The Treasury of Precious Instructions by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, one of Tibet's greatest Buddhist masters, is a shining jewel of Tibetan literature, presenting essential teachings from the entire spectrum of practice lineages that existed in Tibet. In its eighteen volumes, Kongtrul brings together some of the most important texts on key topics of Buddhist thought and practice as well as authoring significant new sections of his own.

This is the second of two volumes that present teachings and practices from the Shangpa Kagyu practice lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. This tradition derives from two Indian yoginis, the dakinis Niguma and Sukhasiddhi, and their disciple, the eleventh-century Tibetan yogi Khyungpo Naljor Tsultrim Gonpo of the Shang region of Tibet. There are forty texts in this volume, beginning with Jonang Taranatha's classic commentary and its supplement expounding the Six Dharmas of Niguma. It includes the definitive collection of the tantric bases of the Shangpa Kagyu -- the five principal deities of the new translation (sarma) traditions and the Five-Deity Cakrasamvara practice. The source scriptures, liturgies, supplications, empowerment texts, instructions, and practice manuals were composed by Tangtong Gyalpo, Taranatha, Jamgon Kongtrul, and others.

Shangpa Kagyu: The Tradition of Khyungpo Naljor (Part2): Essential Teachings of the Eight Practice Lineages of Tibet, Volume 12, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, Snow Lion, Hardcover, 1023 pages, $49.95

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813-1900) was a versatile and prolific scholar and one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time in Tibet. He was a pivotal figure in eastern Tibet's nonsectarian movement and made major contributions to education, politics, and medicine.

Sarah Harding (translator) has been a Buddhist practitioner since 1974 and has been teaching and translating since completing a three-year retreat in 1980 under the guidance of Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche. She was an associate professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado for twenty-five years and has been a fellow of the Tsadra Foundation since 2000.