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The Dharma: That Illuminates All Beings Impartially Like the Light of the Sun and the Moon
The Dharma is the first major collection of teachings by Kalu Rinpoche, a great meditation master in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. These discourses were presented in America with a Western audience in mind, and have been specially edited for this volume. The openness, simplicity, and depth of realization in his teachings have brought inspiration to many, and greater understanding of the wisdom Buddhism has to offer. The topics covered range from the most subtle psychology and metaphysics to everyday life and practice. Readers new to Buddhism will find lucid and profound explanations of the fundamental teachings; those already familiar with Buddhism will discover unexpected insights into the heart of the tradition.
236 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1986
About the author
Kalu Rinpoche
35 books12 followersthe 1st Kalu Rinpoche (1905 – May 10, 1989) was a Buddhist lama, meditation master, scholar and teacher, held to be an emanation of Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé. He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West.
He was sent to begin his higher studies at the monastery of Palpung, the foremost center of the Karma Kagyu school, at the age of 15. He remained there for more than a decade, during which time he mastered the vast body of teaching that forms the philosophical basis of Buddhist practice, and completed two three-year retreats.
At about the age of twenty-five, Rinpoche left Palpung to pursue the life of a solitary yogi in the woods of the Khampa countryside. For nearly fifteen years, he strove to perfect his realization of all aspects of the teachings and he became renowned in the villages and among the nomads as a representative of the Bodhisattva path.
Kalu Rinpoche returned to Palpung to receive final teachings from Drupon Norbu Dondrup, who entrusted him with the rare transmission of the teaching of the Shangpa Kagyu. At the order of Situ Rinpoche, he was appointed Vajra Master of the great meditation hall of Palpung Monastery, where for many years he gave empowerments and teachings.
During the 1940s, Kalu Rinpoche visited central Tibet with the party of Situ Rinpoche, and there he taught extensively. His disciples included the Reting Rinpoche, regent of Tibet during the infancy of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
Returning to Kham, Kalu Rinpoche became the abbot of the meditation center associated with Palpung and the meditation teacher of the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. He remained in that position until the situation in Tibet forced him into exile in India.
In the late 1960s Kalu Rinpoche began to attract Western disciples in India. By the 1970s, he was teaching extensively in the Americas and Europe, and during his three visits to the West he founded teaching centers in over a dozen countries. In France, he established the first retreat center to teach the traditional three-year retreats of the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages to Western students.
He was sent to begin his higher studies at the monastery of Palpung, the foremost center of the Karma Kagyu school, at the age of 15. He remained there for more than a decade, during which time he mastered the vast body of teaching that forms the philosophical basis of Buddhist practice, and completed two three-year retreats.
At about the age of twenty-five, Rinpoche left Palpung to pursue the life of a solitary yogi in the woods of the Khampa countryside. For nearly fifteen years, he strove to perfect his realization of all aspects of the teachings and he became renowned in the villages and among the nomads as a representative of the Bodhisattva path.
Kalu Rinpoche returned to Palpung to receive final teachings from Drupon Norbu Dondrup, who entrusted him with the rare transmission of the teaching of the Shangpa Kagyu. At the order of Situ Rinpoche, he was appointed Vajra Master of the great meditation hall of Palpung Monastery, where for many years he gave empowerments and teachings.
During the 1940s, Kalu Rinpoche visited central Tibet with the party of Situ Rinpoche, and there he taught extensively. His disciples included the Reting Rinpoche, regent of Tibet during the infancy of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
Returning to Kham, Kalu Rinpoche became the abbot of the meditation center associated with Palpung and the meditation teacher of the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. He remained in that position until the situation in Tibet forced him into exile in India.
In the late 1960s Kalu Rinpoche began to attract Western disciples in India. By the 1970s, he was teaching extensively in the Americas and Europe, and during his three visits to the West he founded teaching centers in over a dozen countries. In France, he established the first retreat center to teach the traditional three-year retreats of the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages to Western students.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 22, 2018
A classic for all levels.
February 27, 2021
This is a good basic rundown of Tibetan Buddhist practice. He does reference some of the leading Tibetan teachers, and is willing to discuss the stylistic differences between the various Buddhist sects existing among Tibetans. The book has an extensive glossary, with both Tibetan and Sanskrit transliterations.
September 22, 2014
Excellent. Tibetan Buddhist doctrine. Clear and accessible.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews