In simple and direct language, the Union of Mahamudra & Dzogchen contains Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche's teachings on a complete path to enlightenment, based on eight songs by the 17th century yogi and poet Karma Chagmey. As the first book by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, a living master of the Practice Lineage, the Union serves as a forum for his subtle brilliance and humor, the trademark of his teaching style.

The Quintessence of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzokchen presents, in a very concise and inclusive way, all that an individual actually needs to practice in order to attain awakening. This style of presentation, in its brevity and directness, is appropriate for the present time because our mental afflictions are strong and life is short. We do not have time to waste. The text, which is composed of eight songs, presents the quintessence of both Mahamudra and Dzokchen while celebrating their fundamental unity. Written in Karma Chakme's unique style of extreme simplicity and great profundity, it makes what is normally difficult to understand very easy and straightforward.

In this classic seventeenth-century presentation of the union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, Karma Chagmé, one of the great teachers of both these lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, begins with an overview of the spirit of awakening and the nature of actions and their ethical consequences. Next, drawing from his enormous erudition and profound experience, Chagmé gives exceptionally lucid instructions on the two phases of Dzogchen practice—the "breakthrough" and the "leap-over"—followed by an accessible introduction to the practice of the transference of consciousness at the time of death. The concluding chapters of this treatise present a detailed analysis of Mahamudra meditation in relation to Dzogchen practice. This tour de force of scholarly erudition and contemplative insight is made all the more accessible by the lively commentary of the contemporary Nyingma Lama Gyatrul Rinpoche. Although this book stands alone, it is the concluding section of a single body of teachings by Karma Chagmé, the earlier section published under the title A Spacious Path to Freedom. Karma Chagmé was a major teacher of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and his writings have also become central to the Payul Nyingma order, making him an ideal figure to integrate these two great meditation systems.

This book grows out of an oral teaching that Khenchen Thrangu gave in Crestone, Colorado, on Karma Chagme’s text Meaningful to Behold: The Essential Instructions of the Compassionate One on the Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. Thrangu Rinpoche explains in lucid detail the advanced meditation practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen and also their similarities and differences, including advice on how to safely perform some of the more advanced Dzogchen practices. Karma Chagme was born in Tibet in 1613. He was a major lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and his writings have also become central to the Payul Nyingma order.

This manual of Tibetan meditation simply and thoroughly presents the profound Dzogchen and Mahamudra systems of practice.

Mahamudra is the first English translation of a major Tibetan Buddhist presentation of the theory and practice of meditation-a manual detailing the various stages and practices for training the advanced student. The original Tibetan text of nearly 800 pages was composed by Takpo Tashi Namgyal (1512-1587), a great lama and a scholar of the kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. His text is so vast and thorough in scope that it is still the primary source used by living Tibetan meditation masters in instructing their disciples. The first major text representing the meditational methods of both mahayana and vajrayana Buddhism to appear in English, Mahamudra is an invaluable guide for advanced students, scholars, and Buddhist practitioners. Mahamudra is the first english translation of a major Tibetan Buddhist presentation of the theory and practice of meditation-a manual detailing the various stages and practices for training the advanced student. The original Tibetan text of student. The original Tibetan text of nearly 800 pages was composed by Takpo Tashi Namgyal (1512-1587) a great lama and a scholar of the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The first major text representing the meditational methods of both mahayana and vajrayana Buddhism to appear in english. Mahamudra is an invaluable guide for advanced students, scholars, and buddhist practitionaers.

Mahamudra and Dzogchen are perhaps the most profound teachings within all of Tibetan Buddhism. The experience of Mahamudra, or "great symbol," is an overwhelming sense of extraordinary clarity, totally open and nondualistic. Dzogchen, or "great perfection," is the ultimate teaching according to the Nyingma tradition and also represents the pinnacle of spiritual development. These are the two paths that provide practitioners with the most skillful means to experience the fully awakened state and directly taste the reality of our mind and environment. And yet these concepts are notoriously difficult to grasp and challenging to explain. In Wild Awakening, Tibetan Buddhist master Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche presents these esoteric teachings in a style that reveals their surprising simplicity and great practical value, emphasizing that we can all experience our world more directly, with responsibility, freedom, and confidence. With a straightforward approach and informal style, he presents these essential teachings in a way that even those very new to Tibetan Buddhism can understand.