The first comprehensive overview of the life and writings of the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, a revolutionary figure in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Known for his mastery of teachings across sectarian lines, his treatises on medicine and astrology, and his work as spiritual advisor to the last Yuan emperor of China, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339) is considered one of the most important and influential figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. First recognized as a tulku, or reincarnated Buddhist master, at the age of five, Rangjung Dorje became the Karma Kagyu lineage holder and instituted the reincarnation-based inheritance structure within Tibetan Buddhism that led to the formation of important lineages of tulkus such as the Dalai Lamas. In this groundbreaking work, Ruth Gamble synthesizes her extensive research on Rangjung Dorje into a sweeping biography covering his life, legacy, and important selected writings. Included in her discussions are Rangjung Dorje's synthesis of Dzogchen and Mahamudra in his writings, his devotion to spreading the teachings of Buddha nature, and several works never before translated into English. As the most comprehensive work available on Rangjung Dorje, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.

The Mahamudra Prayer by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje is a short yet thorough and profound text which presents all the essential points of Mahamudra teaching in terms of view, practice, and fruition. It is a classic that, especially in the tradition of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, has been and is widely used whenever a disciple is given a first introduction into Mahamudra. The Third Karmapa shows how to recognize our ultimate potential as a buddha. The short root text is further explained by Khentin Tai Situpa Pema Donyo Nyingje Wangpo, the twelfth incarnation of the Tai Situpa lineage, which is one of the most important lineages of the Kagyu tradition. His deep understanding of Western culture, especially of the Western psychological perspective, allows him to expound the Dharma with a clarity and directness that is truly inspiring.

Widely renowned as one of the major proponents of the Tibetan shentong tradition, the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339), propounded a unique synthesis of Yogacara, Madhyamaka, and the classical teachings on Buddha nature. This book is a collection of some of his main writings on Buddha nature, the transition of ordinary deluded consciousness to enlightened wisdom, and the characteristics of buddhahood.

An extraordinary collection of writings on buddha nature by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339)--now in paperback. The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje's unique and balanced view synthesizes Yogācāra Madhyamaka and the classical teachings on buddha nature. His work focuses on the transition from ordinary deluded consciousness to enlightened wisdom, the characteristics of buddhahood, and a buddha's enlightened activity. Included are commentaries by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé that supplement the view of the Third Karmapa on two fundamental treatises on buddha nature, emphasizing the luminous empty mind of buddha nature as presented by the great Indian masters Maitreya and Asaṅga. For those practicing the sutrayāna and the vajrayāna in the Kagyü tradition, what these texts describe can be transformed into living experience.

All beings have the potential to recognize their true nature, their buddha nature, explicated here by Nagarjuna, Buddhism's single most important philosopher, with commentary from an eminent fourteenth-century sage.

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, human beings' true nature, or buddha essence, is the foundation from which all wisdom develops. In order to discover our buddha essence, the meditator needs to know how to meditate correctly and must properly understand the reasons for practicing meditation. We also need training in how the philosophy and practice come together in the development of insight. In this book—with clarity, warmth, and humor—renowned Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Khenchen Thrangu explains buddha essence and how to discover it in ourselves by drawing on a classical text of the Kagyu lineage by Rangjung Dorje (the third Karmapa). On Buddha Essence will be of interest to practitioners of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Lamp that Dispels Darkness is an interlinear commentary on 'The Shastra Distinguishing Consciousness and Primordial Wisdom', an important work of Buddhist philosophy and practise written in the 14th century by the renowned Buddhist master Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339). The commentary was composed in 1986 by the great Tibetan scholar and yogin, Karma Thinley Rinpoche, providing a definitive and clear guide to the concise original text. Though written in the classical style of the Tibetan commentarial tradition, Karma Thinley Rinpoche provides guidance with a Western audience in mind, helping to bridge the gap between the modern world view and the world view of Buddhism. The book also contains an afterword from the translator, 'Distinguishing "Consciousness" and "Vijnana"', distinguishing contemporary Western notions and assumptions about mind from the Buddhist understanding presented throughout this work.