Tsongkhapa Books (by Kechara Media & Publications)

Life Story of Lama Tsongkhapa

Never before has the epic tale of Lama Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism been told through the medium of comic. This 195-page comic book brings to life with unparalleled vibrancy the miracle birth, adventures undertaken by Lama Tsongkhapa on his spiritual journey and how he upheld sublime discipline and firmly revived Buddha’s doctrine in Tibet.

For English version, please click here.
For Chinese version, please click here.

Tsongkhapa: A Simple Guide to a Powerful Practice

Tsongkhapa: A Simple Guide to a Powerful Practice contains the concise history, benefits and commentary on the Guru Yoga practice of Lama Tsongkhapa. With his characteristically down-to-earth style, Tsem Rinpoche explains this extremely powerful practice in a step-by-step guide, which is clear, easy to understand and practice for even the most novice practitioners.

This practice is especially suited for lay people with contemporary lifestyles, who are always busy and who have many responsibilities, often juggling between work and family. It helps to clear illness, lighten depression, reduce loneliness and bring harmony, stability and peace to our homes. With the correct motivation, this practice is a wish-fulfilling jewel and will make our aspirations come true.

This box set consists of a book on Tsongkhapa, a copy of Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga as well as a beautiful resin tsa tsa.

For more information, please click here.

Je Tsongkhapa: A Visual Journey

Je Tsongkhapa was a 15th century Buddhist scholar and saint whose fame swept all over the northern regions of Tibet, Mongolia and north China. Often regarded as the “Second Buddha” after Buddha Shakyamuni, he was widely revered and worshipped during the later Chinese dynasties of Yuan and Ching. Today, his fame has spread all over Asia and now the world in fulfillment of a prediction made by Buddha Shakyamuni. This book relates the story of Je Tsongkhapa’s incredible life and achievements, as well as the qualities he embodies, along with contemporary photography that interprets the essence of his sacred existence in a unique ultramodern perspective.

For more information, please click here.

Faces of Enlightenment

This full colour book offers a brief introduction of the more popular Buddhas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Based on teachings by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche, Faces of Enlightenment presents comprehensive explanations on the background, symbology and practice of Buddhas such as Green Tara, Lama Tsongkhapa, Guru Rinpoche and Vajrasattva, incorporating insightful information about the beliefs and practice of Buddhism itself.

The explanations are all accompanied by a full-paged, coloured photo and the mantra of each Buddha. Ideal for people new to Buddhist practice, and makes a great visual centerpiece for your bookshelf.

For more information, please click here.

 
Other Resources

1. Legend of the Conch Shell

Legend of the Conch Shell covers the entire life story of the great saint Lama Tsongkhapa. See here for a synopsis of the play produced by Kechara, which won 5 Cameronian Awards!

2. Lama Tsongkhapa

by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche

Lama Tsongkhapa is revered as the single greatest Tibetan commentator, scholar and yogi in the history of Buddhism. Hailed as the “Second Buddha”, he was a great enlightened being and a manifestation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom.

He was a teacher without parallel. He showed how learning and yogic practice were to be united. His ocean of good qualities was as limitless as the sky. His holy mind was complete in all realisations i.e. perfect understanding, compassion and skillful means. The ninth Karmapa praised him as “one who swept away wrong views with correct and perfect ones.”

He founded the three Great monasteries of Tibet. These monasteries are Ganden, Drepung and Sera. He also founded the Gelugpa system of Tibetan Buddhist heritage where it was said that over 25,000 monks practiced during his time.

Lama Tsongkhapa took his vows at a very tender age. He took his layman’s vows at the age of three and was fully ordained as a monk at the age of 21. His pure morality gained him the greatest respect from all his devotees and aides. He attached greater importance to guarding his vows than his eyes or own life.

As a teenager he had already mastered much of Buddha’s teachings. He received many tantric teachings and initiations including Heruka empowerment, the Six Yogas of Naropa, the Guhyasamaja and Chakrasamvara tantras. He memorised over 20,000 verses of the Perfection of Wisdom sutra and other sutras including Asanga’s Compendium of Knowledge. He wrote some 10,000 pages of eloquent explanation of the entire range of ancient Buddhist classics and compressed them into several treatises and poems including the famous Lamrin Chenmo or Stages of the Path to Enlightenment and The Three Principal Paths.

