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Maitrīpa (986–1063) is one of the greatest and most influential Indian yogis of Vajrayāna Buddhism. The legacy of his thought and meditation instructions have had a profound impact on Buddhism in India and Tibet, and several important contemporary practice lineages continue to rely on his teachings. Early in his life, Maitrīpa gained renown as a monk and scholar, but it was only after he left his monastery and wandered throughout India as a yogi that he had a direct experience of nonconceptual realization. Once Maitrīpa awakened to this nondual nature of reality, he was able to harmonize the scholastic teachings of Buddhist philosophy with esoteric meditation instructions. This is refl...
Maitreya's Ratnagotravibhaga, also known as the Uttaratantra, is the main Indian treatise on buddha nature, a concept that is heavily debated in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. In A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, Klaus-Dieter Mathes looks at a pivotal Tibetan commentary on this text by Go Lotsawa Zhonu Pal, best known as the author of the Blue Annals. Go Lotsawa, whose teachers spanned the spectrum of Tibetan schools, developed a highly nuanced understanding of buddha nature, tying it in with mainstream Mahayana thought while avoiding contested aspects of the so-called empty-of-other (zhentong) approach. In addition to translating key portions of Go Lotsawa's commentary, Mathes provides an in-depth historical context, evaluating Go's position against those of other Kagyu, Nyingma, and Jonang masters and examining how Go Lotsawa's view affects his understanding of the buddha qualities, the concept of emptiness, and the practice of mahamudra.
The major Indian treatise on Buddha nature is the Ratnagotravibhaga, also known as the Uttaratantra, and it is this core text that Klaus-Dieter Mathes focuses on in this book. Mathes demonstrates how its author, Go Lotsawa, ties the teachings on Buddha nature in with mainstream Mahayana thought while avoiding the pitfalls of the zhentong approach favored by the Jonang tradition. He also evaluates Go Lotsawa's position on Buddha nature against the background of interpretations by masters of the Kagyu, Nyingma, and Jonang schools.
Presents a new vision of the Buddhist history and philosophy of emptiness in Tibet. This book brings together perspectives of leading international Tibetan studies scholars on the subject of zhentong or “other-emptiness.” Defined as the emptiness of everything other than the continuous luminous awareness that is one’s own enlightened nature, this distinctive philosophical and contemplative presentation of emptiness is quite different from rangtong—emptiness that lacks independent existence, which has had a strong influence on the dissemination of Buddhist philosophy in the West. Important topics are addressed, including the history, literature, and philosophy of emptiness that have c...
The collection of 26 texts on non-imaginary realization is the result of a synthesis of the essence and tantric Mahāmudrā teachings of Saraha, Nāgārjuna and Śavaripa with a special form of the Madhyamaka philosophy called Not-Founded (apratiṣṭhāna), which addresses the fundamental overcoming of any conceptual determination of reality. This is accomplished by subtracting attention from the duality of an object to be perceived and a subject perceiving. The result is a "radiant self-initiation, " according to Maitrīpas (986-1063), who finally analyzed the term amanasikāra. The collection of texts on non-conceptual realization plays an important role, since together with Naropa's tea...
Groundbreaking research by nine international Tibetan studies scholars on one of the most important developments in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, ris med, a period of religious tolerance.
Mahāmudrā in India and Tibet offers a feast of cutting-edge research by European and North American scholars on key topics in the study of one of the most popular and influential of all Tibetan meditation traditions, Mahāmudrā, the “great seal.”
This book brings together perspectives of leading international Tibetan studies scholars on the subject of zhentong or "other-emptiness." Defined as the emptiness of everything other than the continuous luminous awareness that is one's own enlightened nature, this distinctive philosophical and contemplative presentation of emptiness is quite different from rangtong—emptiness that lacks independent existence, which has had a strong influence on the dissemination of Buddhist philosophy in the West. Important topics are addressed, including the history, literature, and philosophy of emptiness that have contributed to zhentong thinking in Tibet from the thirteenth century until today. The cont...
The Silpa Prakasais an important addition to the existing literature on Indian Silpa Texts. the text goes into a great detail of the architecture, the iconography and the symbolism of all the parts of the temple. Its unique contribution lies in the description of Yantras or symbolic diagrams underlying the architecture as well as sculpture. This edition will be extremely valuable for understanding not only temple construction but the entire symbolism underlying the unique temples of Orissa.