IN THE TASK OF PRESENTING the teachings contained in this book authentically, and yet in a way that reaches out to modern minds, I have been continually inspired by the example of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and by how he embodies all the authenticity and purity of the tradition while displaying an all-embracing openness to the modern world. There are no words to express the depth of my gratitude to him; he is a constant source of courage and inspiration not only to the Tibetan people, but also to countless individuals all over the world whose hearts have been moved and whose lives have been transformed by his message. I have been told that the connection I have with him stretches back over many lives, and in the strength and closeness of the affinity I feel for him, I somewhere know this to be true.
For their inspiration and their teachings, the essence of which are this book, I thank every one of my masters, and I offer it to them all. Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, who recognized me and brought me up, gave me the ground and the meaning of life; he gave me in fact the two most precious things I have: devotion and understanding. His spiritual wife, Khandro Tsering Chödrön, the foremost yogini in Tibetan Buddhism, has, in her love and care, been truly like a master to me as well; for me she is completely inseparable from Jamyang Khyentse, and I only have to think of her to see his majestic presence reflected in her. She is like a spiritual mother to me: I feel always protected on account of her prayers and her love. It was Dudjom Rinpoche who made flower those seeds of understanding Jamyang Khyentse had sowed in me, through his personal kindness and his teaching. The affection he showed me was almost, I sometimes think, as though I had been his own son. And then Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was there to deepen whatever understanding I have and to give it eloquence. As the years went by, he took on more and more the role of teacher for me, with the personal attention and advice he gave me so freely, and with his gentle, unending kindness. Increasingly, when I have thought of “the master,” my mind has turned to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and he became for me the embodiment of the entire teaching, a real living Buddha.
These great masters continue to move me and guide me always, and not a day goes by that I do not remember them and their unrepayable kindness, and talk about them to my students and friends. I pray that something of their wisdom, compassion, and power, and their vision for humanity, may live through the pages of this book they have so inspired.
Nor shall I ever forget my uncle Gyalwang Karmapa, who showed me such special affection from my childhood on, and the very thought of whom moves me to tears. I often think too of the great Kalu Rinpoche, the Milarepa of our times, who gave me enormous encouragement through his belief in me, and in the warmth and respect with which he treated me.
I would like to acknowledge here as well the debt of inspiration I owe to other great teachers, such as His Holiness Sakya Trizin, a close friend from my childhood, who has been my teacher and yet also like a brother, encouraging me at every turn. I give my deep thanks to Dodrupchen Rinpoche, who is a constant guide, especially on this book, and a source of refuge to me and to all of my students. Some of the most precious moments over recent years have been spent with Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, with whom I had the great good fortune to clarify the teachings in the light of his seemingly limitless learning and wisdom. Two other outstanding and eminent masters who have been special springs of inspiration to me are Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Trulshik Rinpoche, and I must thank also the very learned Khenpo Appey and Khenpo Lodrö Zangpo, who played such an important part in my studies and education. Nor will I ever forget Gyaltön Rinpoche, who showed me such kindness after my master, Jamyang Khyentse, had passed away.
I wish to pay special tribute to the encouragement and marvellous vision of Penor Rinpoche, an outstanding master who works tirelessly to maintain the unbroken transmission of the rich tradition of teachings that come directly from Padmasambhava.
I am deeply grateful to Dudjom Rinpoche’s family: his wife, Sangyum Kusho Rikzin Wangmo, for her kindness and understanding, and his son and daughters, Shenphen Rinpoche, Chime Wangmo, and Tsering Penzom, for their constant support. For their warm and generous help, I would like to thank too both Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, whose work has inspired parts of this book, and Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, who has been so instrumental in bringing the teachings and the greatest teachers to the West.
Among the younger generation of masters, I must single out Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, the “activity emanation” of my master Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö. The brilliance and freshness of his teaching continue to fascinate me and fill me with great hope for the future. Likewise I should like to thank, for his wonderful and spontaneous help, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, who is the heir to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and who received teachings from him continuously from the age of five.
I am always moved and encouraged too by a master who is very close to my heart, whose work and mine are one: Dzogchen Rinpoche. Having now reconstructed the famous Dzogchen Monastery with immense vitality in southern India, he has already taken on, in his learning and the dazzling purity and natural simplicity of his presence, the bearing of the great master he will be in the future.
