Books by Dilgo Khyentse

Highly respected by thousands of students throughout the world, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was one of the foremost poets, scholars, philosophers, and meditation masters of our time. Here he speaks frankly, drawing on his own life experience. Condensing the compassionate path to Buddhahood into practical instructions that use the circumstances of everyday life, Rinpoche presents the Seven-Point Mind Training-the very core of the entire Tibetan Buddhist practice.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, devotion to one''s guru or spiritual master is considered to be of the utmost importance in spiritual practice. The instructions of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, based upon the teachings of the great eighteenth-century saint and visionary Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa, focus on the devotional practices of Guru Yoga, "Merging with the Mind of the Guru."

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche illuminates the path of trekchö, or cutting through the confusion of samsara to the primordial purity of the mind's essential nature, based on the atiyoga dzogchen instructions of Paltrul Rinpoche. Three Words That Strike the Vital Point is the famous seminal statement by Garap Dorje that is said to encapsulate all the myriad dzogchen tantras. The key instructions on it by the outstanding nineteenth-century master Paltrul Rinpoche--the verses known as "The Special Teaching of Khepa Shri Gyalpo"--form the basis for Khyentse Rinpoche's discourse here. These teachings belong to the oral instruction division of atiyoga and explain the path of trekchö, or directly cutting through the confusion of samsara to the primordial purity of the nature of mind. In dzogchen, when one has fully recognized that all the confusion of samsara is the expressive power of primordially pure great emptiness, confusion is spontaneously liberated into the primordial purity of mind's original nature. Compassion spontaneously arises, accomplishing the benefit of sentient beings. Khyentse Rinpoche was renowned for his ability to elucidate the dzogchen teachings and to lead students of all backgrounds to deeper experiential realization. His powerful presence shines through the pages of this book.

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.

What would be the practical implications of caring more about others than about yourself? This is the radical theme of this extraordinary set of instructions, a training manual composed in the fourteenth century by the Buddhist hermit Ngulchu Thogme, here explained in detail by one of the great Tibetan Buddhist masters of the twentieth century, Dilgo Khyentse.In the Mahayana tradition, those who have the courage to undertake the profound change of attitude required to develop true compassion are called bodhisattvas. Their great resolve—to consider others’ needs as paramount, and thus to attain enlightenment for the sake of all living creatures—carries them beyond the limits imposed by the illusions of “I” and “mine,” culminating in the direct realization of reality, transcending dualistic notions of self and other.This classic text presents ways that we can work with our own hearts and minds, starting wherever we find ourselves now, to unravel our small-minded preoccupations and discover our own potential for compassion, love, and wisdom. Many generations of Buddhist practitioners have been inspired by these teachings, and the great masters of all traditions have written numerous commentaries. Dilgo Khyentse’s commentary is probably his most extensive recorded teaching on Mahayana practice.