Jeffrey Hopkins – författare

This is the second volume in Jeffrey Hopkins's valuable series on the Mind-Only School of Buddhism. Dzong-ka-ba (1357-1419) is generally regarded as one of the greatest Tibetan philosophers, and his "Mind-Only" discourse on emptiness is considered a landmark in Buddhist philosophy. In Volume 2, Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism, Hopkins provided a translation of the introduction and section on the Mind-Only School in The Essence of Eloquence. The present volume places this enigmatic and influential exposition in its historical and philosophical contexts. Reflections on Reality conveys the intellectual vibrancy of the different cultural interpretations of this text and expands the key philosophical issues it addresses.

Dzong-ka-ba's (1357-1419) "The Essence of Eloquence" is the one book on wisdom that the Dalai Lama carries with him wherever he goes. Composed by Tibet's great yogi-scholar and founder of the Ge-luk-ba school, it stands as a landmark in Buddhist philosophy. In this first of a three-volume series, Jeffrey Hopkins focuses on how the conflict between appearance and reality is presented in the Mind-Only, or Yogic Practice, School. "The Essence of Eloquence" is so rich that for the last six centuries numerous Tibetan and Mongolian scholars have been drawn into a dynamic process of both finding and creating consistency in Dzong-ka-ba's often terse and cryptic tract. Hopkins makes extensive use of these commentaries to annotate the translation. Included are historical and doctrinal introductions and a critical edition of the text, as well as a lengthy synopsis to aid the general reader. Specialists and nonspecialists alike will find this important book indispensable. This book is the first of a three-volume series of related but stand-alone works on the first two sections of Dzong-ka-ba's "The Essence of Eloquence".The focus of all three volumes is the exposition of emptiness in the Mind-Only School according to numerous Tibetan and Mongolian scholars over the last six centuries who have tried both to find and to create consistency in his often terse and cryptic tract. This first volume is in four parts: a historical and doctrinal introduction; a translation of the General Explanation and the Section on the Mind-Only School in "The Essence of Eloquence" with frequent annotations in brackets, footnotes, and backnotes; a detailed synopsis of the translation; and, a critical edition in Tibetan script of these sections in "The Essence of Eloquence".

"Everyone dies, but no one is dead," goes the Tibetan saying. It is with these words that Advice on Dying takes flight. Using a seventeenth-century poem written by a prominent scholar-practitioner, His Holiness the Dalai Lama draws from a wide range of traditions and beliefs to explore the stages we all go through when we die, which are the very same stages we experience in life when we go to sleep, faint, or reach orgasm (Shakespeare's "little death"). The stages are described so vividly that we can imagine the process of traveling deeper into the mind, on the ultimate journey of transformation. In this way, His Holiness shows us how to prepare for that time and, in doing so, how to enrich our time on earth, die without fear or upset, and influence the stage between this life and the next so that we may gain the best possible incarnation. As always, the ultimate goal is to advance along the path to enlightenment. Advice on Dying is an essential tool for attaining that eternal bliss.

'The Dalai Lama is the most influential person in the world' TimeIn his characteristic mix of humour, wisdom and compassion the Dalai Lama shares his basic steps to enlightenment from how to meditate to how to practise wisdom. Combining spiritual teachings and practical advice, His Holiness shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealously, insecurity and counterproductive thinking.How to Practise is an essential guide to achieving inner calm and compassion, refraining from harm and focusing the mind. It is a wonderful, heartfelt gift for anyone seeking a richer, more fulfilled life.