The Small Golden Key: To the Treasure of the Various Essential Necessities of General and Extraordinary Buddhist Dharma

In The Small Golden Key, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche explains in simple, concise language the important ideas and practices of Buddhism, with special attention to the Vajrayana teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. He discusses the origins of Buddhism in India and its spread to Tibet; the important lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, with emphasis on the Nyingma school; the differences between the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana teachings; the outstanding features of the Mahayana; and some of the special qualities and practices of the Vajrayana.

Thinley Norbu Rinpoche (1931–2011) was a preeminent teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The eldest son of His Holiness Düdjom Rinpoche, he was a primary holder of the Düdjom Tersar lineage and considered to be an emanation of Longchenpa, the great fourteenth-century Nyingma master.