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Buddhist Classics

  • Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric Meditation - Creation and Completion represents some of the most profound teachings of Jamgon Kongtrul (1813-99), one of the true spiritual and literary giants of Tibetan history. Though brief, it offers a lifetime of advice for all who wish to engage in-and deepen-the practice of tantric Buddhist meditation.
  • Pure Appearance: Development and Completion Stages in Vajrayana Practice - An overview of Tibetan tantric practice that explains its concepts, clarifies its terminology, and shows how its myriad pieces fit together, including an extensive teaching on the bardos, or "between states"--essential for those new to the topic and a welcome source of illumination for longtime students.
  • Deity, Mantra, and Wisdom: Development Stage Meditation in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra - This collection contains four of the most cherished Tibetan Buddhist commentaries on the practices of visualization, mantra recitation, and meditative absorption—elements that form the core of development stage meditation, one of the most important practices of Buddhist Tantra.
  • Vajra Wisdom: Deity Practice in Tibetan Buddhism - Vajra Wisdom presents the commentaries of two great nineteenth-century Nyingma masters that guide practitioners engaged in development stage practice through a series of straightforward instructions. The rarity of this kind of material in English makes it indispensable for practitioners and scholars alike.
  • The Way of the Bodhisattva: (Bodhicaryavatara) - Treasured by Buddhists of all traditions, The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara) is a guide to cultivating the mind of enlightenment, and to generating the qualities of love, compassion, generosity, and patience. This text has been studied, practiced, and expounded upon in an unbroken tradition for centuries, first in India, and later in Tibet.
  • Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice - For over thirty years, Opening the Hand of Thought has offered an introduction to Zen Buddhism and meditation unmatched in clarity and power. This is the revised edition of Kosho Uchiyama's singularly incisive classic.
  • The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya - This volume offers a complete translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, the third of the four great collections in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon. The Samyutta Nikaya consists of fifty-six chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha's suttas or discourses.
  • The Dhammapada - One of the best-known and best-loved works of Buddhist literature, the Dhammapada forms part of the oldest surviving body of Buddhist writings, and is traditionally regarded as the authentic teachings of the Buddha himself, spoken by him in his lifetime, and memorized and handed on by his followers after his death. A collection of simple verses gathered in themes such as 'awareness', 'fools' and 'old age', the Dhammapada is accessible, instructional and mind-clearing, with lessons in each verse to give ethical advice and to remind the listener of the transience of life.
  • The Jatakas: Birth Stories of the Bodhisatta - When my concentrated mind was purified, I directed it to the knowledge of the recollection of past lives’ —The Buddha on the night of his enlightenment Associated with the living traditions of folk tale, drama and epic, the Jatakas recount the development of the Bodhisatta—the being destined to become the present Buddha in his final life—not just through the events of one lifetime but of hundreds.
  • The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation - With poetry and clarity, Thich Nhat Hanh imparts comforting wisdom about the nature of suffering and its role in creating compassion, love, and joy – all qualities of enlightenment.
  • Introduction to Tantra: The Transformation of Desire - Introduction to Tantra is the best available clarification of a subject that is often misunderstood. Tantra recognizes that the powerful energy aroused by our desire is an indispensable resource for the spiritual path. It is precisely because our lives are so inseparably linked with desire that we must make use of desire's tremendous energy not just for pleasure, but to transform our lives. Lama Yeshe presents tantra as a practice leading to joy and self-discovery, with a vision of reality that is simple, clear, and relevant to 21st-century life.
  • Nagarjuna on the Six Perfections (Kalavinka Buddhist Classics) - This text is a translation of chapters 17-30 of Arya Nagarjuna's immense "Exegesis on the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra" (Mahaprajnaparamita-upadesa). It is a free-standing section of that commentary exclusively devoted to analyzing and explaining the various levels of practice of the bodhisattva's six perfections.
  • Marvelous Stories from the Perfection of Wisdom: 130 Didactic Stories from Arya Nagarjuna's Exegesis on the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra - This volume consists of 130 stories and short Dharma anecdotes selected from Nagarjuna's immense commentary on The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (Mahaprajnaparamita-upadesa). Each story is "framed" by the inclusion of Nagarjuna's introductory and summarizing Dharma discussions which place the stories in the context of the Bodhisattva Path to buddhahood.
  • The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika - a verse-by-verse philosophical commentary in English Mulamadhyamakakarika is the foundational text for all Mahayana Buddhism and is one of the most influential works in the history of Indian philosophy.
  • The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation - This modern spiritual classic, presented as a thirty-day meditation retreat taught by Joseph Goldstein, offers timeless practical instructions and real-world advice for practicing meditation—whether walking or sitting in formal practice or engaging in everyday life. Goldstein—a beloved and respected meditation teacher who studied for many years under the guidance of eminent Buddhist teachers from India, Tibet, and Burma