A Buddhist Classic
“A spiritual practitioner is in error when he has received abundant oral instructions and his mind still remains that of an ordinary person.”
“It is useless to act in discord with the teachings since such “spiritual practice” will cause a rebirth in the lower realms— even if you have entered the gateway to the Dharma.”
—Lord Gampopa
“The Precious Garland of the Sublime Path is, in general, a condensation of the complete key points of all levels of Buddhist training. More particularly, it contains oral instructions that can reach our very hearts and reveal our hidden faults. By personally applying these oral instructions, we can soften our rigid minds and further our experience and realization, gaining trust and sincere interest in the spiritual path.”
—Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche
The great 12th century master Gampopa is one of the founding fathers of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was renown for his philosophical knowledge and meditation experience. He unified these two streams of transmission: the Kadampa lineage’s system of mind-training with basis in the Mahayana sutras and the simple and profound meditation instructions of Mahamudra. Through this melding, the impact of the teachings became even more profound. Nowhere else is this depth and sagaciousness more evident than in The Precious Garland. This text presents astute penetrating instructions essential for the Buddhist practitioner.