The Four Mindfulnesses
Posted on | May 2, 2012 | No Comments
The Four Mindfulnesses
The Four Mindfulnesses – On the basis of a poem by the seventh Dalai Lama with commentary by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, written as transcripts of talks held by Gelek Rimpoche in 2005 and 2006. Download the entire ebook here (193 pages):
The Four Mindfulnesses
Into the Stream
Posted on | April 29, 2012 | No Comments
Into the Stream - A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening by. The Pali Canon, the scripture of the Theravada Buddhist Tradition written 29 BCE, recognizes four levels of Awakening. The first of which is called stream entry. The name indicates a stream that will inevitably lead to enlightenment. This study guide on stream entry is divided into two parts. The first deals with the practices leading to stream entry; the second, with the experience of stream entry and its results. Download the ebook here:
Into the Stream
Tags: Awakening > enlightenment > Pali Canon > Scripture > stream entry > Theravàda
Art of Attention
Posted on | April 27, 2012 | No Comments
Art of Attention is written by Pannyavaro, who founded Buddhanet.net back in 1993 – one of the oldest and most comprehensive Buddhist websites. This book was written to be published on the site. The author states in the foreword that the art of attention is the common thread underpinning all schools of Buddhist meditation: Mahamudra in the Tibetan tradition, Zazen in Zen Buddhism and Vipassana meditation in Theravada. Download the Art of Attention ebook here in PDF-format:
Art of Attention
Tags: attention > Mahamudra > Pannyavaro > Vipassana > Zazen > Zen
Nagualism
Posted on | April 26, 2012 | No Comments
Nagualism with the subtitle – A Study in Native American Folk-lore and History – must have been the raw material from which Carlos Castaneda wrote his books on Yaqui sorcery. It was written by Danial G. Brinton and read before the American Philosophical Society in 1804. His respect and descriptions of the tribes, their visions and beliefs suggests that he might have tasted the little smoke or similar compounds himself. Download the classic Public Domain work on the native american shamanism known as Nagualism here:
Nagualism
Straight From the Heart
Posted on | April 23, 2012 | No Comments
Straight From the Heart is based on transcriptions of 84 talks by Ajaan Maha Boowa Nanasampanno which he gave to a dying woman staying at the Wat Pa Baan Taad monestary in Thailand during 1975 and 1976. The total of the talks have been printed in Thai in a two-volume set totaling more than 1.000 pages. This is a 258 page translated version focusing on meditation instructions and specially the development of Panna - the Pali word for the Buddhist concept of Wisdom. In order to properly understand these teachings the author suggest the reader to consult the two works: Wisdom Develops Samadhi and Forest Dhamma. Download Straight From the Heart here:
Straight From the Heart
Tags: meditation > Ñāṇasampanno > Panna > Straight From the Heart > Wat Pa Baan Taad
Philokalia – the complete set of volumes
Posted on | April 22, 2012 | No Comments
Philokalia is a collection of spiritual instructions from the Eastern Christian tradition. The oldest are from the 4th century and the latest are from the 15 century. The collection was compiled in the eighteenth-century by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth and they have only been partially available for the English speaking world since the 1950s. This may be because of the esoteric teachings and practices like “Theoria” or ”Watchfulness” – practices very similar to Buddhist and other spiritual traditions. Philokalia is also the primary source on the Christian term “hesychasm” (“maintaining guard over heart and intellect”), an inner spiritual tradition dating back to the Desert Fathers. This practice include quiet sitting, and recitation of the Jesus Prayer. Nikodemos, in his introduction, described the collected texts as “a mystical school of inward prayer” which could be used to cultivate the inner life and to “attain the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Nikodemos stressed that “unceasing prayer” should be practiced by all. Download the book here containing all the four volumes currently translated to English – a fifth volume is still to be translated (1.246 pages):
Philokalia
Tags: Desert Fathers > Eastern Christian tradition > esoteric teachings > hesychasm > Jesus Prayer > Philokalia > spiritual instructions > St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain > Theoria > Watchfulness
Codex Borbonicus or Codex Cihuacoat
Posted on | April 8, 2012 | No Comments
Codex Borbonicus also known as Codex Cihuacoat was written just a few years before the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Only a few of these codices are known, since the fourth tlatoani Itzcoatl ordered them all burnt because it was “not wise that all the people should know the paintings”. Like all pre-Columbian codices, Codex Borbonicus is entirely pictorial, although some Spanish descriptions were later added.
