In this book, two great Tibetan Buddhist masters of the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries challenge us to critically examine our materialistic
preoccupations and think carefully about how we want to spend the rest
of our lives. At the same time, they provide practical guidance in
following the Buddhist path, starting from the most basic motivation and
culminating in the direct experience of reality beyond the reach of
conceptual mind.
The root text is a teaching in verse written in the nineteenth century
by Patrul Rinpoche, one of the outstanding teachers of his day. In the
accompanying commentary, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991)--lineage
holder of the Nyingma school and one of the great expounders of the
Dharma in Europe and North America--expands upon the text with his
characteristic compassion and uncompromising thoroughness. Patrul
Rinpoche's fresh and piercing verses combined with Khyentse Rinpoche's
down-to-earth comments offer a concise yet complete examination of the
Buddhist path.