To reach Buddhahood without meditation at first glance appears an impossible task. The highly influential mystic Dudjom Lingpa and his disciple Sera Khandro address this seeming contradiction and what it means in B. Alan Wallace's landmark translation. Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904) was one of the foremost tantric masters of his time. Buddhahood without Meditation is his most widely taught visionary text. In a series of fourteen visionary encounters with wisdom beings and historical figures in the Great Perfection lineage, Du¨djom Lingpa’s transcendent teachers emphasize the view of cutting through to the original purity of pristine awareness. This view is developed via four themes: nonexistence, oneness, uniform pervasiveness, and spontaneous actualization, which are known as the four special samayas, or pledges, of the Great Perfection. At each stage of his spiritual progress, Dudjom Lingpa’s doubts are dispelled and his realizations enhanced by pithy advice. Also included here are two complementary works by Dudjom Lingpa's charismatic female disciple, Sera Khandro, who is accomplished and well loved in her own right. Her short composition Fine Path to Liberation establishes the necessary motivation and conduct for receiving teachings such as Buddhahood Without Meditation. This sublime Dharma is to be seen in the context of the five perfections of the sambhogakaya: the teacher, place, time, disciples, and Dharma are fully perfected and must not be reified as ordinary. Sera Khandro's Garland for the Delight of the Fortunate fills in the gaps of Buddhahood Without Meditatio, explaining the metaphors, and spelling out the implications of the root text’s highly condensed verses. This extensive commentary is liberally supported with quotations from seminal sutras, tantras, and commentaries. Unless one has already reached a very high level of realization, this commentary is an essential key for unlocking the profound wisdom contained in Buddhahood Without Meditation. About the Author: Dynamic lecturer, progressive scholar, and one of the most prolific writers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, B. Alan Wallace continually seeks innovative ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science to advance the study of the mind. A scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, Dr. Wallace has taught Buddhist theory and meditation worldwide since 1976. Having devoted fourteen years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford. He is the founder and president of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies. He is the author of Stilling the Mind and The Attention Revolution. Wallace lives in Santa Barbara, CA. |