The Anatomy of a Common Tibetan Ritual: The Lhasang The lhasang—literally ‘‘higher purification offering,’’ which may be glossed as ‘‘invocation of the higher beings’’—is one of the most common rituals in traditional Tibet. While some rituals are performed strictly for temporal ends and others for spiritual ends, the lhasang is interesting because it is performed

Related Reader's Guides Guide to the Sakya Tradition Guides to Other Important Sakya Figures: Sakya Pandita | Sakyasribhadra Drogön Chögyal Phagpa Lodrö Gyaltsten (1235-1280) Drogon Chogyal Phagpa Lodro Gyaltsen (1235-1280), better known to the world as Chögyal Phagpa (or Phakpa) is one of the five great founding masters from the Sakya tradition in Tibet. In

We have excerpted the chapter “Impermanence” from Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume 1 here. Written in the fourteenth century, this text is the first volume of Longchenpa’s Trilogy of Rest, a work of the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. This profound and comprehensive presentation of the Buddhist view and path combines

We have excerpted the chapter “Samsara” from An Ocean of Blessings: Heart Teachings of Drubwang Penor Rinpoche here. This inspiring work is the first available collection of teachings by one of the most well-known Nyingmapa masters of the twentieth century, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. To order the full book, click here. Everyone in this world wants perfect comfort

While its no longer true in many universities, the presentation of Tibetan Buddhism in western academia—and the books that came out of it—was heavily skewed towards the Gelug philosophical view and its traditions. There are various reasons for this, but the following from the Translator's Introduction of the Padmakara Translation Group's The Wisdom Chapter: Jamgön

By Sanje Phillips This July, I attended the Nyingma Summer Seminar at the Mangala Shri Bhuti retreat land in Ward, Colorado, with Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel (wife), and Dungse Jampal Norbu (son). Over one hundred attendees with varied demographics sat daily meditation sessions, participated in the teachings, endured periods of silence and the usual

Secular Buddhism is for many an oxymoron.  Here, the incomparable teacher Thinley Norbu Rinpoche shares some words on the subject. "There have also been lectures available on the Internet about "the secular Buddha." This kind of negative characterization cannot be given for the origin of all positive qualities. Buddha is ceaseless, everywhere and in every

Wulstan and Helena at the Asura Cave in Nepal At the June, 2017 Tsadra Translation and Transmission conference which Shambhala Publications was a sponsor of, we were delighted that Wulstan Fletcher and Helena Blankleder were honored with the Shantarakshita award for excellence in translation. Wulstan receiving the award from the Tsadra Foundation's Eric Colombel To

An Excerpt from  Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse's Guru Drinks Bourbon  How to Generate Devotion Most of us think that because we have studied the Dharma for a while we have understood a few things. We may have understood a little, and we may have even had some fleeting experience. If we are aware that this knowledge

Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye A Guide for Readers Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye (1813–1900) was a versatile and prolific scholar and one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time in Tibet. He was a pivotal figure in eastern Tibet’s nonsectarian movement and made major contributions to education, politics, and medicine. Jump to: Books