"Do not wish for gratitude.
Never strike at the heart.
Now if you die, you will have no regrets."
—The Seven-Point Thought Transformation

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."

ISBN:0-86171-193-9_|_160 pp_|_Our Price: $12.76 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Essential for readers interested in meditation or Eastern religion. There is no other book devoted solely to the very important Zen practice of Shikantaza (literally, "just sitting").

ISBN:0-86171-394-X_|_256 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Meditation offers, in addition to its many other benefits, a method for achieving previously inconceivable levels of concentration. Author B. Alan Wallace has nearly thirty years' practice in attention-enhancing meditation, including a retreat he performed under the guidance of the Dalai Lama. An active participant in the much-publicized dialogues between Buddhists and scientists, Alan is uniquely qualified to speak intelligently to both camps, and The Attention Revolution is the definitive presentation of his knowledge.

Beginning by pointing out the ill effects that follow from our inability to focus, Wallace moves on to explore a systematic path of meditation to deepen our capacity for deep concentration. The result is an exciting, rewarding "expedition of the mind," tracing everything from the confusion at the bottom of the trail to the extraordinary clarity and power that come with making it to the top. Along the way, Alan also provides interludes and complementary practices for cultivating love, compassion, and clarity in our waking and dreaming lives.

Attention is the key that makes personal change possible, and the good news is that it can be trained. This book shows how.

ISBN:0-86171-276-5_|_224 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Since his death in 1984, many of his teachings have been collected and some have been published, but still some of his most important teachings have yet to become readily available. Becoming the Compassion Buddha represents a significant development in that it is the first of a series of books that examine key tantric deity practices in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. What is remarkable is that again, as with his book on Tantra, his teachings make coherent and understandable to the general reader and those just discovering Buddhism practices that once were considered arcane or hidden.

Lama Yeshe strongly believed that practices that helped develop compassion and wisdom should not be limited to advanced practitioners, but that the man in the street could benefit from them as well. In this book he provides a commentary on a short guru yoga practice written by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The practice includes visualizations that inspire the development of compassion and wisdom. The final section of the book goes into detail on the subject of Mahamudra, the true nature of all phenomena, another potentially tricky subject. Here again, Lama Yeshe presents the teachings by drawing on examples from daily life and by introducing meditation practices that all can follow.Becoming the Compassion Buddha is an extraordinary book that opens new doors for countless readers.

ISBN:0-86171-343-5_|_224 pp_|_Our Price: $11.96 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Common to all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, the practice of Vajrasattva is used to purify obstacles to spiritual development, negative karma and illness. Lama Yeshe, the inspirational teacher who strongly influenced the development of Buddhism in the West, found that the practice of Vajrasattva brought dramatic results for his Western students. Becoming Vajrasattva, is a complete guide to this purification practice, providing instruction on the method, commentary on the traditional texts, and insight into tantra. Also included is an entire section of complete retreat instructions-required reading for anyone undertaking a meditation retreat in the Tibetan tradition.

Click here to download a large format line drawing of Vajrasattva
Click here to download a color practice image of Vajrasattva

ISBN:0-86171-389-3_|_320 pp_|_Our Price: $14.36 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

In this new edition of her classic best-selling book, Ayya Khema gives clear, practical instruction on meditation and techniques for overcoming counterproductive mental habits and beliefs. Through the simple practices detailed here, you will develop deeper insight, a sense of calm well-being, and a greater capacity to love and feel loved on a daily basis. Being Nobody also includes an eloquent, sparklingly lucid outline of the Buddhist path that can be understood and enjoyed by everybody.

ISBN:0-86171-198-X_|_192 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Following Je Tsongkhapa's (1357-1419 a.d.) text Having the Three Convictions, Lama Yeshe introduces the renowned Six Yogas of Naropa, focusing mainly on the first of these six, the practice of inner fire (tummo). Mastery of inner fire quickly brings the mind to its most refined and penetrating state-the experience of clear light, an extra-ordinarily powerful state of mind that is unequaled in its ability to directly realize ultimate reality.

Lama Yeshe felt that twentieth-century Westerners could easily grasp the often misunderstood ideas of this esoteric tradition: "We really need tantra these days because there is a tremendous explosion of delusion and distraction.and we need the atomic energy of inner fire to blast us out of our delusion."

