It is crucial for students of Vajrayana Buddhism to find an authentic wisdom teacher, and know how to properly rely upon that teacher in order to awaken to their buddha nature and thereby attain full enlightenment. As Buddhism is still relatively new in the West, we don't always know how to go about this essential task. Fortunately the topic has never more been more thoroughly explored and the ideal relationship more clearly delineated, than by the unsurpassed Tibetan teacher Jamgon Kongtrul in the tenth chapter of his monumental Buddhist encyclopedia, The Treasury of Knowledge.
Translated: by Dr. Ron Garry, this essential text clearly lays out what credentials and qualities every student should look for in a wisdom teacher, why a wisdom teacher is necessary and how the relationship between this teacher and disciple be develops once it is established. With chapters such as How to Seek the Wisdom Teacher, Why a Wisdom Teacher Is Necessary, Categories and Quali of the Master, and How to Choose a Wisdom Teacher, this authoritative work places into the hands of every student all he or she needs to know to undertake the most fundamental and important step on the path: finding a qualified wisdom teacher.
This book also includes a teaching by Gyatrul Rinpoche that explains for Western students the critical importance of the teacher-student relationship in Buddhist practice.
"I highly recommend this book because it shows us in a clear and concise way how to create and nurture this relationship...."-from the foreword by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1899), popularly known as Jamgon Kongtrul the Great, was a pivotal figure in eastern Tibet's non-sectarian movement and one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time. In his monumental Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Treasury of Knowledge), he presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism.

The Teacher-Student Relationship, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye , Snow Lion Publications, 236pp, $14.95

Translator: Ron Garry has an M.A. in integral psychotherapy and a Ph.D. in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, and has completed the traditional three-year retreat. He is also translator of Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche's Heart Advice Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1899), popularly known as Jamgon Kongtrul the Great, was a pivotal figure in eastern Tibet's non-sectarian movement and one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time. In his monumental Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Treasury of Knowledge), he presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism.

Contents: THE TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great; Translated by Ron Garry
Foreword by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche	7
Introduction by Gyatrul Rinpoche	11
Preface	19
Part I: Tanslator's Introduction	25
1 The Importance of Having a Wisdom Teacher	27
2 Jamgon Kongtrul	33
3 Our Precious Human Life	35
4 Why a Wisdom Teacher Is Necessary	37
5 Categories and Qualifications of the Master	38
6 How to Choose a Wisdom Teacher	52
7 The Qualifications of the Student	55
8 How to Follow the Wisdom Teacher	63
9 The Necessity of Following the Wisdom Teacher	67
10 How to Avoid a False Teacher and the Wrong Path	70
11 The Importance of Faith	73
12 How to Teach and Listen to the Dharma	78
Part II: The Root Verses of Jamgon Kongtrul	109
Part III: The Auto-commentary of Jamgon Kongtrul	117
Preface	119
1 How to Seek the Wisdom Teacher	121
2 The Justification for Following the Wisdom Teacher	124
3 Categories and Characteristics of the Master Who Should Be Followed	126
4 The Way in Which One Enters into and Goes Astray - Which Follows from the Characteristics of the Master	137
5 The Characteristics of the Student Who Follows	139
6 How to Follow	144
7 The Necessity of Following the Wisdom Teacher in That Way	147
8 Avoiding Contrary, Harmful Companions	150
9 Creating Faith as a Favorable Condition	153
10 The Way That the Wisdom Teacher Should Explain and the Student Should Listen to the Holy Dharma	155
Notes	173
Appendix I: Outline of Kongtrul's Chapter on the Teacher-Student Relationship	221
Appendix II: Tibetan and Sanskrit Works Cited in Kongtrul's Text	225
Bibliography	231