When Buddhism came to Tibet, the great masters of meditation determined that to practice Buddhism properly, all three vehicles or levels of Buddhism had to be studied and practiced.

The first vehicle of this practice is the hinayana path, which includes the careful examination of the self, the meticulous accumulation of merit, and of course, the meditation on the Buddha's first teaching--the Four Noble Truths. The practice of this vehicle is basic shamatha and vipashyana meditation.

The second vehicle of this practice is the mahayana path, which involves the understanding of the emptiness of phenomena and an understanding of the ultimate and the conventional truths. The practice of the mahayana is embarking upon the bodhisattva path by engendering great compassion and practicing the six perfections.

Finally the third vehicle is explained--the vajrayana, which involves doing the preliminary preparations, engaging in meditation on the yidams, and doing the meditation of looking directly at mind, which is called mahamudra.
Three Vehicles of Buddhist Practice, Thrangu Rinpoche, Namo Buddha, Paperback, 126 pp, $12.95

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is a renowned Tibetan Buddhist master known for his deep compassion and the clarity of his teachings. He was selected by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to serve as the principal tutor to His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje.

Thrangu Rinpoche is a full holder and teacher of the Kagyu Vajrayana lineages. He founded the Namo Buddha retreat center in Nepal, has established two shedras (monastic universities) in Nepal and India, and serves as Abbot of Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia. He also built Tara Abbey, where nuns receive a full dharma education qualifying them to become khenpos or teachers. Thrangu Rinpoche teaches extensively throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. He has centers in Maine and California, and is building the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado.

CONTENTS: The Three Vehicles of Buddhist Practice
	Foreword		vii
1.	The Theravada Path		1
		The Four Noble Truths	3
		The False Belief in the Self	11
		The Five Paths	20
		Meditation on the Theravada Path	25
		Meditation on the Four Noble Truths	33
2.	The Mahayana Path		41
		The Four Immeasurables	42
		Interdependent Origination	47
		Conventional and Ultimate Truth	50
		Luminous Clarity	53
		Buddha-nature	54
		The Six Paramitas	58
3.	The Vajrayana Path		67
		The Importance of the Guru	70
		Meditation on the Yidams	72
		Sangha and Protectors	76
		Four Preliminaries	78
		The Completion Stage	78
		Meditating Directly on the Mind	79
		Analytical Meditation	87
		Insight Meditation	89
Notes			103
The Glossary			107
Glossary of Tibetan Terms			115
Bibliography			117
Index			119