The Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the freedom that comes from perceiving the emptiness of all phenomena teachings known collectively by the name Mahamudra are presented here with remarkable clarity through commentary on a twelfth-century text. The text is "Gampopa's Great Teachings to the Assembly," by Gampopa, the foremost disciple of the legendary figure Milarepa and founder of Tibetan Buddhism's Kagyu school. The commentary is by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, a contemporary teacher of deep learning and profound practice with a remarkable gift for presenting these traditional teachings in a way that is accessible to Western hearts and minds.

Gampopa in his teaching combined the general Mahayana teachings he received from the Kadampa tradition of Atisha with the quintessential Vajrayana teachings, which he received from his teacher, Milarepa. These became the basis of the Kagyu lineage teachings that he founded. This particular text, which includes both Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings, is representative of the classic teachings of the Kagyu tradition in general.

Confusion Arises as Wisdom: Gampopa's Heart Advice on the Path of Mahamudra, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 256 Pages, $22.95

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist Master of the Kagyu Order. He was trained in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism under many great masters such as HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and HH Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche. He took his formal education at Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok and Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi, India and has served as Professor of Tibetology in Sikkim for 17 years. His doctoral thesis was on the Ecumenical Movement in Tibet. Since 1990 he has been traveling and teaching Buddhism and meditation at more than 50 Universities, Institutes and Buddhist Centres in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and Asia. He also participates in various interfaith dialogues. He authored several books on Buddhism as well as some childrens books both in Tibetan and European languages.

He founded Bodhicharya (www.bodhicharya.org ), an international organization that coordinates the worldwide activities to preserve and transmit Buddhist teachings, to promote inter-cultural dialogues and educational & social projects. He also founded Rigul Trust which supports his projects in his birthplace, Rigul, Tibet ( www.rigultrust.org ).

Rinpoche is the Official Representative of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa for Europe and the Founder of Karmapa Foundation Europe ( www.karmapafoundation.eu).

Contents: CONFUSION ARISES as WISDOM: Gampopa's Heart Advice on the Path of Mahamudra by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
Foreword by the Seventeenth Karmapa	ix
Preface by Ringu Tulku	xi
1. The Lineage of These Teachings	1
2. Understanding the Need for Devotion	10
3. The Monk Who Questioned Chenrezik	21
4. The Four Dharmas of Gampopa	34
5. The Application of Coemergence	51
6. The Nature of the Mind	68
7. The Meaning of Mahamudra	82
8. Six Points Concerning the Creation Stage Practice	93
9. Stabilizing Recognition of the Nature of the Mind	116
10. The Qualitites of a Genuine Teacher	128
11. How to Actualize the View, Meditation, Action, and Result	137
12. The Importance of Recognizing the Ordinary Mind	149
13. The Ways in Which a Realized Yogi Is Free	159
14. The Ideal Way to Listen to the Dharma	164
15. Pitfalls in Experience and Deviations from the View	169
16. Illusory, Dreamlike Bodhichitta	182
17. Gampopa's Heart Advice to Retreatants	187
18. Ten Ways in Which Students Attend Their Lama	198
Appendix: Gampopa's Great Teachings to the Assembly	203
Notes	235