A number of masters have answered in detail certain specific questions about the teachings presented in this book: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, Trulshik Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Lati Rinpoche, and Alak Zenkar Rinpoche. To them I am deeply grateful. I would like to express my gratitude as well to Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, for his friendship over the years, his kind and constant help to both my students and myself, and his wonderful translation work, which includes the translation of this book into Tibetan.
I wish to thank and salute the pioneers of the Buddhist teachings, those masters of different traditions whose work has for decades brought help to so many people in the West. I think especially of Suzuki Roshi, Chögyam Trungpa, Tarthang Tulku, and Thich Nhat Hanh.
I would like also to thank my mother and my late father for their support, and all the help they have given me to accomplish what I have done so far: my late father, Tsewang Paljor, who was Jamyang Khyentse’s secretary and personal assistant from the age of eighteen, was himself a great practitioner and yogin; and my mother, Tsering Wangmo, who has always urged me onward and encouraged me in my work. My gratitude goes too to my brother, Thigyal, and my sister, Dechen, for all their help and loyalty.
Let me express here my gratitude to the country of Sikkim and its people, the late King, the Queen Mother, the late Crown Prince Tenzin Namgyal, the present King Wangchuk, and all the royal family, as well as Professor Nirmal C. Sinha, former director of the Sikkim Research Institute.
Someone who was always a great source of inspiration and encouragement to me, and especially in this book, was David Bohm, to whom I would like to express my gratitude. I also wish to thank a number of other scientists and scholars, especially Dr. Kenneth Ring, an old friend of mine; Dr. Basil Hiley; and Geshe Thubten Jinpa, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s translator, who very kindly read through parts of this book, and offered their advice. I would like to thank Tenzin Geyche Tethong, H.H. the Dalai Lama’s secretary; Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, Special Envoy of H.H. the Dalai Lama and President of the International Campaign for Tibet; and Konchog Tenzin, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s secretary and attendant, for their help.
My thanks also go to my friend Andrew Harvey, a well-known and very gifted writer, for the dedicated, impassioned, and selfless way in which he has shaped this book and helped the majesty of the teachings to shine through the words with radiant simplicity and brilliance. He offers his work to his own masters: to Thuksey Rinpoche, whom I remember well as someone who positively radiated with love, and who looked on me with so much affection that I have always longed to repay his kindness; and to Mother Meera and her work of harmony between all religions in the world.
I thank Patrick Gaffney for his unfailing patience, his devoted perseverance, his ardor, and the sacrifices he has made to see this book through its many transformations over many years. He is one of my oldest and closest students; and if anyone were to understand my mind or my work, it is him. This book is as much his book as mine, for without him I cannot imagine that it would have been possible. I would like to dedicate this work to his own spiritual development, and to the happiness of all beings.
I am grateful to Christine Longaker for all the invaluable insights she has shared with me from her long experience of helping the dying, and teaching on death and dying. I must salute also Harold Talbott, one of my first Western friends and students, as well as Michael Baldwin, for their dedication in helping establish the teaching of Buddha in the West, and for the encouragement they have always given me. At Harper San Francisco, I should like to thank Amy Hertz, Michael Toms, and all the staff for their priceless and enthusiastic assistance with this book.
I would like to take this opportunity also to thank Philip Philippou, Dominique Side, Mary Ellen Rouiller, Sandra Pawula, Doris Wolter, Ian Maxwell, Giles Oliver, Lisa Brewer, Dominique Cowell, Sabah Cheraiet, Tom Bottoms, and Ross Mackay for their continuous help and dedication, and John Cleese, Alex Leith, Alan Madsen, Bokara Legendre, Lavinia Currier, Peter and Harriet Cornish, Robin Relph, and Patrick Naylor for their vision and support.
I thank all my students and friends who in a way have been like teachers to me, who have shared this book at every stage of its making, and who have put up with me with their deep devotion. They are a constant source of inspiration to me. My gratitude goes to those too who have truly worked with these teachings and put them into practice, especially those who are caring for the dying and bereaved, and who have contributed many useful insights to this book. I am moved by the efforts of all my students in trying to understand and apply the teachings, and I pray that they will be successful.
I have done my best here to convey the heart of the teachings, and for whatever is missing, whatever imprecision or errors there may be, I ask the reader’s indulgence, and pray that my masters and the protectors of the teachings forgive me!