Table of Contents
NEW
BOOKS> Atisha, Jamgon Kongtrul, Shundo Aoyama
by Nikko Odiseos
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to
share the following new releases:
Atiśa Dīpaṃkara:
Illuminator of the Awakened Mind
by James Apple
(University of Calgary)
The newest edition of our Lives of the Masters
series (http://shmb.la/lom).
Few figures in the history of Buddhism in Tibet
have had as far-reaching and profound an influence as the Indian scholar and
adept Atiśa Dīpaṃkara (982–1054). Originally from Bengal, Atiśa was a tantric
Buddhist master during Vajrayana Buddhism’s flowering in India and traveled
extensively, eventually spending the remaining twelve years of his life
revitalizing Buddhism in Tibet. Revered by all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism,
Atiśa and his students founded what came to be known as the Kadam school, whose
teachings have influenced countless Buddhist masters. These teachings,
cherished by all major traditions, are preserved by the Geluk in particular,
the school of the Dalai Lamas.
Although Atiśa
was an influential practitioner and scholar of Tantra, he is best known for
introducing many of the core Mahayana teachings that are widely practiced
throughout the Tibetan Buddhist world, including the Stages of the Path
to Awakening and Mind Training (lojong), as well as having
contributed to highly influential commentaries on Madhyamaka that synthesize
various schools of thought. This succinct biography of Atiśa’s life, together
with a collection of translations, represents for the first time the full range
of Atiśa’s contribution to Buddhism. As the most comprehensive work available
on this essential Buddhist figure, this book is an indispensable resource for
scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.
"No
Indian who visited Tibet in the past thousand years had a greater impact on the
Buddhism there than Atiśa Dīpaṃkara. He was a Buddhist monk, world traveler,
devout practitioner, philosopher, and brilliant synthesizer who was heir to
most of the great ideas and practices of later Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism. James
Apple’s book on Atiśa is a deeply researched, historically nuanced, and lively
overview of the master’s life and teachings. Atiśa has always been dear to the
hearts of Tibetans, and by bringing his words and deeds to life, Apple shows us
precisely why this is so—and why we ourselves should look to Atiśa for guidance."
—Roger R. Jackson, Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies and Religion, Carleton
College
PAGES: 320
ISBN: 9781611806472
ISBN: 9781611806472
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The Life of
Jamgon Kongtrul the Great
by Alexander
Garnder (Treasury of Lives)
Known as the “king of renunciates,” Jamgon Kongtrul
Lodro Taye (1813-1899) forever changed the face of Buddhism through collecting,
arranging, and disseminating the various lineage traditions of Tibet across
sectarian lines. His extensive treasury collections of profound Buddhist
teachings continue to be taught and transmitted throughout the Himalayas by all
major traditions and represent the breadth and profundity of Tibetan Buddhist
philosophy and practice.
Jamgon
Kongtrul was a polymath, dedicated retreatant, writer, and teacher from the
eastern Tibetan kingdom of Dergé. During the nineteenth century, this region
experienced extreme sectarian and political divides, during which Jamgon
Kongtrul, along with Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Chokgyur Lingpa, set about
collecting, teaching, and transmitting the major practice traditions found in
Tibet. They focused particularly on preserving declining lineages. This
conservation project, which did not adhere to the traditional divides of the
Tibetan “schools” and included both tantric lineages coming from India as well
as Tibetan treasure (terma) lineages, came to be known as the Rimé or
“unbiased” tradition. Jamgon Kongtrul is perhaps the most famous among these
Rimé figures.
This is the
most accessible work available on Jamgon Kongtrul’s life, writings, and
influence, written as a truly engaging historical biography. Alexander Gardner,
who is a specialist of Jamgon Kongtrul, provides an intimate glimpse into the
life of one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist teachers to have ever lived.
