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Peter F. Barth | |
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Personal | |
Born | 1956 (age 67–68) |
Religion | Tibetan Buddhism |
School | Drukpa Kagyu Karma Kagyu |
Occupation | engineer, physicist, educator and author |
Senior posting | |
Teacher | Thrangu Rinpoche |
Peter Felix Barth (also known as Lama Thapkhay) (born 1956) is an American writer specializing in the mind teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. [1] In statistical mechanics, he was responsible for an exact solution to the Ising model for highly-branched, closed-Cayley trees, an area of interest in neurophysics and neural networks.
He has a background in neurophysics, engineering and education, having served as adjunct professor in Information Systems Management (ISM) at the University of San Francisco.
As a Buddhist educator and writer, he has written and published comprehensive guides to the meditation disciplines of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, the pinnacle of the practices of the Kagyu [2] and Nyingma [3] lineages, respectively, including one recommended for seminary and public libraries by the Library Journal. [4]
Peter Felix Barth was born in 1956 in New York, New York, United States.[ citation needed ]
In 1974 he traveled to India to study meditation under Tibetan Buddhist lamas of the Nyingma and Kagyu schools. While in India he took ordination as a lay Buddhist and completed preliminary Mahamudra studies in Darjeeling. He then returned to the United States to study physics. [1]
In 1976 Barth received his B.S. degree from the Department of Physics, State University of New York in Oneonta, New York;[ citation needed ] and in 1981 an M.S. degree in Physics from the University of Vermont (UVM) in Burlington. [5] His thesis, Cooperativity and the Transition Behavior of Large Neural Nets, presented a solution to the generalized closed-tree Ising model for Cayley tree topologies and large neural networks. [6]
In 1982 he published the solution to his theoretical model collaboratively with John E. Krizan, his thesis advisor, and M. L. Glasser. [7] [8] Subsequent investigations into the closed-Cayley tree models proposed by Jellito [9] and Barth, eventually yielded a number of additional exact solutions for Ising model topologies with similar underlying symmetries. [10]
From 1997 to 2008, Barth served as adjunct professor in Information Systems Management (ISM) at the University of San Francisco.[ citation needed ]
While in India, Barth had studied Mahamudra under a number of Drukpa Kagyu lamas, including Dukchen Thuksey Rinpoche in Darjeeling, who personally played a role in the preservation of Dakpo Tashi Namgyal's text, Moonbeams of Mahamudra, when he requested Lobsang P. Lhalungpa translate it into English and noted that, "This is the most important sacred text!" [11] Barth's first book, Piercing the Autumn Sky: Discovering the Natural Freedom of Mind, was inspired by this work and the oral instructions on it by Thrangu Rinpoche in 1989, as translated "on the fly" by Ken McLeod. From 1989 to 1995, Barth served as a transcriber and editor for the draft publication of a complete three-cycle set of Thrangu Rinpoche's oral instructions under the direction of managing editor Clark Johnson, [12] published in part, in 2001, as Looking Directly at Mind: The Moonlight of Mahamudra and, with further editing, in 2004, as Essentials of Mahamudra. [13]
After rejection of the first draft of his own book by HarperCollins, with the support of his wife, Barth elected to self-publish. [1] Soon after it was released, it was picked up by a major publisher in Rome, Italy, [14] who had it professionally translated into Italian by Giampaolo Fiorentini. The forewards to both of these editions were written by Thrangu Rinpoche and Könchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche, two of Tibetan Buddhism's highest scholar-monks (Tibetan: mkhan chen, literally "great Khenpos") from the Karma Kagyu and Drikung Kagyu lineages, respectively. [15]
Upon its publication, the Library Journal called it, "perhaps the most accessible book of the Tibetan tradition."[ This quote needs a citation ] Soon thereafter, Snow Lion Publications showcased it, stating it offers "clear and precise instructions on discovering the natural freedom of mind through mahamudra practice" [16] and, in 2004, it became the only book written by a Westerner to be included on the recommended reading list of Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche in his first published book on Mahamudra. [17]
Barth subsequently produced two more detailed meditation manuals, A Meditation Guide For Mahamudra and The Meditations of Longchen Rabjam, for the advanced practices of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. These were written to serve as detailed guides to the Kagyu classic phyag chen zla ba'i 'od zer (translated as Moonbeams of Mahamudra) written by Dagpo Tashi Namgyal (1512–1587) and the Nyingma classic chos dbyings mdzod (translated as "The Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena") written by Longchenpa (1308–1364), respectively. In addition, he served as the editor of Mahamudra Teachings by Garchen Rinpoche. [18] Garchen Rinpoche's teachings are a presentation of the mind teachings found and maintained within the Drikung Kagyu lineage.
In 1990, at the encouragement of Thrangu Rinpoche he founded a study and practice group called "Mahamudra Meditation Center", [19] [ third-party source needed ] which operated as a nonprofit religious corporation in the State of California, [20] from 1991 to 2011, under his direction and was dedicated to the instruction and practice of Mahamudra and Dzogchen in order "to cultivate an understanding of mind-as-it-is." [21]
Due to limited financial resources, the umbrella of incorporation was dropped in 2011, after which time all corporate activities ceased; however, its senior members, including Barth, continued to offer programs in a traditional humanistic "circle of yogis" manner and maintained the program structures and resources accessible via the official website at mahamudracenter.org.[ citation needed ]
On July 14, 1990, Barth received Zen precepts (Jukai) and lineage papers from Jakusho Kwong Roshi at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center. [22]
Since 1998, he has been listed as "Lama Thapkhay" (at Mahamudra Meditation Center, Petaluma, California) [23] on the official website of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. [24]
Barth retired from his career in engineering and education, and from Mahamudra Meditation Center, in 2015. [19]
The Kagyu school, also transliterated as Kagyü, or Kagyud, which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Kagyu lineages trace themselves back to the 11th century Indian Mahasiddhas Naropa, Maitripa and the yogini Niguma, via their student Marpa Lotsawa (1012–1097), who brought their teachings to Tibet. Marpa's student Milarepa was also an influential poet and teacher.
Mahāmudrā literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". Mahāmudrā is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism."
Drikung Kagyü or Drigung Kagyü is one of the eight "minor" lineages of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. "Major" here refers to those Kagyü lineages founded by the immediate disciples of Gampopa (1079-1153), while "minor" refers to all the lineages founded by disciples of Gampopa's main disciple, Phagmo Drupa (1110-1170). One of these disciples, Jigten Sumgön (1143-1217), is the founder of Drikung.
Thrangu Rinpoche was born in Kham, Tibet. He was deemed to be a prominent tulku in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, the ninth reincarnation in his particular line. His full name and title was the Very Venerable Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Tulku, Karma Lodrö Lungrik Maway Senge. The academic title Khenchen denotes great scholarly accomplishment, and the term Rinpoche is a Tibetan devotional title which may be accorded to respected teachers and exemplars.
Tilopa was an Indian Buddhist monk in the tantric Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
Karma Kagyu, or Kamtsang Kagyu, is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal and Bhutan, with current centres in over 60 countries. The spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu is the Gyalwa Karmapa; the 2nd among the 10 Karmapas had been the principal spiritual advisors to successive emperors of China. The Karma Kagyu are sometimes called the "Black Hat" lamas, in reference to the Black Crown worn by the Karmapa.
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, also known by his tertön title, Pema Ösel Dongak Lingpa, was a teacher, scholar and tertön of 19th-century Tibet. He was a leading figure in the Rimé movement.
The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, founder and spiritual director of Nalandabodhi, founder of Nītārtha Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master. He is one of the highest tülkus in the Nyingma lineage and an accomplished Karma Kagyu lineage holder.
Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is a prominent scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches widely in the West, often through songs of realization, his own as well as those composed by Milarepa and other masters of the past. "Tsültrim Gyamtso" translates to English as "Ocean of Ethical Conduct".
Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche (1955–2012) was the ninth incarnation of the Traleg tulku line, a line of high lamas in the Kagyu lineage of Vajrayana. He was a pioneer in bringing Tibetan Buddhism to Australia.
Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339) was the third Karmapa and an important figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, who helped to spread Buddha-nature teachings in Tibet.
Dakpo Tashi Namgyal was a lineage holder of the Dagpo Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was also trained in the Sakya lineage, and "was renowned as both a scholar and yogi."
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in Ukraine. It has existed since the 19th and 20th century, after immigration from countries with Buddhist populations, mainly North Vietnam and Korea under Communist period. Although sources are not readily available, Buddhists are believed to constitute 0.1% of the total population in Ukraine.
Khenpo Karma Tharchin Rinpoche, widely known by his abbreviated name Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, was a senior lama of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Before his death he served as abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) Monastery in Woodstock, New York.
The Eighth Garchen Rinpoche, also called Garchen Triptrul Rinpoche, is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher in the Drikung Kagyu lineage. Born April 1936 in Nangchen, Kham, he is believed to be an incarnation of Siddha Gar Chodingpa, a heart-disciple of Jigten Sumgön, founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage in the thirteenth century CE. He is also believed to have incarnated as Mahasiddha Aryadeva in ancient India - the lotus-born disciple of Nagarjuna himself. He was known as Lonpo Gar, the minister of Tibetan dharma king Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century CE.
Jigten Sumgön or Jigten Gönpoའཇིག་རྟེན་གསུམ་མགོན (1143–1217) was the founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage and main disciple of Phagmo Drupa. He founded Drikung Thil Monastery in 1179.
Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher and meditation master. He is the abbot of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is the author of several books, founder of meditation centers around the world, and an international teacher.
Ayang Tulku Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist lama.
The Drikungpa, or more formally the Drikung Kyabgön, is the head of the Drikung Kagyu, a sub-school of the Kagyu, itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
The mind teachings of Tibet are a body of sacredly held instructions on the nature of mind and the practice of meditation on, or in accordance with, that nature. Although maintained and cultivated, to various degrees, within each of the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions, they are primarily associated with the mahamudra traditions of the Kagyu and the dzogchen traditions of the Nyingma.
Director of Mahamudra Meditation Center, which was founded to introduce Tibetan teachings to Westerners, Barth presents the process of mind turning toward truth, truth as the path dispelling confusion, and confusion leading to clear awareness through meditative practices…Much of this book will appeal to open-minded seekers in other traditions. Because it is perhaps the most accessible book available from the Tibetan tradition, seminary and public libraries may want this work.
The problem of arbitrary branching ratio is solved for the closed tree model. The partition function is solved exactly for a branching ratio greater than two and is found to be analytic for all temperatures. It is shown that although no phase transition is evident from the zeros of the partition function of the closed tree, a transition occurs in the two-spin correlation function for certain sites…[In addition,] the cooperative effects observed in the Cayley tree models and their implications for the neural network problem are discussed. (Excerpt from abstract)
' Peter Barth's Piercing the Autumn Sky is a clearly written book which lays out how one can work with one's mind to overcome the obstacles in one's life…' [Quoted from Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche.] ' Piercing the Autumn Sky is written in a clear accessible style to help those on the Dharma path. Easily readable, it draws from the author's own long-term Mahamudra practice.' [Quoted from Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche]…This is a book which can be a guide, a teacher, a model for starting a life-time of study. - Reviewed by Jayne Murdock, Board of Directors, Marin Small Publishers Association (MSPA) [Excerpt]