yet the precision is conveyed without jargon. This book is profoundly accessible to the modern Western reader, particularly to someone who has a background in science. Because of the cogency of the arguments, I would recommend this book not only to students of Buddhism and comparative religion, but also to students of philosophy, psychology, anthropology --- anyone who uses rational and scientific investigation to explore human nature in an attempt to ameliorate human problems.
BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS
by Thubten Chodron.
Buddhism for Beginners answers the fundamental questions and issues that arise in the minds of modern Western individuals who are new to this tradition of practical spirituality. Written in clear and engaging language, this book presents the Buddhist approach to the fundamental issues and concerns of daily life. Thubten Chodron guides us through the basic tenets of Buddhism, encouraging and instructing us in how to live a more peaceful, mindful and satisfying life. She untangles our confusions and leads us through the most basic aspects of this rich, living spiritual tradition.
"This book is written for people wanting to understand basic Buddhist principles and how to integrate them into their lives...it will be of much benefit to its readers."--the Dalai Lama
LIBERATION IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
A Concise Discourse on the Path of Enlightenment
Pabongka Rinpoche, Author
Trijang Rinpoche , Editor_|_Michael Richards, Translator
The classic guide for the study, practice, and realization of Buddhist teachings is one of the most fundamental texts of Tibetan Buddhism. Pabongka Rinpoche, a legendary teacher who died in this century, gave a twenty-four day teaching to a mass gathering of monks, nuns, and lay people in 1921 that was a complete synthesis of all the Buddha's teachings. This book is a translation from Tibetan of the notes from that teaching taken by Trijang Rinpoche, who became the current Dalai Lama's tutor. This book contains most of the famous "teaching" stories of Tibetan Buddhism.
ADVICE FROM A SPIRITUAL FRIEND
Geshe Dhargyey, Author_|_Stephen Batchelor, Introduction
Brian Beresford, Translator
Like wise old friends, two Tibetan masters offer down-to-earth advice for cultivating compassion, wisdom, and happiness in every situation. Based on practical Buddhist verses on "thought training" (lojong), Advice from a Spiritual Friend teaches how to develop the inner skills that lead to contentment by responding to everyday difficulties with patience and joy.
Following Stephen Batchelor's introduction to the Kadamapa tradition that gave rise to these earthy, pithy instructions, part 1 is a commentary by Geshe Dhargyey to Atisha's (982-1054) Jewel Rosary of a Bodhisattva. Part 2 includes a commentary by Geshe Rabten to the famous Seven-Point Thought Transformation
First published in 1977, Advice from a Spiritual Friend is a Wisdom classic, which has enriched readers in many editions over the years. As Batchelor says in his introduction, "These teachings are as applicable today as they were when Atisha first introduced them to Tibet."
Praise & Reviews
"It is not necessary to be interested in Buddhism to derive the benefits of these texts. Any reader will appreciate and perhaps benefit from this very wise advice on how to develop the skills that lead to happiness and contentment...appropriate for all types of people from all walks of life."—New Age Retailer
