Emanated Scripture of Manjushri: Shabkar's Essential Meditation Instructions

Description

Instructions for traversing the entire Vajrayana path to enlightenment from one of Tibet's most famous wandering yogis. Composed by Shabkar at the Cave of Miracles close to Mount Kailash around 1815, this compendium of spiritual instructions is written in the form of questions and answers, alternating verse and prose, between Shabkar and his disciples. It presents the essence of the entire graded path to enlightenment, using Tsongkhapa's Great Graded Path (Lam rim chen mo) as its model. In twenty-three pieces of advice, he explains the need to renounce the world, how to develop genuine compassion, and methods for achieving an undistracted mind that can unite meditation on emptiness with compassion. His nonsectarian approach is evident in his teachings on the nature of mind according to the Mahamudra tradition of Milarepa, his practical explanations of Saraha's songs of realization, and the attainment of buddhahood without meditation, which draws on the teachings of the Great Perfection, Dzogchen. Shabkar's style is direct and fresh; his realization infuses his instructions with an authenticity that will continue to inspire Buddhist practitioners for years to come.

Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol (1781-1851) devoted himself to many years of meditation in solitary retreat after his early training in the province of Amdo under the guidance of several extraordinary Buddhist masters. With determination and courage, he mastered the highest and most esoteric practices of the Tibetan tradition of the Great Perfection. He then spent the rest of his life wandering around the Himalayan regions, practicing for long periods in contemplative retreat, teaching, and performing virtuous deeds on a vast scale. Sean Price is the Director of Tibetan Publications for the Tsadra Foundation. A Buddhist monk, he has lived and studied in South Asia for almost thirty years. He resides primarily at Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal, where, under the guidance of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, he locates and publishes rare Tibetan books and translates practice materials.

"The Emanated Scripture of Manjushri is quite unique in Tibetan literature, not only because of its being written in the form of questions and answers, alternating verse and prose, but because it is a compendium of short teachings that presents a limpid, concise, and yet profound instruction on the entire graded path to enlightenment. It does so in a nonsectarian manner typical of Shabkar's approach. This graded path takes us first through a thorough presentation of the "mind training" (Lojong) teachings, based on Je Tsongkhapa's Great Graded Path (Lam rim chen mo), to pith instructions, essential teachings on the nature of mind according to the Mahamudra tradition of Milarepa, practical explanations on the songs of realization, or dohas, of Saraha, and culminates with the ultimate teachings of the Great Perfection, Dzogchen, the pinnacle of the Nine Vehicles. Thus, in twenty-three pieces of advice, Shabkar elucidates the essentials of spiritual practice: the need to renounce the world, to rely on a spiritual master, and to unite meditation on emptiness with compassion. He explains how to meditate, how to apply in daily life the insights thus gained, and how to mingle one's mind with the guru's mind and liberate thoughts as they arise. Shabkar's style is crisp and effective, as if he had intended to define each step of the contemplative life in the briefest yet most complete and inspiring way for practitioners."-from the introduction by Matthieu Ricard