This book is by a Tibetan lama who spent three decades in meditation retreat in Tibet and India and then 22 years teaching Buddhism in Europe. It contains teachings that he considered vital for treading the Buddhist path to liberation, especially for westerners, and that he gave again and again to his Western students. His advice on Buddhist practice is simple and yet profound; it extends from the basics all the way up to the highest teaching of Mahamudra. His words are imbued with an authority and authenticity that comes from having tested these teachings and practices in the fire of his own...