This is a practical guide to the two types of meditation that form the core of Buddhist spiritual practice. Tranquillity (samatha} meditation aims at stilling the mind, while insight (vipasyana) meditation produces "clear vision," or insight into the nature of all phenomena. With masterful scholarship and the ability to make subtle ideas easy to understand and apply in practice, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche explains this unified system of meditation for students both beginning and advanced. These teachings are based on the eighth chapter of the Treasury of Knowledge by the great nineteenth-century master Jamgon Kongtrul. With Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary, this complex, encyclopedic work is now made accessible to Western students of meditation.

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is an eminent teacher of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism who has traveled and taught extensively in Asia, Europe, and North America.

The Practice of Tranquillity and Insight, Thrangu Rinpoche, Snow Lion Publications, $18.95

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is a renowned Tibetan Buddhist master known for his deep compassion and the clarity of his teachings. He was selected by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to serve as the principal tutor to His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje.
Thrangu Rinpoche is a full holder and teacher of the Kagyu Vajrayana lineages. He founded the Namo Buddha retreat center in Nepal, has established two shedras (monastic universities) in Nepal and India, and serves as Abbot of Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia. He also built Tara Abbey, where nuns receive a full dharma education qualifying them to become khenpos or teachers. Thrangu Rinpoche teaches extensively throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. He has centers in Maine and California, and is building the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado.

	Contents: The Practice of Tranquillity and Insight
	Foreword	vii
	Acknowledgments	xi
1.	INTRODUCTION TO TRANQUILLITY AND INSIGHT MEDITATION	1
	Why One Should Practice Meditation	3
	The Essential Nature of Samatha and Vipasyana	7
	Etymology of Samatha and Vipasyana	11
	The Necessity of Both Samatha and Vipasyana	12
	The Progressive Order of Meditation	13
	PART ONE
2.	SAMATHA: TRANQUILLITY MEDITATION	17
	The Prerequisites for Practicing Samatha	17
	Categories of Samatha	19
	Posture	21
	Four Objects of Meditation	25
	Four Obstacles to Meditation	29
	The Specific Stages of Meditation	31
3.	IDENTIFYING EXPERIENCES IN SAMATHA MEDITATION	39
	The Five Faults	39
	The Eight Antidotes	42
	The Six Powers, Nine Levels, and Four Engagements	46
	The Tradition of Oral Instruction	55
	The Accomplishment of Samatha	58
	The Purpose of Accomplishing Samatha	61
	PART TWO
4.	VIPASYANA: INSIGHT MEDITATION	65
	The Prerequisites for Practicing Vipasyana	65
	The Different Forms of Vipasyana	69
	Categories of Vipasyana	84
	Methods of Vipasyana	93
	The Accomplishment of Vipasyana	104
	PART THREE
5.	THE UNION OF SAMATHA AND VIPASYANA	111
	The Practice of This Union	111
	The Time of the Union	119
	The Result of the Union	125
	Different Kinds of Samatha	129
	Levels and Results of Meditation	135
	Notes	143
	Glossary	149
	Transliteration and Pronunciation of Tibetan Terms	159
	Bibliography	163
	About the Author	165
	Index	167