For centuries, The Tibetan Book of the Dead has been read aloud to the dying—who Buddhist masters say are capable of hearing up to three days after clinical death—as a guide through the tumultuous and often terrifying process of dissolution.Now, in Liberation Upon Hearing in the Between, distinguished Tibetan Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman illuminates this classic text with up-to-date insights for modern audiences. Professor Thurman demystifies this esoteric teaching and reveals t...

Columbia University professor Robert Thurman stands alone among scholars of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. He was the first Westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and he is the renowned translator of many seminal Buddhist texts, including The Tibetan Book of the Dead.On Making the World We Want, you will hear a very different Thurman as he speaks candidly on what he considers the most urgent issue of our time: how Buddhism is now poised to revolutionize the entire cour...

This Classic Course was recorded in the mid 1980's as we neared the end of the second- Christian Millenium, many prophetic voices were being raised to speak of revelation and other apocolyptic visions. Some western mystics even mentioned the future Buddha, -Maitreya, in connection with a returning Christ or Christ impulse.What do the Buddhists, themselves, say about the end of the world as we know it?What is Buddhist apocolyptic?This workshop examines these questions ...

More than 1.3 million Tibetans have lost their lives and over 6000 monasteries have been destroyed since the Chinese invasion in 1959. One of the positive legacies of this tragic story is the release of the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual wisdom, hidden for thousands of years deep in the Himalayas. Robert Thurman believes this legacy is meant for you and me, here and now, as we struggle with the unhappiness and lack of meaning inherent in a materialistic society.

Timely and audacious, Buddha at the Apocalypse challenges us to look directly at the devastating assumptions underlying the very mechanisms of the modern world - and offers a clarion call to awaken from a pervasive culture of destruction into a natural, sustainable, and sane peace. Kurt Spellmeyer references the Bible, popular culture, Zen, and Western philosophy in addressing two questions: how did we get here, and what can we do now. An answer to pervasive cynicism and decline, ...

In this fascinating study, Dagyab Rinpoche not only explains the nine best-known groups of Tibetan Buddhist symbols but also shows how they serve as bridges between our inner and outer worlds. As such, they can be used to point the way to ultimate reality and to transmit a reservoir of deep knowledge formed over thousands of years.

Living Deeply transcends any one approach by focusing on common elements of transformation across a variety of traditions, while affirming and supporting the diversity of approaches across religious, spiritual, scientific, academic, and cultural backgrounds. Each chapter in the book ends with Experiences of Transformation, exercises drawn from wisdom traditions or scientific investigations meant to enhance your direct experience of the material.Opportuniti...

This is the paperback edition of the first full study, translation, and critical annotation of the Essence of True Eloquence by Jey Tsong Khapa (1357-1419), universally acknowledged as the greatest Tibetan philosopher. Robert Thurman's translation and introduction present a strain of Indian Buddhist thought emphasizing the need for both critical reason and contemplative realization in the attainment of enlightenment. This book was originally published under the title Tsong Kha...

A key explanatory work on the primary sources of Buddhist tantra by Tibet’s leading authority, Tsong Khapa’s guide clarifies the cryptic verses of the Esoteric Community Tantra and details the practical implementation of the instructions of its commentary, the Illuminating Lamp.Tsong Khapa’s Illuminating Lamp Annotational Supercommentary marks a watershed moment in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist history, unlocking with startling clarity the layers...

The New York Times calls him "America's number one Buddhist." He is the co-founder of Tibet House New York, was the first American Tibetan Buddhist monk, and has shared a thirty-five-year friendship with the Dalai Lama. Now, Robert Thurman presents his first completely original book, an introduction to Buddhism and "an inspiring guide to incorporating Buddhist wisdom into daily life" (USA Today). Written with insight, enthusiasm, and impeccable scholarship, Inner R...

The most accessible and informative version of the Buddhist classicavailable in English, with instruction in meditation, illuminating commentary, and guidance in the practical use of the prayersThe so-called “Tibetan Book of the Dead” has been renowned for centuries as a cornerstone of Buddhist wisdom and religious thought. More recently, it has become highly influential in the Western world for its psychological insights into the processes of death and dy...

Robert Thurman examines one of the most sacred texts of Mahayana Buddhism, The Vimalakirti-nirdesha Sutra. To any Buddhist practitioner, particularly those of Vajrayana Buddhism and Zen, this sutra is of the utmost importance. Unlike most sutras, its central figure is not a Buddha, but an ordinary man, who, in his mastery of the doctrine and religious practice, personifies the ideal lay believer, assuring commoners that they can reach levels of spiritual attainment comparable to those acce...