Impure Vision

American staged art photography is the focus of this unique, in-depth study. Offering a new methodological strategy for viewing photographs, this fascinating account analyzes the work of four of the leading names in this new genre - Les Krims, Duane Michals, Arthur Tress, and Lucas Samaras - and applies new perspectives to 1970s art photography. As it sheds fresh light on the four artists' critiques of purist ideals, it also looks closely at their efforts to transcend the limitations of the purely visual effect of photography. Not only does this book tell the history of American staged photography in broad terms by drawing on theories and methods new to the field, but it also presents the latest approaches to photography history and theory.

The first complete English translation of an important thirteenth-century history that sheds light on Tibet’s imperial past and on the transmission of the Buddhadharma into Central Asia. Translated here into English for the first time in its entirety by perhaps the foremost living expert on Tibetan histories, this engaging translation, along with its ample annotation, is a must-have for serious readers and scholars of Buddhist studies. In this history, discover the first extensive biography of the Buddha composed in the Tibetan language, along with an account of subsequent Indian Buddhist history, particularly the writing of Buddhist treatises. The story then moves to Tibet, with an emphasis on the rulers of the Tibetan empire, the translators of Buddhist texts, and the lineages that transmitted doctrine and meditative practice. It concludes with an account of the demise of the monastic order followed by a look forward to the advent of the future Buddha Maitreya. The composer of this remarkably ecumenical Buddhist history compiled some of the most important early sources on the Tibetan imperial period preserved in his time, and his work may be the best record we have of those sources today. Dan Martin has rendered the richness of this history an accessible part of the world’s literary heritage.

The Three Levels of Spiritual Perception is a revised edition of the classic guide to the Lamdre, a key system of meditation of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Written by one of the first Tibetan masters to live and teach in the United States, it is rendered in a lyrical style that entertains, inspires, and motivates the reader. A key work for all those who are eager to develop and deepen their meditation practice.

Blending contemporary and traditional perspectives, this groundbreaking work offers guidance on the profound foundational practices of the Great Perfection. It contains classic commentaries by the renowned Tibetan masters Jigme Lingpa and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, alongside a lively contemporary discussion by filmmaker, author, and spiritual teacher Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse that discusses how to incorporate these ancient practices into the fast-paced lifestyle of the Western world. Also included are a lengthy introduction to the world of Tibetan Buddhism and its meditative practices, as well as the long and short preliminary practice liturgies and numerous appendices on the nine yanas and other topics. The ngöndro or preliminary practice is treasured in the Ancient School of Tibetan Buddhism as vital for effecting a profound inner transformation and as a foundation for the very highest teachings of the Great Perfection, or Dzogchen. In particular, the Longchen Nyingtik ngöndro—revealed by the great saint Jigme Lingpa following a series of visions in which he was blessed by the omniscient Longchen Rabjam and received the transmission of his wisdom mind—has long been cherished by followers of all traditions on account of its power, depth, and poetic beauty.

The Essence of Scholasticism is a meditation manual leading to arhatship. It is the central text of the westernmost part of the Gandharan cultural area, e.e. Bactria. Probably composed in the first century BCE, it was commented on and elaborated in several sastras the best known being the Abhidharmakosabhasya of the fifth century. The Essence and the Astagrantha are the basic treatises of the non-Vaibhasika sarvastivadins, i.e. of the sautrantikas of the Gandharan cultural area.

The exhibition brought in the MNCARS with works from their permanent collection aims to approach one of the key aspects in the reception of the work; insisting that the visuality is beyond the optical qualities. The spectator needs not to identify himself with a "universal" subject placed in front of the works, through a "retinal chill," in order to contact with the artist's intentions, and therefore, a further identification. Along the exhibition, a catalog was published containing a text by the commissioner, Aurora Fernndez Polanco. The catalog also gathers a biography of all the artists presented at the show, an index file of each work and the reproduction of all the exhibited pieces.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Awakening Upon Dying, with introductory commentary by Dzogchen Buddhist master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, is a new translation of the ancient text also known as The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Intermediate State. Both a practical guide and intriguing historical, cultural, and spiritual document, this new version incorporates recent discoveries that have allowed for a better translation of previously ambiguous passages. Revealing a set of instructions designed to facilitate the inner liberation of the dead or dying person, the book provides a guide to navigating the bardo--the interval between death and rebirth. Originally composed by Padmasambhava, an important Indian master of the eighth century, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was concealed in Tibet until it was discovered in the fourteenth century by Karma Lingpa, a famous Tibetan tertön (discoverer of ancient texts). Describing in detail the characteristics and fantastic visions of each stage beyond death, the book includes invocations to be read aloud to the dying person, to help his or her successful journey toward the stage of liberation. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu's introduction clarifies the texts from the Dzogchen point of view and provides a scholarly summary of the ancient material based on his oral teachings and written works. In addition, material from several of Namkhai Norbu's more recent written works and oral teachers have been added, including an essay on the four intermediate states after death entitled Birth, Life, and Death. A full-color 16-page insert of traditional Tibetan art highlights Tibet's unique aesthetic wisdom.

A concise guide to the life and work of the French intellectual Georges Bataille, best known as the author of the celebrated The Story of the Eye.