Thrangu Rinpoche describes in a lucid manner the Tibetan view of mind by giving the function and the properties and importance of the eight Consciousnesses of mind. These consciousnesses interacting with each other and the outside world give us our view of the world and in their normal functioning send us deeper and deeper into Cyclic Existence or Samsara.

When eight consciousnesses are purified with Buddhist practice, they are automatically transformed into the five enlightened wisdoms. Each of the five Buddha Families represents a particular enlightened wisdom, have different characteristics, and purify a particular disturbing emotion.

Thrangu Rinpoche considers understanding the eight consciousnesses and the five wisdoms so important in understanding the path towards enlightenment that he has taught this in many of his books and teachings.This book is 44 pages long and diagrams and line drawings of the five Buddha families with their 12 characteristics.

Available also is a exact copy of this book as a PDF for $ 1.25 in the PDF section of this website.