The Torch of True Meaning ─ Instructions and the Practice Text for the Mahamudra Preliminaries

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye’s classic text The Torch of True Meaning gives clear and concise instructions on the preliminary and main practices of mahamudra meditation. But it not only teaches mahamudra, it describes vividly what is necessary for any meditation practice. It is presented here in a new translation that includes the previously unpublished final chapter of Jamgn Kongtrul’s work, a brief yet inspiring description of the actual practice of mahamudra. Paired with Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye’s instructions is The Chariot That Travels the Noble Path, the standard practice text for the mahamudra preliminaries in the Karma Kagyu lineage, in a new version compiled by the Seventeenth Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Together, these two works are essential for anyone who wants to practice mahamudra.

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813-1899) is the renowned master of the traditions of accomplishment and learning and one of the most influential Tibetan Buddhist masters of the nineteenth century. A holder of diverse lineages of both the Sarma (New) and Nyingma (Ancient) schools of Buddhism, his writings comprise more than a hundred volumes and still form the basis for much of the meditation practice of several lineages. He was also a terton, an artist, and a skilled physician. His writings are distinguished by their clarity, precision, and impartial faith. He was the guru of the Fifteenth Gyalwang Karmapa and many other great teachers of his time. His reincarnations have continued his work down to the present day.