[Buddha-l] Three New Books

[Steven Rhodes]

Dear Denizens of Buddha-L,

Here are three recent titles from Snow Lion Publications which might be 
of interest to you:

THE ESSENCE OF OTHER-EMPTINESS
by Taranatha, trans. & annotated by Jeffrey Hopkins

Jeffrey Hopkins continues his exploration of the Jo-nang-ba sect of 
Tibetan Buddhism with this translation of one of the seminal texts from 
that tradition. Whereas Dol-bo-ba's massive Mountain Doctrine 
authenticates the doctrine of other-emptiness through extensive 
scriptural citations and elaborate philosophical arguments, Taranatha's 
more concise work translated here situates the doctrine of 
other-emptiness within the context of schools of tenets, primarily the 
famed four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, through comparing the various 
schools' opinions on the status of the noumenon and phenomena. Also 
included is a supplementary text by Taranatha which presents the 
opinions of a prominent fifteenth-century Sakya scholar, Shakya 
Chok-den, and contrasts them with those of the leading Jo-nang-ba 
scholar, Dol-bo-ba.

Taranatha (1575-1634) was one of the leading exponents of the Jo-nang-ba 
sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Scholar, teacher, and founder of monasteries 
in Tibet and Mongolia, where he taught for twenty years, his collected 
writings fill twenty-three volumes.

Jeffrey Hopkins is a seminal and influential scholar of Tibetan 
Buddhism. Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, he is the 
author or translator of over thirty-five books on Tibetan Buddhism.

--

ZURCHUNGPA'S TESTAMENT
by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group

Zurchungpa's Eighty Chapters of Personal Advice was the final teaching 
given by the great Nyingma master Zurchung Sherab Trakpa before he 
passed away. His counsels are the distillation of a lifetime's 
experience and comprise the practical instructions of a master who had 
made the teachings of the Great Perfection truly part of himself. The 
original text consists of almost 580 maxims organized into eighty 
chapters covering the entire path of Dzogchen, from fundamental 
teachings on devotion and renunciation through to a whole series of pith 
instructions that bring the Dzogchen view to life. Much of the meaning 
of these pithy, often cryptic instructions could be lost on the reader 
without the help of the notes Shechen Gyaltsap Rinpoche provided in his 
annotated edition, which he based on the explanations he received from 
his own teacher, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.

This book contains a complete, detailed teaching on Zurchungpa's text by 
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, based on Shechen Gyaltsap's notes. Originally 
intended as essential instructions for a group of practitioners in 
three-year retreat, it will undoubtedly serve as an indispensable guide 
to anyone who seriously wishes to practice the Great Perfection.

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991) was one of the foremost lamas to 
come out of Tibet and was revered for his wisdom and compassion by 
members of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He was untiring in 
preserving and propagating the Dharma, through the publication of 
important Buddhist works (including twenty-five volumes of his own 
writings), the building of monasteries and stupas, and transmissions and 
instructions to countless practitioners. He made several visits to the 
West, where he had a large number of disciples.

Zurchung Sherab Trakpa (1014-1074) was a key teacher in the Zur 
tradition, one of the handful of kama lineages through which the 
teachings of the Ancient Tradition were transmitted from master to 
disciple, beginning with Guru Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra right down 
to the Nyingma masters of the present day. He was a learned scholar and 
accomplished meditation master who spent many years in retreat 
practicing the teachings of the Great Perfection.

Shechen Gyaltsap Rinpoche (1871-1926) was an important disciple of 
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo the Great and one of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's 
root teachers. An accomplished meditator, he was also one of the most 
respected scholars of his day, whose writings fill thirteen volumes.

The Padmakara Translation Group has a distinguished reputation for its 
translations of Tibetan texts and teachings, and is renowned for its 
clear and accurate literary style.

--

MIDDLE BEYOND EXTREMES: Maitreya's Madhyantavibhaga with Commentaries by 
Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham
translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee

Middle Beyond Extremes contains a translation of the Buddhist 
masterpiece Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes. This famed text, 
often referred to by its Sanskrit title, Madhyantavibhaga, is part of a 
collection known as the Five Maitreya Teachings. Maitreya, the Buddha's 
regent, is held to have entrusted these profound and vast instructions 
to the master Asanga in the heavenly realm of Tushita.

In pithy verses, Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes employs the 
principle of the three natures to explain the way things seem to be as 
well as the way they actually are. Unraveling the subtle processes that 
condition our thinking and experience, Maitreya's teaching reveals a 
powerful path of compassionate vision and spiritual transformation.

Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes is here presented alongside 
commentaries by two outstanding masters of Tibet's nonsectarian Rimé 
movement, Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham.

Maitreya and Asanga (fl. 4th century C.E.) are the progenitors of the 
Approach of Vast Activity, one of two great currents of Mahayana view 
and practice. Their works have achieved the status of unique spiritual 
classics. Throughout the centuries, they have continued to guide and 
inspire some of Buddhism's most brilliant minds.

Khenpo Shenga (1871-1927) contributed tremendously to the non-sectarian 
Rimé movement in Tibet. His commentaries on the classic Indian Buddhist 
treatises have become the core curriculum in numerous monastic colleges 
throughout Tibet and South Asia.

Ju Mipham (1846-1912) displayed a universal genius as he wrote on all 
aspects of Buddhist theory and practice, as well as on the traditional 
sciences. He has emerged as one of the most influential figures to come 
out of the Tibetan tradition in recent centuries.

The Dharmachakra Translation Committee draws its inspiration from the 
vision, commitment, and achievements of past Buddhist translators. 
Directed by Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, the Committee is dedicated to making 
Buddhist classics available to modern readers in their native languages.



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