This long-awaited magnum opus by a preeminent scholar and teacher will appeal to Western students of Tibetan Buddhism, especially those engaged in the preliminary practices, or ngondro, that are the foundation of the tradition. The ngondro include taking refuge, generating enlightened mind (bodhichitta), the Vajrasattva practice of purification, symbolic mandala offerings, and the devotional prayer of guru yoga.

The book consists of commentaries on two Tibetan texts that are studied and practiced by tens of thousands of English-speaking Buddhists. While written in the traditional style of Tibetan commentaries, it is informed by the author's understanding of the concerns of Western Buddhist practitioners. The main commentary concerning the preliminary practices is on the well-known Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, a concise "treasure text" (terma) revealed by Dudjom Lingpa (1835 - 1904). Also included is a second commentary, on a short prayer text (Tsogskhang Dechen) written by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche (1904 - 1988), an incarnation of Dudjom Lingpa. Together, these two commentaries are the occasion for Thinley Norbu Rinpoche to impart his powerful insights into various aspects of the Buddhist path from the tantric point of view, and thus the book will be of interest even to readers who are not practicing the ngondro.

A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, Thinley Norbu, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 2006/2009, 310 Pages, $28.95

Thinley Norbu (1931-2011) was a master teacher of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, with many devoted students in the West as well in Asia. Revered as an emanation of the fourteenth-century master Kunkhyen Longchenpa, Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche was a scholar, writer, poet, and translator, whose prolific publications include A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, his masterwork on the ngondro, or preliminary practices; The Sole Panacea, on the Seven-Line Prayer of Guru Rinpoche; and A Brief Fantasy History of a Himalayan, an illustrated account of personal reminiscences.

CONTENTS: A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar
Foreword by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche			viii
Foreword by Kathog Rigdzin Pema Wangchen Rinpoche			xi
Foreword by Alak Zenkar Rinpoche			xv
Foreword by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche			xvii
Author's Preface			xxi
AN EASILY UNDERSTOOD COMMENTARY FLOWING LIKE A CASCADING WATERFALL ON "THE CONCISE NEW TREASURE PRELIMINARY PRACTICES" FROM THE SECTION OF TEACHINGS OF THE INFINITY OF PURE WISDOM PHENOMENA OF TRAGTUNG DUDJOM LINGPA			1
	The Four Common Outer Preliminaries		32
		Precious Human Birth	32
		Impermanence	39
		Karma	42
		Suffering	49
	The Uncommon Inner Preliminary Practices		52
		Refuge	52
		Developing Bodhichitta	68
		The Accumulation of Merit through Mandala Offerings	124
		Purification of Obscurations: The Vajrasattva Meditation and Recitation	150
		Receiving the Blessings of Guru Yoga	162
		Transference of Consciousness	223
		Generosity of Giving One's Body and the Dedication of Merit	233
A COMMENTARY ON THE MEANING OF "THE CONTINUOUSLY BLOSSOMING ROSARY OF THE LOTUS ASSEMBLY PALACE" CALLED THE LIGHT RAYS OF THE YOUTHFUL SUN			241
THE ROOT TEXTS			285
	A Concise Recitation of the Preliminary Practices of the New Treasures of Dudjom		287
	The Continuously Blossoming Rosary of the Lotus Assembly Palace: The Concise Fulfillment of the Dakinis		297
Index			301