Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991) was one of the most respected and influential Tibetan Buddhist teachers of our age. There was something remarkable about his presence that impressed everyone who met him - a quality of mind that comes across even in photographs. Here is his memoir of a remarkable life of study, teaching, and solitary retreat, told with a wealth of anecdotes and stories. It will be an inspiration to the readers of his numerous books - as well as to all Buddhist practitioners, who will welcome this rare opportunity to hear the experiences of a highly realized being in his own words. The book also provides an authentic view of Tibetan culture and of the hardships endured by the Tibetans after the Chinese takeover. The second half of the book is a treasury of recollections about Khyentse Rinpoche by his wife; his grandson and heir, Sechen Rabjam Rinpoche; and, other lamas and friends who knew him well.

The life story of Vairochana is important to Tibetan Buddhists from a historical standpoint, but also because it is spiritually inspiring. Considered a hero in Tibetan Buddhist history, Vairochana is known for his translations and scholarship, his cunning and courage, and for his achievement of enlightened mind. The Great Image is Vairochana's autobiography, as told to a group of his students near the end of his life in the eighth century. The story includes details of Vairochana's sixteen trials, which include such episodes as his escape from attacks by wild animals, from an ambush by soldiers and robbers, from imprisonment, and from attempted poisoning. The book also includes a history of how the Buddha's teachings were passed from one Indian sage to the next through the centuries, via a lineage that included kings and prostitutes, until they were brought to Tibet by Vairochana. This volume includes a foreword by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the great meditation masters of the twentieth century, as well as introductions by Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and Ala Zenkar Rinpoche.