The teaching of the Buddha hinges around the one point that sentient beings, meaning beings having a mind, have within them the potential to become a buddha. If they did not possess that potential, it would not be possible for them to become buddhas and the rest of the Buddhist teaching would be an interesting but useless philosophy. Therefore, the topic of buddha nature is especially important.

The Buddha taught buddha nature in steps, with each more profound than the previous one. He first taught it as a seed that could be developed, like growing a plant. After that he taught that it is, like all phenomena, empty. Finally, he taught it as actual buddhahood present in the mind. This last level of teaching is regarded by most Tibetan Buddhist schools as the most profound teaching of the sutras, the very essence of what the Buddha was trying to communicate to his followers. The ultimate teaching of the buddha nature as actual buddhahood was given in the third and final turning of the wheel of dharma. It does not show emptiness as taught in the second turning of the wheel to be most important but teaches non-dual, luminosity wisdom totally beyond all of the elaborations--the conceptual stuff--of dualistic mind as the most important point. It is part of the teaching of the highest tantras, Mahamudra and Dzogchen, so is especially important for practitioners of those systems.

It is easy to misunderstand this very profound teaching. Therefore, there is a strong need to clearly and correctly establish what buddha nature actually is and what the Buddha's teachings on it actually meant. The very learned Nyingma teacher Ju Mipham Namgyal gave a teaching on buddha nature that was recorded and published by his students. The resulting text was titled The Lion's Roar that is A Great Thousand Doses of Sugata Essence where sugata essence is one of many names for buddha nature. The text first examines the question of why buddha nature is present in all beings having mind. then goes on to present the ultimate sutra teachings in which buddha nature is understood to be buddhahood actually present in beings.

Mipham's teaching needs clarification, so a very extensive explanation has been provided by the author of the book in order to make this ultimate teaching of the sutras and by extension of the tantras available to all. As with all of our books, an extensive introduction, glossary, and so on that are provided to assist the reader.

Note: Mipham's text is one of a pair of texts that go hand in hand with each other. The ultimate teaching of buddha nature is based in emptiness of other, therefore Mipham also taught on that topic in what became the sister text to this: The Lion's Roar That Proclaims Other Emptiness. Also strongly recommended is the great exposition of Other Emptiness found in the book The Other Emptiness, Entering Wisdom Beyond Emptiness of Self.

The book contains a translation of the following text:
-- The Lion's Roar that is A Great Thousand Doses of Sugatagarbha by Ju Mipham Namgyal

Lion's Roar of the Ultimate Non-Dual Buddha Nature,Ju Mipham Namgyal, Commentary: Tony Duff, PKTC, Paperback, 254 pages, $25.00

Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso, or Mipham Jamyang Namgyal Gyamtso (1846�1912) (also known as "Mipham the Great") was a very influential philosopher and polymath of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He wrote over 32 volumes on topics such as painting, poetics, sculpture, alchemy, medicine, logic, philosophy and tantra.[2] Mipham's works are still central to the scholastic curriculum in Nyingma monasteries today.[1] Mipham is also considered one of the leading figures in the Rime (non-sectarian) movement in Tibet.

Contents: Lion's Roar of the Ultimate Non-Dual Buddha Nature By: Ju Mipham Namgyal Commentary: Tony Duff
Introduction	v
The Lion's Roar That is a Great Thousand Doses of the Sugata Essence by Ju Mipham Namgyal	1
Posing the Question	5
Giving the Answer	5
_The presentations of other traditions	6
__The first reason	6
__The second reason	6
_Stating our own tradition	10
__The first reason	10
___The ordinary way	10
___The extraordinary way	11
__The second reason	17
__The third reason	20
_Dispensing with some mistaken positions	26
__The element in being not empty being truly established	27
__The element being a cut-off empty condition	28
__Wisdom in being impermanent being compounded	30
A Thorough Commentary to the Lion's Roar That is a Great Thousand Doses of the Sugata Essence	45
_Introduction	47
_The Text: Prefatory section	57
_The Text: Body of the text	62
_The Text: Concluding section and colophons	156
Texts Cited	169
Glossary of Terms	173
Supports for Study	193
Tibetan Text	199
Index	229