Book Launch: Padmasambhava Comes to Tibet April 26, 2009

Book Launch for Padmasambhava Comes to Tibet
Date: Sunday, April 26
Place: Nyingma Institute

Schedule:
3-3:30 PM: Tour of the Institute
3:30-4:30 PM: talk and slide show: Padmasambhava Comes to Tibet
4:30-5 PM: Reception
5-5:45 PM: Tibetan chanting
6-7 PM: Talk, “Cultivating the Essential Link of Devotion”
Cost: All events are free

You are invited to help us celebrate the release of a new book from our sister organization, Dharma Publishing. Titled, <i>Padmasambhava Comes to Tibet,</i> this full-color volume tells the story of the great teacher Padmasambhava who established Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century.

A guided tour will be offered at 3 PM. At 3:30, Dharma Publishing staff members will give a slide show and lecture, describing the content of the new book. A reception will follow with an opportunity to meet staff members and have some light refreshments. Tibetan chanting and meditation (5-5:45 PM) will be followed by a talk given by Arnaud Maitland, Dharma Publishing’s current director, from 6-7 PM. Arnaud will speak on “Cultivating the Essential Link of Devotion.”

It is possible to attend any or all of the day’s activities. All the events are free and open to the public.
About the book:
Title: Padmasambhava Comes to Tibet
Twenty-five Disciples – Vajra Guru Mantra – Prayers
As recorded by Yeshe Tsogyal, with an introduction by Tarthang Tulku
Cost: $29.95
Size: 250 pages

This book begins with an introduction to Padmasambhava’s life by Tarthang Tulku, written in Tibetan and translated by his students. Both the English and the Tibetan are included. The accounts that follow present the life of Padmasambhava: his miraculous birth, his journey in search of teachings, and his arrival in Tibet, where he subdued the negative forces preventing transmission of the Dharma and provided the teachings and structures for the Vajrayana to unfold.

The Twenty-five Disciples: The Vajrayana teachings were transmitted by Padmasambhava to his twenty-five principal disciples, who preserved the sacred texts and oral instructions. The first generation of Nyingma practitioners, they passed on a lineage that has continued unbroken for twelve centuries. The book contains many color plates showing the characteristic symbolism for each disciple, together with brief descriptions.

Vajra Guru Mantra: The Vajra Guru Mantra is the mantra of Guru Padmasambhava, a key to subtle levels of awareness that can open doorways to dimensions of understanding. Dispelling the ignorance that underlies our anxious life, it can reveal the true nature of mind. Introduced by Tarthang Tulku to the West in 1969, the Vajra Guru Mantra is especially beneficial for these troubled times, for it has great power to relieve dissatisfaction and relax the tensions so common to our age. In the adaptation of a treasure-text found in this book, Padmasambhava explains the benefits and advantages of inviting the Vajra Guru Mantra into our spiritual life.

Official Website: http://www.nyingmainstitute.org