


Sorry, the book that you are looking for is not available right now.
We did a search for other books with a similar title, however there were no matches. You can try selecting from a similar category, click on the author's name, or use the search box above to find your book.
The premiere volume of Thupten Jinpa's thirty-two-volume Library of Tibetan Classics series, inaugurated to coincide with the Dalai Lama's conferral of the initiation rite of Kalacakra in Toronto in April 2004.
The Kalacakra, or "wheel of time," tantra likely entered Indian Mahayana Buddhism around the tenth century. In expounding the root tantra, the Indian master Pundarika, one of the legendary Kalki kings of the land of Shambhala, wrote his influential Stainless Light. Ornament of Stainless Light is an authoritative Tibetan exposition of this important text, composed in the fifteenth century by Khedrup Norsang Gyatso, tutor to the Second Dalai Lama.
One of the central projects of Kalacakra literature is a detailed correlation between the human body and the external universe. In working out this complex correspondence, the Kalacakra texts present an amazingly detailed theory of cosmology and astronomy, especially about the movements of the various celestial bodies. The Kalacakra tantra is also a highly complex system of Buddhist theory and practice that employs vital bodily energies, deep meditative mental states, and a penetrative focus on subtle points within the body's key energy conduits known as channels. Ornament of Stainless Light addresses all these topics, elaborating on the external universe, the inner world of the individual, the Kalacakra initiation rites, and the tantric stages of generation and completion, all in a highly readable English translation.
"An excellent introduction to the more advanced forms of Indian-Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism in general. Kilty's translation is accurate and faithful to the original. Being a translation rather than an interpretation, the book presupposes that the reader has a solid foundation in basic Buddhism and the Mahayana, and some acquaintance with the Vajrayana. This book is required reading for advanced students of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism; it belongs in any library seeking thorough coverage of the Buddhist tradition."--John Newman, New College of Florida
"A radiant gem drawn from the vast ocean of Tibetan literature on the Kalackra tantra. It provides a clear, comprehensive summary of the basic structure and essential features of this important system of mysticism. Also, Khedrup Norsang Gyatso's interpretations of controversial issues in the Kalackra contribute to our understanding of the evolution of Tibetan theories of mysticism. Gavin Kilty's faithful translation makes this work easily accessible--it is a fitting inaugural volume for The Library of Tibetan Classics."--John Newman, MacArthur Professor of Asian Religions, New College of Florida
"Spectacular."--E. Gene Smith, Founder, Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center
Ornament of stainless light : an exposition of the outer, inner, and other Kalacakra | |
Compilation of the Root and Condensed tantra | p. 25 |
The primordial mind and body | p. 53 |
The three themes of Kalacakra tantra | p. 75 |
The formation of the external world and its dimensions | p. 79 |
The inhabitants of this world | p. 91 |
The stars and the planets | p. 105 |
Resolving contradictions between Kalacakra and Abhidharma cosmology | p. 145 |
The development of the body | p. 161 |
Channels, winds, and drops | p. 177 |
Discrepancies between Kalacakra and other tantras | p. 195 |
Qualifications of master and disciple | p. 211 |
Description of the mandala | p. 225 |
The initiations | p. 231 |
The seven childhood initiations | p. 243 |
The four higher initiations | p. 247 |
The higher-than-high initiations | p. 257 |
The two stages | p. 271 |
The generation stage | p. 277 |
The two accumulations | p. 281 |
The body vajra | p. 285 |
Analysis of the colors of the lunar-day deities | p. 303 |
Resolving doubts concerning the process of generation | p. 317 |
The speech vajra | p. 341 |
The mind vajra | p. 369 |
The gnosis vajra | p. 375 |
The six-branched yoga | p. 391 |
Withdrawal : night yoga | p. 411 |
Withdrawal : day yoga | p. 439 |
The yoga of meditative absorption | p. 461 |
Pranayama : the yoga of the winds | p. 475 |
Vajra recitation | p. 483 |
Vase yoga | p. 495 |
The yoga of retention | p. 513 |
The yoga of recollection | p. 523 |
The yoga of meditative concentration | p. 553 |
The fruits of the two stages | p. 585 |
Table of Tibetan translation | p. 595 |
Enumerations mentioned in the text | p. 598 |
Time measurement | p. 602 |
Linear measurement | p. 604 |
Kalacakra word-numerals | p. 605 |
Approximation and accomplishment in the six-branched yoga | p. 610 |
The six elements and the inner world | p. 611 |
Kalacakra-related chronology | p. 612 |
Diagram : the Kalacakra world realm | p. 615 |
Diagram : the sun's path over the earth and water mandalas | p. 616 |
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780861714520
ISBN-10: 0861714520
Series: Library of Tibetan Classics
Audience:
General
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 672
Published: 1st August 2001
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 22.8 x 15.2
x 5.41
Weight (kg): 1.24