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Here are some interesting recent publications, most not discussed elsewhere on this site.  They are listed alphabetically according to the conventions of English style; that is, The and A are not considered.

*The closing of the Snow Lion web site (mid-May 2012) means that the links to the books reviewed here  need updating. Until then, try searching at NamseBangDzo.com and please let them know you found the review at KhandroNet.* 

•     The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen by Cyrus Stearns. Revised and enlarged edition. (Snow Lion, 2010.)

One of the most influential and controversial Tibetan teachers, Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen was born in the Dolpo region of modern Nepal but in 1309, when he was seventeen, he ran away from home to seek Buddhist teachings, first in Mustang, and then in Tibet.  He became a monk of the Sakya order.  

He was a Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) master and he is also credited with publicizing the Jonangpa tradition in Tibet, which is traced to early 12th-century master, Yumo Mikyo Dorje.

This second Snow Lion edition (the first was published in 1999)  is more than a reprint.  Stearns made additions and changes based upon Tibetan texts that had recently become available.  It also contains English translations of 3 texts including Dolpopa's Autocommentary to the “Fourth Council", which was not in the first version.

The contribution of The Great Dolpopa (1292-1361) that this writer finds particularly fascinating, and which I would like to be able to present for you here, is the complex and subtle aspect of Buddhism that from one traditional perspective might fall under the heading of Abhidharma.   This is found in section 3 of the book, Autocommentary to the “Fourth Council" in which  Dolpopa demonstrates step-by-step how he reached the shentong position.   He states, explains, and then refutes, the other philosophical positions. 

Of course Dolpopa's conclusion regarding The Buddha-nature was supported by the insights and fruits of his extensive experience through many years of meditation and practice.

The first edition (my reference is a 2002 Delhi, India edition) makes it easier for me to list the development of Dolpopa's conclusion by reasoning.  The numbering and summary of the steps are mine.

1.   Buddha-dharma emerged during Kritayuga, an eon during which decay had not yet set in.  Subsequent [Tretayuga, etc.] interpretations are flawed, having been affected by the tendency towards decay. 

2.   In that original presentation, what is absolute is "empty of other" but what is relative is "empty of self-nature"

3.  To say the one is wrong and the other is right is a kind of conflation -- a mistake in logic that leads to a misunderstanding of the terms absolute and relative.    Thinking in this confused way leads to all kinds of absurdities.  

4.  Furthermore, it is not correct to hold that everything knowable is either an entity or a nonentity.  There is also according to Nagarjuna's Middle Way or Madhyamaka, a 3rd category, "Sublime."

5.  We can say, however, that there is a dichotomy or set of two as far as concerns Aware and  Unaware.

6.  Any discussion of a portended "Thus-ness" is also flawed, stemming as it also does in times of decay.

7.   (Why not follow along in your very own text from Snow Lion?)

•  Buddhism Through American Women's Eyes edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo, 2nd edition (Snow Lion, 2010).  This collection of essays first came out in 1995 with a gorgeous Tibetan-style cover.  Perhaps it was found too risque for the electronic marketplace, so this new 180-page edition features a photograph of mist rising from a North American lake, a good choice considering that the writers are from traditions of Buddhist practice that range widely in style.  

Edited by a well-known woman who is associate professor in the department of Theology and Religious Studies at the U. of San Diego, this is a collection of essays by writers practicing in a variety of traditions, not only the Himalayan tradition.  It deals with timely topics relevant to anyone (not only females) who is interested in the Buddhist perspective.   Just to give an idea of the scope of this collection, a few of the 13 titles are:  Forging a Kind Heart in an Age of Alienation, Bringing Dharma Into Relationships, Abortion: A Respectful meeting Ground, and Eastern Traditions in Western Lands. 

Both men and women, especially the partner, family, or friends of Buddhist women, might especially find this interesting, as will Buddhists from other cultures.  

