''This first English translation of the life and teachings of Nāropa is based on an old Tibetan edition'' of the work by lHa'l btsun-pa Rin-chen rnamrgyal of Brad-dkar. Appendix contains the complete text of the twelve instructions of Nadapāda in Tibetan (transliterated).

Ladakh, last outpost of Tibetan civilization, is isolated from the rest of India as well as Tibet by the world's highest mountains. This book has been accepted as a standard work since its first appearance in 1983. It contains a detailed analysis of the economic and social change that has taken place since 1974.