Wisdom of the Masters

The Great Tantra of Vajrasattva is a Root Tantra of the Space Section first translated into Tibetan in the 8th Century by Vairochana Rakshita, a famous translator during the early period of Buddhism in Tibet. This tantra is one of a handful of the earliest translations of Ati Yoga teachings into the Tibetan language, where they were preserved long after the originals disappeared in India, possibly...

Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Lingpa (1829-1870) was born in Sangyel, at the base of the sacred mountain Namkhadzö in the province of Nangchen, Kham. He was a contemporary of and collaborator with the Dzogchen masters of the Rimé movement, Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo and Jamgön Kongtrul. Chokgyur Lingpa was a tertön or "treasure revealer". Regarded as one of the major tertöns in Tibetan history, hi...

A reading of the ancient text, 'Thunder, Perfect Mind '- Voice of the Divine Feminine - using an amalgam of translations by George McCrae and Hal Taussig, et al.'Thunder, Perfect Mind' is the title of a coptic text that uses paradoxical language to describe a feminine divine figure who embodies both power and vulnerability, and who is present in all aspects of existence. The title...

A reading of selected passages from the classic text, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunrya Suzuki. This text, along with Philip Kapleau's The Three Pillars of Zen (1965), is one of the two most influential books on Zen in the West. Even today, many Zen meditation centers still use "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" as a teaching manual because it bridges Eastern Zen thought and West...

These profound practice teachings on freeing the mind from being ruled by thought, as taught by Sri Ramana, were taken from various sources/texts. Ramana Maharshi ( 1879 -1950) was an Indian sage and jivanmukta (liberated being). He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is mostly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. He was born in Tiruchuli, Tamil Nadu, India. In 1895, an attraction to the sa...

A selection of passages from the text 'Revelations of Divine Love' by Julian of NorwichJulian of Norwich (1342-c 1416) was the most important English mystic of the 14th century. She wrote the best known surviving book in the English language written by a mystic, 'Revelations of Divine Love'. The book is the first written in English by a woman. Her spirituality is strongly Trinitari...

This is a selection of some key pointers from Nisargadatta on the nature of consciousness. The teachings have been extracted from the text 'I am That'.Nisargadatta Maharaj (17 April 1897 – 8 September 1981), born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli, was an Indian guru of nondualism, belonging to the Inchagiri Sampradaya, a lineage of teachers from the Navnath Sampradaya and Lingayat Shaivism. 🙏 May...

Selected passages read from the book 'Awareness' by Anthony de Mello. Anthony de Mello (4 September 1931 – 2 June 1987), was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A teacher and public speaker, de Mello wrote several books on spirituality and hosted numerous spiritual retreats and conferences. He is known for his storytelling, which drew from the various mystical traditions of both E...

Selected verses from the "Hua Hu Ching" by Lao Tzu. The Hua Hu Ching is a book containing later teachings attributed to Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching. It is also known as "The Educate the Barbarians Sutra". While the Tao Te Ching is widely known and revered, the Hua Hu Ching's teachings are believed to be of equal importance. The Hua Hu Ching's teachings focus...

A reading of selected pith instructions/verses for "excellent meditation" from the text 'Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyendyud' - the Experiential Transmission of Bönpo Dzogchen. The text contains the heart teachings of ancient Bönpo Dzogchen Masters, translated and commented on by Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, the current holder of this unique lineage. The Yungdrung Bön (Bön) Lineage tradi...

The Linji lu (Record of Linji) has been an essential text of Chinese and Japanese Zen Buddhism for nearly a thousand years. A compilation of sermons, statements, and acts attributed to the great Chinese Zen master Linji Yixuan (d. 866), it serves as both an authoritative statement of Zen’s basic standpoint and a central source of material for Zen koan practice. Zen practitioners cherish it for its...

The "Sallatha Sutta: The Arrow" SN 36.6 (also known as the "Two Arrows" or "The Parable of the Poisoned Arrow") is a Buddhist parable that highlights the importance of understanding and managing our reactions to difficult experiences. The parable illustrates how we can choose to react to painful situations in a way that minimizes further suffering, rather than amplify...

Longchenpa, also known as Longchen Rabjam , ‘Infinite, Vast Expanse of Space’, or Drimé Özer (1308-1364), was one of the most brilliant teachers of the Nyingma lineage. He systematized the Nyingma teachings in his ‘Seven Treasures’ and wrote extensively on Dzogchen. These pointers from Longchenpa have been formatted for guided meditation purposes. Taken from the text - A Treasure Trove of Scriptur...

