This collection of selected texts representing Buddhist mind training explores a theme common to all Buddhist traditions: the development and perfection of an awakened heart. Informative and moving, these texts help us gain a fundamental understanding of Buddhism and illustrate how practitioners have cultivated compassion and wisdom over the centuries.

Beginning with teachings from Buddha Shakyamuni, the central text is a commentary by Djamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye titled The Great Path of Awakening, which explains all the essential elements of mind training. Other contributors include Atisha, the father of Tibetan mind training, Serlingpa, Matschig Labdrön, Langri Thangpa, Thogme Sangpo, and the contemporary master Lama Gendün Rinpoche. Biographies provide insight into the lived Bodhicitta, and a selection of inspiring meditation texts rounds out this collection. Footnotes and a detailed glossary offer well-founded explanations.

Djamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye (1813-1899) was an educated and prolific scholar, a highly respected master, and the lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu lineage, serving as the teacher of the 15th Karmapa. The editor of this collection, Lama Sönam Lhündrup, was trained under Gendün Rinpoche and received from him the transmission of the central teachings of the Karma Kagyu lineage. He is currently a teacher in the three-year retreats at Kündröl Ling, France. He translated all texts from Tibetan or English and wrote the explanations, introductions, and biographies of Buddha Shakyamuni and Gampopa, with support from the Karmapa Translation Committee, particularly in translating The Great Path of Awakening and writing the life stories of the other masters.