A correct understanding of the minds nature not only illuminates the many treatises on Buddhist philosophy, it is the key to success in meditation and to the profound insights at the heart of the Buddhas path.
The text at the center of this book, the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Oral Tradition by Khonton Peljor Lhundrub (1561-1637), manages to combine both theory and practical instructions for meditating on the nature of mind in a manner that is easily accessible. Especially interesting is its nonsectarian approach, with liberal citations from across the Tibetan Buddhist spectrum. His Holinesss the Dalai Lamas broad-ranging overview of this important text in the first part of this book insightfully distills some of the most central themes of Buddhism: why the mind is so essential to the tradition, how science and Buddhism can benefit from mutual interaction, what distinguishes subtle and grosser levels of consciousness, how the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism elaborate such a distinction, and how all of these schools have a common source in the scholarly tradition of Nalanda Monastery, the greatest Buddhist university of ancient India. It is a profound and erudite teaching, both in scope and detail, and brings the reader closer to a fresh and direct experience of the all-important topic.
As little has been written in Western languages about Khonton Rinpoche, this volume also includes a short biography of this interesting figure, who was a guru to the Great Fifth Dalai Lama.

Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He is revered worldwide for his leadership in fostering harmony among religious traditions and in bridging the divide between science and spirituality.

	Contents: MEDITATION ON THE NATURE OF MIND
	Preface	vii
	The Nature of Mind
	HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA	1
	The Life of Khonton Peljor Lhundrub
	JOSE IGNACIO CABEZON	33
	Introduction to Khonton Peljor Lhundrub's Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Oral Tradition
	JOSE IGNACIO CABEZON	49
	Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Oral Tradition: Instructions on Identifying the Shared View of Reality
	KHONTON PELJOR LHUNDRUB	61
	Appendix I: The Works of Khonton Peljor Lhundrub	141
	Appendix II: The Incarnation Lineage of Khonton Rinpoche	145
	Notes	149
	Bibliography	193
	Index	203
	About the Authors	213