The meditation-recitation of four-armed Chenrezig given here is a particularly effective practice method for human beings.

Its lineage originates with the 15th century Tibetan Mahasiddha Tangtong Gyalpo, who was Chenrezig himself in human form.

It belongs to the Gom-Loung class, meaning that we may engage in the practice without having first received an empowerment. Though it is quite accessible and easy to follow, this concise form of the Chenrezig meditation-recitation can ultimately lead to the same deep realization and results as far more elaborate Chenrezig practices.

Chenrezig: Sadhana & Commentary, Tangtong Gyalpo & Khakhyab Dorje 15th Karmapa, Translated under the Guidance of Shamar Rinpoche by Pamela Gayle White, Bird of Paradise Press, 52 pp, $20.00

A native of Pennsylvania, Pamela Gayle White got her undergrad degree from McGill University in Montreal, then continued her education in France where she studied horticulture. She began working as head gardener for a meditation center in Burgundy, France in the mid-80s and has been practicing meditation ever since. Pamela spent several years practicing in a group retreat setting in central France under the guidance of an eminent Tibetan meditation master. A writer and translator of books, articles and practice texts, Pamela has been teaching meditation and philosophy since the mid-2000s. In recent years she returned to the US where she trained as an interfaith chaplain, completing four units of Clinical Pastoral Education in hospitals on the East Coast. Pamela currently serves as a hospice chaplain in central Virginia.