The foundations of Vajrayana practice are laid out with eloquence and precision here by one of the greatest Tibetan Buddhist masters of our age. His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche's commentary on the preliminary practices (ngondro) is informed by his profound realization and wide-ranging scholarship, and illuminated with an array of quotations from the Vinaya, Sutra, and Tantra traditions. In addition to the commentary on the outer and inner preliminary practices, he provides other invaluable instructions on the correct view, conduct, and activity of a practitioner. Dudjom Rinpoche taught that the realization of the teachings of the Great Perfection depends entirely on the practice of these preliminary practices, thus his compassionate exposition of them here makes this book a particularly precious resource for anyone who seeks to remove the obstacles between themselves and the total freedom of enlightenment.

Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom, Dudjom Rinpoche, Shambhala Publications Academic, Hardcover, $39.95

His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche (1904-1987) was the head of the Nyingma lineage during his lifetime. He was a treasure revealer, teacher, and poet; he also built monasteries, retreat centers, and stupas.