Contents Foreword by the Seventh Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Gyurme Chökyi Sengye ix Introduction by Matthieu Ricard xi Translator's Introduction xvii Opening Homage and Prologue 1 1. The Necessity of Giving Up the World 5 2. How to Rely upon a Spiritual Teacher: A Ninefold Perception 13 3. Identifying a Precious Human Birth: The Eight Freedoms and Ten Endowments 17 4. Death and Impermanence: Three Roots, Nine Reasons, and Three Conclusions 23 5. Basic Ethics: The Ten Virtuous Actions and Their Counterparts, the Ten Negative Actions 29 6. The Dissatisfactory Nature of Samsara 35 7. The Importance of Ethics 39 8.

How to Establish Genuine Compassion 43 9. Nurturing Love and Compassion: The Eight Thoughts of a Great and Noble Being 61 10. The Cultivation of Bodhichitta 65 11. On Taking the Bodhisattva's Vow: The Four Black and Four White Deeds 71 12. The Bodhisattva's Vow: The Six Perfections and the Four Means of Gathering Disciples 75 13. An Explanation of Langri Thangpa's Eight Verses of Mind Training 81 14. The Cultivation of Calm Abiding 87 15. Methods for Achieving Special Insight 95 16.

The Need for Both Calm Abiding and Special Insight 105 17. How to Practice a Union of Relative and Ultimate Bodhichitta 113 18. Ultimate Bodhichitta 117 19. Mahamudra: A Teaching on the Nature of Mind, Based on the Songs of Milarepa 129 20. Buddhahood without Meditation 135 21. How to Prepare for, Practice in, and Gain Accomplishment in the Various In-between Bardo States 155 22. The Benefit of Retreat 161 23. Encouragement to Adopt a Nonsectarian Outlook and Concluding Advice 171 24.

Conclusion of the Teachings at Kailash 177 25. Afterword 181 Notes 183 Bibliography 191 Index 195.