Bøger af Keith Dowman

The Khordé Rushen is a crucial element of Dzogchen praxis as both a preliminary and a stand alone supportive practice. The practice is described in three streams: formal, unstructured and social. It includes a psychological appraisal of the method, detailed instruction for practice, and relevant instruction from the Tibetan masters Jigme Lingpa and Jamgon Kongtrul excerpted from their meditation manuals. This book is manual for the Dzogchen retreatant and holds little other value. It belongs to Keith Dowman's Dzogchen Teaching Series.

'Dzogchen: Lama and Lineage' is part of the Dzogchen Teaching Series that provides the basic instruction for Dzogchen praxis and addresses aspects of the Dzogchen view . The requisite Dzogchen preliminary is existential realization of the nature of mind.

DZOGCHEN SAMAYA, primarily, introduces Dzogchen as an indissoluble bond to the nature of mind. At the heart of Dzogchen there is no vow to maintain and no commitment to keep, but the Dzogchen SAMAYA is the crucial pact of inborn union. That unity in the nondual nature of mind, the ineffable nature of the Dzogchen SAMAYA, is the principal subject of this book contained in its short but vital first pages . The second part of the book deals with the tantric samayas, the practical commitments that fine tune the conduct of the Dzogchen yogin or yogini in his spontaneous response to the needs of sentient beings and the planet. Sexuality looms large in that body of response. This is number 4 in the series of Dzogchen teaching manuals. Keith Dowman is a translator and teacher in the Tibetan tradition.

Nepal Mandal is an in-depth guide and survey of the principle Buddhist and Hindu monasteries, temples and pīṭhs of the Kathmandu Valley. In seven parts under the rubric of Buddha, Padmasambhava, Gorakhnāth, Śiva, Nārāyaṇ, Mātṛkās and Peaks and Rivers, over one hundred and twenty powerplace are described, many fully described under the heads Myth, Legend, In The Past, and On The Ground. Myth and Legend lay the background; In The Past provides the history; and On The Ground guides the pilgrim-visitor around the site indicating its main features. Many readers will find the sections on Myth and Legend to be the highlight of the book. Retold with a jogi's insight these sections constitute a radical spiritual dimension to the powerplaces. The last and largest section includes description of the sacred Buddhist and Hindu art and architecture - sometimes in great detail - for the visitor focused on the religious art forms - the objects of veneration. In that way this large book is a guide to the principle cities of the Valley-Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur - at the same time visiting the treasures in the villages between these cities. A practical iconography of the pantheon of the Kathmandu Valley is thereby built-in, with sections of the text dedicated to it. Over a hundred high quality black and white photographs document the stone and metal sculpture of Nepal Mandal. Since most of the work on this book was done in years before the 2015 earthquake it constitutes an historical record of the art 'gone missing' and the architectural damage done. The author, a prominent exponent of Tantric Buddhism in both theory and practice, spent four decades of unending pilgrimage through the monasteries and temples of the Kathmandu Valley propitiating their numinous inhabitants and documenting their invaluable contents. An extensive Supplement provides rare pilgrim itineraries for the Kathmandu Valley, a full Glossary defines technical terms, and a detailed Table of Contents and an inclusive Index provide easy access.

That reality is maya, apparent yet absent, and the recognition of it in that state of natural relaxation is maya yoga. In this renowned atiyoga manual, we find the key to the natural mystical state that Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, constantly evokes.

It has often been said that the introductions to the books of my translation of Dzogchen texts stand alone as explanatory teaching upon Dzogchen itself. So here they are as chapters in a book which may be considered at best congealed pointing out instruction and at worst explanations of Dzogchen theory. Many people, rightfully attached to the marvelous English language, have a natural aversion to translation, crabbed or stylish, and prefer potted versions of Tibetan texts which provide a short-cut to the essence of the Dzogchen matter. I say 'congealed' pointing out instruction because in the same way that the conception and aspiration differs from the act itself, conceptualized Dzogchen only gives a tangential glimpse of buddha-enlightenment, an ideal experience of the world, and tends to taste like reheated porridge. But I trust that these essays will clear away a lot of false notions about Dzogchen, the principal erroneous notion being that Dzogchen can be attained by hard work. At best these essays may define Dzogchen as an experience of immediacy and provide koans that can induce a direct understanding. Anyway, at their worst, they may be informative, providing a guide to the texts that they once introduced. If they inspire people to realization of Dzogchen they will have performed a useful function and if they induce readers to plunge into the translations of the original Tibetan texts and thereby enter the Dzogchen stream that also may prove auspicious. Keith Dowman translates Dzogchen from the Tibetan and provides pointing-out indications of the nature of mind.

