Introduction to Tantra : The Transformation of Desire

by Yeshe, Lama Thubten; Glass, Philip; Landaw, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9780861711628
• ISBN10: 0861711629
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-15
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications

Summary

New edition of this perennial classic. “The best introductory work on Tibetan Buddhist tantra available today.”—Janet Gyatso, Harvard University

What is tantra? Who is qualified to practice it? How should it be practiced? What are the results? According to Buddhism, every human being has the potential to achieve profound and lasting happiness. And according to the tantric teachings of Buddhism, this remarkable transformation can be realized very quickly if we utilize all aspects of our human energy - especially the energy of our desires.

Introduction to Tantra is the best available clarification of a subject that is often misunderstood. This new edition of this classic text includes a new foreword by Philip Glass and a new cover design, but leaves untouched Lama Yeshe's excellent original text, edited by Jonathan Landaw.

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 extremely relevant to twenty-first century life.

Author Biography

Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984) was born in Tibet and educated at the great Sera Monastic University. He fled the Chinese oppression in 1959 and in the late 1960s, with his chief disciple, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, began teaching Buddhism to Westerners at their Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1975 they founded the international Buddhist organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), which now has more than 160 centers, projects and services worldwide.
Jonathan Landaw was born in New Jersey and has traveled the world since 1970. He spent six years living in northern India studying Tibetan Buddhism and is the editor and author of a number of Buddhist books, including Wisdom Energy and Buddhism for Dummies. He lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Philip Glass
Preface	xi
Basic Purity	1	(6)
Desire and Happiness	7	(10)
Pleasure, Disappointment, and Fulfillment	17	(12)
Overthrowing the Tyranny of Ordinary Appearances	29	(10)
Emerging from Dissatisfaction	39	(6)
Opening the Heart	45	(12)
Dissolving Self-Created Limitations	57	(12)
Clear Spaciousness of Mind	69	(14)
Inspiration and the Guru	83	(16)
Entering Highest Tantric Practice	99	(18)
Arising as a Deity	117	(14)
Final Accomplishment	131	(12)
Glossary	143