In the Presence of Masters (eBook)

Reginald A. Ray (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2004 | 1. Auflage
304 Seiten
Shambhala (Verlag)
978-0-8348-2437-9 (ISBN)

Infos

Thirtyof the most creative, eloquent, and energetic Tibetan Buddhist teachers ofWesterners in recent decades are featured in this collection of teachings thatare certain to be highly treasured by all students of Buddhism. Thecontributors are masters who helped establish Buddhism in the West, foundingcenters in North America, Great Britain, Australia, and Europe, publishingbooks in English, and gaining recognition among Western Buddhists. Theirteachings, drawn exclusively from the spoken word as given in talks andseminars, convey the directness and power for which the oral tradition is sovalued in Buddhism.

Thebook highlights the teachings of the practice lineages, the branch of TibetanBuddhism that emphasizes meditation practice, personal experience, andspiritual realization. Selections are thematically organized, including topicssuch as the major approaches to the spiritual path, meditation and otherpractices, Buddhist ethics, tantric practice, and the role of the teacher.

Includesthe following teachers:

ChagdudTulku Rinpoche

Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche

ChkyiNyima Rinpoche

Deshung Rinpoche

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche

Dudjom Rinpoche

DzigarKongtrul Rinpoche

The Dzogchen Pnlop Rinpoche

DzongsarKhyentse Rinpoche

Gen Lamrimpa

The Third Jamgn KongtrulRinpoche

Kalu Rinpoche

Venerable Khandro Rinpoche

Khenpo Knchog Gyaltsen

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Lama Lod

Lama Thubten Yeshe Rinpoche

Namkhai NorbuRinpoche

Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Sogyal Rinpoche

TarthangTulku Rinpoche

Thinley Norbu Rinpoche

Thrangu Rinpoche

Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche

Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

TulkuUrgyen Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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Thirty of the most creative, eloquent, and energetic Tibetan Buddhist teachers of Westerners in recent decades are featured in this collection of teachings that are certain to be highly treasured by all students of Buddhism. The contributors are masters who helped establish Buddhism in the West, founding centers in North America, Great Britain, Australia, and Europe; publishing books in English; and gaining recognition among Western Buddhists. Their teachings, drawn exclusively from the spoken word as given in talks and seminars, convey the directness and power for which the oral tradition is so valued in Buddhism. The book highlights the teachings of the practice lineages, the branch of Tibetan Buddhism that emphasizes meditation practice, personal experience, and spiritual realization. Selections are thematically organized, including topics such as the major approaches to the spiritual path, meditation and other practices, Buddhist ethics, tantric practice, and the role of the teacher. Includes the following teachers: Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche • Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche • Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche • Deshung Rinpoche • Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche • Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche • Dudjom Rinpoche • Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche • The Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoche • Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche • Gen Lamrimpa • The Third Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche • Kalu Rinpoche • Venerable Khandro Rinpoche • Khenpo Könchog Gyaltsen • Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche • Lama Lodö • Lama Thubten Yeshe Rinpoche • Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche • Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche • Ringu Tulku Rinpoche • Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche • Sogyal Rinpoche • Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche • Thinley Norbu Rinpoche • Thrangu Rinpoche • Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche • Tulku Thondup Rinpoche • Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche • Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Textauszug

FromPart One: The Buddha
HisLife, His Aspects, and His Legacy

Sometimesit is said that Shakyamuni Buddha plays a less prominent role in Tibetantradition than in, for example, Theravada. The reason given is that theTibetans speak of several bodies of the Buddha, of a larger array of teachingsthan the early schools, and of other celestial buddhas and bodhisattvas whoplay important roles in meditative and ritual life. It might be more accurateto say that, within Tibetan Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha is understood in a moreexpansive way than in some other traditions.

Asthe following passages show, Tibetans consider the human person, ShakyamuniBuddha, with unparalleled reverence and devotion. Tibetans might have hadspontaneous visions of him (1.1) and felt his ever ready availability (1.2). InTibetan tradition, the Buddha is seen as an exalted and inspiring example forall who aspire to realization. He was an ordinary person who, unsatisfied withreceived or partial truths, through his dedication and exertion, found a newway (1.3). He was, in fact, a revolutionary who freed himself from what wasconventionally accepted and attained the pinnacle of enlightenment itself(1.4). His attainment of the realization of egolessness (1.5) meant that he wasutterly insignificant but, because of that, the 'world enlightenedone'(1.6). From that point onward, the Buddha's sole purpose was to leadbeings to that same awakening (1.7). The method he taught was meditation (1.8).Tibetan tradition emphasizes the Buddha's compassion: he was not trying tocreate a new 'ism,' but gave himself utterly to the world, teachingand showing others the solitary path that he had found to the full realizationof what a human being can be (1.9).

Oneof the most interesting aspects of the practice lineage approach is itsunderstanding of the Buddha's attainment and its relation to us. There is astrong sense that the Buddha's experience of the awakened state is accessibleto us through the practice of meditation. While in some interpretations, theBuddha's awakening is considered so exalted and so far off as to be an objectof devotion but not emulation, in the practice lineage, it is precisely thatawakening that should be sought by meditators in this life. The great devotionfelt toward the Buddha is not because he is different from us, but ratherbecause he has shown us what we are and can be. He was the first to find this,the one whose attainment was complete and perfect, and the one who opened thedoor for the rest of us.

Theobject of devotion is not just the immediately manifest human Buddha, butrather the Buddha in his full reality, majesty, and humanity. These threeaspects are known as the three bodies of the buddha. What made Gautama theBuddha was his discovery of an awareness within his own human experience thatis beyond birth and death, beyond being and nonbeing. This 'fundamentalnature,' as it is called, is the 'ultimate body' (dharmakaya)ofthe Buddha. His corruptible form, his human body, is known as his 'createdbody' (nirmanakaya).Becauseof his attainment, he was able to show himself to his disciples and laterfollowers in a transcendent body, one made of form and light but not substance,known as the 'body of enjoyment' (sambhogakaya).These'three bodies' are not really three, but three different aspects ofthe same person, Shakyamuni Buddha (1.10). The essence of this person (the dharmakaya)isbeyond all manifestation, any kind of being or nonbeing (1.11, 1.12), and it isthis that makes the human person what he is (nirmanakaya)anddefines his glorious aspect...

Produkt-Details

• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Buddhismus
• ISBN-10: 0-8348-2437-X / 083482437X
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8348-2437-9 / 9780834824379