It’s said Lama Tsongkhapa enjoyed mystic visions in which he met and learned from different forms of Buddha himself, including Manjushri.

Lama Tsongkhapa practiced so intensely that he received many realisations. He personally performed 3.5 million full length prostrations and 1.8 million mandala offerings. It is said that his prostration form wore an impression in the floor of the temple and at the conclusion of his mandala offerings, his forearm was raw and bleeding.

Lama Tsongkhapa was born in the Tsongkha region of the Amdo Province in east Tibet. During the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, Tsongkhapa in a previous incarnation, was a young boy who offered a clear crystal rosary to Buddha and received a conch shell in return. The Buddha prophesied that the boy will be born in Tibet, would found a great monastery and be instrumental in spreading Buddha’s doctrine in Tibet. Buddha gave the boy the future name of Sumati Kirti or in Tibetan Losang Drapa.

Before Tsongkhapa’s birth, his father dreamt of Vajrapani threw down a vajra from his pure realm which landed on his wife. His mother dreamt of monks coming with various ritual objects to invoke the statue of Avalokiteshvara which diminished in size and entered her body through her crown aperture. Just before he was born, his mother dreamt of a boy in white entered her womb and with a key opened a box, from which came the golden statue of Avalokiteshvara. The dream symbolised that Lama Tsongkhapa would be an emanation of Avalokiteshvara as well as Manjushri.

At the time of his birth, an auspicious star appeared in the sky. In this respect Lama Tsongkhapa’s birth resembled that of the BUDDHA.

When he was born a drop of his mother’s blood fell to the ground, and later a white sandal tree with a hundred thousand leaves grew at that spot. On each of the leaves there appeared an image of Buddha Sengei Ngaro, who is the same mental continuum as Buddha Manjushri. This indicates that the child was a manifestation of Manjushri. Later the third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso, said that this precious tree was an object of offerings and respect, and he moved it to a nearby monastery where he placed it inside a silver stupa with many precious jewels and made extensive offerings to it. This monastery became known as ‘Kumbum Monastery’, or ‘The Monastery of a Hundred Thousand Images’. Eventually other similar trees grew around the stupa and their leaves also bore special images. On some there appeared the letters of Manjushri’s mantra, AH RA PA TSA NA DHI, and on others the seed-letter of Manjushri, the letter DHI. These leaves were regarded as very precious, and when they fell in the autumn people would gather them and grind them into powder. Through tasting this powder many people have been able to cure diseases and increase their wisdom.

 
For more interesting information:

• Condensed Tsongkapa practice for Happiness & clear mind
• Lord Tsongkapa, King of the Dharma
• Exciting information on Tsongkapa!
• Tsongkhapa’s daily practice (video commentary)
• Huge outdoor Tsongkapa!
• A special day!!
• TRANSCRIPT: TSONGKHAPA explained
• The Mind and Lama Tsongkhapa
• TRANSCRIPT – Lama Tsongkhapa (24th July 2008)
• 15 Thangkas of Lama Tsongkhapa’s Life Story
• Tsongkhapa Prayers
• Benefits and Miraculous Signs of Lama Tsongkhapa’s statues
• TRANSCRIPT – Guru Yoga Teaching
• Transcript: How Tantric Deities Bless Us
• TRANSCRIPT: How Lama Tsongkhapa transforms to Vajrayogini
• Massively beautiful
• Very essential to learn
• A Tsongkhapa Meditation
• HH Kyabje Zong Rinpoche teaches Gaden Lhagyama
• Tsongkhapa Retreat Instructions
• The Life Story of Lama Tsongkhapa in art
• I VISITED GADEN for the first time WITH AN OXYGEN TANK
• Mr Hang Phoo & Cheng Kee invites Tsongkhapa home!
• Who is Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen?
• Kechara Kuantan Group Invites Tsongkhapa!
• Tsongkhapa Quotes by Great Lamas
• I Was So Happy Yesterday!!!
• Attention dharma book Publisher and or Distributor
• Tsongkhapa Retreat for KFR’s Green Team
• Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey & essential teachings
• Inviting 4ft Long Life Lama Tsongkhapa
• H.E. the 25th Tsem Tulku Rinpoche’s Biography
• 2011 LAMRIM CLASS!
• An Age of Restoration
• Tsongkhapa & Friends at a disco???

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