In The Mirror of Mindfulness, seventeenth-century master Tsele Natsok Rangdröl teaches that there is an identical essence intrinsic to the heart, mind, and spirit in every human being. The realization of this essential oneness in humanity, he said, makes any man or woman a Buddha. The book focuses on how to reach this understanding through a system of training of timeless, universal value that has been developed in Tibet. According to editor Erik Pema Kunsang Schmidt, the truth such training conveys is as meaningful for a modern meditation practitioner as it was centuries ago for Buddhists in India and Tibet.The Mirror of Mindfulness addresses the experiences of passing through the bardos into the next life. While relatively brief, the book fully expresses the depth of the spiritual lineage it springs from: a system of training that offers the possibility of enlightenment in a single lifetime. Newly designed and with a new translation of the Final Words of Tsele Natsok Rangdrol, this book is the foundation for the often-cited commentary Bardo Guidebook by contemporary teacher Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and is widely seen as indispensable for the serious study of Tibetan Buddhism. Included are contextualizing introductions, a foreword, preface, prologue, epilogue, appendix, and glossary.

Through lively anecdotes and stories this highly revered Buddhist meditation master and scholar tells about his life of study, retreat, and teaching. The formative events of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's life, and those insights and experiences that caused him to mature into the warm, brilliant, and highly realized meditation master and teacher he was, are deeply inspiring. The second half of the book comprises recollections by his wife; his grandson, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche; Tenga Rinpoche; the Queen Mother of Bhutan; and many prominent teachers.

A renowned classic of Buddhism previously unavailable in English explained by one of the most renowned and respected teachers of the last generation.

During a month-long seminar in France during 1990, Vajrayana Buddhism master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-91) presented this teaching on the mind training of the Indian master Atisha (982-1054) and the Tibetan master Thogmé Zangpo (1295-1369). It is translated from the Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group. The first edition appeared in 1993. There is no index. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Why is the practice of guru yoga (union with the nature of the guru) so important?