• The Buddhist Path: A Practical Guide From the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism by Khenchen Palden Sherab & Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoches (Snow Lion, 2010) 

A brief (111 pps.) clear handbook that includes chapters on "channels and winds" and "meditation posture and breath purification," as well as "tantric tradition and terma," three topics rarely discussed in other readily available texts.  (Previously published in a slightly longer, different format as Opening to Our Primordial Nature.)

• A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path by Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche (Snow Lion, 2007)

Tibetan tradition holds that the Buddha provided 84,000 different kinds of teachings to help us avoid suffering.  Based upon a work by famous Drikung Kagyu teacher, Bhande Dharmaradza (1704-54) that is known in English as The Jewel Treasury of Advice, Khenchen Konchog shows how we can apply some of these approaches.  From his perspective of contemporary Western life and using down-to-earth contemporary language, he re-interprets the teachings with humour and compassion.  Those who sincerely want to apply the Buddha's teachings will find this useful.

Also, since Buddhism, and especially Tibetan Buddhism, is still quite new to the West, many of us do not appreciate the distinctions among the various lineages, but especially, we do not fully understand the role of the lama.

If you realize you are more than just a little confused and that you might have to admit that you are disappointed in your teacher, or if you feel you have been led astray, or you are experiencing doubts or are upset about apparent cultural differences or conflicts of lineage, then this is the book for you!

In Wise Teacher, Wise Student, Alexander Berzin clarifies many crucial matters and in so doing, has done us a wonderful service.    Thanks to Snow Lion Publications for issuing this second edition.

• The Courage to Feel:  Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others by Rob Preece (Snow Lion Publications, 2009.)

Compassion is the hallmark of a peaceful warrior.  This 14-chapter book will be useful to anyone seeking to examine the link between the quest for Enlightenment and the concern for the well-being of others.  

His explanations can help anyone, Buddhist or not, to understand concepts such as bodhicitta or "the mind of enlightenment" that is the basis for the Mahayana view;  the role of reincarnation in Buddhism and the phrase "all our mother sentient beings," and the benefit of the practice of techniques like tong.len  --  "sending and receiving."

Preece is a London psychotherapist with a Jungian background who is a meditation teacher with decades of experience.  He is also a painter of thangkas.

•  Daring Steps: Traversing the Path of the Buddha. Ringu Tulku, trans. Rosemarie Fuchs.  Snow Lion Publications, 2010.

I highly recommend this new edition of Ringu Tulku's Daring Steps (subtitled Traversing the Path of the Buddha.)

•  ENOUGH!  A Buddhist Approach to Finding Release From Addictive Patterns by Chonyi Taylor (Dr. Diana Taylor, ordained 1995 by the Dalai Lama, and supervisor in the Graduate Diploma Program for the Australian Association of Buddhist Counsellors and Psychotherapists, and an honorary lecturer in Psychological Medicine at Sydney University, Australia.)

  From the conventional therapeutic perspective, Dr. Taylor gives lots of real-life examples and discusses the role played by "triggers" that act as cues for us to reinforce our addiction(s.) 

  At the same time, this book explains the Buddhist view of habit formation without getting caught up in jargon and shows how it can relate to the "12-step program" used by such groups as Alcoholic Anonymous.  It emphasizes responsibility but at the same time, it might be especially helpful for those suffering from guilt and despair over the behaviour of themselves or of others.  For example:

  "The addiction itself is the most powerful tool for destroying the addiction.

  Why?  Because the suffering we experience as a result of the addiction is the most powerful motivator for getting out of it.

            In the end we are all addicted in some way.  The most powerful and subtle addiction is our addiction to seeing ourselves as something solid, always the same, existing as if it has some material reality."  . . .   .   "We can see ourselves differently just by choosing to do so.  . . .  .  "

   

    

•  Entrance to the Great Perfection:  A Guide to the Dzogchen Preliminary Practices by Cortland Dahl. All royalties go to further the activity of the most venerable Chatral Rinpoche (currently living in Nepal) in ransoming the lives of animals that otherwise would be killed.

