With his trademark enthusiasm, respected translator Alan Wallace introduces us here to one of the most cherished works of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Dudjom Lingpa's Vajra Essence. Written in the nineteenth century, the Vajra Essence presents the practice of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection - the highest of all the meditation traditions - and its contents have only been revealed to those with the requisite training. With permission from his teachers, Wallace reveals here the work's opening section, which presents the methods for calming the mind and bringing it to a state of effortless concentration, the practice of shamatha. In his earlier work, Attention Revolution, Alan Wallace guided readers through the stages of traditional shamatha step by step. Here he uses the wisdom of the Dzogchen teachings to open up this practice into a space of freedom from hope and fear. He makes obscure concepts intelligible to contemporary readers and allows us to glimpse the profound realizations of a great spiritual adept, Dudjom Lingpa.

"Wallace's translation of the shamatha section from Dudjom Lingpa's Dzogchen tantra known in Tibetan as the Nelug Rangjung is an invaluable contribution to the teachings available to serious Western Buddhist practitioners." Lama Tharchin Rinpoche.

"Alan Wallace brings great wisdom and fresh insight to the teachings of one of the great masters of the Nyingma tradition, Dudjom Lingpa. His commentary is wise, thoughtful, and wonderfully compassionate." Tsoknyi Rinpoche.

"Stilling the Mind is a much needed, very welcome book on shamatha meditation, a topic pivotal to the Buddhist path from beginning to end. With over forty years of practice and study of Buddhism coupled with a lively, ongoing exploration of Buddhism and science, Dr Wallace is uniquely qualified to bridge this timeless traditional wisdom and its contemporary Wesrtern context. I am confident that these teachings will be of immense benefit." Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche.