Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye's classic text The Torch of True Meaning gives clear and concise instructions on the preliminary and main practices of mahamudra meditation. But it does not only teach mahamudra: this book describes vividly what is necessary for any meditation practice. It is presented here in a new translation that includes the previously unpublished final chapter of Jamgon Kongtruls work, a brief yet inspiring description of the actual practice of mahamudra.

Paired with Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye's instructions is The Chariot that Travels the Noble Path, the standard practice text for the mahamudra preliminaries in the Karma Kagyu lineage, in a new version compiled by The Seventeenth Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Together these two works are essential for anyone who wants to do the practice of mahamudra.
Torch of True Meaning: Instructions and the Practice for the Mahamudra Preliminaries, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, KTD Publications, Paperback, 184 Pages, $14.95

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813-1899) is the renowned master of the traditions of accomplishment and learning and one of the most influential Tibetan Buddhist masters of the nineteenth century. A holder of diverse lineages of both the Sarma (New) and Nyingma (Ancient) schools of Buddhism, his writings comprise more than a hundred volumes and still form the basis for much of the meditation practice of several lineages. He was also a terton, an artist, and a skilled physician. His writings are distinguished by their clarity, precision, and impartial faith. He was the guru of the Fifteenth Gyalwang Karmapa and many other great teachers of his time. His reincarnations have continued his work down to the present day.

CONTENTS: Torch of True Meaning
Foreword by His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje		vii
Translator's Introduction		ix
THE TORCH OF TRUE MEANING		1
The Four Ordinary Preliminaries		3
1.	The Precious Human Life	5
2.	Meditation on Impermanence	11
3.	Karmic Cause and Effect	15
4.	The Defects of Samsara	21
The Four Uncommon Preliminaries		29
1.	Going for Refuge	31
	The Generation of Bodhichitta Connected with Going for Refuge	37
2.	The Instructions on the Hundred-syllable Mantra that Purifies Misdeeds and Obscurations	47
3.	The Instructions for Mandala Offerings, Which Perfect the Two Accumulations	57
4.	Guru Yoga, Which Brings Blessings Swiftly	69
Instructions on the Main Practice		85
THE CHARIOT THAT TRAVELS THE NOBLE PATH		101
The Four Ordinary Preliminaries		104
Refuge and Bodhichitta		108
The Mediation and Recitation of Vajrasattva		119
Mandala Offerings		124
Guru Yoga		135
Notes		161
Glossary		167