The unique importance of Stephan Beyer's work is that it presents the living ritual of Tibetan Buddhists. The reader is made a witness to cultic proceedings through which the author guides him carefully. He leads the reader step by step, without omitting anything, through entire rituals, and interprets whenever necessary without being unduly obtrusive. The superb translations from the original Sanskrit and Tibetan speak directly to the reader, and it is indeed as if the reader himself were present at the ritual.