Vessantara

Meeting The Buddhas

My first book, written over a 5-year period before its final publication in 1993 — and still selling well all these years later!  Now in a new revised edition, it  covers all the main figures that are meditated on in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition. I give a great deal of information about the figures but, even more important, I’ve tried to convey a real “feel” for them and the magical world into which meditation on them can lead. All these different figures embody enlightened qualities: wisdom, compassion, peace, freedom, and so on. Using this book as a guide, you can engage with the figures and activate those qualities within yourself.

Paperback 432 pages, 27 colour plates and 36 illustrations.
Windhorse Publications, Cambridge UK, 2022. ISBN: 9781911407966

There are also German and Dutch translations available of earlier editions.

The Heart

The second in the series on The Art of Meditation. This deals with loving-kindness meditation. As with The Breath, I’ve aimed to make it useful for both newcomers and experienced meditators. I’ve been using material from it on retreats that I’ve led, and had very positive feedback.

Paperback, 144 pages.
Windhorse Publications, Birmingham UK, 2006. ISBN: 9781899579716

The Breath

The first in the series on The Art of Meditation, this is an introduction to meditation on the breath. Whilst it will give complete newcomers a guiding hand in setting up a practice, I’ve done my best to give it some depth so that more experienced meditators will benefit as well.

Paperback 144 pages.
Windhorse Publications, Birmingham UK, 2005. ISBN: 9781899579693

Female Deities in Buddhism

An introduction to female figures in Buddhism, including Tara, Prajnaparamita, Dakinis, Kuan Yin and others. Each of these figures is a kind of mirror in which we can see our own potential for wisdom, compassion and freedom. Some of the material appeared in Meeting the Buddhas, so if you already have that book then check before buying that you want this one for the new material.

Paperback, 126 pages, 8 colour plates
Windhorse Publications, Birmingham UK, 2003. ISBN:9781899579532

Tales of Freedom: Wisdom from the Buddhist Tradition

Everyone loves a good story. Here are 9 of them from the treasure trove of the Buddhist tradition, plus one cautionary tale from the West…

In each chapter I recount a story and then unpack it in different ways to bring out its deeper meaning and significance for Dharma practice. Each story contains a nugget of freedom, something we can learn that will make our lives more fulfilling. The book has been used in courses at Buddhist centres as an accessible way of exploring the Dharma. Personally I think it’s worth buying just for the tiger on the front cover!

Paperback and eBook, 224 pages.
Windhorse Publications, new edition, Cambridge UK, 2017. ISBN: 9781899579273

The Vajra and Bell

The vajra and bell are central symbols of Tibetan Buddhism and its ritual. The vajra has all the qualities of both the diamond and the thunderbolt, and stands for compassionate activity. The bell incorporates a whole mandala, and is a symbol of wisdom. Bringing the two together adds further levels of meaning, and points to our potential to develop states of mind in which wisdom and compassion, bliss and emptiness, are combined in one extraordinary experience. (The book is part of Windhorse Publications’ series on Buddhist symbols.)

Paperback and eBook, 78 pages, 8 colour plates.
Windhorse Publications, Birmingham UK, 2001. ISBN:9781899579419

Thirty Dragons and Other Poems: 1967–2022

In 2022, with the kind help of my friend Vidyadevi, I put together a volume of some of the poems I’ve written over the years. It’s called ‘Thirty Dragons and Other Poems’ and includes a whole set of dragon poems that turned up during my three-year retreat, along with others from different periods of my life right up to 2022.  These dragons are  now available to order from Lulu. UK price is £5.65.

You can read a few of the poems included in the book.

Paperback, 144 pages.
Worlds Within, Herefordshire UK, 2022.

The Five Female Buddhas

An account of the introduction of the Five Female Buddhas into the practice of the Triratna Buddhist Order, along with an in-depth commentary on the pujas to these five beautiful figures.

96 A4 pages, 5 colour illustrations.
Private edition, 2004. Currently out of print.