Lama Yeshe's aim was for his students to actually taste the experience of inner fire rather than merely gain an intellectual understanding. Lama's own realization of the transformative power of these practices comes through, inspiring his students to discover for themselves their own capacity for inexhaustible bliss.

ISBN:0-86171-136-X_|_256 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

The koan collection Wick explores here is highly esteemed as both literature and training material in the Zen tradition, in which koan-study is one of two paths a practitioner might take. This collection is used for training in many Zen centers in the Americas and in Europe but has never before been available with commentary from a contemporary Zen master. Wick's Book of Equanimity includes new translations of the preface, main case and verse for each koan, and modern commentaries on the koans by Wick himself.

ISBN:0-86171-387-7_|_352 pp_|_Our Price: $15.96 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Creation and Completion represents some of the most profound teachings of Jamgön Kongtrul (1813-99), one of the true spiritual and literary giants of Tibetan history. Though brief, it offers a lifetime of advice for all who wish to engage in-and deepen-the practice of tantric Buddhist meditation.

The original text, beautifully translated and introduced by Sara Harding, is further brought to life by an in-depth commentary by the contemporary master Thrangu Rinpoche. Key Tibetan Buddhist fundamentals are quickly made clear, so that the reader may confidently enter into tantra's oft-misunderstood "creation" and "completion" stages.

In the creation stage, practitioners visualize themselves in the form of buddhas and other enlightened beings in order to break down their ordinary concepts of themselves and the world around them. This meditation practice prepares the mind for engaging in the completion stage, where one has a direct encounter with the ultimate nature of mind and reality.

He is known for two major works. The first work, the massive Shobogenzo(Treasury of the True Dharma Eye), represents his early teachings and exists in myriad English translations; the second work, the Eihei Koroku, is a collection of all his later teachings, including short formal discourses to the monks training at his temple, longer informal talks, and koans with his commentaries, as well as short appreciatory verses on various topics. The Shobogenzo has received enormous attention in Western Zen and Western Zen literature, and with the publication of this watershed volume, the Eihei Koroku will surely rise to commensurate stature.

DOGEN'S EXTENSIVE RECORD is the first-ever complete and scholarly translation of this monumental work into English. This edition contains extensive and detailed research and annotation by scholar, translator, and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton, as well as forewords by the eighteenth-century poet-monk Ryokan and Tenshin Reb Anderson, former abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center-plus introductory essays from Dogen scholar Steven Heine, and the prominent American Zen master John Daido Loori.

This lavishly-produced cloth-bound volume will be indispensable to students and scholars of Zen.

ISBN:0-86171-305-2_|_752 pp_|_Our Price: $52 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Lama Zopa Teaches:
‘What is called "I" is the object to be abandoned forever; what is called "others"—even one sentient being—is the object to be cherished forever. This is why living your life for others - dedicating your life to even one sentient being—gives the greatest enjoyment and the most interesting life. Real happiness in life starts when you cherish others. Living your life for others, cherishing them with loving-kindness and compassion, is the door to happiness, the door to enlightenment.’

ISBN:0-86171-310-9_|_192 pp_|_Our Price: $12.76 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

A Foreword magazine Book of the Year Awards finalist (Spirituality / Inspirational).

ISBN:0-86171-176-9_|_288 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

The Tibetan Buddhist teachings on mahamudra are known for their ability to lead to profound realization. Peaceful and infinitely adaptable, these teachings are as useful for today's busy world as they have been for centuries.

Written by the tutor to the seventeenth Karmapa, Essentials of Mahamudra is a commentary on Tashi Namgyal's famous Moonlight of Mahamudra-a text that the sixteenth Karmapa had identified as the most valuable for Westerners. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche recognized that Western meditators don't just need to know how to maintain our meditation practice-we need to know why we should do it. Unmatched in its directness, Essentials of Mahamudra addresses both these needs, rendering one of the most advanced forms of meditation more easily adaptable to our everyday lives.

ISBN:0-86171-371-0_|_288 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Joel & Michelle Levey have taught thousands of people around the globe to live in greater harmony and balance. Field-tested and refined over many years, the Leveys' unique approach to stress-mastery and personal development offers step-by-step guidance for developing your personal strengths, enhancing the quality of your life, and making a real contribution to your world.

