In Tibetan religious literature, Jamgon Kongtrul's "Treasury of Knowledge" in ten books stands out as a unique, encyclopedic masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as they were preserved in Tibet. In his monumental "Treasury of Knowledge," Jamgon Kongtrul presents a complete account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism. This first book of "The Treasury" which serves as a prelude to Kongtrul's survey describes four major cosmological systems found in the Tibetan tradition--those associated with the Hinayana, Mahayana, Kalachakra, and Dzogchen teachings. Each of these cosmologies shows how the world arises from mind, whether through the accumulated results of past actions or from the constant striving of awareness to know itself.

In Tibetan religious literature, Jamgon Kongtrul's "Treasury of Knowledge" in ten books stands out as a unique, encyclopedic masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as it was preserved in Tibet. This volume is the fifth book of that work and is considered by many scholars to be its heart. Jamgon Kongtrul explains the complete code of personal liberation as it applies to both monastic and lay persons, the precepts for those aspiring to the life of a bodhisattva, and the exceptional pledges for practitioners on the tantric path of pure perception.