Selected excerpts from Papaji's book - Wake up and Roar. This selection from the chapters on The Vehicle to Liberation, Thinking and Emptiness, and Realisation. Sri H. W. L. Poonja (1910 -1997) was born in Lucknow, India, known as "Poonjaji" or "Papaji" , was an Indian sage and jivanmukta (liberated being) who taught Self-enquiry as advocated by Ramana Maharshi. 🙏 May what...

This is a selection of verses taken from the Sermon on the Mount (using an amalgam of translations), as well as a short verse from Matthew's gospel. The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7) that emphasises Jesus's ethical and moral teachings, as well as his profound insights into cause and effect (t...

Selected excertps of poems from Rumi taken from Kulliyat-e Shams, 21 and Ode 314 - translated by Nevit Oguz Ergin. Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century Persian poet, faqih, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic originally from Greater Khorasan in Greater Iran. Rumi's influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions. 🙏 May whatever...

This is a selection of non-dual pointers taken from Jean Klein's text, "Transmission of the Flame".Jean Klein (October 19, 1912 – February 22, 1998) was a French author, spiritual teacher and philosopher of Advaita Vedanta (Nondualism). He was born in Berlin and spent his childhood in Brno and Prague. Having left Germany in 1933 for France, he secretly worked with the French Resistan...

This is a reading of Manjushrimitra's the Bodhicittabhavana, a seminal early text of Ati Yoga. Mañjuśrīmitra (d. 740 CE) was an Indian Buddhist scholar. He became the main student of Garab Dorje and a teacher of Dzogchen. He was a resident at Nalanda University where he became a respected Yogācāra scholar and practitionerAs explained by Yeshe Donden, "Manjushrimitra wrote the Bodhicittabh...

Selected passages from the "The Sutra of Hui-neng, Grand Master of Zen" (Platform Sutra), using an amalgam of translations. Hui-neng (638-713) was a seminal figure in Buddhist history and is one of the most beloved and respected figure in Zen Buddhism. An illiterate woodcutter who attained enlightenment in a flash, he became the Sixth Patriarch of Chinese Zen, and is regarded as the foun...

Excerpts of clear pointings and teachings from the book "Annamalai Swami Final Talks" edited by David Godman. Annamalai Swami (1906–1995) was a direct disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi who realized the Self after practicing Self-enquiry for decades. This experience gave him first-hand knowledge of how to perform Self-enquiry successfully, making his advice especially valuable to seekers. H...

Evelyn Underhill (6 December 1875 – 15 June 1941) was an English Anglo-Catholic poet and novelist as well as a pacifist and mystic. An only child, she described her early mystical insights as "abrupt experiences of the peaceful, undifferentiated plane of reality—like the 'still desert' of the mystic—in which there was no multiplicity nor need of explanation". The meaning of these experiences becam...

A brilliant, concise and clear set of instructions given by Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) to a devoted old lady and her attendant. This terma text was revealed by Nyang Ral Nyima Özer. Translated in Treasures from Juniper Ridge: The Profound Instructions of Padmasambhava to the Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal. Translated and edited by Erik Pema Kunsang & Marcia Binder Smith. 🙏 May whatever goodness aris...

These direct, powerful and humourous verses were spoken by the great Master, Patrul Rinpoche, to wake himself up to the reality of the ever-present Great Perfection. Translation by Constance Wilkinson. The original source can be found here: https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/patrul-rinpoche/advice-from-me-to-myselfDza Patrul Rinpoche (1808-1887) — an enlightened master, who, though he li...

One of Bhagavan Ramana's Maharshi's favourite traditional spiritual works was the Ribhu Gita. He often referred to the Ribhu Gita in his talks with devotees and seekers, and is reported to have said that if one repeatedly read Chapter 26 of the Ribhu Gita one could pass spontaneously into Samadhi, or the natural state of Self- Realization. Ribhu Gita means "The song of sage Ribhu&quot...

This is a 20 minute guided Yoga Nidra to help you relax, find inner peace and sleep. It follows the traditional guidance of systematically relaxing and being aware of each part of the body. Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep as it is commonly known, is an immensely powerful meditation technique, and one of the easiest yoga practices to develop and maintain. While the practitioner rests comfortably in sava...