Dahl (recipient of a Master's degree from Nalanda University (USA) and experienced as a translator at Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche's Nitartha Institute), in consultation with the work of masters such as Patrul Rinpoche and Jamgon Kongtrul,  has compiled and clarified texts by Jigme Lingpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jigme Trinle Ozer and Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche.  Also included as appendices are instructions on doing a retreat in this tradition, on how to do the visualization, on the 9-yanas and on the literature of the Longchen Nyinthig lineage.

•  Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse: A Story of Transmission by Anne C. Klein,  foreword by Adzom Paylo Rinpoche, preface by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche.
  
  The Heart Essence or Longchen Nyingthig, which belongs to Tibetan Buddhism's oldest  denomination that is known as the Nyingma school, was revealed by Jigme Lingpa over 3 centuries ago and is still a living tradition.  In this book, which also includes a cd of the recitations in mp3 format, Adzom Rinpoche, a contemporary lama widely considered an incarnation of Jigme Lingpa, presents his condensed version of the famous Dzogchen text. 
  
  This compilation of texts, story, history, music, and commentaries can help the practitioner understand more fully the elements of practice.   Of particular interest might be the English translation using Tibetan meter / rhythm that can be used with the traditional melodies intrinsic to the transmission.
  
  There are also pictorial sections with images in colour of the land, objects, deities and lamas of the Heart Essence tradition including a section showing Adzom Gar in Kham.

Life is a party on death row. Recognizing mortality means we are willing to see what is true. Seeing what is true is grounding. It brings us into the present and, eventually, into presence. It also brings us into our bodies, especially if we combine meditation on impermanence with an energetic awareness at the base of the spine. At first, the important thing about impermanence seems to be the limited time we have in this precious life. This is crucial and foundational, and yet it is not the whole story.
The teachings on impermanence concern the death of a self that never existed. Our sense of such a false and finite self, which initially is inseparable from our wish to practice, can dissolve. Understanding impermanence, Khetsun Rinpoche says, will lead you into the natural clarity of your own mind. To know impermanence is thus not only a path leading to what Dzogchen traditions speak of as "unbounded wholeness" (thigle nyag cig), it is also integral to that wholeness.
    ~ Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse: A Story of Transmission by Anne C. Klein, foreword by Adzom Paylo Rinpoche, preface by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, published by Snow Lion Publications.

•  Niguma, Lady of Illusion    is a masterwork by Sarah Harding

Niguma, who lived in the 11th century, is the Kashmiri consort of Naropa and a mentor of Marpa Lotsawa.  The Shangpa Kagyu lineage headed by Kalu Rinpoche (d. 1989) and succeeded by Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche is traced to her.  Dream Yoga is one of its 6 specialties.

What biographical material we have for Niguma, Sarah Harding has collected for us here. Harding has also gathered, translated and edited all the related material, from a scrap of paper that circulated in the monastery in the 1970s to a complete and integrated Tibetan text of "Stages in the Path of Illusion and the Commentary."

There is more than one mystery surrounding Niguma.  As one of the key founders, why is her name so rarely mentioned today?

•  A Practice of Padmasambhava:  Essential Instructions on the Path to Awakening provides a very good introduction to Tantric Buddhism (Vajrayana)  by pairing in a single volume two practical Tibetan guides as translated by The Dharmachakra Translation Committee under Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche.   The first is the IV Shechen Gyaltsap's  "Divine Flower," a commentary showing and/or reminding us why Vajrayanists do the practices -- what the Buddhist worldview is, what steps we take in order to prepare. The second is Karma Rinchen Dargye's "Brilliant Light," which is a step by step instruction on how to perform the practice of Guru Vadismha, the vision of Guru Rinpoche as an embodiment of Manjushri. 

The texts are from the Nyingma lineage but this book provides an excellent overview of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in general.

•  Source of Supreme Bliss:  Heruka Chakrasanvara Five-deity Practice & Commentary by Ngulchu  Dharmabhadra & The First Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyaltsen (Snow Lion, 2010)

                "... a lucid, practical, and deeply profound explanation of the generation stage by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra. ... followed by an extremely rare and profound commentary by the First Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen, on the completion stage. "

The latter half of the book comprises translations of the ritual texts associated with the commentaries. Everything needed to engage in the practice of Heruka Five Deity is included within the pages of this book.

