Commentary on Dudjom Lingpa's Heart Essence of Saraha and second edition translation of Heart Essence of Saraha

Dzogchen teaches the essence of Chod. We could also say that Dzogchen practice is absolute Chod practice. Many of us know and practice the Dzogchen approach of Trekcho, which means "cutting thoroughly." In Dzogchen, where are we cutting? We're cutting in the space of the dharmadhatu. What are we cutting? All dualistic conceptions. While we're cutting with this view, there is no cutter, no object to be cut, and no cutting. In other words, our practice is free from grasping on to subject, object, and action. This is the essential view that Dzogchen practitioners use to cut all dualistic conceptions, which is also the essential understanding to maintain during Chod practice.We can also regard Chod from yet another point of view. Machig Labdron said, "Chod practice is a combination of the view of the Sutras and the skillful means of the Tantras." The view of the Sutras was taught by the Buddha in the Prajnaparamita Sutras, such as at the beginning of the Heart Sutra: "Inconceivable, inexpressible, unborn, unceasing, by nature like the sky." That is the view of the ultimate truth of reality that we discover within the nature of our own mind. Then we deepen this view using the skillful means of the Tantras, such as the ritual implements, chants, visualizations, and meditations that are taught in each specific sadhana. Combining this view with skillful means brings realization quickly.

This small collection of commentaries and verse by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the twentieth century, contains exposition on different stages of the Buddhist path from the perspective of meditative experience and actually putting the teachings into practice. Originally given orally to Western students, the texts afford a rare glimpse into the direct transmissions of a master teacher. The commentaries are on ? • The Wheel of Investigation and Meditation That Thoroughly Purifies Mental Activity by Jamgön Mipham • The Lamp That Dispels Darkness by Jamgön Mipham • A Wondrous Ocean of Advice for the Practice of Retreat in Solitude by Jigme Lingpa. These, along with the five selected poems in the final section, provide an introduction to the wisdom and compassion of Khyentse Rinpoche.

A leading authority on the rainbow body traces its history in the encounter of religions in medieval Central Asia, exploring a previously unimagined connection between early Dzogchen and the resurrection of Jesus Francis V. Tiso, a noted authority on the rainbow body, explores this manifestation of spiritual realization in a wide-ranging and deeply informed study of the transformation of the material body into a body of light. Seeking evidence on the boundary between physical science and deep spirituality that might elucidate the resurrection of Jesus, he investigates the case of Khenpo A Chö, a Buddhist monk who died in eastern Tibet in 1999. Rainbow Body and Resurrection chronicles the dissolution of Khenpo's material body within a week of his death, including eye-witness interviews. Tiso describes the spiritual practices that give rise to the rainbow body and traces their history deep into the encounter of religions in medieval Central Asia. His erudite exploration of the Tibetan phenomenon raises the fascinating question of whether there is a connection between the rainbow body and the dying and rising of Jesus. Drawing on a wealth of recent research, Tiso expands his discussion to include the contemplative geography out of which Dzogchen arose some time in the eighth century along the great Silk Road across Central Asia. The result is an illuminating consideration of previously unimagined relationships between spiritual practices and beliefs in Central Asia.