Essential instructions on Mahamudra from one of today's greatest Mahamudra masters.

In his first major book, His Eminence the Twelfth Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche, the head of the Zurmang Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, elucidates the essence of a fundamental mahamudra teaching.

At the heart of this book are Rinpoche's practical instructions on how to settle the mind and meditate in a way that directly works with the mind, with the aim of discovering and becoming familiar with the nature of the mind. These instructions are given as commentary to a short text written by Bokar Rinpoche, which is itself a concise commentary on the Ninth Gyalwa Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje's Ocean of Definitive Meaning, which is considered to be one of the most authoritative and exhaustive treatises on mahamudra. The book covers topics such as the preliminary practices, the practice of samatha and vipasyana according to the mahamudra tradition, and advice for overcoming obstacles and making progress along the path.

His Eminence Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche offers revealing commentary on Bokar Rinpoche's pithy teaching, illuminating and unlocking it for contemporary readers, showing us the way to understand the very nature of our own minds.
Mahamudra: A Practical Guide, His Eminence the Twelfth Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 208 pp, $19.95

His Eminence Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche offers revealing commentary on Bokar Rinpoche's pithy teaching, illuminating and unlocking it for contemporary readers, showing us the way to understand the very nature of our own minds.

His Eminence the 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche was born a son of the Sikkimese Royal Court and was recognized by His Holiness the 16th Karmapa as the twelfth incarnation of the Gharwang Tulkus. Rinpoche is the supreme lineage holder of the Whispered Lineage of the Zurmang Kagyu tradition. He teaches around the world.

CONTENTS: Mahamudra: A Practical Guide
Foreword		vii
Preface		ix
Introduction		1
A Concise Commentary on The Ocean of Definitive Meaning		11
The Title and Opening Verse		13
Part I: The Preliminaries		15
1.	The Common Preliminaries	17
2.	The Uncommon Preliminaries	29
3.	The Special Preliminaries	37
Part II: The Actual Practice: Samatha and Vipasyana		45
4.	Samatha	47
	A General Presentation of Samatha	47
	A Detailed Presentation of Samatha	53
5.	Vipasyana	69
	Looking at the Nature of Reality, the Essence of Mind	69
	Cutting the Fundamental Root	70
	Introduction by Determining Awareness to Be Empty	75
Part III: Conclusion		91
6.	How to Develop One's Capacity and Make Progress	83
7.	How to Eliminate Obstacles	103
8.	How to Traverse the Path	109
9.	How to Actualize the Result	119
Part IV: Translation		123
10.	Detailed Outline of the Root Text	125
11.	Translation of the Root Text	129
12.	Tibetan Text	161
About the Author		189