The Nyingma Icons The sacred art of Tibet is best known through its painted scrolls, or tankas. Each tanka describes a contemplative vision arisen in meditation containing images of lamas, buddha-deities, dakinis and protectors. The ninety-four line-drawings that comprise The Nyingma Icons delineate the graphic basis of these tankas, incorporating the principal images of the Nyingma pantheon. This collection of buddhas in The Nyingma Icons was chosen by His Holiness the late Dudjom Rinpoche to illustrate his encyclopedic work The History of the Nyingma Dharma (Dudjom Rinpoche, The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History, two volumes, translated by Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein, Boston, MA, Wisdom, 1991). Dudjom Rinpoche (see illustration no. 64) was a great yogin and master of Dzogchen and a scholar steeped in the theoretical learning of his school. As he writes in his brief introduction to The Nyingma Icons, the buddhas and deities belong primarily to the lineage of his Khandro Tuktik. The structure of the book follows the metaphysical pattern employed in his History. After the first eight drawings, which represent the principals of Indian Mahayana Buddhism, the buddhas are divided into three classes, called the three roots, lamas, buddha-deities and dakinis, and ending with a fourth class - dharma protectors and guardians. Brief descriptions of these various classes are to be found at the beginning of each section below. The three roots are the lineal roots of the Dzogchen teaching that bestow blessings, the spiritual roots of yogins that bestow power, and the female roots of the mind that remove obstacles. The Nyingma Icons was first published in the interdisciplinary magazine Kailash in Kathmandu in February 1975. It has been available in various editions ever since, its line-drawings reproduced and published all over the world. During this period Dudjom Rinpoche's principle cyle of practice, the Dudjom Tersar, has become widely practiced by Nyingma yogins and yoginis. For this presentation edition, Au Leshe's line-drawings have been digitally re-processed providing higher resolution, and the greater space on the page sets off this ancient art form. The prose has been cosmetically edited. For these reasons this edition qualifies as a unique Presentation Edition. Any noncommercial reproduction of individual icons is welcome.

'Dzogchen Daily Practice', 'Elements of Dzogchen Daily Ritual Practice' provides a description of the elements of Radical Dzogchen daily practice and a liturgy to accompany it. Placed within the context of the Dzogchen View in the introduction and commnetary, however, ritual practice becomes a secondary aspect of radical Dzogchen. The heart of the daily practice is 'simply sitting' identical in both the long and short practices. The long practice includes preliminary, supportive, lubricative, (ngondro), practices and also nontraditional supplementary practices introduced in the West. 'Daily Practice' describes the elements of the ritual meditation embedded in the 24-hour-a-day Dzogchen praxis.

This book provides access to the ancient powerplaces of the Indian subcontinent through pilgrimage or academic study. For most of these places geomancy provided the original locations, and then inhabitants of the subcontinent through Vedic, Upanashadic, Hindu and Buddhist Tantric periods, aware of the environment, sought these pīṭhasthana, as sanctuaries for meditation and yoga. Aimed particularly at Dzogchen yogins and yoginis with a predilection for pilgrimage and retreat, the sources and information are primarily Tantric Buddhist. The Twenty-four Pithas, and alternative powerplaces, listed here alphabetically in the format of a gazetteer, information is provided under the heads of Location, Shiva/Shakta, historical mentions, Buddhist Associations, etc. Occupied by a variety of sadhus down the millenia, the period of Muslim ascendency in India resulted in destruction and loss of a few of the twenty-four. Whatever information discoverable regarding these sites has been brought together here. No other publication dealing with the Twenty-Four Buddhist Pithasthanas is currently available. 80 pages, with an inclusive index.

