Activating Bodhicitta: The Awakening Mind and Meditation on Compassion

Activating Bodhicitta: The Awakening Mind and Meditation on Compassion PDF Author: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Publisher: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
ISBN: 8186470522
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 41

Get Book Here

Book Description
ACTIVATING BODHICHITTA There is no more powerful mind than bodhicitta. There is no more joyous mind than bodhicitta. For the accomplishment of one's own ultimate purpose, the awakening mind is supreme, and to accomplish the purpose of all other living beings there is nothing superior to bodhicitta. The awakening mind is the unsurpassable way to collect merit. To purify obstacles bodhicitta is supreme. For protection from interferences bodhicitta is supreme. It is the unique, all-encompassing method. Every kind of ordinary and supra-mundane power can be accomplished through bodhicitta. Thus, it is absolutely precious. Even though we personally may find difficulty in immediate and thorough generation of such a mind, we should at least direct our thoughts towards it. To train our mind in such an ultimately altruistic manner from the very beginning of our practice of Dharma is vitally important. MEDITATION ON COMPASSION "The Inseparability of the Spiritual Master and Avalokiteshvara: A Source of all Powerful Attainments” All beings wish to be happy and free from misery. Although scientific development, modern weapons and abundant material progress may alleviate the temporary effects of dissatisfaction, such external means can never totally eradicate its fundamental cause. The true solution is to cultivate deep human compassion, love and respect for others. By cultivating such altruistic and beneficial attributes, the cause of suffering, self-cherishing, will gradually diminish. This, in turn, will promote unity and harmony among human beings of all nations. Although compassion is cultivated in one's own mind, the embodiment of it is the deity known as Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chän-rä-zig). The various aspects that are visualized in meditation practices and represented in images and paintings are merely the interpretative forms of Avalokitebhvara, whereas the actual definitive form is compassion itself. “The Inseparability of the Spiritual Master and Avalokiteshvara: a Source of all Powerful Attainments” sādhana was composed by the XIV Dalai Lama when he was nineteen years of age and was first printed in Tibet in the Wood-Horse year (1954).

Activating Bodhicitta: The Awakening Mind and Meditation on Compassion

Activating Bodhicitta: The Awakening Mind and Meditation on Compassion PDF Author: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Publisher: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
ISBN: 8186470522
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 41

Get Book Here

Book Description
ACTIVATING BODHICHITTA There is no more powerful mind than bodhicitta. There is no more joyous mind than bodhicitta. For the accomplishment of one's own ultimate purpose, the awakening mind is supreme, and to accomplish the purpose of all other living beings there is nothing superior to bodhicitta. The awakening mind is the unsurpassable way to collect merit. To purify obstacles bodhicitta is supreme. For protection from interferences bodhicitta is supreme. It is the unique, all-encompassing method. Every kind of ordinary and supra-mundane power can be accomplished through bodhicitta. Thus, it is absolutely precious. Even though we personally may find difficulty in immediate and thorough generation of such a mind, we should at least direct our thoughts towards it. To train our mind in such an ultimately altruistic manner from the very beginning of our practice of Dharma is vitally important. MEDITATION ON COMPASSION "The Inseparability of the Spiritual Master and Avalokiteshvara: A Source of all Powerful Attainments” All beings wish to be happy and free from misery. Although scientific development, modern weapons and abundant material progress may alleviate the temporary effects of dissatisfaction, such external means can never totally eradicate its fundamental cause. The true solution is to cultivate deep human compassion, love and respect for others. By cultivating such altruistic and beneficial attributes, the cause of suffering, self-cherishing, will gradually diminish. This, in turn, will promote unity and harmony among human beings of all nations. Although compassion is cultivated in one's own mind, the embodiment of it is the deity known as Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chän-rä-zig). The various aspects that are visualized in meditation practices and represented in images and paintings are merely the interpretative forms of Avalokitebhvara, whereas the actual definitive form is compassion itself. “The Inseparability of the Spiritual Master and Avalokiteshvara: a Source of all Powerful Attainments” sādhana was composed by the XIV Dalai Lama when he was nineteen years of age and was first printed in Tibet in the Wood-Horse year (1954).

