CROSSINGS ON A BRIDGE OF LIGHT –
DOUGLAS J. PENICK
Paperback: 174 pages
· Publisher: Mill City Press, Inc. (September 1, 2009)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1934937991
· ISBN-13: 978-1934937990
"Crossings On A Bridge of Light" is the first English rendition of a vibrant and pivotal episode in the Gesar of Ling epic. In this story, Gesar, King of Ling, moves between life and death to free his mother from the bonds of hell. He traverses the six realms of being and passes through the five traditional states (bardos). His journey reaches its apex in four visions of the enlightened rulers of the Kingdom of Shambhala. Gesar's inner journey, his encounters with a panoply of beings embodying the spontaneous presence of the awakened state, enable him to heal the doubts and divisions that have come to threaten his kingdom. This tale of how the vision of an enlightened society can be realized on this earth has inspired people for many centuries; it is equally powerful today.
COMMENTS
"The miraculous images of King Gesar dance so vividly on the pages of 'Crossings On A Bridge of Light' it's as if they were alive. It's beautiful!" -The Ven. Tulku Thondup, translator of many important Nyingma texts, author of "Healing Power of Mind", "Boundless Healing", and "Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth"
"'Crossings On A Bridge of Life' is a treasure, a work of true inspiration. It demonstrates that the tradition of Gesar and his significance is not lost, and that singers may appear in any land or time. In relating Gesar's quest to liberate his mother from hell, it vividly brings to life the Buddhist teachings on the six realms, the cycle of bardos, the pure lands of the five transcendent Buddhas, and the inseparability of existence and awakening. The poetry of its language deeply touches the heart with compassion and opens the mind to the ever-present reality of the awakened state." -Dr. Francesca Fremantle, translator (with Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche) of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" and author of "Luminous Emptiness"
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THE WARRIOR SONG OF KING GESAR –
DOUGLAS J. PENICK
· Paperback: 172 pages
· Publisher: Mill City Press, Inc. (October 1, 2009)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1936107074
· ISBN-13: 978-1936107070
The Gesar epic encompasses a vast range of ancient Central Asian cultural and spiritual traditions. As its center, Gesar, King of Ling, battles tirelessly in a world riven by greed, confusion, fear, and religious ambition to open pathways to an enlightened society. "The Warrior Song of King Gesar" follows the unbroken heritage of that warrior tradition and presents the saga of Gesar's life, from the hardships of his youth through his great battles against the demonic enemies of the four directions. This ever-evolving epic tradition continues to inspire people in diverse societies by showing that, despite failures, an unsparing spiritual journey is integral to a secular life and that, despite defeats, such a quest is inseparable from working toward true social harmony. The Venerable Tulku Thondup's introduction is uniquely valuable for its profound scholarship and contains the only account in English of King Gesar's mind teachings.
COMMENTS
"I hope that the wisdom, imagination, and humor with which Douglas Penick has conveyed both Gesar's story and the energy of his being will rouse unconditional confidence throughout the world." -Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of Shambhala International, author of "Making the Mind into an Ally" and "Ruling Your World"
"'The Warrior Song of King Gesar' maintains traditional Asian epic genres and conventions while simultaneously transforming them into a completely contemporary vehicle of expression. The book captures in a remarkable way the nomadic warrior traditions from which Gesar's inner life emerged while uncovering the personal reality hidden within them. This work then is not a 're-telling' of the Gesar saga, but an authentic continuation of that tradition which thus becomes available to modern audiences in new and provocative ways." -Kidder Smith, former Professor of Chinese History at Bowdoin College, author of articles on the East Asian classics, lead translator in the Denma Translation Group's Sun Tzu's "Art of War"
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