Meditation on the Nature of Mind

A correct understanding of the mind’s nature not only illuminates the many treatises on Buddhist philosophy, it is the key to success in meditation and to the profound insights at the heart of the Buddha’s path. The text at the center of this book, the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Oral Tradition by Khöntön Peljor Lhündrub (1561-–1637), manages to combine both theory and practical instructions for meditating on the nature of mind in a manner that is easily accessible. Especially interesting is its nonsectarian approach, with liberal citations from across the Tibetan Buddhist spectrum. His Holinesss the Dalai Lama’s broad-ranging overview of this important text in the first part of this book insightfully distills some of the most central themes of Buddhism: why the mind is so essential to the tradition, how science and Buddhism can benefit from mutual interaction, what distinguishes subtle and grosser levels of consciousness, how the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism elaborate such a distinction, and how all of these schools have a common source in the scholarly tradition of Nalanda Monastery, the greatest Buddhist university of ancient India. It is a profound and erudite teaching, both in scope and detail, and brings the reader closer to a fresh and direct experience of the all-important topic. As little has been written in Western languages about Khöntön Rinpoché, this volume also includes a short biography of this interesting figure, who was a guru to the Great Fifth Dalai Lama.