Awakening the Kind Heart

Awakening the Kind Heart PDF Author: Kathleen McDonald
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0861719352
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 170

Get Book Here

Book Description
Everyone appreciates kindness. A smile, a few friendly words, a show of concern when we're troubled or feeling unwell, an offer of help - gestures of kindness like these brighten our day and ease whatever sadness we may feel in our hearts. Feeling that "someone cares" fulfills a very deep need that we all have. And just as we appreciate other people being kind to us, others appreciate it when we are kind to them. That is why it is important to learn to be kind, because it will help make our relationships and interactions with others more satisfying and less problematic. But it's not always easy to be kind. Sometimes our hearts are filled with anger, jealousy, or pride, and being kind is the last thing we feel like doing. Or we get so caught up in our work and responsibilities that we find no time to think of others and their needs, no time to be kind and gentle. However, these problems can be remedied. The Buddhist tradition offers a wealth of methods that can be used to overcome whatever prevents us from being kind and gentle. Some of these methods are explored and explained in this book - in a way that will allow you to practice them in your daily life. Awakening the Kind Heart offers powerful and inviting meditation techniques to activate the heart of kindness within us all - a modern and motivating interpretation of traditional and powerful practices.

In Praise of Great Compassion

In Praise of Great Compassion PDF Author: Dalai Lama
Publisher: Wisdom Publications
ISBN: 9781614296829
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
The fifth volume of the Dalai Lama’s definitive Library of Wisdom and Compassion series, which has sold nearly 15,000 copies to date. In Praise of Great Compassion, the fifth volume of the Library of Wisdom and Compassion, continues the Dalai Lama’s teachings on the path to awakening. While previous volumes focused on our present situation and taking responsibility for creating the causes for the happiness we seek, this volume is about opening our hearts to others and generating the compassion, joy, and fortitude to make our lives meaningful by benefiting them. We are embedded in a universe with other beings, all of whom have been kind to us in one way or another. More than any other time in human history, we depend on one another to stay alive and flourish. We are sometimes oblivious to their kindness, or take it for granted, which leads to feelings of discontent. But when we look closely, it becomes apparent that we have been the recipient of great kindness and naturally we want to repay it. To do this, we begin by cultivating a positive attitude toward others by contemplating the four immeasurables—immeasurable love, compassion, empathic joy, and equanimity—and the altruistic intention of bodhicitta. We learn to challenge the deluded logic of the self-centered attitude that leads to misery and replace it with a more realistic perspective that helps us to remain balanced when we experience either happiness or suffering. This enables us to make all circumstances favorable to the path to awakening.

Buddhist-Christian Dialogue as Theological Exchange

Buddhist-Christian Dialogue as Theological Exchange PDF Author: Ernest M Valea
Publisher: James Clarke & Company
ISBN: 0227905237
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 253

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is intended to encourage the use of comparative theology in contemporary Buddhist-Christian dialogue as a new approach that would truly respect each religious tradition's uniqueness and make dialogue beneficial for all participants interested in a real theological exchange. As a result of the impasse reached by the current theologies of religions (exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism) in formulating a constructive approach in dialogue, this volume assesses the thought of the founding fathers of an academic Buddhist-Christian dialogue in search of clues that would encourage a comparativist approach. These founding fathers are considered to be three important representatives of the Kyoto School - Kitaro Nishida, Keiji Nishitani,and Masao Abe - and John Cobb, an American process theologian. The guiding line for assessing their views of dialogue is the concept of human perfection, as it is expressed by the original traditions in Mahayana Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity. Following Abe's methodology in dialogue, an Orthodox contribution to comparative theology proposes a reciprocal enrichment of traditions, not by syncretistic means, but by providing a better understanding and even correction of one's own tradition when considering it in the light of the other, while using internal resources for making the necessary corrections.

The Kindness of Others

The Kindness of Others PDF Author: Geshe Jampa Tegchok
Publisher: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive
ISBN: 189186842X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 122

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Shantideva pointed out that everything good--every form of happiness, all positive qualities and so forth--comes through the kindness of others. Therefore, the mind devoted to their welfare is like a wish-fulfilling jewel, the source of all happiness and everything good and useful in the world. Just as a farmer who possesses an extremely fertile field, where everything he plants always grows, is very happy to have it and cherishes and takes great care of it, we should feel the same way about other sentient beings--that they are extremely valuable, and cherish and take care of them. "It is interesting that, whether we are Buddhist or not, if we think about the great kindness of all beings it will be evident that all our happiness does indeed depend upon them." In this book, Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Jampa Tegchok explains how we can train our mind away from self-cherishing, the cause of all suffering, and develop compassion, the cause of everything that is good. He bases his explanation on Kadampa Geshe Chekawa’s classic text, The Seven Point Mind Training, which, amongst other things, teaches us how to transform problems into happiness. This book is made possible by kind supporters of the Archive who, like you, appreciate how we make these teachings freely available in so many ways, including in our website for instant reading, listening or downloading, and as printed and electronic books. Our website offers immediate access to thousands of pages of teachings and hundreds of audio recordings by some of the greatest lamas of our time. Our photo gallery and our ever-popular books are also freely accessible there. Please help us increase our efforts to spread the Dharma for the happiness and benefit of all beings. You can find out more about becoming a supporter of the Archive and see all we have to offer by visiting our website. Thank you so much, and please enjoy this book.

