Mahasiddha Practice

"The sixteenth volume of The Treasury of Precious Instructions contains works that could not be included among those of the eight major schools presented in the earlier volumes-hence their designation in Tibetan as khrid sna tshogs, literally "miscellaneous instructions." This title should not, however, be taken to suggest that that they are texts of minor interest, or that they consist of a variety of texts having little in common with each other, or even that they have nothing to do with the eight schools. Indeed, the first text in this volume, has everything to do with them: it is a ritual honouring the teachers of all eight lineages, which makes its inclusion at the beginning of this volume entirely appropriate. As for the other texts, they are all concerned with the Indian mahåasiddhas, either severally or individually, and two thirds of the volume are devoted to the works of one mahåasiddha in particular, Mitrayogin, whose profound teachings on introducing the nature of the mind can hardly be considered of minor interest even if they are comparatively less well known"--