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Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
I was wondering, has anyone ever read any of this person's books, and, if so, would you recommend them?, the reason I'm asking is, I've seen a lot of them in the shops and they look quite interesting, but, when I asked on another Buddhist forum that I joined, I, basically, got told to avoid his work and they seemed to imply he was into some kind of cult or something, but, then, I've also heard there's this whole conflict or whatever within Buddhism, or just Tibetan Buddhism, about the followers of Shugden (which I think Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is one of them, right?) and the Dalai Lama.
Anyway, I was just hoping someone could help me on this, I was kind of interested in getting his 'Guide to Dakini Land: A Commentary to the Highest Yoga Tantra', but, again, I'm not too sure.
Thanks, again, for any help you can provide
.
David.
Anyway, I was just hoping someone could help me on this, I was kind of interested in getting his 'Guide to Dakini Land: A Commentary to the Highest Yoga Tantra', but, again, I'm not too sure.
Thanks, again, for any help you can provide
.David.
0
Comments
His books are extremely good. His works were endorsed by the Dalai Lama who praised him as an excellent spiritual guide. They have since fallen out over the Shugden practice which has little relevance to a beginner, but does have relevance to Tantra.
GKG and the Dalai Lama shared a root guru and both performed Shugden practice. Tha Dalai Lama then decided the practice was in some way harmful to him and banned it (see Youtube) from monasteries. There is now some dispute over his right to do so, as the monks are resident in India which has religious freedom enshrined in law.
Geshe Kelsang's most comprehensive work is 'Joyful Path of Good Fortune' which contains a huge amount of information and meditation practises.
The book you mention is only really useful after you have received a Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment and have already achieved a certain level of spritual development through Lam Rim and Lojong.
There is much on forums and websites about Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and the NKT, and views which paint both him and the Dalai Lama as angelic or demonic and everything in between.
I have attended Gelugpa and NKT classes for many years, read books and been taught by a range of Gelugpa Geshes. Aside from Dorje Shugden there is no important difference at all. The NKT is seeking to move away from 'Tibetan' emphasis and is IMHO a brave venture.
As with many sects, there have been problems, one of which was sexual exploitation by a few senior monks - IMHO created by the experiment of having ordained and lay disciples of both sexes sharing residential centres.
Such things have happened in quite a few sects.
On the other hand, we see Gelugpa monks who support Shugden being made homeless and destitute as they are thrown out of monasteries at the Dalai Lama's behest. You'll find supporters and detractors when it comes to the Dalai Lama as well as GKG.
Things are now calming down again.
The 'cult' nonsense is ridiculous IMHO. I've never seen a single indication of this in decades. There are several 'saviour seekers' on the web who failed to find GKG to be their saviour - they were looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing and bleat very loudly. The NKT is not for people bouncing from Osho etc. looking for external salvation.
As for Geshe Kelsang I've attended his teachings over the years and he seem a gentle and humble man. He has no gold Rolls Royce, just an old Vauxhall and a small room or two in the Manjushri Centre in Cumbria.
There are those who think all Tibetan Budddhism is cultish, but that's another story. LOL
Everyone must judge for themselves. I would suggest visiting an NKT centre, maybe attending a few classes and making your own mind up.
If you only want to explore the books, there are 3 which I would recommend first:
- The New Meditation Handbook
- Transform Your Life
- Joyful path of Good Fortune
They are all available on Amazon, and from the NKT itself:http://www.tharpa.com/uk/meditation-buddhist-books.html
Good luck.
He came highly reconmended by his teacher Trijang rinpoche and tzong rinpoche two of the most famous and highly respected gelugpa lama's of the 20th century.
Even the Dalai lama wrote a forward in one of his books praising him.
not for any of the reasons you mentioned, but there's a whole lot more out there, particularly online.
Good job. No such book. LOL
You mean 'Transform your Life'?
It's meant as a gentle intro without too much jargon, but I prefer the other two I mentioned.
It is something I've wondered about, although I initially used one of his books.
The Shugden issue concerned me when I did some research so I have not carried on with his writings, which is inconvenient in a sense because his group have a centre about 30 miles from me in Carmarthen.
