Buddhism in a Nutshell is an overview of the complete Buddhist path to enlightenment that combines the blessings and transformational teachings of Tibetan Buddhist masters Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the candidly refreshing perspective of Western teacher Venerable Amy Miller. It provides students with the information they need for their spiritual journey along with advice on how to integrate these teachings into daily life. In addition, readers are given simple meditation techniques to help bring each topic "from the head into the heart."

Topics covered include the life of the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, and a commentary on the steps of the path to enlightenment following The Foundation of All Good Qualities, a prayer requesting blessings written by the Tibetan saint, Lama Tsongkhapa. This is a unique blend of teachings and tools for spiritual seekers that is long overdue.

Also included is an MP3 disc of the original course upon which this book was based, offering 11 hours of clear and accessible teachings from Venerable Amy Miller.
Buddhism in a Nutshell: Essentials for Practice and Study,Lama Thubten Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and Venerable Amy Miller, FPMT Education Publications, Paperback + MP3 CD, 245 pp (book) + Over 11 hours (CD), $24.99

Lama Thubten Yeshe was born in Tibet in 1935. At the age of six, he entered Sera Monastic University in Tibet where he studied until 1959, when as Lama Yeshe himself has said, "In that year the Chinese kindly told us that it was time to leave Tibet and meet the outside world." Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, together as teacher and disciple since their exile in India, met their first Western students in 1965. By 1971 they settled at Kopan, a small hamlet near Kathmandu in Nepal. In 1974, the Lamas began touring and teaching in the West, which would eventually result in The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. Lama Yeshe died in 1984.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born in 1946 in Thami, in the Mount Everest region of Nepal, not far from the Lawudo cave where his predecessor had meditated for the last 20 years of his life. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is now the Spiritual Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition and oversees all of its activities.

Amy Miller (Ven. Lobsang Chodren) first encountered Tibetan Buddhism in the spring of 1987 during a course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Since then, she has spent a great deal of time engaged in meditation retreats, study, teaching, and Buddhist center management in India, Nepal, and the United States.

Preface	7
Motivation for Reading this Book	9
What is Buddhism?	13
Who was the Buddha?	21
What is Buddhist Refuge?	37
-- Taking Refuge	39
-- What Makes a Buddhist?	44
-- Is it Buddhist?	47
The Fundamentals of Karma	51
-- What is Karma?	53
-- Understanding Karma	56
What are the Four Noble Truths?	61
What is Meditation?	73
-- The Purpose of Meditation	75
-- The Essence of Meditation	81
-- How to Meditate	84
-- Calm Abiding	91
Understanding the Mind	95
-- What is the Mind?	96
-- Some Characteristics of the Mind	102
Understanding the Teachings	111
-- Hinayana, Mahayana, & the Meaning of Yana	112
-- Turning the Wheel of the Dharma	117
-- The Structure and Qualities of the Lam-Rim	121
The Importance of a Qualified Teacher	129
-- Relying on a Qualified Teacher	130
-- The Need for a Qualified Teacher	134
What is the Purpose of Life?	139
-- Fulfilling Life's Purpose	141
-- Why Appreciating Our Human Life is so Essential	144
Death and Impermanence	149
-- Facing the Inevitable	151
-- The Importance of Meditating on Impermanence & Death	156
What is Renunciation?	159
How to Serve Others	169
-- Bodhicitta	171
-- The Good Heart	175
-- The Life of a Bodhisattva	181
What is Emptiness?	187
-- Emptiness	189
-- Insight into the Nature of Reality	193
-- Who are You and Where Can You be Found?	197
Introducing Tantra	203
Advice for Bringing These Teachings into Your Daily Life	211
How to Dedicate Your Virtue	215
Appendix 1: The Foundation of All Good Qualities	221
Appendix 2: Recommended Reading and Resources	225
About the Authors	229
Glossary	232