Heart Jewel: The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism (ISBN 0948006560)

From the bottom of my heart....this book is a jewel !:
With this book I got started in buddhism about 3 years ago and I must say that it did touch my heart. It explains in a very understandable and pure way how we can get rid of our negativities, overcome the obstacles on our way and live a meaningful human life. Understanding and practicing the Heart Jewel develops our mind in a subtle but very profound way towards more happiness and freedom.

The path to a meaningful life:
This little book, Heart Jewel by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, clearly communicates one of the most profound and important practices to achieve enlightenment in a manner easy to understand to our western culture. This essential meditative practice was the daily meditation of the most important Gelugpa teachers in Tibet, including the renowned Je Phabonkhapa and the tutor to the current Dalai Lama, the venerable Trijang Rinpoche. These are the names of the most highly regarded teachers in the direct lineage of teachings that flow from the old Kadam lineage. It was Trijan Rinpoche himself who asked Geshe Kelsang to introduce these essential practices to the West in a manner that we could understand and practice in our culture. Geshe Kelsang achieved this brilliantly and has called this pure lineage adapted to Western culture the "New Kadampa" tradition. The final result is that we have the opportunity to enter into an ancient lineage of highly realized masters ourselves. I think that there are many spiritual seekers in the West who are tired of constantly seeking. This book allows you to become something so much more, to become a "spiritual finder" in a lineage that has produced highly realized meditation masters for centuries. This is not in any way a new concoction of spiritual beliefs. It is instead a very pure lineage of teachings, a complete path to enlightenment, that has been accomplished by many fortunate students. This book, along with Geshe Kelsang's other clear commentaries to classic Buddhist master works, allows you to enter into, make progress upon, and finally complete the entire path to enlightenment in this very lifetime. How wonderful!

HEART JEWEL : A COMPLETE SERIES OF CLEAR AND INSPIRING TEACHINGS ON THE GURU YOGA OF JE TSONGKAPA:
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's Heart Jewel presents two profound spiritual practices that bestow a very special wisdom upon those who engage in them. The first is the Guru Yoga practice of Je Tsongkhapa. This powerful practice enables us to purify our negativity, accumulate merit, and receive profound blessings. The second practice is a method for relying upon the Dharma Protector. By relying on a Dharma Protector, we can overcome obstacles to our spiritual practice and easily gain experiences of profound inner peace and happiness. These two practices are the very essence of The New Kadampa Tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains these two practices in great detail, giving the reader very clear instructions on how and what to visualize. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains that if we engage in this practice sincerely and regularly, we will make our precious human life extremely meaningful, and we will come to experience the supreme joy of full enlightenment. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a sincere spiritual practice that is both powerful and profound.

A profound and inspiring read - highly recommended!:
A profound and inspiring read and daily practice for anyone who wishes to increase their wisdom by relying on the Wisdom Buddha.

Some remarks on The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism:
I feel the publisher notes are a little bit misleading and don't give clarity what the book is all about. The book deals in the first part with the practice of the Guru-Yoga of Tsongkhapa (tib. Ganden Lha Gyema) especially how to practice the Migtsema prayer. This is an essential practice of the Gelug order. The second part of the book includes the Dorje Shugden practice. Although the Dorje Shugden practice became quite popular by the influence of Pabongkha Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche (the latter is the main teacher of the author) many Buddhist authorities (HH the Dalai Lama, Namkai Norbu Rinpoche and almost all Kaygue and Nyingma Lamas) see it as a destructive practice. However, this is a point of discussion and one has to accept different views on it. What confuses me is the claim of the publisher Tharpa Publications that the book contents "The Essential Practices of Kadampa Buddhism". Because the ancient Kadampa Tradition never practised Shugden or the Tsongkhapa-Guru-Yoga. Also the ancient Kadampa Tradition founded by Atisha does not exist any more. For what purpose Tharpa Publications uses the words "Kadampa Buddhism" indicating to present something they do not present? There is no such thing as "Kadampa Buddhism". What exist is the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) founded by the author 1991 in England as a split from the Gelug school (Tibetan Buddhism), and the New Kadampa Tradition's essential practices are summarized in this book. It would be fine if the Publisher could avoid such confusion for the sake of the reader in the future. It would be far more in accordance with the facts to write: "Heart Jewel: The Essential Practices of the New Kadampa Tradition" and "New Kadampa Tradition is becoming increasingly popular..." For NKT followers the book is a must and inspiring, I think.