BECOMING THE COMPASSION BUDDHA: Tantric Mahamudra in Everyday Life by Lama Yeshe, ed. by Robina Courtin
Clear commentaries on a guru yoga practice that was written by the Dalai Lama to help develop compassion and wisdom, as well as on mahamudra. Teaches with examples from daily life and introduces meditation practices that all can follow. Lama Yeshe was both one of the most beloved Tibetan Buddhist masters of the late twentieth century and a remarkably effective teacher and communicator. Becoming the Compassion Buddha is one of a series of his books that examine key Tantric deity practices in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. As with his book Introduction to Tantra, his teachings make coherent and understandable to the general reader practices that once were considered to be for highly-realized beings only. Lama Yeshe strongly believed practices that help develop compassion and wisdom should not be limited to advanced practitioners, but that the all beings could benefit from them. This extraordinary book opens new doors for countless readers.
YOGA OF THE MAHAMUDRA: The Mystical Way Of Balance by Will Johnson
Presents three simple yogic principles from Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra
| Explains how balance is the key to achieving higher consciousness
| Includes somatic koans
Mahamudra, literally "the great gesture," is often looked upon as the highest manifestation of consciousness known within the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. In Yoga of the Mahamudra, Will Johnson explains how it is possible to bring forth the condition of mahamudra naturally by utilizing the mystical yoga of balance to create what he calls the embodied cross.
He presents three simple yogic principles from Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra. The first principle, "do nothing with the body but relax," forms the vertical axis of the embodied cross. It is an internal process that focuses on the upright structure of the body, which opens up our relationship to the divine source. The second principle, "Let the mind cling to nothing," allows the horizontal flow of energy to our mind. This horizontal axis represents our relationship to the world: what we see and hear, and what our mind does with the objects we perceive. The establishment of these vertical and horizontal flows of energy allows us to embody the third principle, "to become like a hollow bamboo." In this way the body and mind become extraordinarily fluid, surrendering to the currents of the life forces that constantly flow through them like air through a flute. The author concludes with a number of somatic koans, exercises that allow the direct experience of balance and lead to the creation of the embodied cross.
THE QUINTESSENCE OF THE UNIFIED PRACTICE OF MAHAMUDRA AND DZOKCHEN: The Practical Instructions of the Noble, Great Compassionate One Chenrezik by Karma Chakme Rinpoche, commentary by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, trans. by Yeshe Gyamtso
The purpose of The Essence of the Unified Practice of Mahamudra and Dzokchen is to present in a very concise and inclusive way all that an individual actually needs to practice in order to attain awakening. This style of presentation, in its brevity and directness, is appropriate for the present time because our mental afflictions are strong and life is short. The text, which is composed of eight songs, presents the quintessence of both the mahamudra and dzogchen traditions. Written in Karma Chakme's style of extreme simplicity and great profundity, it makes what is normally difficult to understand very straightforward and easy to understand.
A DIRECT PATH TO THE BUDDHA WITHIN: Go Lotsawa's Mahamudra Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga by Klaus-Dieter Mathes
A thoughtful exploration of a renowned Buddhist master's teachings on the key concept of Buddha-nature. 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 Mahamudra, Nyingma Dzogchen, and Jonang schools.
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