Lama Kalu Rinpoche was a distinguished Buddhist master, meditation teacher, and scholar, recognized as one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West. His teachings drew deeply from the Karma Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu traditions, where he dedicated decades to study and practice, including multiple extended meditation retreats. After fifteen years as a solitary yogi in the Tibetan countryside, he became a revered monastery abbot and meditation teacher before his exile. In exile, he expanded Tibetan Buddhist teachings across the Americas and Europe, establishing meditation centers and introducing traditional three-year retreats for Western students, significantly contributing to the dissemination of Buddhist philosophy.
Secret Buddhism reveals the essentials of Vajrayana, mantras, empowerments, the six yogas of Naropa, Chod, Pure Land, and the six bardos. A history of the Kagyupa and Shangpa Lineages and some explanation of the principles of Tibetan medicine complete this survey of Tibetan Buddhism.
Gathers selected teachings and stories that illustrate the principles ofuddhism.
Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé (1813–99),a pivotal figure in the nonsectarian movement of eastern Tibet, was one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time. In his monumental Encyclopedia of Buddhism, he presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism. Myriad Worlds is the first part of that work.As a prelude to Kongtrul's survey of the entire range of Buddhist teachings, Myriad Worlds describes four major cosmological systems found in the Tibetan tradition—those associated with the Hīnayāna, Mahāyāna, Kālacakra, and Dzog-chen teachings. To suit the capacities of different grades of beings, Buddha taught four levels of cosmology: the numerically definite cosmology of the individual way; the cosmology of infinite buddhafields of the universal way; the special cosmological system of the Kālacakra Tantra; and the dazzling non-cosmology of the Dzog-chen system, which dispenses with the dualistic perspective, revealing the creative principle to be awareness alone.Each of these cosmologies shows how the world arises from mind, whether through the accumulated results of past actions or from the constant striving of awareness to know itself.This detailed and thorough account of worldviews that present conceptions of space and time which differ significantly from Western ideas is at once illuminating and challenging.
This compilation of teachings presents the oral wisdom of Kalu Rinpoche, revered worldwide as a teacher of Vajrayana Buddhism. Here are his views on the mastery on the three yanas, the vows of Refuge and Bodhisattva, and the true nature of the mind. Also included are techniques for stepping beyond the Four Veils of Obscuration and Emotional Subjectivity onto the Five Paths that culminate in the liberation of mahamudra, plus a thorough introduction to the visualization techniques of yidam practice, a detailed commentary on the Chenrezig sadhana, and an extensive explanation of the Bardos of Death and Dying. Leavened with humor and fresh insight, this first English translation is an excellent resource for the novice and experienced student alike.
The Dharma is the first major collection of teachings by Kalu Rinpoche, a great meditation master in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. These discourses were presented in America with a Western audience in mind, and have been specially edited for this volume. The openness, simplicity, and depth of realization in his teachings have brought inspiration to many, and greater understanding of the wisdom Buddhism has to offer. The topics covered range from the most subtle psychology and metaphysics to everyday life and practice. Readers new to Buddhism will find lucid and profound explanations of the fundamental teachings; those already familiar with Buddhism will discover unexpected insights into the heart of the tradition.