"A
monumental biography of Tibetan Buddhism’s towering figure. Alex Gardner has
given us a meticulously researched and utterly engaging history of one of
Tibet’s most important intellectuals, immersing us in this epic life of
politics, tradition, and visionary innovation. If you want to understand the
historical roots of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism in all its richness, begin
here." —Kurtis Schaeffer, Professor of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies,
University of Virginia
PAGES: 520
ISBN: 9781611804218
ISBN: 9781611804218
Zen Seeds: 60
Essential Buddhist Teachings on Effort, Gratitude, and Happiness
While not a scholarly
work, I am including this here as the author is the abbess of an important Soto
Zen temple in Japan.
The experience of
reading the 60 short pieces in this work is akin to reading Suzuki Roshi’s
classic Zen Mind,
Beginner’s Mind. She brings in the wisdom of Zen masters from Japan
and China such as Dogen, Hakuin, Pai-chang, and many more contemporary Zen
teachers and applies them to day-to-day life, in the most practical ways. And
she also brings in a range of other voices: Rousseau, Goethe, feminist Akiko
Yosano, and contemporary poets.
http://shmb.la/zen-seeds
http://shmb.la/zen-seeds
New Editions
The Karmapa’s
Middle Way
Marked by eloquent poetry,
vigorous and extensive analysis, and heart instructions on breaking through the
veils of confusion to independently experience the true nature of
things, The Karmapa’s Middle Way contains the Ninth Karmapa
Wangchuk Dorje’s comprehensive commentary on the Indian master Chandrakīrti’s
seminal text, the Madhyamakāvatāra, or Entrance to the
Middle Way. This commentary, Feast for the Fortunate, is the
Ninth Karmapa’s abridgement of the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje’s masterpiece,
the Chariot of the Takpo Kagyü Siddhas. In it, readers will find
previously unavailable material on the Karmapas’ Middle Way view and a rare
window into a philosophically charged era of Middle Way exposition in Tibetan
Buddhism. It includes Chandrakīrti’s root text to the Entrance to the
Middle Way and its commentary by the Ninth Karmapa; an introduction
detailing the history of the Middle Way, key Middle Way philosophical
principles, and the main points of each chapter of the text; an annotated
translation of a famous excerpt of Chandrakīrti’s Lucid Words; and
other useful appendices and reference materials.
Two additions
to the Core Teachings of the Dalai Lama series (http://shmb.la/core-teachings):
Our Human
Potential: The Unassailable Path of Love, Compassion, and Meditation
(previously published as The Dalai Lama at Harvard). Edited by Jeffrey
Hopkins
Perfecting
Wisdom: How Things Appear and How They Truly Are
A commentary
on the 9th chapter of A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of
Life. Translated and edited by B. Alan Wallace
http://shmb.la/perfecting-wisdom
http://shmb.la/perfecting-wisdom
There are many
more recent releases that are less for a scholarly audience but may be of
interest for classroom use:
To keep up to
date, you can sign up for Buddhist releases here: https://www.shambhala.com/email-signup
Nikko Odiseos
President
Shambhala Publications | Snow
Lion Publications
4720 Walnut St | Boulder, CO
80301 | o: 720-799-8245
WORKSHOP>
Advanced Tibetan Translation
by Marcus Perman
Online
Tibetan Translation With Master Translator Sarah HardingIf you would like to join the two-week Advanced Tibetan Translation Workshop with Sarah Harding that Tsadra Foundation is hosting at the University of Colorado, Boulder, please contact us at tibetansummerintensive@gmail.com. We will provide a link for the Tibetan text and video access via Zoom for those interested in observing online. Sarah will be discussing translation with students live in the classroom and has agreed to allow interested people to access the class via Zoom, but you won't be able to ask questions live. The course takes place 10:30-12:30 Mountain Time, Monday through Friday from the 12th to the 23rd of August. The text will be by the great Drukpa Kagyu master Padma Karpo entitled Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i spyod yul du seng ge rnam par rtse ba zhes bya ba bzhugs so/.
All the best wishes,
Marcus Perman
Tsadra Foundation
Boulder, Colorado, USA
