Mahamudra is the natural state of mind: luminous, spacious, unhindered and free from dualistic concepts. In these talks, Mingyur Rinpoche provides a brilliant, engaging and accessible introduction to the practice of Mahamudra.  With joy, humor and examples that are easily understandable by Western Students, rinpoche explains the meaning of Mahamudra and reveals how it is that our failure to recognize our nature of mind causes us to suffer. He provides extensive practice instructions on objectless meditation with a variety of supports including mantra, visual objects, sound, thoughts and emotions. In talk four, Rinpoche presents an especially extensive and beneficial teaching on using pain as a support for meditation. For each practice he guides students through a practice session and answers students' questions about the practice. This teaching includes an extremely accessible explanation of Buddha-nature and emptiness.

Mahamudra: The Natural Mind, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, 4 DVDs, 7.5 hours, Vajra Echoes

Born in 1975 in Nepal, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a rising star among the new generation of Tibetan Buddhist masters trained outside of Tibet. He is a highly venerated teacher and master of the Karma Kagyu lineage who was recognized as a tulku by both the 16th Karmapa and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.  At the unusually young age of 13, Ripoche entered a traditional three-year retreat and at age 17 was asked by Tai Situ Rinpoche to undertake a second three-year retreat and serve as it's retreat master.  At age 20, Situ Rinpoche asked Mingyur Rinpoche to oversee and teach at a new monastic university at Sherab Ling Monastery in India. His youthful appearance and young age belies his vast knowledge and wisdom of the buddha dharma. Rinpoche has one-pointedly devoted his entire life to the study, practice and teaching of the dharma and he has accomplished tremendous benefit for beings in this lifetime. He teaches actively in the West and is known for his remarkable ability to convey the buddhist teachings in a clear and skillful manner.  Learn more about Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche at www.mingyur.org.