Table Of Content“When we consider the remarkable achievements of Khenpo Tsültrim
Gyamtso Rinpoche and his contribution to the Dharma, he is, without
doubt, one of the great guides of our time.”
—The Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa
“A single word from a truly accomplished guru like Khenpo Rinpoche is
worth a thousand pictures. These teachings will make an indelible imprint
of nondual wisdom in the reader’s mind that no ‘delete button’ of dualistic
consciousness can undo.”
—Dzogchen Ponlop, author of Wild Awakening and Rebel Buddha
“These teachings show us how the Buddhist path of view, meditation, and
conduct can be practiced every day, all day, anywhere and everywhere. This
book will instruct, delight, and inspire all who read it.”
—Elizabeth Callahan, translator of Jamgön Kongtrul’s Treasury of
Knowledge: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tibetan Buddhist master Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso is known for his joyful
songs of realization and his spontaneous and skillful teaching style. In this
book he explains how to gain clarity, peace, and wisdom through step-by-
step analysis and meditation on the true nature of reality. He also introduces
readers to the joy and profundity of yogic song, and reveals the power of
aspiration prayers to inspire, transform, and brighten our hearts.
KHENPO TSÜLTRIM GYAMTSO is a noted Buddhist scholar and teacher
who was born in Eastern Tibet in 1934. Known for his highly engaging
teaching style, he has traveled and taught in North America, Europe, and
Asia from 1977 to 2007. He is the author of The Sun of Wisdom, The Moon
of Wisdom, and Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness, and
numerous songs of realization.
To learn more about the author, visit his website at www.ktgrinpoche.org.
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Stars of Wisdom
Analytical Meditation, Songs of Yogic Joy, and Prayers
of Aspiration
K T G
HENPO SÜLTRIM YAMTSO
Foreword by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Foreword by the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa
Translated, Edited, and Introduced by
Ari Goldfield and Rose Taylor
SHAMBHALA • Boston & London • 2011
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.shambhala.com
© 2010 by the Marpa Foundation Cover art by Jim Zaccaria
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso, Rinpoche, 1934– Stars of
wisdom: analytical meditation, songs of yogic joy, and prayers of aspiration / Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso;
foreword by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama; foreword by the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa; translated,
edited, and introduced by Ari Goldfield and Rose Taylor.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eISBN 978-0-8348-2295-5
ISBN 978-1-59030-775-5 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Spiritual life—Buddhism. I. Goldfield, Ari, 1969– II. Taylor,
Rose, 1970– III. Title.
BQ5675.K48 2010
294.3′442—dc22
2009034483
In the publication of this book, special thanks go to all of the sponsors of the
Marpa Foundation. It is because of their generosity that we are able to publish
this book of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s wonderful teachings, and we
are very grateful to them.
Contents
Foreword by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Foreword by the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa
Translators’ Introduction
PART ONE
Analytical Inquiry and Meditation on the True Nature of Reality
1. The Path of Faith and the Path of Reasoning
Translated by Ari Goldfield
2. The Stages of View at the Heart of Definitive Meaning
Translated by Rose Taylor
PART TWO
Songs of Realization in Dharma Practice
3. Skillful, Enjoyable, Wonderful:
Singing as Buddhist Practice
An Overview by Ari Goldfield
4. The Seven Ways Things Shine Inside and Out:
Milarepa’s Song of Realization, with Commentary
Translated by Ari Goldfield
5. The Eighteen Kinds of Yogic Joy:
Milarepa’s Song of Realization, with Commentary
Translated by Ari Goldfield
PART THREE
Mahayana Aspiration Prayers
6. Transform the Present, Brighten the Future, Light Up the Universe
An Overview by Rose Taylor
7. A Prayer That These True Words Be Swiftly Fulfilled
Translated by Rose Taylor
8. Auspiciousness That Lights Up the Universe
Translated by Ari Goldfield
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Sources of the Teachings
Resources
Index
About the Author
About the Translators
E-mail Sign-Up
Foreword
WE TIBETANS HAVE been custodians of the full range of the Buddha’s teachings
for well over a thousand years. These have been analyzed, refined, and most
important of all put into practice, becoming the mainstay of Tibetan culture.
Indeed, the principles of compassion and nonviolence are among the
distinguishing marks of the Tibetan way of life even today.
Until 1959, many conditions contributed to the flourishing of Buddhism in
Tibet. However, what gave it vigor was that down the centuries individuals
continued not only to read, memorize, study, and debate, but also to retire to
caves and other remote locations to meditate, just as great luminaries of the past,
like Milarepa, had done. In the upheavals that followed 1959 the freedom to do
this in Tibet has been severely constrained.
Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is one of a steadily dwindling number of
those who undertook their study and training in Tibet in the traditional way
before everything changed in 1959. In his youth in Tibet he engaged in rigorous
practice; in his middle years as a refugee in India he extended his studies to
traditions other than his own Karma Kagyu; and later he has traveled and taught
widely.
This book, Stars of Wisdom, contains Khenpo Rinpoche’s teachings on a
variety of topics, including the path of reasoning, meditation on emptiness, the
songs of Milarepa, and Mahayana aspiration prayers. It follows earlier
commentaries on Nagarjuna’s and Chandrakirti’s classic works. I have no doubt
readers wishing to cultivate the Buddhist conduct and view will find much to
inspire them here.
TENZIN GYATSO
THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA
May 27, 2009
Description:Tibetan Buddhist master Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso is known for his joyful songs of realization and his spontaneous and skillful teaching style. In this book he explains how to gain clarity, peace, and wisdom through step-by-step analysis and meditation on the true nature of reality. He also introduce
