The Essential Jewel of Holy Practice

An exquisite poem from one of Dzogchen’s greatest teachers.

The Essential Jewel of Holy Practice is a vibrant philosophical and ethical poem by one of Tibet’s great spiritual masters. Patrul Rinpoche presents a complete view of the path of liberation from the perspectives of the Madhyamaka understanding of emptiness and the Mahayana ideal of compassionate care refracted through the Dzogchen perspective on experience, yielding a sophisticated philosophical approach to practice focusing on the cultivation of clear, open, luminous, empty awareness and of liberation leading to the transformation of one’s moral capacity and sensitivity. Patrul Rinpoche’s verses speak intimately and directly to the reader and inspire one to develop one’s mind for the sake of ethical perfection and liberation.

The translators’ introduction provides a foundation for reading the poem and their commentary to the verses assists the reader in understanding Patrul Rinpoche’s allusions and technical terms.

Jay Garfield is Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanaties and Professor of Philosophy, Logic, and Buddhist Studies at Smith College and the Harvard Divinity School, and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Melbourne and Central University of Tibetan Studies. His work addresses topics in cognitive science, the philosophy of mind, Buddhist philosophy, and cross-cultural interpretation. Professor Garfield has worked extensively with Tibetan scholars at the Central University of Tibetan Studies and the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and is the founding director of the Five College Tibetan Studies in India Program, the oldest academic exchange program linking the Tibetan academic community to the Western academic community.

Emily McRae is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Mexico. Her work addresses topics in Buddhist ethics, moral psychology, and feminist philosophy. She has studied Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy at the University of Wisconsin and Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu, Nepal.