This book is a commentary on an ancient, well-known Tibetan Buddhist prayer of aspiration that expounds on the Dzogchen path to enlightenment. Addressing such fundamentals as the guru-student relationship, the role of faith in Vajrayana Buddhism, recognizing basic awareness, and the notion of reality that is beyond mental concepts, it is a clear and accessible explication of a complex system of philosophy and meditation techniques that are central to Tibetan Buddhism.

While the author is a traditionally trained master in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, he has won great appreciation in the West for his humor and his familiarity with Western culture. He has lived and taught in Europe and North America for many years; Penetrating Wisdom is based on a series of talks he gave in Germany and the United States.

Penetrating Wisdom:

The Aspiration of Samantabhadra

, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, 174 pages, $24.95

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, born in 1965 in northeast India, was trained in the meditative and intellectual disciplines of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism under the guidance of many of the greatest masters from Tibet�s pre-exile generation. He is a widely celebrated teacher, known for his skill in making the full richness of Buddhist wisdom accessible to modern minds, and devotes much of his energy to developing a vision of a genuine Western Buddhism.

	Editor's Foreword	vii
	The Aspiration of Samantabhadra	1
Part 1	Faith
	Aspiration Prayer	9
	Vajra Master	12
	Lineage Principle	16
	Guru-Disciple Relationship	20
Part 2	Dzogchen
	Great Perfection	29
	Five Aspects	33
	Recognizing Rigpa	37
Part 3	Fundamental Ground
	Basic Purity	45
	Ground and Fruition	55
Part 4	Experiencing Liberation
	Spontaneous Awareness	67
	Five Wisdoms	74
	Buddha Families	79
	Deity Principle	82
Part 5	Recognition
	Bewildered Ignorance	93
	Five Poisons	97
	Ground of Confusion	104
Part 6	Dualism
	Attachment to Pleasure	117
	Fruit of Clinging	121
	Fruit of Aversion	128
	Inflated Mind	134
	Continuous Struggle	138
	Mindless Apathy	141
Part 7	Conclusion
	Concluding Aspirations	149
	The Benefit	152
	Kunzang Monlam	155
	Glossary	163