The Path of Individual Liberation

The Path of Individual Liberation PDF Author: Chögyam Trungpa
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1590308026
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 960

Get Book Here

Book Description
Second volume of a compilation of Ch'ogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's Vajradhatu Seminary teachings in three volumes.

Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation

Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation PDF Author: Analayo
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
ISBN: 1909314625
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 163

Get Book Here

Book Description
Analayo investigates the meditative practices of compassion and emptiness by examining and interpreting material from the early Buddhist discourses. Similar to his previous study of satipaa'-a'-hana, he brings a new dimension to our understanding by comparing Pali texts with versions that have survived in Chinese, Sanskrit and Tibetan. The result is a wide-ranging exploration of what these practices meant in early Buddhism.

The Ancient Tibetan Civilization

The Ancient Tibetan Civilization PDF Author: Tsewang Gyalpo Arya
Publisher: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
ISBN: 9390752728
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
How interesting it is to realize that the lifestyle we live, beliefs and faith we live by and the language we converse in, all has its own distinct history of origination and how it has evolved and progressed over time to become everything present today. The book is a marvellous attempt to understand one’s own civilization enlightening the path to startling revelation on ‘How did Tibetan civilization came about?’. The widely popularized Tibetan origin myth of ‘The Monkey and the Ogress’, is it really true? Did Tibet really had its first king descended from the sky? How is Tibetan scripts so similar to the Gupta Brahmi script? This book leaves no stone unturned to fill this grey area on the dawn of Tibetan civilization and intrigues the readers to deliberate over the subject. ‘The Ancient Tibetan Civilization’ explicitly debunks popular mythologies, misconceptions and misinformation surrounding the origination and evolution of Tibetan civilization. -Tenzin Wangmo

The Awakened Ones

The Awakened Ones PDF Author: Gananath Obeyesekere
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231527306
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 645

Get Book Here

Book Description
While a rational consciousness grasps many truths, Gananath Obeyesekere believes an even richer knowledge is possible through a bold confrontation with the stuff of visions and dreams. Spanning both Buddhist and European forms of visionary experience, he fearlessly pursues the symbolic, nonrational depths of such phenomena, reawakening the intuitive, creative impulses that power greater understanding. Throughout his career, Obeyesekere has combined psychoanalysis and anthropology to illuminate the relationship between personal symbolism and religious experience. In this book, he begins with Buddha's visionary trances wherein, over the course of four hours, he witnesses hundreds of thousands of his past births and eons of world evolution, renewal, and disappearance. He then connects this fracturing of empirical and visionary time to the realm of space, considering the experience of a female Christian penitent, who stares devotedly at a tiny crucifix only to see the space around it expand to mirror Christ's suffering. Obeyesekere follows the unconscious motivations underlying rapture, the fantastical consumption of Christ's body and blood, and body mutilation and levitation, bridging medieval Catholicism and the movements of early modern thought as reflected in William Blake's artistic visions and poetic dreams. He develops the term "dream-ego" through a discussion of visionary journeys, Carl Jung's and Sigmund Freud's scientific dreaming, and the cosmic and erotic dream-visions of New Age virtuosos, and he defines the parameters of a visionary mode of knowledge that provides a more elastic understanding of truth. A career-culminating work, this volume translates the epistemology of Hindu and Buddhist thinkers for western audiences while revitalizing western philosophical and scientific inquiry.

Tracing Back the Radiance

Tracing Back the Radiance PDF Author: Robert E. Buswell, Jr.
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 9780824814274
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Get Book Here

Book Description
Chinul (1158–1210) was the founder of the Korean tradition of Zen. He provides one of the most lucid and accessible accounts of Zen practice and meditation to be found anywhere in East Asian literature. Tracing Back the Radiance, an abridgment of Buswell’s Korean Approach to Zen: The Collected Works of Chinul, combines an extensive introduction to Chinul’s life and thought with translations of three of his most representative works.