On the Distinction Between Consciousness and Primordial Awareness. On the Essence of Tathagatā

The book presents two treatises by the Third Karma-pa, Ranjung Dorje, with detailed commentaries by Jamgön Kongtrul, which form the basis of the philosophical direction of Zhentong within the Kagyu and Rimé traditions. The first work "On the Distinction Between Consciousness and Primordial Awareness" provides an in-depth examination of the Zhentongpa's views on consciousness and its various aspects (basis consciousness, immediate mind, contaminated mind, mental consciousness, etc.), as well as discussing the essential distinction between consciousness and primordial awareness, and the paths of transformation from one to the other. The treatise "On the Essence of Tathagatā" is dedicated to the fundamental question of Mahāyāna - the Nature of Buddha, which is inherently present in all beings and serves as the basis of the path of realization.