The Book of Kadam: The Core Texts (2) (Library of Tibetan Classics)

WOW is all that needs to be said!Others have already explained about the book so I will offer my short 'two cents'..So far I'm a few chapters in and I'm already blown away. Atisha's knowledge represents the very utmost zenith of Buddhist knowledge, he travelled far and wide, from East India during the peak of the ascent of the sun of the Dharma in that region at Nalanda and Vikramshila, to Indonesia, where he received 10 years of training in Bodhichitta from Suvarnadvipi, who he would refer to as his main guru (interesting considering that he had spent time in Bengal studying high Mahayana teachings but considered this simple master of Bodhicitta as his main guru, and this simplistic and direct approach to Enlightenment would exemplify his teachings throughout his life).In this way Atisha gathered the utmost essence of the Buddhadharma, and transmitted it to his disciple Dromtönpa in a series of conversations which is very reminiscent of the way in which Lord Buddha transmitted his teachings.In this way, Atisha represents the archetypal PERFECT Enlightened Guru, and Dromtönpa represents the archetypal perfect student, allowing any sincere practitioner a wide open window into the pure, pure, pure Dharma.This book inspires me to want to follow the path of the Kadampas (NOT the so-called 'New Kadampa Tradition' mind you), but I will definitely be integrating Atisha's teachings as the core of my path (I already practice the four deities of the Kadam so it works out perfect :).I can't recommend this book highly enough to serious dharma practitioners, you MUST have this. Atisha is Buddha himself.If you don't have access to these teachings in this book then you don't have access to the power of the wisdom which truly established Buddhadharma for good in Tibet after the seeds had been planted by Arya Guru Rinpoche.FIVE STARS!

This is a book to treasure. I have not read all of it, but I have tried to meditate on what I have read. The Kadampa school is associated with the Lam Rim texts (The Graded or Gradual Path). This book provides the back story for that. Publicly push the scriptures, we are advised, and privately pursue the secret mantra path. Nothing in tantra, Atisha says, is not found in the collections of scripture.The four deities of Kadam are Buddha, Avalokita, Tara & Acala. The last is not known to me but seems to be an analogue to Akshobya in the form of a protector. The other chief teaching is the tripitaka (three collections of scripture - Vinaya or Monastic Discipline, Sutra, and Abhidharma or philosophical view).This is pretty basic stuff and then it is not.A poem by Atisha is the root text and the largest part of the work is a series of dialogs between Atisha and his main disciple Drom commenting on the root text, passage by passage. The last portion of the book is a collection of teachings by various hands.The first two lines of the body of the poem tell us to discard lingering doubts and to practice with dedication. I could spend a few years practicing just that teaching. Doing so would be a great benefit to me.In chapter 15 Atisha teaches exchanging self and other, the basic Mind Training practice. That's another teaching to follow throughout life.I found one typo which was surprising in a book this well produced.This is a book to treasure if you practice Tibetan Buddhist meditation.

Over a thousand years ago, on the highland desert of Tibet, the Land of Snows, Lord Atisha and his spiritual Son, Dromtonpa, sat and discussed the Dharma for posterity. These versified conversations were somehow recorded and passed down through generations of realized Masters to us... The book is basically an extended discussion of a sort poem called "The Jewel Ornament of the Bodhisattvas" by Lord Atisha, with approximately one chapter per verse. The book also contains a succinct description of a practice of Highest Yoga Tantra called the 16 Drops. The Jewel Ornament and the 16 Drops Initiation form the core and quintessential heart of Tantric Buddhism in our age. The book is literally an almost complete transmission of what until recently was Top Secret step-by-step instructions on how to become a Bodhisattva and how to become the Buddha. This being the case, the book must be read as the prophetic and visionary text that it is: open up the wheel that lies at our inner-most heart and come inside the Rainbow Tent of the Dharma!

It is a classic Tibetan literature which has been beautifully produced for readers in English.It is a must have book. Mind you it is five of 32 volumes of Tibetan Classic Series.The story of Atisha and Kadam tradition has sustained facination throughout the centuries.In this book there is everything you need to know. Thupten Jinpa who is well trained in the Tibetan and Western acedemics is a trusted resource person for authencity. I highly recommend it for reading.

Thupten Jinpa is among the finest translators of Tibetan Buddhist works, and this volume is up to his usual high standards. It makes available key texts of the early Kadam school, by its founder, the great Indian teacher Atisha and his chief Tibetan disciples. The Kadam school had great influence on later Tibetan Buddhism, and these texts will be of interest to the Buddhist practitioner, as well as to those interested in Tibetan culture, religion and literature in general.

This book is a treasure. Think about it - in past centuries scholars and monks had to travel thousands of dangerous miles and spend years just to come into contact with these teachings. The Kadampa teachings are about bodhicitta - "the mind that strives toward awakening and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings". Now, these teachings have been printed in beautiful form just for you. It's dense and deep - this book can be studied and read over decades. Even if you never read it - buy it and place this book on an altar or special place just to bless your home with its presence and to preserve these teachings.

Very significant collection of dialogues explaining Buddhism to Tibetans, written about 1000 years ago.Became a school of Buddhism which was so successful, it was absorbed by all the others, so that the Kadam tradition virtually disappeared in its own right. This book is a revered text by many Tibetans. It contains the General Teachings of the Indian master Ati'she .This book doesn't contain the Lam Rim, or stages of the Path texts. The "Training the Mind" (Lojong) teachings form a companion volume to this one. While this book was instrumental in Tsong Ka Pa's thinking which created the Yellow Hat, Gelugpa Reform in the 1400s. These teachings ought not to be confused with the modern New Kadampa movement. It is a modern Gelugpa movement. In this book we have the genuine and original teachings, which resemble the Dialogues of Plato, within an Indian context and are just as important for Buddhism. It is a well translated and produced book.

A fantastic way to inspire and challenge our normal ways of thinking and practicing dharma. I would especially like to thank Thupten Jinpa who worked so selflessly to prepare these texts into English as a gift fir western students and as an expression of devotion to his teacher Zemey Tulku Rinpoche. May this lineage of study and insight remain to benefit all living beings for countless aeons!

Is a big book and something is really hard to read, but I found it quite interesting. The teaching of the Buddha deserve a reading

Brilliant great delivery and what a book!

Outstanding.Purchased together with  Wisdom of the Kadam Masters (Tibetan Classics) .On one level the book can be viewed as an extended commentary on Atisha's "Bodhisattva's Jewel Garland", a Buddhist work in twenty-six stanzas that ostensibly outline the view and practices of the bodhisattva.This most intriguing set of teachings is enshrined in two large volumes.The special focus of volume I, the "Father Teachings", which are framed as a series of dialogues between Atisha and Dromtoenpa, is the critical question of how to balance and integrate the foundational Mahayana Buddhist teachings with esoteric Vajrayana practices. Vibrant, immediate, poignant, and conveying profound spirituality, often tinged with a wonderful humour and irony.Volume II, the "Son Teachings", on the other hand, are effectively tales of Dromtoenpas's previous lives, akin to the "Jataka Tales" of the Buddha's previous births. Mostly written in prose, the chapters often contain memorable verses as well.Classic text, absolutely recommended. Wisdom of the Kadam Masters (Tibetan Classics)