"Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche [is] one of the foremost mahamudra teachers. 'It [mahamudra meditation] is peaceful and gentle,' he writes in Essentials of Mahamudra. The book is based on Tashi Namgyal's 'Moonlight of Mahamudra,' a sixteenth-century text that lays out the rationale behind the mahamudra practices, along with detailed instructions, including how to continue practicing off the cushion. Essentials contains answers to students' questions--helpful to practitioners at any level."

– Tricycle

"What makes Rinpoche's work distinctive is the clarity and vividness of his religious thought."

– Library Journal

"Makes the practice of mahamudra, one of the most advanced forms of meditation, easily acessible to Westerners' everyday lives. A wonderful way of bringing us to the path."

– Mandala

"Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is one of the few remaining living Tibetan Buddhist teachers who was born in a free Tibet. Between 1990 and 1995, he conducted five retreats at Big Bear Lake, California. His talks there have been edited into Essentials of Mahamudra. During these talks, Rinpoche presented a comprehensive introduction to the mahamudra path. Similar to the practice of Dzogchen, mahamudra is a direct and powerful practice. There are two central meditative practices: peaceful abiding, shamatha, and insight, vipashyana. This work discusses these two corrollary meditative approaches in great detail, moving back and forth between the two. As always, Rinpoche's instructions are beautifully [clear]."

– Ashe Journal

"A comprehensive overview. Invaluable."

– Shambhala Sun