Legends of the Mahasiddhas

Author:
Publisher: Inner Traditions
ISBN: 9781620553657
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A richly illustrated collection of stories about the mahasiddhas, spiritual adventurers who attained enlightenment and magical powers by disregarding convention • A modern translation of ancient legends that reveals the human qualities of the rebellious saints known as siddhas and the vital elements of their philosophy • Recounts stories of enlightened masters from all walks of life, including a washerman, a thief, a conman, a gambler, and a whore, and the magical and “crazy” deeds of each, such as walking through walls, flying, talking with birds, and turning people to stone • Richly illustrated with paintings of the tantric saints by artist Robert Beer Offering a modern translation of “The Legends of the Eighty-four Mahasiddhas,” a 12th-century Tibetan text, translator Keith Dowman shares stories of the spiritual adventurers, rebellious saints, and enlightened tantric masters of ancient India known as “siddhas.” He shows how the mahasiddhas arose from the grassroots of society and represented an entire spectrum of human experience. Counted among the greatest of the siddhas are a washerman, a cowboy, a thief, a conman, a gambler, and a whore, all extraordinary men and women who attained the goal of their meditations, as well as enlightenment and magical powers, by disregarding convention and penetrating to the core of life. Recounting the magical and “crazy” deeds of the mahasiddhas, such as walking through walls, flying, talking with birds, and turning people to stone, Dowman reveals the human qualities of the tantric masters and the vital elements of the siddhas’ philosophy of nonduality and emptiness. Richly illustrated with paintings of the tantric saints by artist Robert Beer, these stories of the mahasiddhas show us a way through human suffering into a spontaneous and free state of oneness with the divine.

Buddhist Masters of Enchantment

Author:
Publisher: Inner Traditions
ISBN: 9780892817849
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
A beautifully illustrated collection of the stories of the Mahasiddhas, the magicians and saints who founded the lineages of the Tantric tradition. A highly readable translation of legends from the Tibetan oral tradition. Recounts stories of the masters who embodied various paradigms for psychic and spiritual awakening. There is no better illustration of the nature of Tantric Buddhism than the lives of the masters who founded it. Extraordinary men and women who attained enlightenment and magical powers by disregarding convention and penetrating to the core of life, the Mahasiddhas show us a way through human suffering into a spontaneous and free state of oneness with the divine. Keith Dowman's highly readable translation of these legends from Tibetan oral tradition is enhanced by the beautifully realized illustrations of the Tantric saints by artist Robert Beer.

Masters of Mahamudra

Author: Keith Dowman
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438401485
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 479

Book Description
In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahamudra represents a perfected level of meditative realization: it is the inseparable union of wisdom and compassion, of emptiness and skillful means. These eighty-four masters, some historical, some archetypal, accomplished this practice in India where they lived between the eighth and twelfth centuries. Leading unconventional lives, the siddhas include some of the greatest Buddhist teachers; Tilopa, Naropa, and Marpa among them. Through many years of study, Keith Dowman has collected and translated their songs of realization and the legends about them. In consultation with contemporary teachers, he gives a commentary on each of the Great Adepts and culls from available resources what we can know of their history. Dowman's extensive Introduction traces the development of tantra and discusses the key concepts of the Mahamudra. In a lively and illuminating style, he unfolds the deeper understandings of mind that the texts encode. His treatment of the many parallels to contemporary psychology and experience makes a valualbe contribution to our understanding of human nature.

