‘Two shall come by the path of the swan, From the world of men in the fourth age – So shall the word be manifest again. So shall the vessel of truth, The Maitreya, come to be born in the world of men.’ Thus have the ancients of the divine kingdom of Shambala prophesized the birth of a new age and its saviour – the Maitreya. Destined to be the mother of the Maitreya, the golden dakini Yeshe Nam Lha has descended to Earth in the guise of a mortal. Accompanied by her celestial guardians – Prince A-KarO and Prince Narasimha – she must now journey to the hidden Mount Meru in order to choose a suitor, and fulfil the prophecy. As her quest takes her through the sleepy towns of Sikkim and Assam to the snowy mountains of Jammu and Leh, Yeshe and her companions encounter a host of magical creatures – the tsen deities who reside in the caves under the Himalayas, the fey warriors of the celestial city of Ney, and the yakshas, gatekeepers of the hidden tunnels on the way to Mount Meru. But not everyone they meet is benevolent. Prince Arden, leader of the dark Asur forces, is on Yeshe’s trail, hoping to bewitch her with his magnetic charm – and Yeshe must overcome her earthly mortality if she is to make the right choice... In this spellbinding sequel to Path of the Swan, Charu Singh deftly draws on the rich heritage of Tibetan-Buddhist mythology to immerse the reader in a story that is as magical and evocative as its precursor.

This is a unique and powerful presentation of the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism on the five elements: earth, water, air, fire, and space. In their gross and subtle forms, these elements combine to make up the infinite illusory display of phenomenal existence. Through teachings, stories, and his distinctive use of language, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche relates how the energies of the elements manifest within our everyday world, in individual behavior and group traditions, relationships and solitude, medicine and art. He explains their links to the five Buddha families and their respective Wisdom Dakinis, and shows how each element relates to our senses, temperament, passions, habits, and karmic potentials. This magic dance of the elements, he concludes, can be transformed through meditation practice and cultivating the calm, vast, and playful state of consciousness that he calls "playmind."

A moment of intense silence followed and then the Rigden spoke up, his voice even: ÔYou have all been called today before the sacred court and from now, in every breath, in every heartbeat, in the shadow of every moment, in the intensity of the thoughtless state, in life, and in not-life, in physical or subtle form, we declare you our emissaries, our sacred envoys to the world of men. Shambala has a task for youÉÕ Lama Ozer and hisÊnovitiate Tashi leave the hidden monastery where they have lived all their livesÊin answer to a call from the legendary kingdom of Shambala received by the lama while deep in trance. Battling the freezing cold and snow of high, mist-laden mountain passes and the many evil forces that thwart their progress, they trek through Sikkim and Tibet to arrive at the Silver Fortress. Here they meet a host of divine and dark celestial beings, including the golden dakini, Yeshe Nam Lha, daughter of the Goddess Tara; Prince A-KarO, heir to the Lha Empire; and Prince Narasimha, heir to the Rigdens and the Shambala legacy. Both the princes are YesheÕs guardians and suitors, and she must travel with them to Earth where it is decreed that her child, Maitreya, the saviour, will be born. But before that happens they have the Asur forces to combat, and the dark prince Arden, who holds Yeshe captive, enthralled by his brooding menace, bewitched by his spell. Drawing richly from the vast pantheon of otherworldly beings that populate the myths of the Mahayana school of Buddhism, Path of the Swan, the first part of the surreally beautiful Tibetan-Buddhist fantasy series The Maitreya Chronicles, is a mesmerizingÊsaga of the battle between celestials and dark forces, and the descent of the celestials to Earth.

" Don't mistake mere words to be the meaning of the teachings. Mingle the practice with your own being and attain liberation from samsara right now." Padmasambhava Padmasambhava is the primary master of Vajrayana, the teachings for our time. Out of his great compassion and wisdom, he instructed his main disciple Yeshe Tsogyal to conceal terma treasures to be revealed at the destined time for future practitioners. The profundity of this advice is meant to be personally applied by all individuals in all circumstances. It is a classic work, which contains valid truth for anyone who sincerely wants to follow a spiritual path. "The chief compiler of Padmasambhava's teachings was Yeshe Tsogyal, an emanation of a female Buddha. There may be some people who believe that only men can attain enlightenment, but her life is proof to the opposite. The awakened state of mind is neither male or female." Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, from Introductory Teachings