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It does not matter what lineage or even which world religion you follow, you will see an outpouring of love from individuals. Especially in certain parts of Asia<st1></st1>, there are so many beautiful practices of offerings performed regularly by people who have so little. In western churches, when donation baskets are passed around, sometimes twice in one session, the choice is there to give little or to give much more. It does not matter provided the giving is done with love. In Buddhism, we believe that giving is intended to benefit one’s own mind. Therefore, if done with miserliness, hehe, well that does quite the opposite. We have to be patient to understand these faults are deep seeded in our minds because, as human beings, such contaminations are dominant from our karma. We are not bad people, just have more work to do to destroy delusions that block our inner peace and happiness. The practice of Offering the Mandala is all about this, where we offer the whole universe, including our bodies. There is a story of a boy who once offered to Buddha Kashyapa, a bowl of dust, imagining it was gold. This boy was later reborn the wealthy King Ashoka. Of course, our giving does help dharma centers and others in real need, but the giver is the primary beneficiary. When we give with miserliness we cheat only ourselves, but to stop others’ giving by slandering, by creating a schism and doubt in others by slandering other lineages is even worse. Yet if we recognize this, and that there is still much work to do with our own mind, we can change now. It’s easy to encounter slanders not just against Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and NKT, but also against other lineages, including, H.H.Tenzin Gyatso, H.H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya, Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso, Lama Zopa, etc. These holy beings live in simple rooms, and they would be just as happy in their retreat caves in the mountains. They are all a living Buddha who do not need money themselves. The books they write and sell maintain their lineage teachings purely, which means there will not be some newly invented teaching, but a true transmission of the lineage in a way that may encourage others of differing capacities to practice accordingly. With money, these Lamas prefer to give to the needy, and to build beautiful temples, and to well maintain them to spread Buddha Dharma in the future. I heard a very beautiful NKT temple was just completed in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1></st1></st1:country-region>Brazil to benefit countless people immeasureably. I recently visited Kumbum Monastery in <st1><st1:state w:st="on"></st1:state></st1>Qinghai (Je Tsongkhapa’s birthplace), and felt much sadness in my heart in this regard, and I prayer it can be better maintained in future. But I am sure my own obscurations prevented me from seeing it as a Pure Land<st1><st1></st1><st1></st1></st1><o></o>.
We should know that slandering not only is a mirror of the slanderers mind, but it creates unfortunate karma for them because it causes suffering in the minds of others, and it creates doubt in potential followers preventing people from finding pure Dharma in this life. In future, this karma will also germinate again in their mind making it difficult to find Buddha dharma themselves, just as they are experiencing this cycle now. We urgently must make the opportunity now to improve our karma.
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When you give, give with Love. We should do this from our own financial capacity. I once listened to a teaching by Geshe Michael Roach talking about gluttony and how it was once seen as a sin. He implies whether we always need that muffin or biscotti at Starbucks to go with our Latte, and wonder if we truly cannot afford to give. But if you are truly "honest" about financial inability, talk to your teachers, there are always exceptions made by all lineages, whether it is to attend a critically important empowerment for you at this point in time, or whether you should wait. Or you may ask to borrow a book, or attend a teaching without cost because it is impossible for you. The objectives for all of these are to spread Dharma, not run a business. Of course, money will always be needed, now and in future, as it was a thousand years ago, but is not he objective.
I have been a student and practitioner of Buddhism for many years. I also teach from time to time at schools and colleges in England and Sweden. In my own opinion, the books by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso are among the finest to be found here in the west. Not only are they written with incredible care and focus, they also comprise the essential teachings of the whole Buddhist path. They are, of course, within Gelug/Kadampa Buddhism, but I think anyone can benefit from them. The nice thing about these books, is that one is given a wide scope of Dharma within the same semantic context.
For those interested in basic yet profound teachings, I would suggest “Eight Steps to Happiness” or “Joyful Path of Good Fortune”. For those interested in philosophy and in deepening their understanding, I highly recommend “Ocean of Nectar”. This text is based on Chandrakirti’s famous “Guide to the Middle Way” commentary on Nagarjuna’s teachings on Emptiness.
For those interested in an introduction to Tantra, I would recommend “Tantric Grounds and Paths” or “Mahamudra Tantra”. However, above these, I would suggest Lama Yeshe’s “Introduction to Tantra”, which is a beautiful book, giving a far more open and easy explanation of Tantra and its functions.
http://www.newkadampatruth.org/new-kadampa-tradition/
But it's not "bad" per se. There are concerns about Gyato's organisation the NKT, and about this shugden practice, but none of that is particularly mentioned in his books.