All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature, the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the "Five Treatises" said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha's definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood. This seminal text details with great clarity the view which forms the basis for Vajrayana, and especially Mahamudra, practice. Thus it builds a bridge between the Sutrayana and Vajrayana levels of the Buddha's teaching, elaborated here in Jamgon Kongtrul's commentary.
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1899), the profoundly learned and realized master who compiled what are known as the "Five Great Treasures," wrote the outstanding commentary to the Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra translated here. Called the Unassailable Lion's Roar, it presents Maitreya's text as a background for the Mahamudra teachings in a way that is especially clear and easy to understand.
KHENPO TSULTRIM GYAMTSO RINPOCHE provided the annotationsand the explanationson which the present translation is based. A renowned scholar and highly accomplished yogi, he is a living example of the ongoing tradition of oral transmission. He first visited the West in 1977, at the request of H.H. the Sixteenth Karmapa, and since then has been looking after an ever-growing number of disciples throughout the world.

Buddha Nature, Maitreya, Jamgon Kongtrul, Khenpo Tsultrim Rinpoche, 407pp, HC, Snow Lion, $34.95