A fresh interpretation of the dakini—a Tibetan Buddhist symbol of the feminine—that will appeal to practitioners interested in goddess worship, female spirituality, and Tantric Buddhism The primary emblem of the feminine in Tibetan Buddhism is the dakini, or “sky-dancer,” a semi-wrathful spirit-woman who manifests in visions, dreams, and meditation experiences. Western scholars and interpreters of the dakini, influenced by Jungian psychology and feminist goddess theology, have shaped a contemporary critique of Tibetan Buddhism in which the dakini is seen as a psychological “shadow,” a feminine savior, or an objectified product of patriarchal fantasy. According to Judith Simmer-Brown—who writes from the point of view of an experienced practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism—such interpretations are inadequate. In the spiritual journey of the meditator, Simmer-Brown demonstrates, the dakini symbolizes levels of personal realization: the sacredness of the body, both female and male; the profound meeting point of body and mind in meditation; the visionary realm of ritual practice; and the empty, spacious qualities of mind itself. When the meditator encounters the dakini, living spiritual experience is activated in a nonconceptual manner by her direct gaze, her radiant body, and her compassionate revelation of reality. Grounded in the author's personal encounter with the dakini, this unique study will appeal to both male and female spiritual seekers interested in goddess worship, women's spirituality, and the tantric tradition.

Translated here for the first time, a collection of heartfelt and intimate advice for Buddhist practice from the modern female Buddhist teacher Sera Khandro Dewai Dorje (1892–1940), revealing her firsthand experiences as a mother, wife, consort, and spiritual teacher of the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Sera Khandro Dewai Dorje was a rare example of a well-known Tibetan woman renowned as a teacher in the modern era. While there are many notable female figures in Tibetan Buddhist history, very few left a collection of poetic, autobiographical, and devotional writings as extensive as Dewai Dorje. Both biographical and instructional, this is a collection of advice, prayers, dreams, prophecies, and treasures (terma) from within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen, a Buddhist practice on resting in the nature of mind. Typically seen as high level practices, these Dzogchen and other instructions are presented in Dewai Dorje’s highly personal and accessible voice. This collection of practice instructions is a window into the inner experience of a beautiful woman in love who single-pointedly pursued a life of Dharma. Born to a wealthy and powerful father in Lhasa, she left home and became a dedicated Dharma practitioner living as an unaccompanied female in the wilds of eastern Tibet in the early 1900s. She became a wife, mother, and then consort and wrote of both highly spiritual and highly personal experiences, from spiritual realization to grief.

A thorough and sparkling translation of an essential commentary on one of the most profound practices of Tibetan Buddhism. The Extremely Secret Dakini of Naropa has become the basis for almost every subsequent Vajrayogini commentary in the Gelug tradition. Kyabje Pabongkha’s commentary is both very thorough in its presentation and deeply inspiring, providing rich detail on essential elements of Vajrayogini practice: - all eleven yogas of the generation stage - the transference of consciousness - tsok offering - left-sided conduct - and many other auxiliary practices There is also a stunning explanation of the completion stage that provides many extraordinarily profound methods unique to the practice of Vajrayogini. The second half of the book contains several sadhanas for the practice of Vajrayogini, including six-session guru yoga as well as two sadhanas on the transference of consciousness. "This is a teaching that practitioners can use to transform themselves into a buddha, like the artists who shape beautiful images out of raw materials." —Gelek Rimpoche

Reprint. originally published: Tharpa Publications, 1991.

Providing a rare glimpse of feminine Buddhist history, Niguma, Lady of Illusion brings to the forefront the life and teachings of a mysterious eleventh-century Kashmiri woman who became the source of a major Tibetan Buddhist practice lineage. The circumstances of her life and extraordinary qualities ascribed to her are analyzed in the greater context of spiritual biography and Buddhist doctrine. More than a historical presentation, Niguma's story raises the question of women as real spiritual leaders versus male images of feminine principle and other related contemporary issues. This volume includes the thirteen works that have been attributed to Niguma in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. These collected works form the basis of an ancient lineage Shangpa, which continues to be actively studied and practiced today. These works include the source verses for such esoteric practices as the Six Yogas, the Great Seal, and the Chakrasamvara and Hevajra tantric practices that are widespread in Tibetan traditions. Also included is the only extant biography, which is enhanced by the few other sources of information on her life and work.