"A Doubleday Anchor original, A763." Bibliography: p. [255]-261.

Illuminates the precious gems of Buddhism - the Buddha Jewel: symbol of Enlightenment, the Dharma Jewel: the path to Enlightenment, and the Sangha Jewel: symbol of the fellowship enjoyed by those who tread that path - in a clear and radiating light. To understand the Three Jewels is to understand the central ideals and principles of Buddhism.

Three precious jewels lie at the heart of Buddhism, radiating the light of awakening into the world: the Buddha Jewel, as symbol of Enlightenment (the figure of the Buddha); the Dharma jewel, the path to Enlightenment taught by the Buddha; and the Sangha jewel, the Enlightened followers of the Buddha down the ages who have truly devoted their lives to his teachings. This book illuminates these precious gems in a clear and radiating light.

The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, one of the most important and influential texts in the Mahayana training of the mind. It was composed by the great Indian Yogi Dharmarakshita and he transmitted these teachings to Atisha (982-1054), who later transmitted the same to his greatest disciple Upasaka Dromtonpa and together translated it into Tibetan from Sanskrit. The present English translation is based on its Tibetan text, done by the Translation Bureau of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Commentary to The Wheel of Sharp Weapons was given by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey.

Inspired by memories of her beloved grandmother, photographer and author Alysia Burton Steele -- picture editor on a Pulitzer Prize-winning team -- combines heart-wrenching narrative with poignant photographs of more than 50 female church elders in the Mississippi Delta. These ordinary women lived extraordinary lives under the harshest conditions of the Jim Crow era and during the courageous changes of the Civil Rights Movement. With the help of local pastors, Steele recorded these living witnesses to history and folk ways, and shares the significance of being a Black woman -- child, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother in Mississippi -- a Jewel of the Delta. From the stand Mrs. Tennie Self took for her marriage to be acknowledged in the phone book, to the life-threatening sacrifice required to vote for the first time, these 50 inspiring portraits are the faces of love and triumph that will teach readers faith and courage in difficult times.

Land of Mercy is a magical intriguing tale of love, greed, betrayal, sacrifice and spiritual quest which starts from the conflict between two prominent families living beneath the snow mountain of Eastern Tibet and ends in a journey in pursuit of personal salvation, self-worth and enlightenment. Steeped in the magical lore of Tibetan Buddhism, the author Fan Wen brings his readers into a world of magic and mystery where there are no limits to human capability and where legend, myth and history intertwine and enthrall. An unforgettable must read for all those who are fans of epic human struggle and who are fascinated by and especially fond of the Tibetan people, their faith and their culture. It is Tibet encapsulated in a novel.

The "The Essence of Nectar” (Lam rim bdus rtsi snying po), an extensive prayer written by Yeshi Tsondru, an incarnate Lama of the Gelug tradition, is a poetic supplement of the "Great Exposition of the Graded Path" (Lam Rim Chen Mo) written by the founder of the Gelug tradition, Je Tsong Kha pa (1357-1419). Such teachings were promulgated by Buddha Shakyamuni in the 5th century B.C. and subsequently transmitted through a succession of realised Indian and Tibetan masters. In this work, Yeshi Tsondru eloquently synthesizes all the cogent points of the progressive meditations leading to the awakening of a Buddha: the complete eradication of suffering and the attainment of all wholesome spiritual qualities. In the process he draws examples from various facets of life in order that one may enrich one's meditations on the "Graded Path" and easily apply the practices to the development of one's thoughts and conduct. This English translation, completed under the supervision of Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, a master of Tsong Kha pa's tradition, brings out the beauty and poetic flavour of the original work. The comprehensive notes and glossary provide valuable information on the technical terms used and also reveal hidden points of the text, thereby making this synopsis of the complete path to Buddhahood open to many.

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

Jewels of the Middle Way documents an important tradition of Madhyamaka and provides insight into both the late Indian Buddhist blend of Madhyamaka and tantra and the Kadampa school founded by the Indian Buddhist master Atisa. This book presents a detailed contextualization of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school in India and Tibet, along with translations of several texts in the Bka’ gdams gsung ’bum (Collected Works of the Kadampas), recently recovered Tibetan manuscripts that are attributed to Atisa and Kadampa commentators. These translations cohere around Atisa’s Madhyamaka view of the two realities and his understanding of the practice and the nature of the awakening mind. The book is organized in three parts based on the chronology of Atisa’s teaching of Madhyamaka in India and Tibet: (1) Lineage Masters, the Mind of Awakening, and the Middle Way; (2) Articulating the Two Realities; and (3) How Madhyamikas Meditate. Each part focuses on a specific text, or set of texts, specifically related to Atisa’s Middle Way. The authorship and date of composition for each work is discussed along with an outline of the work’s textual sources followed by an analysis of the content.

A collection of three Dhamma talks that Ajahn Pasanno gave in the three winter retreats during 2003-2005 at Abhayagiri.