Present Fresh Wakefulness is more than a set of general instructions on how to practice, it is the quintessential advice of an experienced, living master on what he considers to be the absolute necessities today's yogis to arrive at liberation and complete enlightenment. We should know how to make the distinction between self existing wakefulness and dualistic mind. Believing that we are sustaining the natural state of mind while we are caught up with ordinary thinking is not much use. We need to identify the genuine, the authentic -- this is important. We need to identify that which is utterly empty, utterly naked, not confined to anything, totally clear and cognizant yet not fixated on anything. Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche In this series of teachings and conversations, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, a revered abbot, Tibetan meditation master and author of Union of Mahamudra & Dzogchen, Bardo Guidebook and Indisputable Truth, conveys the indispensable principles for arriving at the heart of Buddhist practice in his characteristic style, filled with humor, candor and wit.

There are two essential elements to the spiritual path says this popular teacher from the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa: (1) understanding that you’re already enlightened, already perfect in wisdom right here and now, and (2) accessing that natural wakefulness through spiritual practice. These two aspects depend upon each other and work together. Gaylon Ferguson’s teaching on the twin aspects of view and practice is a perfect introduction for the beginning meditator and it offers fresh perspectives for the non-beginner too.

Crystal Clear, by the learned and realized Tibetan Master Thrangu Rinpoche, is a companion volume to the classic medi¬tation manual--Clarifying the Natural State. In his straightfor¬ward and lucid style Rinpoche gives us an indis¬pen¬sable guidebook for insight practice (vipashyana). For people who want more than just theory, this is a handbook that begins with watch¬ing the breath and leads practitioners through stages of realization, all the way to complete enlightenment. "In Mahamudra, as one takes the path of direct percep¬tion, a per¬son can obtain true and complete enlightenment within the same body and lifetime. Whatever the situation, Mahamudra provides appropriate methods and techniques. So, whether one is able to undertake a lot of hardship or not, whether one is very diligent or not, whichever type of person you might be there is always great benefit in practic¬ing Mahamudra. The practice can be done in the solitude of retreat or while involved in the daily complexities of mod¬ern life. Mahamudra training is always applicable in any situation, at any moment of life." --Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Tsoknyi Rinpoche is a reincarnate lama educated in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He has been teaching students from around the world since 1990. "Being carefree, you can fit in anywhere. If you're not carefree you keep on bumping up against things. Your life becomes so narrow, so tight; it gets very claustrophobic. Carefree means being wide open from within, not constricted. Carefree doesn't mean careless. It is not that you don't care about others, not that you don't have compassion or are unfriendly. Carefree is being really simple, from the inside. Dignity is not conceit but rather what shines forth from this carefree confidence." --Tsoknyi Rinpoche Tsoknyi Rinpoche's teaching style embodies a vividness that is a play between himself and his audience. His immediateness includes gestures and examples that entice us to understanding. Through guided meditations he offers direct participation as a delightful enhancement to our practice. Simple, straightforward and profound, Carefree Dignity is a book that captivates our intellect while enriching our awareness.

“An insomniac’s ideal sleep aid—and that’s a compliment. With her collage of ruminations about sleeplessness, [Benjamin] promises no real cure . . . Her slim book is what the doctor ordered.”—The Atlantic Insomnia is on the rise. Villainous and unforgiving, it’s the enemy o f energy and focus, the thief of our repose. But can insomnia be an ally, too, a validator of the present moment, of edginess and creativity? Marina Benjamin takes on her personal experience of the condition—her struggles with it, her insomniac highs, and her dawning awareness that states of sleeplessness grant us valuable insights into the workings of our unconscious minds. Although insomnia is rarely entirely welcome, Benjamin treats it less as an affliction than as an encounter that she engages with and plumbs. She adds new dimensions to both our understanding of sleep (and going without it) and of night, and how we perceive darkness. Along the way, Insomnia trips through illuminating material from literature, art, philosophy, psychology, pop culture, and more. Benjamin pays particular attention to the relationship between women and sleep—Penelope up all night, unraveling her day’s weaving for Odysseus; the Pre–Raphaelite artists’ depictions of deeply sleeping women; and the worries that keep contemporary females awake. Insomnia is an intense, lyrical, witty, and humane exploration of a state we too often consider only superficially. “This is the song of insomnia, and I shall sing it,” Marina Benjamin declares.