Dzogchen: Bardo is part of the Dzogchen Teaching Series. It offers instruction in the four bardos from a practical Dzogchen standpoint.

Maya Yoga is the title of Keith Dowman's translation of Finding Comfort and Ease in Enchantment composed by the inimitable Longchen Rabjampa. In the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism this text is considered second to none in its power to evoke the nature of the nondual reality of the Dzogchen view. With poetic mastery Longchenpa provides the precepts that can instantly illuminate the buddha-reality that is our ordinary everyday experience. He asserts that we are presently under the spell of magical illusion and that by recognizing it, we are instantaneously released from a conceptual cage into an enchanting reality which is pure pleasure itself. That reality is maya, apparent yet absent, and the recognition of it in the state of natural relaxation is maya yoga. In this renowned atiyoga manual, we find the key to the natural mystical state that Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, constantly evokes.This is the 2014 American Edition, comprising a improved second edition of the work. Longchen Rabjampa (1308-1363) was the greatest of Tibet's celebrated mystical poets and sages. The Trilogy of Finding Comfort and Ease is his most renowned work.Keith Dowman is a peripatetic scholar, translator, teacher and yogi in the Dzogchen tradition.

This famous seminal text of radical Dzogchen provides a profound yet simple poetic statement of how it is to immerse oneself in the matrix of the now and recognize buddha. It is the personal statement of a peerless yogin-adept. Certainly the magic of his poetry impresses us that way and surely this Treasury of the Dharmadhatu, the Choyingdzo, reveals the consummation of Dzogchen. In it we are assured that over and above all the yogas and dhyanas of Hindustan, all the ritual and magic of Tibet and all the quasi religious new-age therapies of the West there exists a simple, timeless manner of being, easy of access, requiring no onerous technique or renunciate lifestyle, that can give us some constant satisfaction in this vale of laughter and tears between birth and dying. With Longchenpa, Dzogchen Ati reaches its most complete revelation; the Choyingdzo is Longchenpa's most revealing statement about the vajra-heart, and Keith Dowman has made a fine translation. The pathless path of Dzogchen comes alive in this poetic exposition of the apex of Tibetan mysticism. The form of language, the translation, the use of poetic invention creates as atmosphere of understanding, as if a mahasiddha were writing in Oxford English with a touch of American slang. This is radical Dzogchen not only in the actual teaching itself, but also in the translation that strikes the flint of idiom to create sparks of wisdom that reveal the whole hologram.

The Dzogchen View encapsulates this essential Dzogchen revelation as the Dzogchen Nonview. The Nonview is the direct instruction on the immediate path of the here and now. This instruction is provided by the tradition under the rubric of recognition of mind's nature, conviction and confidence in release. This instruction comprises the so-called 'three incisive precepts' given here by Dudjom, Mipham and Patrul Rinpoches. Here the heart of Dzogchen is laid bare for those who have the experience necessary to understand it. The Dzogchen View, or rather Dzogchen Nonview precepts induce the magic of Dzogchen nonmeditation. In Dzogchen practice there is nothing but this view revealed here in Keith Dowman's magisterial style. The third in the Dzogchen Teaching Series.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahamudra represents a perfected level of meditative realization: it is the inseparable union of wisdom and compassion, of emptiness and skillful means. These eighty-four masters, some historical, some archetypal, accomplished this practice in India where they lived between the eighth and twelfth centuries. Leading unconventional lives, the siddhas include some of the greatest Buddhist teachers; Tilopa, Naropa, and Marpa among them. Through many years of study, Keith Dowman has collected and translated their songs of realization and the legends about them. In consultation with contemporary teachers, he gives a commentary on each of the Great Adepts and culls from available resources what we can know of their history.Dowman's extensive Introduction traces the development of tantra and discusses the key concepts of the Mahamudra. In a lively and illuminating style, he unfolds the deeper understandings of mind that the texts encode. His treatment of the many parallels to contemporary psychology and experience makes a valualbe contribution to our understanding of human nature.

