The Concise Mind Instructions Called Naturally Liberating Whatever You Meet

This is the 60th Anniversary of Khenpo Gangshar’s momentous teaching on the pith instructions for practicing Mahamudra and Dzogchen.

Khenpo Gangshar, a great scholar who became a mahasiddha, had a vision of the impending invasion of Tibet while he was teaching the Uttaratantra at Trungpa Rinpoche’s Surmong monastery. He wanted all his students to receive these essential instructions for directly looking at one’s mind. In August, 1957 he gave these instructions to his students which included Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, and Khenpo Karthar. Afterwards Thrangu Rinpoche invited Khenpo Gangshar to his monastery where Khenpo Gangshar wrote these teachings down.

Thrangu Rinpoche has said, “These instructions are short but carry exceptional blessings and power. Not only are they beneficial, they are also easy to practice. They are concise, yet profound and can truly help us.” He has also said that these teachings were invaluable help to him during the most difficult time of his life and that they most likely saved his life.

To practice these teachings, traditionally, it is important to receive the reading and oral transmission from a person who has practiced these teachings and received them from a lineage.We have a great opportunity to create this karmic connection with these teachings from Thrangu Rinpoche who received the transmission directly from Khenpo Gangshar.

The Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa said that the Mahamudra teachings were the most appropriate teachings for practitioners in the West. In the past 40 years Thrangu Rinpoche has been teaching Buddhism and establishing Buddhist centers in dozens of countries. He has published 44 books in English on Buddhism including 12 on Mahamudra practice, 1 on the union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen practice, and Vivid Awareness which is a compilation of Thrangu Rinpoche’s teachings on Khenpo Gangshar.