In the Forest of Faded Wisdom

In the Forest of Faded Wisdom: 104 Poems by Gendun Chopel
In a culture where poetry is considered the highest form of human language, Gendun Chopel is revered as Tibet’s greatest modern poet. Born in 1903 as British troops were preparing to invade his homeland, Gendun Chopel was identified at any early age as the incarnation of a famous lama and became a Buddhist monk, excelling in the debating courtyards of the great monasteries of Tibet. At the age of thirty-one, he gave up his monk’s vows and set off for India, where he would wander, often alone and impoverished, for over a decade. Returning to Tibet, he was arrested by the government of the young Dalai Lama on trumped-up charges of treason, emerging from prison three years later a broken man. He died in 1951 as troops of the People’s Liberation Army marched into Lhasa.

Throughout his life, from his childhood to his time in prison, Gendun Chopel wrote poetry that conveyed the events of his remarkable life. In the Forest of Faded Wisdom is the first comprehensive collection of his oeuvre in any language, assembling poems in both the original Tibetan and in English translation. A master of many forms of Tibetan verse, Gendun Chopel composed heartfelt hymns to the Buddha, pithy instructions for the practice of the dharma, stirring tributes to the Tibetan warrior-kings, cynical reflections on the ways of the world, and laments of a wanderer, forgotten in a foreign land. These poems exhibit the technical skill—wordplay, puns, the ability to evoke moods of pathos and irony—for which Gendun Chopel was known and reveal the poet to be a consummate craftsman, skilled in both Tibetan and Indian poetics. With a directness and force often at odds with the conventions of belles lettres, this is a poetry that is at once elegant and earthy. In the Forest of Faded Wisdom is a remarkable introduction to Tibet’s sophisticated poetic tradition and its most intriguing twentieth-century writer.

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The Voice of the Buddha

The Voice of the Buddha: The Dhammapada and other key Buddhist teachings
The "Dhammapada" is the single most important extant Buddhist text. It is the "the voice of the Buddha" where many of his key ideas are presented in a cogent verse form. Also included are other key Buddhist concepts illustrated by original texts.
From AudioFile
A compilation of Buddhist writings is presented in an accessible format. Each section of text is introduced with a short statement by narrator Sean Barrett, followed by the text itself, presented by Kulananda or Anton Lesser--or in the case of dialogues with the Buddha, both of these two narrators. Each narrator reads with reference and respect. The recording is broken into separate tracks on the CD for each introduction and each section of text. A booklet enclosed with the recording provides a key to the tracks. This post-production care enhances the use of the collection as an introduction to Buddhist teachings and/or a meditation tool.

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The Art of Happiness

The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is probably one of the only people who, if you ask him if he's happy, even though he's suffered the loss of his country, will give you an unconditional "yes." What's more, he'll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and the "the very motion of our life is toward happiness." How to get there has always been the question. He's tried to answer it before, but he's never had the help of a psychiatrist to get the message across in a context we can easily understand.

Through meditation, stories, and the meeting of Buddhism and psychology, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, or just an ordinary bad mood. He discusses relationships, health, family, work, and spirituality to show us how to ride through life's obstacles on a deep, abiding source of inner peace. Based on 2,500 years of Buddhist meditations and with a healthy dose of common sense, The Art of Happiness is a program that crosses the boundaries of all traditions to help listeners with the difficulties common to all human beings.


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Compassionate Action

Compassionate Action
Chatral Rinpoche, the quintessential "hidden yogi," has been a legend in the Himalayan region for the past seventy years. Although he has never traveled to the West, his amazing story and teachings have gradually been infiltrating the Western Buddhist consciousness since Father Thomas Merton first met him in 1968 and famously remarked that he was "the greatest man I ever met."

This is the first English-language book of this living legend, and includes his biography and autobiography, six of his essays, five prayers he composed, an exclusive interview, and sixteen pages of photos from throughout his life.

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Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche's Heart Advice

Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche's Heart Advice
Dudjom Rinpoche was one of the seminal figures in Tibetan Buddhism in the twentieth century, yet very few of his religious writings have been translated into English. This volume contains a generous selection of his inspiring teachings and writings, the core of which is a lengthy discussion of the entire path of Dzogchen, including key instructions on view, meditation, and conduct, along with direct advice on how to bring one's experiences onto the path.

Also included in this book in their entirety are the oral instructions, tantric songs, and songs of realization of His Holiness's Collected Works, along with a generous selection of the aspiration and supplication prayers.

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Timeless Rapture

Timeless Rapture: Inspired Verse from the Shangpa Masters
Throughout history awakened ones have celebrated the rapture of mystical states with inspired verse, sung extemporaneously. This book offers a rare glimpse into the mysticism of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage, a tradition based mainly on the profound teaching of 2 women. This compendium of spontaneous verse sung by tantric Buddhist masters from the 10th century to the present includes translations as well as short descriptions of each poet's life and a historical overview of the lineage.
Ngawang Zangpo's fluid translation and rich commentary truly brings us into the presence of the extra-ordinary masters of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition. As we listen to their verse, we are transported by their devotion, awakened wisdom, and blessing to the Vajra world that has become their home."- Lama Drupgyu Tenzin A selection of excerpts from Timeless Rapture follow.

In Nepal, I once translated for a Tibetan lama visited by both Westerners and Tibetans. As the private interviews were given at random, I stayed in the room while he spoke directly with Tibetans who came for his advice. On one occasion, an ordinary Tibetan woman in her 40s50s asked a question, which I hadn't listened to, and which the yogi began to answer in normal, conversational language. He then abruptly switched into song. He continued for a few minutes, singing his advice to her in verses that seemed to me both fluid and impromptu. It was stunning. There was a naked meeting of minds between them that produced the song. Yes, if one were technical about it, there was a singer and a listener, two bodies and two faces, one of which had tears streaming down it. But there were less than two minds in that encounter, or even less than one mind: there was only nondual wisdom and the song that emerged from it.

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Zurchungpa's Testament

Zurchungpa's Testament - Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Zurchungpa's Eighty Chapters of Personal Advice was the final teaching given by the great Nyingma master Zurchung Sherab Trakpa. The original text consists of 580 maxims, covering the entire path of Dzogchen from fundamental teachings through to a series of pith instructions that bring the Dzogchen view to life. Much of the meaning of these often cryptic instructions could be lost to the reader without further explanations, so this book contains a complete, detailed commentary on Zurchungpa's text by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Originally intended as essential instructions for a group of practitioners in three-year retreat, it will undoubtedly serve as an indispensable guide to anyone who seriously wishes to practice the Great Perfection.

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