Product Description

Kongtrul explains here the complete code of personal liberation as it applies to both monastic and lay persons, the precept for those aspiring to thelife of a bodhisattva, and the exceptional pledges for practitioners on the tantric path of pure perception.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #695297 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 568 pages

Review
An incredible resource for all serious students of Tibetan Buddhism. -- Georg Feuerstein, PhD in endorsement

From the Back Cover
Book Five, Buddhist Ethics, is considered by many scholars to be the heart of Jamgön Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge. Kongtrul explains here the complete code of personal liberation as it applies to both monastic and lay persons, the precepts for those aspiring to the life of a bodhisattva, and the exceptional pledges for practitioners on the tantric path of pure perception.

"Upon seeing the Treasury of Knowledge, the first Khyentse Rinpoche, a contemporary of Lodro Thaye, said that it was so inclusive of all knowledge that it did not seem to be composed by a human being, but must have been written through the blessing of the dakinis."--Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

"In Tibetan religious literature, Jamgon Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge in ten books stands out as a unique encyclopedic masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as it was preserved in Tibet. This volume is Book Five of that work and is considered by many scholars to be its heart.... It provides a clearly structured and lucid exposition of the qualities of spiritual teachers and their students, as well as of the ethical systems of Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism."--The Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies

"Both the Tibetan original and the English translation are exemplary in their lucidity... an incredible resource for all serious students of Tibetan Buddhism."--Georg Feuerstein, PhD

About the Author
The late Kalu Rinpoche was born in 1905 in Eastern Tibet. At fifteen, he gave his first public teaching and soon afterward entered the traditional three-year, three-month retreat. From the age of eighteen, Rinpoche studied with several eminent teachers in Tibet and then began a period of mountain retreat.

Rinpoche spent many years teaching and directing retreats in Tibet. By 1955, he had revitalized the Shangpa Kagyu lineage and was a senior lama of the Karma Kagyu lineage when the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa sent him to India and Bhutan to prepare for the anticipated exodus of refugees from Chinese-occupied Tibet.

In 1971, H.E. Kalu Rinpoche was sent on a teaching journey to the West by His Holiness Karmapa. During his many subsequent visits, he founded numerous dharma and retreat centers for serious study in the Kagyu tradition in France, Sweden, Canada and the United States before his passing in 1989.

Customer Reviews

Clear and thorough - Brilliant
This book is an absolute must for serious Buddhist students. Jamgon Kongtrul's "Shes Terzod" (of which this is a translation in part) is a classic, and this is a surprisingly easy read. The translator is thorough and careful, and graciously provided the commentary he received in the annoted section. The notes could almost be published as a separate work.

Beginning students are confused by the differences between Tantric practice and the well-known monastic tradition of Buddhism. This book puts it all together and explains in detail how both are practiced simultaneously.

The bibliography to the book alone is a treasure map of resources for new students, and no one who has received any wang or any vow in Buddhism should be without such a careful explanation of the meaning of vows as this.

For very advanced students, Jamgon Kongtrul put no sect of Buddhism above another, and studied all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism thoroughly. Consequently this is an excellent guide for students of different schools to clearly understand philosophical commonalities & differences, breaking down biases and misunderstandings. This is especially valuable in his description of the differences between the Nyingma and Sarma, in his even-handed, thorough description of Highest Yoga Tantra, and Maha, Anu and Ati Yoga Tantra. A truly invaluable work.

excellent
This book is the most comprehensive account of how to live one's life in a Buddhist manner. END

I'm with these guys
If you are interested in Buddhist vows, this is an excellent book. Also see "Perfect Conduct."