The essence of the teachings of the Buddha, is practice. The reason we practice meditation is to attain happiness. This means happiness in both the short term and the long term. The short-term benifitsof meditation are more than merely peace of mind, because our physical health as well depends to a great extend upon our state of mind. The ultimate or long-term benefit of the practice of meditation is becoming free of all suffering, which means no longrt compelled to experience the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death. In this remarkable teaching Thrangu Rinpoche presents all the important aspects of Buddhist meditation in general and from the vajrayana perspective in particular. In it are covered motivation, posture, mental technique, consciousness and wisdom, as wel as creation and completion stages and mahamudra.

Teachings on the Practice of Meditation

Thrangu Rinpoche

Zhisil Chokyi Ghatsal

Guide to Shamata Meditation

Thrangu Rinpoche, Khenchen

Buddhist Conduct: The Ten Virtuous Actions

Religion & Spirituality

Buddhism

When the Buddha taught, he said that achieving enlightenment is due entirely to receiving correct teachings and then how diligently one implements these teachings.  One may ask, how does this whole phenomenal world work? The Buddha taught that it all follows the process of interdependent origination in which one action or event causes another event, which causes another event and so on.  In personal terms interdependent origination explains how our happiness and suffering in our present life is the result of actions in our previous lives. This process proceeds through twelve links and each of these links or phrases is explained in detail here.

Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination

These works, transmitted from Arya Maitreya - the fifth and future Buddha of this fortunate age - to Arya Asanga some time in the third century, comprise one of the major foundations of Mahayana Buddhism, the unbroken transmission and practice of which continues today.  The focus of this text is the Prajnaparamita teachings. There are two main ways of approaching the meaning of the Prajnaparamita, the direct and indirect approach, with both approaches revealing the meaning of emptiness. Many students these days are familiar with the direct approach to understanding emptiness as shown in texts such as those by Nagarjuna. However, the indirect approach is perhaps less familiar and is what Maitreya is focussing on in this text. The indirect approach to emptiness reveals the hidden meaning of the Prajnaparamita sutras by examining the five paths and spiritual levels. Through this approach one understands how emptiness is realized, how this wisdom is developed and what is removed by this wisdom.  Maitreya received the full transmission and meaning of these teachings directly from the Buddha and is therefore able to convey the meaning clearly and directly for us. This was his main motivation for composing this particular work and also that by understanding the Prajnaparamita teachings beings would be able to accomplish Buddhahood.

The Ornament of Clear Realization

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Books by Zhisil Chokyi Ghatsal