We may know the gospel. We may believe it—even proclaim it. But we also may assume the gospel and become lethargic. In this book Jared Wilson seeks to answer the central question, how do we experience and present the gospel in a fresh, nonroutine way in order to prevent ourselves and others from becoming numb? His answer may be surprising: "by routinely presenting the unchanging gospel in a way that does justice to its earth-shaking announcement." We don't excite and awaken people to the glorious truths of the gospel by spicing up our worship services or through cutting-edge, dramatic rhetoric, but by passionately and faithfully proclaiming the same truths we have already been given in Scripture. Wilson's book will stir churches to live out the power of the gospel with a fervent, genuine zeal. After an explanation of the term "gospel wakefulness," Wilson unpacks implications for worship, hyper-spirituality, godly habits, and sanctification, as well as other aspects of church life. Pastors, church leaders, and all in ministry, especially those who are tired or discouraged, will be uplifted, emboldened, and empowered by this book.

Wellsprings of the Great Perfection presents the primary sources explaining how the Dzogchen teachings came into this world, who received them and through whom they passed. It is an impressive collection of original translations from a vast number of classical Tibetan documents, including songs of realization by the early masters of the lineage. " The Dzogchen teachings of the Greatest Secret, also known as the Great Perfection, are the words of the compassionate Buddha, and among the causal and resultant vehicles, they are of the type that employ the fruition as the path, Wellsprings of the Great Perfection describes the origin, and gives both short and detailed historical accounts and teachings. "I see a profound importance in studying, reflecting upon and practicing the authentic statements and explanations of the Dzogchen lineage masters- especially for people who aspire to realize the Great Perfection- the Through cut of primordial purity, the view of Trekcho. I therefore request readers to keep these scriptures in the center of their hearts." - Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, author of Present Fresh Wakefulness "The ultimate origin and absolute teachings of Dzogchen inscribed in this most sacred text and whispered by the greatest adepts of its lineage are finally available in this volume. Every serious student Dzogchen must study and enshrine it in their heart." - Tulku Thondup, author of The Healing Power of Mind

The teachings presented in As It Is, Volume I are primarily selected from talks given by the Dzogchen master, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, in 1994 and 1995, during the last two years of his life. The unambiguous Buddhist perception of reality is transmitted in profound, simple language by one of the foremost masters in the Tibetan tradition. Dzogchen is to take the final result, the state of enlightenment itself, as path. This is the style of simply picking the ripened fruit or the fully bloomed flowers. Tulku Urgyen's way of communicating this wisdom was to awaken the individual to their potential and reveal the methods to acknowledge and stabilize that prospective. His distinctive teaching style was widely known for its unique directness in introducing students to the nature of mind in a way that allowed immediate experience. This book offers the direct oral instructions of a master who inspired admiration, delight in practice, and deep trust and confidence in the Buddhist way.

In simple and direct language, the Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen contains teachings on a complete path to enlightenment, based on eight songs by the 17th century yogi and poet, Karma Chagmey. The Bardo Guidebook is straightforward, direct instructions on how to deal with the four bardos. The highest and most profound level of Buddhist practice, the Vajrayana, categorizes existence as an endless cycle of experience called the four bardos. These four periods include our present life, the process of dying, the after-death experience, and the quest for a new rebirth.

Jamgön Mipam (1846–1912) is one of the most extraordinary figures in the history of Tibet. Monk, mystic, and brilliant philosopher, he shaped the trajectory of Tibetan Buddhism’s Nyingma school. This introduction provides a most concise entrée to this great luminary’s life and work. The first section gives a general context for understanding this remarkable individual who, though he spent the greater part of his life in solitary retreat, became one of the greatest scholars of his age. Part Two gives an overview of Mipam’s interpretation of Buddhism, examining his major themes, and devoting particular attention to his articulation of the Buddhist conception of emptiness. Part Three presents a representative sampling of Mipam’s writings.