The Torch of Certainty

Jamgon Kongtrul was a versatile and prolific scholar of nineteenth-century Tibet. He has been characterized as a "Tibetan Leonardo" because of his significant contributions to religion, education, medicine, and politics. In his writing, which spans the entire field of Tibetan learning, he brought together the essence of the great intellectual and contemplative traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. This translation of an important and fundamental Tantric text reveals the richness and profundity of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The text describes the Four Foundation Practices which all practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism must complete. The nature of impermanence, the effects of karma, the development of an enlightened attitude, and devotion to the guru are among the subjects treated in this volume. Interviews with three eminent contemporary Tibetan Buddhist teachers: Kalu Rinpoche, Deshung Rinpoche, and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, as well as Trungpa's foreword to the book, explain the significance of "The Torch of Certainty" for modern-day students and practitioners of Buddhism.