Tám m¿¿i t¿ v¿ ¿¿i s¿ trong tác ph¿m này là nh¿ng v¿ t¿ s¿ c¿a phái ¿¿i th¿ ¿n truy¿n th¿ng, s¿ng trong th¿i k¿ t¿ th¿ k¿ th¿ 8 ¿¿n th¿ k¿ 12. Nh¿ng thi¿n s¿ này ¿ã hình thành và sáng t¿o nh¿ng ph¿¿ng cách thi¿n ¿¿nh ¿¿c thù ¿¿ t¿ tu t¿p và giác ng¿. V¿ sau, các môn ¿¿ c¿a h¿ c¿ng ¿ã thành công khi áp d¿ng nh¿ng ph¿¿ng cách thi¿n ¿¿nh này. Các b¿c thi¿n s¿ ¿¿i th¿ ¿n khi ng¿ ¿¿¿c chân tính thì ¿¿¿c g¿i là ¿¿i thành t¿u gi¿ (Mahasiddha). Tác ph¿m này ¿¿¿c rút t¿a t¿ kinh v¿n Tây T¿ng, g¿i là Truy¿n thuy¿t v¿ tám m¿¿i t¿ v¿ thánh t¿ng (Grub thob brgyad bcu tsa bzhi'i lo rgyus) ¿¿¿c ¿ánh giá r¿t cao vì tính s¿ li¿u và c¿ th¿ c¿a các ph¿¿ng pháp tu t¿p mà nh¿ng ¿¿i thi¿n s¿ này ¿ã áp d¿ng và thành t¿u. Tr¿¿c h¿t, v¿ m¿t l¿ch s¿ có m¿t s¿ m¿u chuy¿n k¿ v¿ các thi¿n s¿ ki¿t xüt và có th¿t trong l¿ch s¿ Ph¿t giáo nh¿ các ngài Nagarjuna, Sahara, Luipa, Virupa... v¿i pháp l¿c, th¿n thông và trí tü xüt chúng c¿a các ngài. Nh¿ng m¿u chuy¿n thú v¿ có tính cách gi¿i trí này l¿i là m¿t ki¿u sách giáo khoa c¿a các dòng tu M¿t tông ¿n ¿¿, ¿¿¿c b¿c th¿y truy¿n l¿i cho các môn ¿¿ t¿ th¿ k¿ này sang th¿ k¿ khác. Th¿ hai, thông qua nh¿ng truy¿n thuy¿t v¿ các ¿¿o s¿ này, chúng ta có th¿ lãnh h¿i các m¿u chuy¿n ¿ó nh¿ nh¿ng phúng d¿ (allegory) mà trong ¿ó các giai thöi (anectote) có nh¿ng nét t¿¿ng ¿¿ng và tính ¿n d¿ dùng làm ph¿¿ng ti¿n khai tâm cho môn ¿¿ thüc các dòng tu m¿t. M¿t s¿ truy¿n thuy¿t ¿¿¿c thu g¿n l¿i ch¿ bao g¿m các chi ti¿t v¿ ti¿u s¿ và các pháp thi¿n ¿¿nh.

"Flight of the Garuda" conveys the heart advice of one of the most beloved nonsectarian masters of Tibet. Ordained as a Gelug monk, the itinerant yogi Shabkar was renowned for his teachings on Dzogchen, the heart practice of the Nyingma lineage. He wandered the countryside of Tibet and Nepal, turning many minds toward the Dharma through his ability to communicate the essence of the teachings in a poetic and crystal-clear way. Buddhists of all stripes, including practitioners of Zen and Vipassana, will find ample sustenance within the pages of this book, and be thrilled by the lyrical insights conveyed in Shabkar's words. Along with the song by Shabkar, translator Keith Dowman includes several other seminal Dzogchen texts. Dzogchen practice brings us into direct communion with the most subtle nature of our experience, the unity of samsara in nirvana as experienced within our own consciousness. Within the Nyingma school, it is held higher than even the practices of tantra for bringing the meditator face to face with the nature of reality.