Buddhism: branches and groups

Since Zen Buddhism first captivated the attention of Western seekers the dominant discourse about this sect has been romantic, idealistic, and utopian.

Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Soto Zen sect in Japan, is especially known for introducing to Japanese Buddhism many of the texts and practices that he discovered in China.

When books about Zen Buddhism began appearing in Western languages just over a half-century ago, there was no interest whatsoever in the role of ritual in Zen.

In this book, Anne Carolyn Klein, an American scholar and teacher of Buddhism, and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a rigorously trained Tibetan Lama who was among the first to bring Bon Dzogchen teachings to the West, provide a study and translation of the Authenticity of Open Awareness, a foundational text of the Bon Dzogchen tradition.

This is a companion volume to The Koan and The Zen Canon, by the same editors.

It is said that in traditional Japan the samurai embraced Zen because it helped them to be fearless in adversity, to act quickly and decisively, and to keep focused on their ultimate goal.

This groundbreaking study focuses on a village called Te in a "e;Tibetanized"e; region of northern Nepal.

Bodhidharma, its first patriarch, reputedly said that Zen Buddhism represents "e;a special transmission outside the teaching/Without reliance on words and letters.

This book provides the first English translation of Candrakirti's commentary (ca.

Himalayan Hermitess is a vivid account of the life and times of a Buddhist nun living on the borderlands of Tibetan culture.

With the growing popularity of Zen Buddhism in the West, virtually everyone knows, or thinks they know, what a koan is: a brief and baffling question or statement that cannot be solved by the logical mind and which, after sustained concentration, can lead to sudden enlightenment.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the texts that, according to legend, Padma-Sambhava was compelled to hide during his visit to Tibet in the late 8th century.

In our multicultural society, faiths formerly seen as exotic have become attractive alternatives for many people seeking more satisfying spiritual lives.

Koans are enigmatic spiritual formulas used for religious training in the Zen Buddhist tradition.

Revered by Buddhists in the United States and China, Master Sheng-yen shares his wisdom and teachings in this first comprehensive English primer of Chan, the Chinese tradition of Buddhism that inspired Japanese Zen.

Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) is by any measure the single most influential philosopher in Tibetan history.

Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) is by any measure the single most influential philosopher in Tibetan history.

Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) is by any measure the single most influential philosopher in Tibetan history.

Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) is by any measure the single most influential philosopher in Tibetan history.

This book offers an in-depth introduction to the philosophy and practice of Zen Buddhism.

This book offers an in-depth introduction to the philosophy and practice of Zen Buddhism.

Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama enjoy global popularity and relevance, yet the longstanding practice of oracles within the tradition is still little known and understood.

Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama enjoy global popularity and relevance, yet the longstanding practice of oracles within the tradition is still little known and understood.

The Tibetan district of Tsari with its sacred snow-covered peak of Pure Crystal Mountain has long been a place of symbolic and ritual significance for Tibetan peoples.

Tsong kha pa (14th-century) is arguably the most important and influential philosopher in Tibetan history.

This book explores the Buddhist role in the formation of Tibetan religious thought and identity.

In this study, based on both historical evidence and ethnographic data, Paula Arai shows that nuns were central agents in the foundation of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century.

This book provides a translation and critical bilingual edition on the Verse Comments on the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.

This book provides a translation and critical bilingual edition on the Verse Comments on the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.

In Radiant Emptiness, Yaroslav Komarovski offers an annotated translation of three seminal works on the nature and relationship of the Yogacara and Madhyamaka schools of Buddhist thought, by Serdok Penchen Shakya Chokden (1428-1507).

In Radiant Emptiness, Yaroslav Komarovski offers an annotated translation of three seminal works on the nature and relationship of the Yogacara and Madhyamaka schools of Buddhist thought, by Serdok Penchen Shakya Chokden (1428-1507).

Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary examines the religious biography of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859-1934), the most significant modern figure representing the Tibetan Bon religion-a vital minority tradition that is underrepresented in Tibetan studies.

The Way of the Bodhisattva, composed by the monk and scholar Santideva in eighth-century India, is a Buddhist treatise in verse that beautifully and succinctly lays out the theory and practice of the Mahayana path of a bodhisattva.

The Way of the Bodhisattva, composed by the monk and scholar Santideva in eighth-century India, is a Buddhist treatise in verse that beautifully and succinctly lays out the theory and practice of the Mahayana path of a bodhisattva.

Many of us, even on our happiest days, struggle to quiet the constant buzz of anxiety in the background of our minds.

Many of us, even on our happiest days, struggle to quiet the constant buzz of anxiety in the background of our minds.

Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought.

Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought.

The stereotype of Zen Buddhism as a minimalistic or even immaterial meditative tradition persists in the Euro-American cultural imagination.

Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism examines how the third Karmapa hierarch, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339) transformed reincarnation from a belief into a lasting Tibetan institution.

Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism examines how the third Karmapa hierarch, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339) transformed reincarnation from a belief into a lasting Tibetan institution.

The Letters of Chan Master Dahui Pujue offers a complete annotated translation, the first into English, of a Chan Buddhist classic, the collected letters of the Southern Song Linji Chan teacher Dahui Zonggao (1089-1163).

The Letters of Chan Master Dahui Pujue offers a complete annotated translation, the first into English, of a Chan Buddhist classic, the collected letters of the Southern Song Linji Chan teacher Dahui Zonggao (1089-1163).

From Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen investigates the remarkable century that lasted from 1225 to 1325, during which the transformation of the Chinese Chan school of Buddhism into the Japanese Zen sect was successfully completed.

From Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen investigates the remarkable century that lasted from 1225 to 1325, during which the transformation of the Chinese Chan school of Buddhism into the Japanese Zen sect was successfully completed.

Echoes of Enlightenment explores the issues of gender and sainthood raised by the recently discovered "e;liberation story"e; of the fourteenth-century Tibetan female Buddhist practitioner Sonam Peldren.

What kind of person should I strive to be?

What kind of person should I strive to be?

The Life of the Madman of U tells the story of Kunga Zangpo (1458-1532), a famous Tibetan Buddhist ascetic of the Kagyu sect.

The stereotype of Zen Buddhism as a minimalistic or even immaterial meditative tradition persists in the Euro-American cultural imagination.