Masters of Enchantment

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780140191653
Category : Tantric Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 205

Book Description

Buddha's Lions

Author: Abhayadatta
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780913546611
Category : Siddhas
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"A must-read for all dancers as the invaluable historical references and in-depth coverage of the different jazz forms cannot be found in such detail in any other book on the market today."--Debra McWaters, author of "Musical Theatre Training" "Artfully weaves history and professional perspectives to reveal the boundaries of the jazz dance world. It invites the reader to develop a more complicated definition of jazz dance for the twenty-first century."--Susan A. Lee, Northwestern University The history of jazz dance is best understood by thinking of it as a tree. The roots of jazz dance are African. Its trunk is vernacular, shaped by European influence, and exemplified by the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. From the vernacular have grown many and varied branches, including tap, Broadway, funk, hip-hop, Afro-Caribbean, Latin, pop, club jazz, popping, B-boying, party dances, and more. Unique in its focus on history rather than technique, "Jazz Dance" offers the only overview of trends and developments since 1960. Editors Lindsay Guarino and Wendy Oliver have assembled an array of seasoned practitioners and scholars who trace the numerous histories of jazz dance and examine various aspects of the field, including trends, influences, training, race, aesthetics, international appeal, and its relationship to tap, rock, indie, black concert dance, and Latin dance.Featuring discussions of such dancers and choreographers as Bob Fosse and Katherine Dunham, as well as analyses of how the form's vocabulary differs from ballet, this complex and compelling history captures the very essence of jazz dance.

Blazing Splendor

Author: Rinpoche Urgyen (Tulku)
Publisher: Rangjung Yeshe Publications
ISBN: 9627341568
Category : Buddhists
Languages : en
Pages : 457

Book Description
With unsurpassed honesty and humility, the highly influential meditation master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche offers a glimpse into the remarkable reality of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as an in depth portrait of the lost culture of old Tibet. This grand narrative stretches across generations, providing an inspiring glimpse into a realm of remarkable human achievement quite different from our familiar, mundane world. Intimate in tone, these personal memoirs recount the influences and experiences that shaped one of the great spiritual teachers of our time. Blazing Splendor is of both spiritual and historical importance.

Holy Madness

Author: Robert N. Linrothe
Publisher: Serindia Publications
ISBN: 9781932476262
Category : Art, Tantric-Buddhist
Languages : en
Pages : 445

Book Description
Presents an examination of the art and legends of some of the most colourful figures in South Asian and Himalayan culture. Containing contributions from ten prominent world scholars, this book provides a survey of the Mahasiddhas in art, as well as essays on associated themes: iconographic, canonical, literary, historical, and sociological. This is a groundbreaking examination of the art and legends of some of the most colourful figures in South Asian and Himalayan culture. With contributions from ten prominent world scholars, it provides both an exhaustive survey of the

Seeing the Sacred in Samsara

Author: Donald S. Lopez, Jr.
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611804043
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 233

Book Description
Rare paintings set aside life stories of each of the eighty-four wild Buddhist saints of ancient India. This exquisite full-color presentation of the lives of the eighty-four mahāsiddhas, or “great accomplished ones,” offers a fresh glimpse into the world of the famous tantric yogis of medieval India. The stories of these tantric saints have captured the imagination of Buddhists across Asia for nearly a millennium. Unlike monks and nuns who renounce the world, these saints sought the sacred in the midst of samsara. Some were simple peasants who meditated while doing manual labor. Others were kings and queens who traded the comfort and riches of the palace for the danger and transgression of the charnel ground. Still others were sinners—pimps, drunkards, gamblers, and hunters—who transformed their sins into sanctity. This book includes striking depictions of each of the mahāsiddhas by a master Tibetan painter, whose work has been preserved in pristine condition. Published here for the first time in its entirety, this collection includes details of the painting elements along with the life stories of the tantric saints, making this one of the most comprehensive works available on the eighty-four mahāsiddhas.

The Concealed Essence of the Hevajra Tantra

Author: G. W. Farrow
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass
ISBN: 8120809114
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Book Description
Treatise on Tantric Buddhism; includes Yogaratnamala or Hevajra Pañjika, commentary by Krsnavajrapada, 11th cent.

Lustful Maidens and Ascetic Kings

Author: Roy C. Amore
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195365356
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Book Description
Includes stories about family and social roles and lay and monastic values.