Penetrating Wisdom

With deep compassion, sharp observations, and arresting metaphors, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche explicates "The Aspiration of Samantabhadra" for both new and experienced practitioners. This Dzogchen prayer explores the different manifestations of rigpa, our basic awareness in daily life, and constitutes a set of instructions for refining the path of practice. Taken from material from a series of talks in Germany and the United States, Penetrating Wisdom includes the text of the prayer, Rinpoche's always-lively commentary, and lucid answers to questions posed by his students.

This book is a commentary on an ancient, well-known Tibetan Buddhist prayer of aspiration that expounds on the Dzogchen path to enlightenment. Containing key fundamentals about the Vajrayana path—the guru-student relationship, the role of faith in Vajrayana Buddhism, recognizing basic awareness, and the notion of reality that is beyond mental concepts—this book is a clear and accessible explication of a complex system of philosophy and meditation techniques that are central to Tibetan Buddhism.

"One of the most brilliant Tibetan Buddhist teachers of his generation."—Sogyal Rinpoche