• Shares vivid, experiential descriptions of the author’s sessions with master Lalita Devi wherein she imparted the essential principles of the Mahamudra to him physically, verbally, and energetically • Presents new translations of the most significant sacred books, including the Shiva Sutras, the Pratybhijna Hrdayam Sutra, and the Spandakarika, each presented in language that preserves their spontaneous mystic flow • Pairs the author’s intellectual study of the sacred texts with direct transmissions from his teacher, with each perspective shedding light on the other In 1975, in an isolated Himalayan forest, Daniel Odier met Lalita Devi, a tantric yogini who took him on a mystical journey beyond the limits of sexual experience to transcend the ego, recognize the true self, and rediscover the Divine nature of absolute love. Now, Odier shares the secret teachings and self-realization practices of the Kashmiri Mahamudra (meditation on the mind itself) and the Pratyabhijna (the School of Sudden Recognition). The author offers vivid descriptions of his sessions with Lalita Devi wherein she imparted the essential principles of the Mahamudra and the yoga of emotions to him physically, verbally, and energetically. Lalita Devi knew the principal texts of Kashmiri Shaivism by heart. New translations of the most significant sacred books, including the Shiva Sutras, the Pratyabhijnahrdayam, and the Spandakarika, are provided by Odier along with chants and poems from the yogini tradition. Presented in language that preserves their spontaneous mystic flow and restores their original ancient female origins, Crazy Wisdom of the Yogini offers a profound inside look at authentic tantric teachings.

Confessions of a Gypsy Yogini is a tale of experience through mistakes, learning the hard way. It is a guidebook to help find ourselves, offering a fresh approach to traditional teachings in a non-adulterated way, adapted to modern characters. Presented within the Buddhist framework, it will draw the reader closer to seeing things as they truly are, assisting in ascertaining and validating our inherent beauty and combating any feeling of worthlessness while acknowledging anxiety as a part of the path. To overcome negative perceptions, we need to study our confusion and find tools to clear some of it away. Learning how to meditate begins the road to healing and training in various simple formulas directs us to becoming better people. We can meet life's challenges with humor and triumph over them. Included are several opinions of major Tibetan Teachers: Confessions of a Gypsy Yogini is a vivifying account of the ambrosia-like Buddhist path with brilliant imagery and clear voices of many renowned Masters recorded by the author, who lived at the feet of one of the greatest Tibetan Masters of meditation for 17 years at the epicenter of unfolding events of Dharma that crossed many oceans. May this volume reach many to ignite the light of love and wisdom - the true meaning of Dharma - in the hearts of many. Tulku Thondup Rinpoche Marcia [Dechen Wangmo] has followed many great lamas, some of the best of this century. Her account of her experience as an American amidst this older generation of lamas is quite important for Dharma students from the West. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

• Explains the basic techniques of the practice, detailing proper posture, breathwork exercises (pranayama), bandhas, third-eye gazing, and the use of mantra • Presents advanced, yet simple, techniques that accelerate a contemplative practice by micro-modulations related to posture, respiration, visualization, and sound • Includes wisdom from the author’s teacher Ganesh Baba on the importance of the spine in Kriya yoga and the Cycle of Synthesis, a model of the human experience Kriya yoga is an ancient meditation technique that focuses on breathing and the spine to unlock deep states of awareness, self-realization, and spiritual growth. Kriya can provide a fast path to awakening, yet its practice has been shrouded in secrecy, passed only from master to initiate for millennia. Introduced into Kriya 40 years ago, Keith Lowenstein, M.D., offers an accessible yet detailed guide to Kriya yoga. He explains the basic techniques of the practice step by step, detailing proper posture, breathwork exercises (pranayama), visualization practices, and mantra. He reveals how Kriya is a scientific art--if practiced consistently, it will allow you to quickly enter deep states of meditation and ultimately experience inner stillness. He also explores how the practice of Kriya leads to healing and the development of compassion and the freeing joy of the union of Nature and Spirit. Sharing the wisdom of his Kriya yoga teacher Ganesh Baba, the author adds a detailed understanding of anatomy, especially the importance of the spine in Kriya yoga and energy flow. The author explores Ganesh Baba’s teachings on spirit-infused science and the integration of Vedic philosophy, quantum mechanics, prana, and spiritualization illustrated in the Cycle of Synthesis. He also discusses the relationship between the exercises of Kriya yoga and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as well as teachings from his other teachers, including Paramahansa Hariharananda. With this guide, you will gain an understanding not only of the practice of Kriya yoga but also of the spiritual wealth it brings, including the ultimate self-realization of non-dual reality.

How to tune in to our own biology in pursuit of spiritual awakening • Provides a practical program, complete with enjoyable, even playful meditations, for realizing greater self-awareness, increased wisdom, and happiness • Shows how recent discoveries in physics, evolutionary biology, and psychology express in scientific terms the same insights the Buddha discovered more than 2,500 years ago • Reveals the origins of attachments, desires, emotions, and thoughts in our own bodies Taking us on an evolutionary journey to find the origins of emotions, desires, and thoughts in our own bodies, Wes “Scoop” Nisker shows not only how cutting-edge science is proving the tenets of the Buddha but also how we can interpret the traditional practices of Buddhism through this scientific lens for more personal freedom and peace of mind. Using the traditional Buddhist meditation series of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as a framework, Nisker offers a witty narrative along with practical meditations and exercises to train the mind to overcome painful conditioning and gain greater self-awareness, increased wisdom, and happiness. He shows how recent discoveries in physics, evolutionary biology, and psychology express in scientific terms the same insights the Buddha discovered more than 2,500 years ago, such as the impermanence of the body, where thoughts come from, and how the body communicates within itself. Presenting a variety of new ways to harness the power of mindfulness to transform our understanding of both ourselves and the world, Nisker teaches us how to put our understanding of evolution in the service of spiritual awakening.

