Wisdom of the Tibetan Lamas (Wisdom of the Masters)
by Thupten Jinpa
Category: Literary Collections

For many Tibetans, the phrase "the Kadam masters" evokes a spiritual golden age in Tibet—an image of a community of simple monks devoted to humble rectitude in the service of others. The teachings of the Kadam masters have spiritually nourished the Tibetan people for nearly a millennium. The Kadampa tradition began in the eleventh century with the arrival in Tibet of the Indian Bengali teacher Atisa, who heralded a large-scale revival of Buddhism there with a return to the basics. Although these Tibetan teachings emerged nearly a thousand years ago, within a specific historical cultural context, the teachings of the Kadam masters embody wisdom that resonates beyond the boundaries of time, culture, and language. To modern-day Tibetan Buddhists, this volume will offer in an accessible format some of the most loved teachings of the Tibetan tradition. For practitioners of other religious traditions, the texts collected in this special anthology will provide a glimpse into the rich world of Tibetan Buddhist teachings and practice, possibly offering insights and approaches that could easily be incorporated into the practices of one's own cherished faith. To those readers who have no particular religious inclination, these teachings could be approached as part of humanity's accumulated wisdom, which represent the long history of human being's quest to better understand their own existence and its meaning.