The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma represents meditation master Chogyam Trungpa's greatest contribution to Western Buddhism. This three-volume collection presents in lively, relevant language the comprehensive teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist path of the hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana. This work will resonate with new students of Buddhism as well as the most senior students.

The third volume, The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness, presents the vajrayana teachings of the tantric path. The vajrayana, or diamond vehicle, also referred to as tantra, draws upon and extends the teachings of the hinayana and mahayana. As with the hinayana and the mahayana, the formal acceptance into the vajrayana is marked by a vow, in this case the samaya vow. There is an emphasis at this stage on the student-teacher relationship and on the quality of devotion. Generally, students must complete preliminary practices, called ngondro, to prepare themselves for initiation into the vajrayana path before going further. Having done so, they then receive the appropriate empowerments to begin tantric practices. There are empowerment ceremonies of many kinds, called abhishekas. The vajrayana includes both form practices, such as visualizations and sadhanas (ritual liturgies), and formless practices based on allowing the mind to rest naturally in its inherent clarity and emptiness. Although on the surface, there is much greater complexity in tantric practices, the principles of mindfulness and awareness and the cultivation of compassion and skillful action continue to be of central importance.

The tantric path requires complete engagement and fierce dedication. It is said to be a more rapid path, but it is also more dangerous. There is a quality of directness, abruptness, and wholeheartedness. Tantrikas, or vajrayana practitioners, recognize that the most challenging aspects of life, the energies and play of confused emotions and frightening obstacles, can be worked with as gateways to freedom and realization.

Other topics covered in detail in this volume include the four reminders, the mandala principle, mahamudra, atiyoga, and more.
The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma: The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Shambhala Publications, Hardcover, 902 pp, $79.95

Chogyam Trungpa (1940-1987) - Buddhist meditation master, teacher, and artist - founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America; the Shambhala Training program; and an international association of meditation centers known asShambhala International. He is the author of numerous books, including Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, and The Myth of Freedom.

CONTENTS: The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness
Editor's Introduction	xiii
Pronunciation of Sanskrit and Tibetan	xxxi
PART ONE Approaching the Vajrayana
Introduction	3
1. The Dawning of the Great Eastern Sun	19
2. The Transition to Vajrayana	27
3. Entering the Diamond Path on a Solid Foundation	43
4. Uncovering Indestructible Goodness and Wakefulness	55
5. The Multifaceted Diamond Path	64
6. Seven Aspects of Vajrayana: The Space before First Thought	80
PART TWO The Teacher-Student Relationship
7. The Role of the Guru or Vajra Master	91
8. The Root Guru as the Epitome of Freedom	103
9. A Total Surrendering of Samsaric Logic	119
10. The Power of Devotion	125
PART THREE The Tulku Principle and the Trungpa Tulkus
11. The Tulku Principle	137
12. The Early Trungpas	144
13. The Later Trungpas	159
PART FOUR Essential Teachings
14. Unconditional Ground	173
15. Transcending Mental Concepts	189
16. Fundamental Magic	194
17. The Play of Space and Form	206
18. The Eight States of Consciousness and the Trikaya Principle	215
PART FIVE The Mandala Principle
19. Samaya: Making a Commitment	227
20. Positive Entrapment	239
21. The Different Types of Samaya	244
22. Maintaining the Samaya Vow	256
23. Enlightenment and Its Opposite	267
24. Perfecting the Samaa Vow	274
PART SIX The Mandala Principle
25. The Sphere of Self-Born Wisdom	285
26. The Mandala of the Five Buddha-Families	293
27. The Outer Mandala	313
28. The Inner Mandala	323
29. The Secret Mandala	333
PART SEVEN Preliminary Practices
30. The Four Reminders	343
31. The Four Preliminaries	354
32. Guru Yoga	366
PART EIGHT Empowerment
33. Transmission	375
34. Surrendering	384
35. Entering the Vajra Mandala	395
36. Stability, Luminosity, and Joy	400
37. The Four Main Abhishekas	407
PART NINE Vajrayana Practice
38. Visualization and Sadhana Practice	417
39. The Importance of a Nontheistic View	433
PART TEN The Tantric Journey: Lower Tantra
Kriyayoga: The Yana of Purity
40. Kriyayoga: Trust in Reality	441
41. Kriyayoga: Purification	454
42. Kriyayoga: Empowerment	463
43. Kriyayoga: Practice	472
Upayoga: The Yana of Conduct
44. Upayoga: Unadorned Perception	485
45. Upayoga: Empowerment	493
46. Upayoga: Practice	499
Yogayana: The Yana of Union
47. Yogayana: Complete Union	505
48. Yogayana: Empowerments and Practice	512
PART ELEVEN The Tantric Journey: Mahamudra
Anuttarayoga: Highest Yoga
49. The Great Symbol	523
50. Devotion: The Essential Prerequisite for Mahamudra	533
51. Taking a Fresh Look at the Phenomenal World	546
52. Uniting with Open Space	554
53. The Challenge of Keeping Samaya	562
54. The Divisions of Anuttarayoga	571
55. Manifesting Mahamudra	577
56. Ground Mahamudra: Understanding Things as They Are	588
57. Path Mahamudra: The Experience of Meditation	599
58. Fruition Mahamudra: Realizing One's Mind as Buddha	614
PART TWELVE The Tantric Journey: Higher Tantra
Mahayoga: The Yana of Great Union
59. Mahayoga: The Dawning of the Wisdom of Self-Existence	625
60. Mahayoga: Meditation and the Mandala Principle	633
61. Mahayoga: The Eight Logos	645
62. Mahayoga: Nondual Practice	665
Anuyoga: The Yana of Passion
63. Anuyoga: Joining Space and Wisdom	671
64. Anuyoga: Empowerment	678
65. Anuyoga: Practice	684
66. Anuyoga: No Boundaries	691
Atiyoga: The Great Completion
67. Atiyoga: Continuous Awake	699
68. Atiyoga: Primordial Enlightenment	708
69. Atiyoga:: Fathomless Mind	717
70. Atiyoga: Mind, Space, and Instruction	724
71. Atiyoga: Meditation Practices	739
72. Atiyoga: Heightened Experience	752
73. Atiyoga: Everything and Nothing	762
Appendix 1: Kamalashila and the Great Debate	769
Appendix 2: The Song of Lodro Thaye	771
Appendix 3: The Charnel Ground	783
Appendix 4: Notecards	785
Appendix 5: Outline of Teachings	793
Glossary	825
Sources	863
Resources	879
About the Author	881
Credits	887
Index	891