The three vehicles of Buddhist practice

This extensive set of teachings was one of Thrangu Rinpoche's introductions to the basic concepts of the three vehicles of Buddhism. When Buddhism came to Tibet, the great masters of meditation determined that to practice Buddhism properly, all three vehicles or levels of Buddhism had to be studied and practiced. The first vehicle of this practice includes the careful examination of the self, the meticulous accumulation of merit, and of course, the meditation on the Buddha's first teaching—the four noble truths. The practice of this vehicle is basic Shamatha and Vipashyana meditation. The second vehicle of this practice is the mahayana path which involves the understanding of the emptiness of phenomena and understanding of the ultimate and the conventional truth. The practice of the mahayana is embarking upon the bodhisattva path, engendering great compassion, and practicing the six perfections. Finally, Thrangu Rinpoche, a well known teacher, explains the third vehicle of the vajrayana which involves doing the preliminary preparations, engaging in meditation on the yidams, and doing the meditation of looking directly at mind called the mahamudra.