Traleg Kyabgon (1955–2012)

In this uniquely insightful overview and practice guide, Traleg Kyabgon presents a thorough introduction to the Kagyu lineage's Mahamudra tradition. The author's approach is straightforward—he presents the Mahamudra teachings as a means of seeing things in, as he says, "a positive and open light. Even things we might normally regard as bad and undesirable can be interpreted in a more uplifting way due to the expansiveness of the Mahamudra vision." Mahamudra—which means "great seal" or "great symbol," referring to the symbol or mark of ultimate reality, or emptiness—points to the true nature of mind as well as the ultimate insubstantiality of all things.… (meer)

I find it very difficult to separate out a review of the subject as opposed to a review of the way the subject has been presented. The first half of the book covers, as you'd expect, an introduction to Buddhism, which is clear and engaging. It's not a long book, but it is quite dense and covers a lot of ground (if you are new to the subject certainly). As the author described the multiple layers and facets, I found I lost a real sense of context and the significance of different points became unclear. Maybe some graphical representations would have helped.

Overall I enjoyed the book and learned a lot from it, but should have learned more.
… (meer)