Jamgon Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge in ten volumes is a unique encyclopedic masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as they were presented in Tibet. The Elements of Tantric Practice sets forth the inner system of meditation--that of highest yoga tantra, which comprises two phases. The phase of creation relies primarily on the use of the imagination to effect personal transformation. In the phase of completion, practitioners actually achieve this transformation by the use of powerful inner yogas that manipulate the inner energies and constituents of the mind and body, leading to the realization of the fundamental nature of mind and phenomena. Together these practices constitute, in Kongtrul's words, "a magnificent tradition...cherished by scholars and siddhas of [ancient] India who achieved total realization [by relying] on it."

Treasury of Knowledge: Book 8, Part 3: The Elements of Tantric Practice, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Snow Lion Publications, Hardcover, 582 Pages, $44.95

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813-1899), a pivotal figure in eastern Tibet's nonsectarian movement, was one of the most outstanding writers and teachers of his time. In his monumental Treasury of Knowledge he presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism.

	Contents: Treasury of Knowledge, Book 8, Part Three: The Elements of Tantric Practice
	Foreword by Khenpo Lodro Donyo Rinpoche	vii
	Translators' Introduction	1
	The Root Text: The Elements of Tantric Practice
	A General Exposition of the Process of Meditation in the Indestructible Way of Secret Mantra	37
1.	An Introduction to Tantric Meditation	49
2.	The Phase of Creation	59
3.	Entering Pristine Awareness	67
4.	Visualization Sequences	85
5.	The Bases of Purification, Purificatory Means, and Results of Purification	107
6.	The Phase of Completion	123
7.	Father Tantra Systems: Guhyasamaja, Black Yamari, and Red Yamari	137
8.	Mother Tantra Systems: Kalachakra and Hevajra	153
9.	Mother Tantra Systems: Chakrasamvara	167
10.	Mother Tantra Systems: Chatuhpitha, Mahamaya, Buddhakapala, and Tara Yogini	179
11.	The Key Elements	191
12.	Luminous Clarity and the Completion Phase of Union	207
	Appendix: Outline of the Text	217
	Abbreviations	221
	Notes	223
	Bibliography of Works Cited by the Author	411
	Reference Bibliography	425
	Index	449