"If one knows the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, and the Tantra Without Syllables, one will have command over the general meaning of the tantras, like a king who has command over his subjects."--Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle

The eleventh-century Seventeen Tantras are among the most important texts in the tradition of the Great Perfection--and in all of Tibetan Buddhism.

This set provides these two luminous root texts in crystal-clear translation, along with their commentaries, which break down the tantra passage by passage under headings that contextualize many instructions for the practice of the Great Perfection. The two texts are published together because they contain some of the most detailed expositions on which are based the two essential practices of the Great Perfection: trekchö, the cultivation of the four modes of unfettered equipoise unique to the Great Perfection, and thögal, the cultivation of the four contemplative visions of the Great Perfection that lead to the realization of the body of light.

The Tantra Without Syllables focuses on the theoretical basis for trekchö, and the Blazing Lamp focuses on the theoretical basis of thögal. The actual tantra discussed is not the body of the root text of the tantra, but rather the subject matter that the root text points to: the continuum of one's own vidya, personal knowledge of one's true condition, confirmed in a direct perception, which cannot be explained in words.

Malcolm Smith's simple and lucid introductions bring clarity to an intricate subject, making these volumes vital reading for any student of Dzogchen.