One of the most  often recited prayers in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The Mahamudra Lineage Prayer, also called the Dorje Chang Prayer combines a supplication to the Mahamudra lineage with a concise guide to Mahamudra practice and the stages of the path to enlightenment.

In this commentary Thrangu Rinpoche teaches in his down-to-earth, yet direct manner, the importance of the Mahamudra lineage, how to develop renunciation and devotion through the common and uncommon preliminary practices and how to practice Shamatha and Vipashyana meditation in the Mahamudra tradition. He then explain that Mahamudra is easy to practice, yet it is also very powerful and especially suited for Western Dharma students.

"The Mahamudra Lineage Prayer was composed by Pengar Jampal Zangpo, one of the two tutors of the Seventh Karmapa... In the opening verse, he pays homage to the Mahamudra lineage, including all the branches of the Dagpo Kagyu. In the verse that follow, he introduces both the preliminary practice and the main point of the Mahamudra practice, using vivid pith instructions, for example, 'Detachment is the foot of meditation' and 'Devotion is the head of meditation...'"
-- The Seventeenth Karmapa

This book is a compilation of four different major teachings by Thrangu Rinpoche on this topic and also contains a very detailed description of Mahamudra. It has extensive notes, eight appendices, an extensive glossary, annotated bibliography, and seven line drawings.

In this book, Rinpoche discusses the four common foundations, which are the four thoughts to contemplate before beginning a spiritual practice.

The first foundation, precious human birth, explains in detail why practice is important. The second foundation, impermanence, teaches us to find something meaningful in life.

The most difficult to understand foundation, karma, is lucidly explained by Thrangu Rinpoche. Because of karma, we can determine if we will have a fortunate or unfortunate future. Then, after we have practiced, we must return to conventional reality (samsara) and so the fourth reminder is a review of the characteristics of samsara.

This book also includes Khenpo Karpo's excellent survey of the points of meditation and practice to round out the four foundations.

This e-book is in the e-pub format and can be read on many ebook readers.

The paperback book is available on the Book section of this website.