The Life and Visions of Yeshé Tsogyal

Author: Drime Kunga
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834840928
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
This stunning biography reveals the heroic life of Yeshé Tsogyal—the mother of Buddhism in Tibet and a powerful female role model for spiritual accomplishment and perfection This secret life story of Yeshé Tsogyal presents a valuable and unique perspective that is quite a departure from any other account of this remarkable woman. Described as a "secret life story," its many layers include an outer account—detailing her birth, family, and societal constraints—an inner account that begins as she meets and escapes captivity with Guru Rinpoché, and a secret account as she enters twelve years of retreat at Chimpu only to miraculously journey to Oddiyana. The role of women and womanhood is notable throughout her life story. Her desire for independence is at odds with her desirability as a woman, leading to numerous tragic incidents early in life. Finally meeting Guru Rinpoché, she decries her status as a woman. This sort of gendered humility, a recurring theme, is juxtaposed with her assertion that despite being a woman, and low-born (skye ba dman), she has a high regard for herself anyway. It is a magical woman who guides her to Oddiyana, and her travels there are filled with primarily female companions. In the end, she remains Guru Rinpoché's primary disciple and doctrinal custodian. Her experiences, while perhaps intense and fantastical, include the same elements of challenge, learning, and progress that all practitioners must experience. During her adventures in Oddiyana, Yeshé Tsogyal receives the same core teachings on faith, impermanence, and fortitude that are essential for anyone following this spiritual path. This accomplished translation is enriched by the refreshing insights of six contemporary scholars and teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, making this invaluable guide to the life of Yeshé Tsogyal a treasure for practitioners, scholars, and anyone intent on the possibility of awakening.

The Life and Visions of Yeshé Tsogyal

Author: The Terton Drime Kunga
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611804345
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Lady of the Lotus-Born

Author: Gyalwa Changchub
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834824620
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description
The first Tibetan to attain complete enlightenment was in all probability the woman Yeshe Tsogyal, the closest disciple of Padmasambhava, the master who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century. This classical text is not only a biography but also an inspiring example of how the Buddha's teaching can be put into practice. Lady of the Lotus-Born interweaves profound Buddhist teachings with a colorful narrative that includes episodes of adventure, court intrigue, and personal searching. The book will appeal to students of Tibetan Buddhism and readers interested in the role of women in Buddhism and world religions.

Sky Dancer

Author: Stag-śam Nus-ldan-rdo-rje
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9780710095763
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 379

Book Description
Describes the life of Yeshe Tsogyel, the consort of a distinguished Tibetan guru, and portrays her path to enlightenment

The Lotus-born

Author: Ye-shes-mtsho-rgyal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Book Description
In English translation for the first time, this is "the most authoritative scripture" regarding how the Dharma was planted in Tibet, according to His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Titles in the original Tibetan "The Sanglingma Life Story," it was recorded by the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, concealed in the ninth century at Sanglingma (Copper Temple) in Samye, and revealed by Nyang Ral Nyima Oser in the twelfth century. In addition to narrating the legendary story of a unique spiritual personality, the book contains oral instructions and advice that he left for the benefit of future generations. Also included are "A Clarification of the Life of Padmasambhava" by Tsele Natsok Rangdrouml;l, an extensive glossary and index, and a bibliography of Tibetan and English sources.

Love and Liberation

Author: Sarah H. Jacoby
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231147686
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 458

Book Description
Love and Liberation reads the autobiographical and biographical writings of one of the few Tibetan Buddhist women to record the story of her life. Sera Khandro Dew Dorj (1892Ð1940) was extraordinary not only for achieving religious mastery as a Tibetan Buddhist visionary and guru to many lamas, monastics, and laity in the Golok region of eastern Tibet, but also for her candor. This book listens to Sera KhandroÕs conversations with deities, dakinis, bodhisattvas, lamas, and fellow religious community members and investigates the concerns and sentiments relevant to the author and to those for whom she wrote. Sarah H. JacobyÕs analysis focuses on the status of the female body in Sera KhandroÕs texts, the virtue of celibacy versus the expediency of sexuality for religious purposes, and the difference between profane lust and sacred love between male and female Tantric partners. Her findings add new dimensions to our understanding of Tibetan Buddhist consort practice, complicating standard scriptural presentations of a male subject and a female aide. Sera Khandro depicts herself and her guru and consort, Drim zer, as inseparable embodiments of insight and method that together form the Vajrayana Buddhist vision of complete buddhahood. By advancing this complementary sacred partnership, Sera Khandro carved a place for herself as a female virtuoso in the male-dominated sphere of early twentieth-century Tibetan religion.

Natural Liberation

Author: Padmasambhava
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0861717244
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
A perfect companion to the well-known Tibetan Book of the Dead. In life and in death, in meditation and in sleep, every transitional stage of consciousness, or bardo, provides an opportunity to overcome limitations, frustrations, and fears. The profound teachings in this book provide the under- standing and instruction necessary to turn every phase of life into an opportunity for uncontrived, natural liberation. Like the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Natural Liberation is a terma, a "hidden treasure" attributed to the eighth-century master Padmasambhava. Gyatrul Rinpoche's lucid commentary accompanies the text, illuminating the path of awakening to the point of full enlightenment. Natural Liberation is an essential contribution to the library of both scholars and practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.

White Lotus

Author: Jamgon Mipham
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834825678
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
The commentary translated in these pages is unusual and rare. But if the commentary is a rarity, its subject matter—the seven-line invocation of Padmasambhava—is one of the best-known prayers in the Tibetan Buddhist world. The overall significance of the Seven-Line Prayer is perhaps best appreciated in relation to a practice called guru-yoga, or "union with the nature of the guru." The purpose of guru-yoga is to purify and deepen the student's relationship with his or her teacher. It is introduced as one of the preliminary practices, and it remains crucial—in fact, its importance increases—as one progresses through the more advanced levels of the tantric path. The cultivation of devotion to the guru and the blending of one's mind with his or her enlightened mind is, in the words of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, "the most vital and necessary of all practices and is in itself the surest and fastest way to reach the goal of enlightenment." Regarding the origin of this commentary, Mipham refers in the colophon to an event that triggered the abrupt appearance in his mind of the hidden meaning of the prayer. It is interesting to note that the language Mipham uses suggests that the commentary itself is not an ordinary composition but perhaps a treasure teaching, specifically a "mind-treasure" or gongter.

Mother of Knowledge

Author: Stag-śam Nus-ldan-rdo-rje
Publisher: Dharma Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 300

Book Description
This dramatic biography of Yeshe Tsogyal tells of her flight from home, her spiritual training under Guru Padmasambhava, and her enlightened accomplishments. A tribute to the most revered woman of the Nyingma lineage.

Dakini Teachings

Author: Padmasambhava
Publisher: Rangjung Yeshe Publications
ISBN: 9789627341369
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 230

Book Description
The words of advice collected here are part of the ancient tradition of religious texts known as terma that were hidden in secret places during the first spread of Buddhism in Tibet in the ninth century.