FEATURE

BUDDHISM ARRIVES IN TIBET

With this issue, "Buddhism Arrives in Tibet," Bodhi presents the fourth and final installment in its yearlong celebration of the 2550-year anniversary of the life and teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni.

The teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni originated in India, perhaps 2,600 years ago, and traveled throughout Asia over the course of the next several centuries. We hear of dharma teachings and representations of the Buddha's form appearing in Tibet by the 7th century. By the 8th century, the great Indian master Padmasambhava, along with the most gifted translators of the day, transformed the Tibetan spiritual landscape with the construction of the first Buddhist monastery, Samye, and the translation of the complete Tripitaka, the three collections of the Buddha's teachings. They also accomplished the translation of the less widely circulated Tantras taught by the Buddha—the stream of teachings that became known as the "Vajrayana," or "diamond vehicle." The Vajrayana, properly speaking, includes the lineages of Mahamudra, Dzogchen and Tantrayana, or deity yoga. While essentially an aspect of the Mahayana, this vehicle is taught to possess methods so skillful that a practitioner can achieve realization of his or her own enlightened nature more rapidly than in other paths—in a single life time, or a single moment. As a result of the great dedication of the king and the auspicious appearance of Padmasambhava himself, the rugged land of Tibet, at the "roof top" of the world, became a seat of the Buddha's highest teachings—the teachings that take the awakened state of mind as the basis for the practice of path.

Whether we are practicing according to early or later traditions, whether we live in the East or West, the original wisdom and example of Buddha Shakyamuni illuminate and inspire all our efforts on the path of liberation. Just as these teachings have brought peace, happiness and enlightenment to countless beings in the past, may they continue to do so throughout time, until all beings are relieved of suffering and have reached the "other shore."

Integration of Sutra and Tantra: Tibetan Buddhism
by Thubten Chodron

Tibetan Buddhism is a combination of both sutra—the Theravadin and general Mahayana teachings—and tantra (Vajrayana or Mantrayana), which is a unique branch of the Mahayana. The four Tibetan traditions— Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug—are essentially the same, the principal difference being one of lineage. The basic meditations on the determination to be free, the altruistic intention and the wisdom realizing emptiness are similar in all four traditions.

Buddhism Comes to the Rugged Land of Tibet
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Why should we be concerned about how things were done in eighth-century Tibet? These historical records are an excellent model, from which we can learn much about how the dharma can be transplanted into our own language and country, and into other languages and cultures as well. There are great blessings and a quality of transmission associated with such a model, which was set by enlightened beings.

Do You See This Buddha?
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

In the Vajrayana, achieving the state of wakefulness is called attaining “complete enlightenment in one instant.” When we take the instructions to heart, when we employ the methods properly, stage by stage, and when we focus on the path and do not fall into any sidetracks, then this awakening can take place in any minute. One moment we can be a totally confused, ordinary sentient being and the next we can be a completely enlightened being.

Two Songs
by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Book Review: The Center of the Sunlit Sky: Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition
by Judith Simmer-Brown
The most exciting aspect of the book is that, while it is thick and full of scholastic references, it is accessible for the well-read Western practitioner and intriguing for the scholar, and includes the experiential aspect of emptiness along with the analytic.

Prajna and Wisdom: Excerpted from The Center of the Sunlit Sky
by Karl Brunnhölzl
There is a very close connection between knowledge (prajñ) and wisdom (jñna). Often, these terms are simply used as synonyms, or it is said that wisdom is nothing but the culmination or perfection of knowledge, prajñpramit. In general, however, knowledge stands more for the analytical and discriminating aspect of superior insight and realization (both conceptual and nonconceptual), while wisdom mainly emphasizes the nonconceptual, immediate and panoramic aspects of realization.

Nitartha international’s Document Input Center: Preserving Tibet’s Ancient Wisdom Using Modern Technology
An Interview with Acharya Lhakpa Tsering by Oona Edmands

Spiritual Perspectives on Dying Well, Caregiving and Healing Grief: A Report on Nalanda West’s First Ecumenical Conference
by Andrew Holecek