In these teachings, Jigten Sumgön (1143–1217), the founder of the Drikung Kagyü tradition, covers the central themes of Tibetan Buddhism. He explains refuge, developing an altruistic mind, the diff erent forms of dependent origination, how samsara and nirvana arise from the mind, why hearers, solitary realizers, and buddhas attain different awakenings, and how to correctly rely on the lama, among many other topics. The thirty lectures are presented in a direct form that makes readers feel like they are among the assembly of disciples, and this text is an authentic resource for becoming acquainted with the Buddha’s teachings in general and the teachings of the early Kagyü masters in particular.