The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra, one of the most famous and often-recited Dzogchen texts, is at once an entreaty by the primordial buddha, Samantabhadra, that all sentient beings recognize the nature of their minds and thus become buddhas, and also a wake-up call by our own buddha nature itself. This monumental text outlines the profound view of Dzogchen in a nutshell and, at the same time, provides clear instructions on how to discover the wisdom of a buddha in the very midst of afflictions.

In this volume, Karl Brunnholzl offers translations of three versions of the Aspiration Prayer and accompanies them with translations of the commentaries by Jigme Lingpa, the Fifteenth Karmapa, and Tsultrim Sangpo. He offers further contextualization with his rich annotation and appendices, which include additional translation from Jigme Lingpa, Longchenpa, and Patrul Rinpoche. This comprehensive, comprehensible book illuminates this profound text and greatly furthers our understanding of Dzogchen--and of our own nature.

Lullaby to Awaken the Heart: The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra and Its Commentaries, Karl Brunnholzl, Wisdom Publications, Hardcover,
504 pp, $34.95

Karl Brunnholzl, MD, PhD, was originally trained as a physician. He received his systematic training in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Marpa Institute for Translators, founded by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, as well as the Nitartha Institute, founded by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Since 1989 he has been a translator and interpreter of Tibetan and English. Karl Brunnholzl is a senior teacher and translator in the Nalandabodhi community of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, as well as at Nitartha Institute. Living in Seattle, he is the author and translator of numerous texts. Currently, he is working on the Seventh Karmapa's compilation of Indian Mahamudra works.

CONTENTS: A Lullaby to Awaken the Heart
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Abbreviations	xi
	Preface	xiii
Part I. Samantabhadra and His Legacy		1
1.	Who or What Is Samantabhadra?	3
2.	The Shortest Biography of Any Buddha Ever: Samantabhadra's Instantaneous Freedom	7
3.	The Five Aspects of Samantabhadra	17
4.	Samantabhadra's Appearance	21
Part II. The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra		23
5.	The Northern Treasures	25
6.	The Source of The Aspiration Prayer: Samantabhadra's Unobstructed Awakened Mind	29
7.	The Nature of The Aspiration Prayer	37
	What Is a Buddhist Aspiration Prayer?	37
	The Uniqueness of The Aspiration Prayer	48
8.	A Language of Self-Recognition without a Self, an Agent, or Duality	59
9.	The Structure of The Aspiration Prayer and Its Different Versions	79
10.	The Aspiration Prayer as a Practice	85
11.	The Three Tibetan Commentaries	91
	Jigme Lingpa's Lancet	91
	The Fifteenth Karmapa's Ketaka	93
	Tsultrim Sangpo's Lamp	95
Part III. Translations		99
	The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra as the Nineteenth Chapter of the Tantra of Samantabhadra's Unobstructed Awakened Mind	101
	The Common Version of The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra	107
	The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra for Recitation	113
	Clearing the Guide to The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra with the Lancet of a Tika by Jigme Lingpa	119
	A Commentary on the Meaning of The Aspiration Prayer of SamantabhadraI Found in the Great Tantra of the Unobstructed Awakened Mind from the Norther Treasures, an Explanation Called Ketaka Lucidly Arranged in the Form of a Few Glosses by the Fifteenth Karmapa	125
	An Exposition of The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra Found in the Great Tantra of the Unobstructed Awakened Mind of the Norther Treasures, Called The Lamp That Clearly Illuminates the Short Path of Samantabhadra byTsultrim Sangpo	153
Appendix 1. The Outlines of the Commentaries		201
Appendix 2. The Ground, Its Manifestations, and Samantabhadra's Freedom		205
Appendix 3. The Arising of Delusion and the Unchanging Inherent Purity of All Samsaric Manifestations		227
Appendix 4. How Buddha Nature and Its Pure Qualities Pervade All Sentient Beings		237
Appendix 5. The Distinctions between All-Ground and Dharmakaya as well as Mind and Wisdom		249
Appendix 6. The Kayas and Wisdoms		263
Appendix 7. The Many Facets of the Single Freedom		287
Appendix 8. An Aspiration Prayer for Ground, Path, and Fruition by Jigme Lingpa		315
Appendix 9. The Essential Point of Practice by Patrul Rinpoche		319
Appendix 10. Afflictions as Wisdom, Skandhas as Avalokitesvara by Patrul Rinpoche		323
	Chart: The Ground, Its Manifestations, and the Resulting Freedom or Delusion	327
	Notes	329
	English--Tibetan Glossary	471
	Tibetan--English Glossary	475
	Bibliography	479
	About the Author	487