Liberation from Samsara: Oral Instructions on the Preliminary Practices of Longchen Nyingtig

This rare offering by Kyabje Dodrupchen Rinpoche is a uniquely concise volume of the teachings of the path to liberation that is authentic, authoritative, and complete. In Liberation from Samsara, the Fourth Kyabje Dodrupchen Rinpoche presents the Longchen Nyingthik preliminary teachings, with a special focus on guru yoga. These teachings, from the innermost secret instruction of Dzogchen, constitute a complete path to enlightenment.

Rinpoche’s precious instruction begins with meditations on the common and uncommon preliminary practices, including

the difficulty of obtaining a fortunate human birth;
the impermanence of life;
the implacability of karmic causes and results;
samsaric suffering in the six realms;
taking refuge;
developing bodhichitta;
purification by Vajrasattva recitation;
and accumulating merits by mandala offerings.

After discussing the ways to turn our mind toward Dharma and the trainings, Rinpoche provides guru yoga instruction as he turns to the main tantric practice: meditations on unifying one’s mind with Guru Rinpoche’s wisdom mind. This rare teaching by Rinpoche, though intentionally succinct to accommodate the needs of contemporary Western practitioners, presents a complete path to enlightenment. It contrasts three different paths to liberation: Shravakayana (the way of the disciple), Pratyekabuddhayana (the way of the self-enlightened buddha), and Mahayana (the way of the bodhisattva), which is our way, our boundless intention to seek refuge in order to free all sentient beings from samsaric suffering.