Best known today as the author of the Life of Milarepa, Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507) was one of the most influential mad yogins of Tibet. Stefan Larsson’s Crazy for Wisdom, describes Tsangnyön Heruka's life, based on narratives by his disciples, and examines an unexpected aspect of fifteenth-century Tibetan Buddhist practice.

This book explores the textual traditions that authorize the history, legitimacy, and authenticity of today’s physical posture practice. The volume focuses on why and how yoga communities have adopted various texts that they consider sacred or spiritually meaningful. Among the texts discussed are Yogananda‘s Autobiography, Sri Aurobindo's Savitri, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Upanishads, the Vedas, and the Yoginī Tantra. Famous thinkers included are Aurobindo, Yogananda, Osho-Rajneesh, Sogyal Rimpoche, Charles Johnston, and Howard Thurman. Offering a starting point, the ten chapters address the nature, selection, and function of various ancient and contemporary texts read in contemporary yoga settings. The attention centers on how and why texts are read and for whom they are read. As yoga is practiced in ashrams, yoga studios, gyms, meeting rooms, and even private living rooms, scholarly approaches to investigate the connections between yoga and texts are necessarily diverse. This volume aims to inspire further scholarship on the reading of texts in past and present yoga communities. The collection demonstrates that textual tradions deserve to be an important part of contemporary yoga scholarship. The volume will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of religious studies, yoga studies, and Asian studies, as well as those studying sacred texts.

The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa brings together in ten volumes the writings of one of the first and most influential and inspirational Tibetan teachers to present Buddhism in the West. Organized by theme, the collection includes full-length books as well as articles, seminar transcripts, poems, plays, and interviews, many of which have never before been available in book form. From memoirs of his escape from Chinese-occupied Tibet to insightful discussions of psychology, mind, and meditation; from original verse and calligraphy to the esoteric lore of tantric Buddhism—the impressive range of Trungpa’s vision, talents, and teachings is showcased in this landmark series. Volume Ten begins with Chögyam Trungpa’s three most recent books: Work, Sex, Money, Mindfulness in Action, and Devotion and Crazy Wisdom. The first two books in the volume emphasize the importance of meditation in action and bringing awareness, mindfulness, intentionality, and a sense of the sacred into everyday life. The third book explores devotion and discusses mutual commitment and surrendering between teacher and student. The selected writings in this volume range from older articles originally published in the Vajradhatu Sun to recently edited articles, including several that have not yet appeared in print. Overall, these articles show us how Trungpa Rinpoche worked deeply and directly with many interest groups and subsections of the community, and how he infused each situation with dharma, taking every opportunity to present essential teachings.

Beloved master, visionary, poet, and revealer of profound spiritual treasures, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche was a paramount figure in the history of twentieth-century Tibet. He worked closely with H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to reinvigorate Tibetan culture and spiritual practice following the loss of their homeland. Nyingma masters and devotees, both ordained and lay, unanimously appointed him Supreme Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, and he served in this capacity until his passing in 1987. He wrote over two dozen volumes of poetry, music, history, philosophy, and most importantly revealed and restored sacred termas of Guru Rinpoche. In addition, he assembled and published texts which might otherwise have been lost and delivered unprecedented numbers of empowerments and teachings to hundreds of thousands of individuals. Khenpo Rinpoche had the great privilege of being a close personal attendant and secretary to His Holiness from 1980 through 1983. On two occasions, when they were alone, His Holiness told Khenpo Tsewang about the life of his father and in great detail about how His Holiness himself had taken rebirth. This book is the product of everything His Holiness told Khenpo Rinpoche, and also what Khenpo Rinpoche learned about him from his vajra brothers and sisters.

Women of Wisdom is an exploration and celebration of the spiritual potential of all women, as exemplified by the lives of six Tibetan female mystics. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

All of us experience obstacles as part of our journey, in life and on the spiritual path. In many cases, we think of them as purely something unpleasant to overcome, or as a mistake that needs correcting. Here, Chögyam Trungpa takes a radically different approach to such obstacles, teaching that unexpected chaos, confusion, and emotional upheavals can actually be used as fuel for the journey—an energy that can transform confusion into sanity and wisdom. He illustrates this transformative principle through telling the lively history of the Trungpa tulkus (a lineage within the Kagyü tradition of Tibetan Buddhism), of which he was the eleventh incarnation. Trungpa referred to his lineage as the "Mishap Lineage" because of the ups and downs and colorful lives that were typical of his predecessors, and true of his own life as well. The stories of the Trungpas are seen as a guide for the practitioner’s journey and help us to understand how important lineage and community remain for us today.