Khenchen Thrangu

Accessible and practical teachings on both the life of Tilopa, who founded the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and one of his most important texts on the practice of Mahamudra. The lineage of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism begins with Tilopa, who is said to have received the teachings of Mahamudra directly from the buddha Vajradhara. Tilopa expressed his realization in the form of spiritual songs, pithy yet beautiful poems that he sang spontaneously. In this book, Khenchen Thrangu, a contemporary Karma Kagyu master, first tells the story of Tilopa's life and explains the lessons we can learn from it. Then he provides verse-by-verse commentary on one of Tilopa's songs, the Mahamudra Upadesha, also known as the Ganges Mahamudra, and explains its precious instructions for realizing Mahamudra, the pinnacle of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. This path focuses on the direct experience of the nature of one's mind, which in this tradition is the primary means to realize ultimate reality and thus attain buddhahood. Thrangu Rinpoche speaks plainly, directly, and without using any technical jargon to Westerners eager to learn the fundamentals of Mahamudra from a recognized master. As Thrangu Rinpoche says, "Mahamudra is a practice that can be done by anyone. It is an approach that engulfs any practitioner with tremendous blessings that make it very effective and easy to implement. This is especially true in our present time and especially true for Westerners because in the West there are very few obstacles in the practice of Mahamudra."

The only book in English on a popular Tibetan Buddhist lineage prayer that explains how it can be used as a guide to practice. One of the most beloved and oft-recited prayers in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, The Mahamudra Lineage Prayer combines a supplication to the Mahamudra lineage with a concise guide to Mahamudra practice and the stages of the path to enlightenment. In this commentary on the prayer, Thrangu Rinpoche teaches in his down-to earth yet direct manner the importance of the Mahamudra lineage, how to develop renunciation and devotion through the common and uncommon preliminary practices, and how to practice calm abiding (Shamatha) and insight (Vipashyana) meditation in the Mahamudra tradition. He explains that Mahamudra teachings are easy to practice yet are very powerful, and are especially appropriate for serious Western Dharma students.

An accessible commentary by a popular and respected Tibetan Buddhist master opens the door for Westerners to Karma Chagme's classic text that integrates two of the great meditation systems of Tibet: Mahamudra and Dzogchen. This book grows out of an oral teaching that Khenchen Thrangu gave in Crestone, Colorado, on Karma Chagme's text "Meaningful to Behold: The Essential Instructions of the Compassionate One on the Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen." Thrangu Rinpoche explains in lucid detail the advanced meditation practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen and also their similarities and differences, including advice on how to safely perform some of the more advanced Dzogchen practices. Many chapters include his answers to questions from the audience, which give the book an intimate feeling."

At the heart of successful Mahamudra practice is the ability to understand the nature of mind. The Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje (1556 1603) was the acknowledged master of this approach. No more authoritative or useful instructions exist than in his three definitive texts on Mahamudra, of which this easy-to-use manual is the shortest and most practical. "Pointing Out the Dharmakaya" is an indispensable companion to "The Ocean of Definitive Meaning," the most vast and detailed of the texts. An invaluable guide for Mahamudra practitioners on how to look at the mind, it is clearly laid out so that the instructions are easy to recall and put to use. Brilliant explanations by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche make this text vividly relevant for contemporary Western practitioners. For those committed to ascertaining the mind's true nature, checking their experience, and refining and extending their insight, there is no more systematic or comprehensive approach than can be found in this extraordinary set of instructions."

This introduction to Buddhist psychology supplies essential instructions for successful meditation practice. It sets forth the nature of mind and human potential and presents meditation practices that can powerfully influence and ultimately transform the mind into the purified mind of a buddha. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche clearly describes how consciousnesses operate in everyday perception and how at the time of Buddhahood, these same consciousnesses express the five primordial wisdoms of the five Buddha families.

In the summer of 1957, the revered Buddhist teacher and scholar Khenpo Gangshar foresaw the difficulties that would soon fall upon Tibet and began teaching in a startling new way that enabled all those who heard him to use the coming difficulties as the path of Dharma practice. The teaching consisted of the essential points of mahamudra and dzogchen, both view and practice, presented in a way that made them easy for anyone to use, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche was one of the grateful recipients of these teachings, which he regards as among the most important he has ever been given. He transmits them here, for the benefit of all of us who strive to practice in challenging times. They include contemplations on the ephemeral nature of both joy and suffering, meditations for resting the mind, and guidance for cultivating equanimity in any situation.

Authoritative and clear introduction to an increasingly popular aspect of Tibetan Buddhism, including step-by-step guided meditations and contemplation exercises.

The two types of meditation that form the core of Buddhist spiritual practice are: tranquillity (samatha) meditation aims at stilling the mind, while insight (vipasyana) meditation produces clear vision or insight into the nature of all phenomena. With masterful scholarship, Rinpoche explains this unified system of meditation--what to do, what to avoid, and the stages of deepening meditation--so the practitioner can gauge progress. His teaching is a commentary on the eighth chapter of the Treasury of Knowledge by Jamgon Kongtrul.