The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration and Meditation offers a treasury of their most useful teachings:

-Waking up throughout the day-finding your meditation practice and sticking to it.

-Balancing breath, brain, and mind-mastering stress and enhancing performance in every arena of your life.

-Creative intelligence--the dynamic synergy of active and quiet mind skills.

-Mastery, mystery, and meditation-awakening to your true nature.

-Inspired Work--relaxation, concentration, and meditation on the job.

A vital blend of profoundly practical skills, advice, instruction, and encouragement makes the Fine Arts a complete course for awakening more fully to your highest potentials in each moment of your life.

ISBN:0-86171-349-4_|_304 pp_|_Our Price: $11.96 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Flight of the Garuda conveys the heart advice of one of the most beloved nonsectarian masters of Tibet. Ordained as a Gelug monk, the itinerant yogi Shabkar was renowned for his teachings on Dzogchen, the heart practice of the Nyingma lineage. He wandered the countryside of Tibet and Nepal, turning many minds toward the Dharma through his ability to communicate the essence of the teachings in a poetic and crystal-clear way. Buddhists of all stripes, including practitioners of Zen and Vipassana, will find ample sustenance within the pages of this book, and be thrilled by the lyrical insights conveyed in Shabkar's words.

Along with the song by Shabkar, translator Keith Dowman includes several other seminal Dzogchen texts. Dzogchen practice brings us into direct communion with the subtlemost nature of our experience, the unity of samsara in nirvana as experienced within our own consciousness. Within the Nyingma school, it is held higher than even the practices of tantra for bringing the meditator face to face with the nature of reality.

ISBN:0-86171-367-2_|_240 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

The Flowing Bridge is the first-ever book to address all of the first koans that Zen students encounter in practice-"What is Mu?" "What is the sound of the single hand?" and the so-called "miscellaneous" koans-that have historically been closely guarded by master and disciple as esoteric treasures.

Elaine MacIness, a Catholic nun and a Zen teacher in the lineage of the renowned master Koun Yamada (author of Wisdom's The Gateless Gate), offers exceptionally valuable guidance to beginners on how to work with koans-and reveals an uncommon depth of insight and an easy technical mastery of Zen's most misunderstood and most powerful tools. This book is sure to become a classic, standing alongside The Gateless Gate and The Blue Cliff Record as a must-read for anyone seeking Zen's subtlest teachings and deepest power.

ISBN:0-86171-545-4_|_176 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Focused and Fearless is about much more than merely meditation or concentration. It offers a complete path towards bliss, fearlessness, and true awakening.

ISBN:0-86171-560-8_|_276_|_Our Price: $14.36 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

In addition to practitioners of Insight meditation, those who engage in other meditation forms such as dzogchen, mahamudra, and zazen will find that The Four Foundation of Mindfulness provides new means of understanding how to approach and deepen their own practices.

The entire Great Discourse is included here, coupled with a beautifully clear commentary from the great scholar-yogi, Venerable U Sil›nanda.

ISBN:0-86171-328-1_|_256 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

The Foundation of Buddhist Thought series is an excellent introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. These unique books, based on the curriculum of a popular course of the same name, were developed by Geshe Tashi Tsering, a Tibetan scholar renowned for his ability to render Buddhist teachings accessible and relevant to everyday life.

Geshe Tashi Tsering's Foundation of Buddhist Thought courses are systematic introductions to Buddhist philosophy and practice. With this series of books drawn from his highly successful courses, his insights can now be enjoyed by a wide audience of both specialists and newcomers to the Buddhist tradition. Geshe Tashi's presentations combine rigor and comprehensiveness with lucidity and accessibility, never divorced from the basic humanity and warmth of his personality. In Geshe Tashi, we encounter the new generation of Tibetan monk-scholars teaching in the West who are following in the eminent footsteps of Geshe Wangyal and Geshe Sopa.

This volume, the first of six, provides a complete presentation the Buddha's seminal Four Noble Truths, which summarize the fundamentals of the Buddhist worldview. Indeed, they are an essential framework for understanding all of the other teachings of the Buddha.

