Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi

1. Fundamentals 1
The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Noble Path

2. Ethical Conduct 10
Doing What Is Truly Beneficial

3. Meditation 23
Changing Our Mental Outlook

4. Karma and Rebirth 30
Everything Is in Relationship

5. Mahayana Buddhism 36
Helping Others Is Helping Oneself

6. The Way of the Bodhisattva 42
Meditation and Action Go Together

7. Realizing Wisdom and Compassion 50
Bodhichitta and the Paramitas

8. The Link between Wisdom and Compassion 58
The Paramita of Meditation and the Nine Stages of Shamatha

9. Insight Meditation 69
The Paramita of Wisdom and the Madhyamaka School

10. The Role of the Mind 79
The Yogachara School and Buddha-Nature 79

11. Spiritual Progress 96
The Five Paths and the Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva

12. Buddhahood 119
The Three Kayas

13. Sutra and Tantra 134
The Tantric Levels of Attainment

14. Supreme Yoga Tantra 144
Becoming a Total Person

15. The Six Yogas of Naropa 149
Dealing with Conflicting Emotions

16. Mahamudra and the Nature of Mind 158
Going beyond Duality

17. Mahamudra Meditation 165
Allowing the Mind to Rest in Its Natural State

Index 179