Codex Borbonicus can be divided into three sections. The first section is one of the most intricate surviving divinatory calendars (or tonalamatl). Each page represents one of the 20 trecena (or 13-day periods), in the tonalpohualli (or 260-day year). The second section of the codex documents the Mesoamerican 52 year cycle, showing in order the dates of the first days of each of these 52 solar years. The third section is about rituals and ceremonies, particularly those that end the 52-year cycle, when the “new fire” must be lit. Download the Codex Borbonicus here:
Codex Borbonicus or Codex Cihuacoat
Tags: Aztec Empire > ceremonies > codex > Codex Borbonicus > Codex Cihuacoat > Mesoamerican > rituals > Spanish conquest > tlatoani Itzcoatl > tonalamatl > tonalpohualli > trecena
Cantares Mexicanos – Songs of the Aztecs
Posted on | April 6, 2012 | No Comments
Cantares Mexicanos – Songs of the Aztecs is the English translation of the original Aztec text written in Nahuatl. Three times during the last century scientists have failed to decipher the Cantares Mexicanos. It was finally translated in 1985 by John Bierhost, this is the result. Cantares Mexicanos is considered a cornerstone in American Indian literature. It consists of hundreds of pages of Aztec poetry and it was written sometime between 1499-1590. Download the pdf ebook here (571 pages):
Cantares Mexicanos – Songs of the Aztecs
Tags: american indian > Aztecs > John Bierhost > literature > Nahuatl > poetry
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Posted on | April 4, 2012 | No Comments
The Tibetan Book of the Dead – or the Bardo Thodol is the English translation of the famous Tibetan death text, The Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Intermediate State. Bardo Thodol means “liberation by hearing on the after death plane”, it was originally written in the Tibetan and is meant to be a guide for those who have died as they transition from their former life to a new destination. The Tibetan Book of the Dead has been traditionally attributed to Padma-Sambhava, an Indian mystic who was said to have introduced Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. We have a range of more detailed works and commentaries on The Tibetan Book of Dead her on the site, do a search, or download the ebook here:
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Tags: Bardo > Buddhism > death plane > Indian mystic > intermediate state > Liberation > Padma Sambhava > thodol > Tibet > Tibetan Book
The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel
Posted on | April 3, 2012 | No Comments
The Book of Chilam of Chumayel by Ralph L. Roys was published in 1933. The Books of Chilam Balam are the sacred books of the Maya of Yucatan and were named after their last and greatest prophet. Chilam, or chilan, was his title which means that he was the mouth-piece or interpreter of the gods. Balam means jaguar, but it is also a common family name in Yucatan, so the title of the present work could well be translated as the Book of the Prophet Balam. During a large part of the colonial period, and even down into the Nineteenth Century, many of the towns and villages of northern Yucatan possessed Books of Chilam Balam, and this designation was supplemented by the name of the town to which the book belonged. Dowload the free ebook here:
Book of Chilam Balam the of Chumayel
Tags: Balam > Chilam > Chilan > Jaguar > Maya > Prophet > Ralph L Roys > Yacatan
The Soma Tantra
Posted on | March 30, 2012 | No Comments
The Soma Tantra by ItzQuauhtli, is the debut of the author, who wishes to be anonymous. The book is a work of fiction situated in Hindu mythology, drawing its literary lineage from The Mahabharata and Siva Purana.
The moon god Soma Chandra defies his brethren by kidnapping their guru’s new wife, the gears of war are set in motion. An age-old conflict between demonic Ashuras and godly Devatas is rekindled amid Antarloka’s heavenly sphere. Meanwhile, Shiva and his consort Kali plot destruction, dispatching agents into the fray. Mortal races square off against immortals as the balance of power shifts and through it all, it is a single human girl who can trump either side…
Steeped in Hindu Myth mixed with elements of Greek Tragedy The Soma Tantra puts a fresh spin on fantasy while serving up a sumptuous dose of adventure. Thanks to the author for permission to post the here. Download the free, self-published ebook here (and please share if you like it):
The Soma Tantra
Tags: Antarloka > ashuras > devatas > Greek Tragedy > Hindu mythology > kali > Mahabharata > Shiva > Siva Purana > Soma > Soma Chandra > tantra
An Introduction to Mahamudra Meditation by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Geshe Lharampa
Posted on | March 28, 2012 | No Comments
An Introduction to Mahamudra Meditation by The Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Geshe Lharampa is an important guide to the technique. During the flourishing of the Mahamudra teachings in India in the 8th to 12th centuries there were innumerable people who practiced Mahamudra and who then attained realization through this practice. Literally Mahamudra means ”great seal” or “great symbol.” It is now used as the culmination of nearly all of the different sects of Tibetan Buddhist schools, where it is regarded as one of the most important teachings. Download the meditation guide here:
An Introduction to Mahamudra Meditation
Short Moments of Open Intelligence
Posted on | March 26, 2012 | 2 Comments
Short Moments of Open Intelligence Repeated Many Times, Become Continous, is the title of this free book from 2011. It is compiled from talks given by Candice O’Denver in 2008 in Sweden and United States. The books idea is that “Open Intelligence”, a state of awakening, is easily accessable in short moments. It is already there and there is no effort to be done to gain this insight. From the book:
“Open Intelligence is the basis of every perception, is is already naturally present. It isn’t something that needs to be obtained sometime in the future. that’s why the single instructiont that is needed is ´short moments, repeated many times.´”
Download the Creative Commons Licensed ebook here:
Short Moments of Open Intelligence
Tags: Candice O'Denver > Creative Commons > Open Intelligence > Sweden
Awakening Presence by Ajahn Upekkha
Posted on | March 23, 2012 | 1 Comment
Awakening Presence by Ajan Upekkha is a transcription from a Dhamma talks given in november 2003 for the nuns at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Herfordshire, England. The talks examins among other topics in detail the ‘stuff ” of awakening – showing how the states that we continuously try to avoid are the very states that, examined in the light of Dhamma, can lead to freedom. Download the ebook here (121 pages):
Awakening Presence
The Window by Papajeff
Posted on | March 15, 2012 | No Comments
The Window is written by spiritual teacher Papajeff. He hosts a radioshow, leads meditation groups and writes on enlightenment, non-duality and other topics. Here is a quote from “The Window”:
Only a wisdom whisper from the heart will inform the freedom seeker about to whom or what they should listen. Some need to be guided. Some find that the morning sunrise or some other precipitous event melts the mask one day. All who find the answer eventually find the answer within.
Download the book here:
The Window by Papajeff
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