The Essence of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its Philosophy and Practice

One of the clearest introductions to the teachings and philosophies of the three main schools of Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan.

This comprehensive guide to the Buddhist path is as accessible as it is complete. Traleg Kyabgon breaks the teachings down conveniently into the three traditional "vehicles," while never letting us forget that the point of all the Dharma is nothing other than insight into the mind and heart. Along the way he provides vivid definitions of fundamental Buddhist concepts such as compassion, emptiness, and Buddha-nature and answers
common questions such as:

• Why does Buddhism teach that there is "no self"?
• Are Buddhist teachings pessimistic?
• Does Buddhism encourage social passivity?
• What is the role of sex in Buddhist tantra?
• Why is it said that samsara is nirvana?
• Does it take countless lifetimes to attain enlightenment, or can it be achieved in a moment?

TRALEG KYABGON (1955-2012) was born in eastern Tibet and educated by many great masters of all four major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the founder of the Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute, which is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with a major practice center in New York City. Rinpoche was well known for his erudition and understanding of Western psychology and culture, and comparative religion. He taught extensively at universities and Buddhist centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, and he is the author of Mind at Ease and The Practice of Lojong.

Foreword by H.H. the Seventeenth Karmapa
Foreword by Sogyal Rinpoche
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Fundamentals: The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Noble Path
2. Ethical Conduct: Doing What Is Truly Beneficial
3. Meditation: Changing Our Mental Outlook
4. Karma and Rebirth: Everything Is in Relationship
5. Mahayana Buddhism: Helping Others Is Helping Onself
6. The Way of the Bodhisattva: Meditation and Action Go Together
7. Realizing Wisdom and Compassion: Bodhichitta and the Paramitas
8. The Link between Wisdom and Compassion: The Paramita of Meditation and the Nine Stages of Shamatha
9. Insight Meditation: The Paramita of Wisdom and the Madhyamaka School
10. The Role of the Mind: The Yogachara School and Buddha-Nature
11. Spiritual Progress: The Five Paths and the Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva
12. Buddhahood: The Three Kayas
13. Sutra and Tantra: The Tantric Levels of Attainment
14. Supreme Yoga Tantra: Becoming a Total Person
15. The Six Yogas of Naropa: Dealing with Conflicting Emotions
16. Mahamudra and the Nature of Mind: Going beyond Duality
17. Mahamudra Meditation: Allowing the Mind to Rest in Its Natural State
Index