ISBN:0-86171-270-6_|_192 pp_|_Our Price: $11.96 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

THE GATELESS GATE would be invaluable if only for the translation and commentary alone, yet it's loaded with extra material, makes it a fantastic resource to keep close by:

* An in-depth Introduction to the History of Zen Practice

* Lineage charts

* Japanese-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-Japanese conversion charts for personal names, place names, and names of writings

* plus, front- and back-matter from ancient and modern figures: Mumon, Shuan, Kubota Ji'un, Taizan Maezumi, Hugo Enomiya-Lasalle, and Yamada Roshi's son, Masamichi Yamada.

A wonderful inspiration for the koan practitioner, and for those with a general interest in Zen Buddhism.

ISBN:0-86171-382-6_|_336 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Gesture of Awareness involves a fascinating philosophical exploration of time, space, and movement but at the same time is a manual for an embodied 'practice of exploration.'

Genoud is very well known to the leading lights of Buddhism today. He and his work are continuingly praised for their invention and importance. Well-versed in French and continental philosophies, as well as Eastern thought, he has produced a work that will be welcomed as a Buddhist book and a noteworthy contribution to the larger philosophical community.

ISBN:0-86171-506-3_|_184 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

The first two parts of the book explore enlightenment and delusion: What is nature of enlightenement? What does it mean to describe enlightenment as sudden or gradual? What is the nature of delusion, and how can watch out for the particular delusion that masquerades as enlightenment? The third part looks at “enlightenment in action”—what it means for someone to living and acting in order with the deep wisdom of enlightenment, and how we can practice learning “learning how to be satisfied” and enjoy serenity and transquility. The final section is a moving and powerful firsthand account of one woman’s solitary realization of the deepest truths—a story that can become an inspiration for all of us. The contributors to this volume include some the pioneering masters who were seminal in helping Zen take firm root in American soil.

ISBN:0-86171-314-1_|_192 pp_|_Our Price: $12.76 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

In the Buddha's Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha's contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha's teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever-vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable.

Related Downloads:

A PDF file of the table of contents and other frontmatter

A PDF file of Andrew Olendski's review in Buddhadharma magazine

View all the available Teachings of the Buddha Series volumes.

ISBN:0-86171-491-1_|_512 pp_|_Our Price: $15.16 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Introduction to Tantra is the best available clarification of a subject that is often misunderstood. This new edition of this classic text includes a new foreword by Philip Glass and a new cover design, but leaves untouched Lama Yeshe's excellent original text, edited by Jonathan Landaw.

Tantra recognizes that the powerful energy aroused by our desire is an indispensable resource for the spiritual path. It is precisely because our lives are so inseparably linked with desire that we must make use of desire's tremendous energy not just for pleasure, but to transform our lives.

Lama Yeshe presents tantra as a practice leading to joy and self-discovery, with a vision of reality that is simple, clear, and extremely relevant to 21st-century life.

ISBN:0-86171-162-9_|_192 pp_|_Our Price: $13.56 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

Whether your goal is to reduce stress or to gain deeper insight and mastery over your inner life, this simple, straightforward guidebook is the tool to use for learning why and how to meditate. Through its unique workbook-style presentation, Journey to the Center leads you to discover your own starting point, teaches you how to gain mental clarity and remove the obstacles you inevitable encounter, and helps you to identify the insights that are appropriate to each stage of your journey to spiritual and psychological maturity.

In language that sings, former actor and playwright Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano communicates the essence of Buddhism in eighteen inspiring essays. Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano's reflections will appeal not only to novice and seasoned practitioners but also to those simply waiting to stretch their spirits on this modern literary exploration of the Buddha's eternal truths.

ISBN:0-86171-142-4_|_192 pp_|_Our Price: $11.96 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

In language that sings, former actor and playwright Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano communicates the essence of Buddhism in eighteen inspiring essays. Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano's reflections will appeal not only to novice and seasoned practitioners but also to those simply waiting to stretch their spirits on this modern literary exploration of the Buddha's eternal truths.

ISBN:0-86171-142-4_|_192 pp_|_Our Price: $11.96 (20% OFF)_|_More Info

In everyday language we can all understand, Rodney Smith extends the conversation about death to people of all ages and states of health. Through exercises and guided meditative reflections at the end of each chapter, the lessons of the dying become a blueprint for our own growth