The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet
Enter into the colorful world of tantric Buddhism, with its unique visualizations, liturgies, initiations, and "inner yoga" as practiced in Tibet and conveyed by Tibetan masters teaching in the West. Using nontechnical language, engaging stories, and personal anecdotes, Reginald Ray demonstrates how the practice of tantra opens up an appreciation for ordinary life - the world of sensory experience, of pleasure and pain - as the place where ultimate revelation occurs. The book covers such topics as
- the tantric view of human nature and the external world
- the major dimensions of Vajrayana practice
- the preliminary practices that prepare the student for full initiation
- the special role of the guru, or tantric mentor
- the tradition of the tulku, or incarnate lama
- the practice of solitary retreat, the epitome of traditional Tibetan Buddhism
- the lore surrounding the death of ordinary people and of saints
Secret of the Vajra World is the companion volume to the author's earlier book, Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism. While that book focuses on the history, cosmology, philosophy, and practice of the more public, exoteric side of Tibetan Buddhism, this work treats its lesser-known, esoteric and tantric aspects as they take shape in Vajrayana. Together, the two volumes provide a broad introduction to the major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Secret of the Vajra World : the Tantric Buddhism in Tibet , Reginald A. Ray, Shambhala Publications, 524 pages, Paperback, $39.95

Reginald A Ray is Professor of Buddhist Studies at Naropa University, and a member of the graduate faculty of the Religious Studies Department at the University of Colorado. He received his Ph.D. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago, specializing in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. A Senior Teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa, he is Teacher in Residence at Rocky Mountain Shambhala Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado.

Foreword	vii
Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	1
Foundations of Vajrayana	7
The Indian Prelude	9
How the Vajrayana Came to Tibet: The Early Spreading of the Dharma	28
How the Vajrayana Came to Tibet: The Later Spreading and Beyond	40
The Vajrayana in the Context of the Three-Yana Journey	66
The View of Vajrayana	91
Entering the Vajra World	109
Some Initial Vajrayana Perspectives	111
The World Beyond Thought	126
The Vajra Master	153
Entering the Vajrayana Path	177
Tantric Practice: Meditation on the Yidam	209
Subtleties of Practice: The Inner Yogas	230
Meeting the Essence of Mind	259
Mahamudra: The Great Symbol	261
Dzokchen: The Great Perfection	294
Tantric Applications	327
Lessons in Mortality: Death and Dying in Tantric Practice	329
Bodhisattvas in the World: Tulkus, Reincarnate Lamas	360
Themes of a Tulku's Life	385
The Practice of Retreat	426
The Passing of a Realized Master	462
Conclusion	481
Notes	489
Bibliography	503
Credits	509
Index	511