The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism

The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism

This book is published by

Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

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Previously Published by the LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE

Becoming Your Own Therapist, by Lama Yeshe Advice for Monks and Nuns, by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche Virtue and Reality, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Make Your Mind an Ocean, by Lama Yeshe Teachings from the Vajrasattva Retreat, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind, by Lama Yeshe Daily Purification: A Short Vajrasattva Practice, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Making Life Meaningful, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Teachings from the Mani Retreat, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Direct and Unmistaken Method, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Yoga of Offering Food, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Teachings from Tibet, by various great lamas The Joy of Compassion, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Kindness of Others, by Geshe Jampa Tegchok Ego, Attachment and Liberation, by Lama Yeshe How Things Exist, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Universal Love, by Lama Yeshe The Heart of the Path, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Teachings from the Medicine Buddha Retreat, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Freedom Through Understanding, by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche Kadampa Teachings, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Life, Death and After Death, by Lama Yeshe Bodhisattva Attitude, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche How to Practice Dharma, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

For Initiates Only: A Teaching on Heruka, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche A Teaching on Yamantaka, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In Association with TDL Publications, Los Angeles: Mirror of Wisdom, by Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Lama Yeshe DVDs The Three Principal Aspects of the Path ? Introduction to Tantra ? Offering Tsok to Heruka Vajrasattva ? Anxiety in the Nuclear Age ? Bringing Dharma to the West ? Lama Yeshe at Disneyland ? Freedom Through Understanding ? Life, Death and After Death

May whoever sees, touches, reads, remembers, or talks or thinks about these books never be reborn in unfortunate circumstances, receive only rebirths in situations conducive to

the perfect practice of Dharma, meet only perfectly qualified spiritual guides, quickly develop bodhicitta and immediately attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient

beings.

Lama Yeshe

The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism

The Three Principal Aspects of the Path and

An Introduction to Tantra

Edited by Nicholas Ribush

Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive ? Boston

A non-profit charitable organization for the benefit of all

sentient beings and an affiliate of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition

First published 2001 15,000 copies for free distribution Second printing 2003, 15,000 copies Third printing 2006, 10,000 copies Fourth printing 2008, 10,000 copies Fifth printing 2010, 10,000 copies

Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive PO Box 636, Lincoln, MA 01773, USA

? Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche 2001, 2010

Please do not reproduce any part of this book by any means whatsoever without our permission

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thubten Yeshe, 1935?1984. The essence of Tibetan Buddhism : the three principal aspects of the path

and introduction to Tantra / Lama Yeshe ; edited by Nicholas Ribush. p. cm.

Summary: "In this book, Lama Yeshe, one of the pioneers of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, presents the fundamental teachings of the tradition,

the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment--renunciation, bodhicitta and the right view of emptiness--and an overview of tantra,

to which the basic teachings lead"--Provided by publisher. isbn 978-1-891868-08-5 (alk. paper)

1. Buddhism--China--Tibet--Doctrines. I. Ribush, Nicholas. II. Title. bq7634.t48 2008 294.3'923--dc22 2008033742

10 9 8 7 6 5

Cover, unknown photographer ? Cover line art by Robert Beer Photos of Lama Yeshe at University of Santa Cruz, California, 1978,

by Jon Landaw ? Designed by Gopa & Ted2 Inc.

Printed in the USA with environmental mindfulness on 30% PCW recycled paper. As a result we have saved the following resources: 11 trees, 304 lbs. of solid waste, 5,010 gallons of water, 1,040 lbs. of greenhouse gases

and 3 million BTUs of energy. This paper is also FSC certified. For more information please visit

Please contact the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive for more copies of this and our other free books

. . . Contents . . .

Editor's Preface

11

The Three Principal Aspects of the Path

First Teaching

15

Second Teaching

31

Introduction to Tantra

First Teaching

47

Second Teaching

61

Glossary

79

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