According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, human beings' true nature, buddha essence, is the foundation from which all wisdom develops. In order to discover our Buddha-essence or Buddha-nature the meditator needs to know how to meditate correctly and must properly understand the reasons for practicing meditation. The meditator also needs training in how the philosophy and practice come together in the development of insight. In this book—with clarity, warmth, and humor—renowned Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Thrangu Rinpoche explains buddha essence.

Buddha-nature or Buddha-essence is the potential for achieving enlightenment that is possessed in all sentient beings. All beings are not enlightened or awake because this true nature of the mind is clouded by the disturbing emotions.

On Buddha Essence gives a translation of the classic 231 verse spiritual song (doha) by Rangjung Dorje, the Third Karmapa. Thrangu Rinpoche then gives a line-by-line commentary of this famous text . Besides carefully elucidating the meaning and importance of Buddha-nature, this text is studied because it presents an important aspect of the Shentong view.

On Buddha Essence published by Shambhala Publishing is 168 pages long and contains the root text and Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary that were both translated by Peter Alan Roberts. The teachings include a Translator's Preface, a Glossary, and Index.

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