A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages: Teachings on Guhyasamaja Tantra Contributor(s): Tsongkhapa, Je (Author), Galvin, Kilty (Translator), Jinpa, Thupten (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0861714547 ISBN-13: 9780861714544 Publisher: Wisdom Publications OUR PRICE: $53.96 Product Type: Hardcover Published: April 2013 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Literary Collections | Asian - General - Religion | Buddhism - Sacred Writings - Religion | Buddhism - Tibetan |
Dewey: 294.382 |
LCCN: 2012028292 |
Series: Library of Tibetan Classics |
Physical Information: 1.9" H x 6.5" W x 9.3" (2.33 lbs) 648 pages |
Themes: - Religious Orientation - Buddhist |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Tsongkhapa's A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages (1419) is a comprehensive presentation of the highest yoga class of Buddhist tantra, especially the key practices - the so-called five stages (pancakrama) - of the advanced phase of Guhyasamaja tantra. Beginning with a thorough examination of the Indian sources, Tsongkhapa draws particularly from the writings of Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Candrakirti, and Naropa to develop a definitive understanding of the Vajrayana completion stage. Whereas in the generation stage, meditators visualize the Buddha in the form of the deity residing in a mandala palace, in the completion stage discussed in the present volume, meditators transcend ordinary consciousness and actualize the state of a buddha themselves. Among other things, Tsongkhapa's work covers the subtle human physiology of channels and winds along with the process of dying, the bardo, and rebirth. This definitive statement on Guhyasamaja tantra profoundly affected the course of Buddhist practice in Tibet. |
Contributor Bio(s): Jinpa, Thupten: - Thupten Jinpa Langri was educated in the classical Tibetan monastic academia and received the highest academic degree of Geshe Lharam (equivalent to a doctorate in divinity). Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, he has been the principal English-language translator to the Dalai Lama. He has translated and edited many books by the Dalai Lama, including The World of Tibetan Buddhism, Essence of the Heart Sutra, and Ethics for the New Millennium. Jinpa has published scholarly articles on various aspects of Tibetan culture, Buddhism, and philosophy, and books such as Songs of Spiritual Experience (co-authored) and Self, Reality and Reason in Tibetan Thought. He serves on the advisory board of numerous educational and cultural organizations in North America, Europe, and India. He is currently the president and the editor-in-chief of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to translating key Tibetan classics into contemporary languages. He also currently chairs the Mind and Life Institute. |