The Easy Path

For those wanting to practice the path to enlightenment, the First Panchen Lama’sEasy Pathis like a chest of jewel treasures which has, up until now, been locked for English speakers. The translation of the root text here presents that treasure chest, and Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche’s commentary unlocks it, holding each jewel up to the sunlight to reveal its many facets, beauty and great value.

To gain the greatest benefit from this book, it may be useful to imagine each contemplation and meditation discussed as a precious jewel being given to you personally. You may then want to pause, holding each up to the light so slowly and happily examine each facet. I suggest this particularly because Khensur Rinpoche was extremely generous in his teaching this text--carefully and precisely revealing many points from the unique, oral tradition that has come down from Lama Tsongkhapa through Gyalwa Ensapa and the First Panchen Lama as well.

If you’ve read or studied some in the past on the stages of the path to enlightenment, then it may be easy to assume that you already know some of the points that will be explained here. But, if you go slowly and read carefully, you may discover facets here that you have not quite seen before.

There is one point inEasy Pathwhen you pray, "I must at all costs, quickly, quickly attain the precious state of completely perfect buddhahood for the sake of all mother sentient beings.” Khensur Rinpoche explains that one way of interpreting the phrase "quickly, quickly” is that the first quickly refers to practicing the three lower classes of tantra and the second quickly refers to practicing highest yoga tantra. Of course, that is a very profound point. And then Rinpoche shares another interpretation that is unique to the oral tradition coming down through Gyalwa Ensapa. In that interpretation, the first quickly refers to practicing the stages of the path to enlightenment which is a faster way of attaining full enlightenment than the three lower classes of tantra and the second "quickly” refers to taking guru yoga as the very life of your practice. By reading this book as you might slowly explore jewel gifts, you can understand how to go about taking guru yoga not just as the heart of your practice but as its life. You can also gain a practical understanding of how to integrate visualizations from highest yoga tantra, guru yoga, and the instructions of the oral tradition with your contemplations and meditations on every single step of the stages of the path. In that way, the Panchen Lama’s phrase, "quickly, quickly” may come to refer not just to practitioners of the past but to you as well!