This text is restricted to readers who have had a highest-yoga tantric empowerment and permission to do  the practice according to the lineage of Tsongkhapa.   More about Restricted Texts at the Snow Lion link in the above title.

•  Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, ed. Polly Turner. (Snow Lion, 2011.)   Gift Idea

Here, Wangyal Rinpoche, who was trained in both Bon and Buddhism, and who founded Ligmincha, the Bon institute in Shipman, Virginia, USA, offers a collection of Tibetan yoga exercises that includes  visualizations, sacred sound practices, and meditations on the nature of mind.  These practices can  "alter our self-image and lead to a lighter, more joyful sense of being."

Geshe Wangyal Rinpoche is known for ". . . clear, engaging style and his ability to bring the ancient Tibetan teachings into a contemporary format that is relevant for Westerners. He has students throughout the United States, Mexico, and Europe and is the author of several books, including the popular Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep." ~Snow Lion.

What Caught Our Eye

p.224 (Appendix 4) 

[At Ligmincha we used to] hold East-West seminars with the intention of encouraging dialogue with therapists.   However . . . [they] came to an end when I gained a strong sense that many participating therapists were inclined to later the wisdom teachings for their therapeutic purposes. The field of psychotherapy has been in a continual flux since the time of Freud and Jung and has evolved into a profusion of different approaches to counseling and therapy.  The resulting attitude seems to be "Let's change whatever should be changed in the dharmas as well."

There is no question that certain aspects of the teachings need to be adapted . . . including . . . language, symbolism, and metaphors . . .   . 

[ . . . .]

However, changing the methodology has nothing to do with changing the core message of the dharmas.  The Buddha's teachings were intended for humans of all cultures and for all sentient beings.  Thus, Buddhists and therapists need to collaborate with each other in a way that is respectful of this ancient wisdom.  < editor's emphasis

•   Wise Teacher, Wise Student: Tibetan Approaches to a Healthy Relationship by Alexander Berzin.  (Snow Lion, 2000 / 2010) 

  When those raised in a society where Buddhism is not part of the culture discover, for whatever reason, that they are drawn to Buddha-dharma, often their first inclination is to try and satisfy intellectual curiosity.  And when that thirst is complicated by an attraction to the exotic culture of the teacher, or to the personal appearance and / or charisma of the teacher, then it may take a number of years before the student is able to see the benefits of the application of the Buddha's teachings.

  There are other pitfalls on the path, too.   Foremost is the fact that we may have happened upon fundamental texts that were inadequately -- even incorrectly --  translated.  We may have read some books in which the vocabulary of Western philosophy and / or that of various mystical sects, including some kinds of Hinduism, has been used in a misguided attempt to clarify Buddhist terminology. 

  The prevalent use of other kinds of familiar expressions also complicates matters and can be misleading.  For example, nowadays there is a popular use of titles borrowed from the Catholic context, such as His Holiness, His Eminence, as well as the use of the word, faith, as a synonym for religion. 

•   You Are the Eyes of the World  (Snow Lion 2000, 2010) is a translation and a discussion, by Kennard Lipman and Merrill Peterson, of Longchenpa's brief guide to Dzogchen known as The Jewel Ship. Lipman was a senior student of Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, who wrote the introduction.  Rinpoche wrote that most people who think they are practicing dzogchen are really doing what is known as "relaxed meditation" -- they aim for "being in the moment"  but still, their feelings positive, negative or other, continue to arise.  I think you will find that this compact (106-page) handbook will help you get what unconditioned awareness is, once and for all.  Then you would be much better prepared to begin to practice it.    The "Glossary of Tibetan Terms" is a particularly valuable tool in this essential kit.   It is not another of those frustrating lists of  Tibetan words, most of them conveniently rendered as "wisdom."   5 Stars.