Essential Practice: Lectures on Kamalashila's Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School

by Khenchen Thrangu

Book Overview

Essential Practice is an accessible and authoritative portrait of a bodhisattva's view, meditation, and conduct by one of the foremost masters of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and the tutor of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559391812
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Snow Lion
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Valuable Commentaries on Classic Texts

Kamalashila was asked to travel to Tibet in the 8th century in order to clarify for the Tibetan king and his people the proper way to practice the Dharma. Kamalashila left behind three Bhavanakramas, or treatises on the stages of practice, originally composed in Sanskrit. Paramananda Sharma has published initial translations into English of all three, while Jordhen, Ganchenpa and Russell have done a more accessible translation of the second Bhavanakrama as part of "Stages of Meditation", the Dalai Lama's commentary on the text. In this book, Thrangu Rinpoche provides us with insightful commentaries on the first two of the three Bhavanakramas, derived from lectures he delivered in 1988. In Thrangu Rinpoche's book, his commentary on the first Bhavanakrama looks at this slow but sure practice of "analytical meditation of the scholar" as he refers to it, as opposed to the style of Secret Mantra which looks directly at the mind's very nature. His commentary on the text is pithy and easy to follow, and should provide any reader with plenty on which to reflect and practice. In his commentary on the second Bhavanakrama, Thrangu Rinpoche again provides us with insightful explanations that provide a comprehensive summary of the Mahayana Buddhist path. I was surprised that he characterizes the practices laid out in this second Bhavanakrama as strictly analytical meditation, in that the treatise places primarily emphasis on the practice of looking at the nature of the mind, as in Mahamudra practice, when describing insight practice. It is not clear why Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary does not cover this aspect of the Bhavanakrama, which to me is the most important part. "Stages of Meditation", mentioned above, provides a more complete account of this portion of the treatise. In all, I found the book to be very helpful in clarifying many of the points raised in the Bhavanakramas which are not immediately clear upon reading them.

Essential practice

This is a great book by a great author. What sets it apart is that it purifies basic misconceptions about the method for generating compassion in our continuum and the way to cultivate it. And the author does so in a truly vast way, with historical implications, I believe. This book contains lectures by Ven. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche on the Indian master Kamalashila's "Treatise on the Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School." Kamalashila was called to Tibet by King Trisong Detsen at a time when genuine understanding of authentic Buddhadharma (as planted by Shantarakshita) was at stake. The trouble did not come from the outside but from inside forces: the truly great (!) bodhisattva Hwa Shang Mahayana taught a slightly different dharma, and consequently everyone became confused. Kamalashila beat Hwa Shang Mahayana in a debate, after which the lineage of dharma taught by the latter slowly evaporated and the lineage of the dharma taught my Shantarakshita and Kamalashila developed in a pure fashion. The same thing seems to repeat in our current times. Authentic Buddadharma, according to Tibetan Sutra and Mantra, was introduced only a few decades ago in the West, outside of Tibet. An now, in order to nurture and protect this new development, I feel that the effort made by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (and whom he represents) amounts to the same as what Kamalshila has done so many centuries ago. In the words of Thrangu Rinpoche (from the Introduction): "These treatises were composed newly in order to help the people of Tibet when the teachings of the Buddha were initially being established in Tibet. Now, because the teachings of the Buddha are beginning to flourish in America, I thought it would be helpful if I were to present these treatises, which are not like others." As a side note: The author also explains how Kamalashila came to Tibet twice in the body of Padampa Sangye. In that body, he disseminated the methods for practicing "the pacifier," also called "cutting" (chöd). Padampa Sangye was indeed the guru of Machig Labdrön, who developed the Chöd of Mahamudra from the Prajnaparamita, and became the lineage holder. I highly recommend this book as a must-read to anyone who cares to read essential practice as taught from Sutra perspective in Tibetan Buddhist transmission. All books by this author are great reading.

Wisdom on the methodology and means of meditation

Essential Practice is a compilation of lectures and teachings about Kamalashila's "Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School," and a stepping stone to better understanding the mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. Written by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (tutor to H.H. the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa) who is an honored teacher of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and skillfully translated into English by Jules B. Levinson (an expert in Buddhist studies, an educator at Naropa University, and employed by the Light of Berotsana Translation Group), Essential Practice presents an incomparable wisdom on the methodology and means of meditation, as well as the ways in which to bring oneself to the transcendence of selfless behavior. Essential Practice is confidently recommended as a welcome and invaluable addition Tibetan Buddhist Studies reading lists and reference shelves.