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Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen Listen Relax and listen to engaging audio narrations of translated Tibetan texts. BIOGRAPHICAL BUDDHIST CONTEMPORARY GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONAL MISCELLANEOUS Author Tradition Historical Period View All Reset Filters Song Don’t Place Your Trust in… Sera Khandro 00:00 / 02:35 A mgur of direct “pointing out” in which Sera Khandro dismantles every support of the path, revealing the already-complete unity of emptiness and luminosity. See Publication Song Ocean, Waves, and Wind: A Song on the Nature of Mind Tsangnyon Heruka 00:00 / 01:26 A song by Tsangnyön Heruka, using the imagery of ocean, waves, and wind to point directly at the nature of mind. See Publication Song A Madman’s Meditation Experiences: A Song from Labchi Tsangnyon Heruka 00:00 / 01:26 A Madman’s Meditation Experiences: A Song from Labchi, is a doha sung by Tsangnyön Heruka at the sacred hermitage of Labchi. See Publication Prayer The Outer, Inner, and Secret Practice Cycle of Zhepe Dorje Lelung Zhepe Dorje 00:00 / 02:26 This text presents the outer, inner, and secret practice cycles of Zhepe Dorje, transmitted by Lhachik Nyima Zhönu—a protector deity revealed through pure vision—in 1730 and recorded in 1731. See Publication Prayer Opening the Door to Prosperity: A Praise to Invoke the Sacred Commitment of the Great Shanglön Dorje Dudul Lelung Zhepe Dorje 00:00 / 05:42 Devotional praises invoking Shanglön Dorje Dudul, composed by Lelung Zhepe Dorje, describe him in great detail as a dark blue yakṣa figure adorned with jewels, holding a wish-fulfilling jewel and nectar vase, and capable of transforming into various wrathful forms. See Publication Song A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Lelung Zhepe Dorje 00:00 / 06:03 Two spontaneous songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje: one honouring the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin, the other celebrating the experience of unobstructed, effortless awareness. Both transmit direct spiritual realization through verse. See Publication Biography Namkechenma: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Guru Chökyi Wangchuk 00:00 / 04:20 Armed with the 'scroll of devastation' from his father, Guru Chöwang's first treasure excavation leads to a terrifying encounter with the Nine-Headed Nāga Demon, guardian of hidden teachings. See Publication Biography How Guru Chöwang Met the Guru at Ne Ngön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk 00:00 / 03:01 During an alchemical corpse ritual, Guru Chöwang meets Padmasambhava in a profound encounter that defies categorization as dream, vision, or reality - an event he insisted truly occurred. See Publication Biography An Extraordinary Pure Vision at Kharchu's Nectar Cave: A Dream of Guru Chöwang Guru Chökyi Wangchuk 00:00 / 04:51 After five days of Guru Pema practice, Chöwang's pure vision atop Mt Meru reveals worldly omens and a profound teaching: all phenomena, even demons, arise from mind itself. See Publication Praises In Praise of the Goddess Sarasvatī Tsongkhapa Lobzang Dragpa 00:00 / 01:31 Tsongkhapa's celebrated ode to Sarasvatī resonates beyond monastery walls into Tibet's artistic and literary spheres, becoming a cultural touchstone of devotional poetry. See Publication Biography A Brief Biography of Jetsunma Do Dasal Wangmo Tsangpo 00:00 / 10:36 A renowned female master in eastern Tibet, Do Dasal Wangmo - Do Khyentse's great-granddaughter - served as nun, physician, and treasure revealer, later teaching medicine despite political hardship. See Publication Correspondence A Letter to Hotoktu Rinpoche Tubten Chökyi Nyima 00:00 / 03:35 A mysterious letter from the Ninth Paṇchen Lama's secretary to Hotoktu Rinpoche, now preserved in a French private collection - its acquisition history remains unknown. See Publication View More

A song remembered from a dream in which Marpa Lotsāwa and other gurus discuss the Dharma, pointing to the innate state beyond conceptual thought. A Dream Song Again, while residing at the great palace of Taitu, on the night of the ninth day of the first month of the Tiger year, I had a dream. In it, the master Pawo Dorje [ 1] appeared, along with Marpa Lotsāwa and other gurus. They were engaging in extensive discussions and debates on the Dharma. In the midst of that, these are the verses that I recall: When concepts get in the way, The samādhi of joy and bliss fades. So however long one meditates, It is of no use. What arises clearly, free from concepts, Is the innate nature itself. No need to search for signs and such. Whatever the mind rests upon Is the very nature of that, Like a jewel Displaying myriad forms. COLOPHON Having heard these words, Marpa said, keep these in your mind. May glory and auspiciousness blaze as an ornament for the world! NOTES [1] The identity of "Pawo Dorje" (དཔའ་བོ་རྡོ་རྗེ, "Vajra-hero") is uncertain. The source text places the first-person pronoun ངས ("I") directly after this name, which could suggest Rangjung Dorje applying the name to himself within the dream—though this is grammatically unusual, since no other source identifies "Pawo Dorje" as an established name or epithet of his. It is equally possible he is a separate figure appearing alongside Marpa and the other gurus. The present translation preserves the name as it stands, without resolving the ambiguity. Published August 2026 BIBLIOGRAPHY Rang byung rdo rje. 2006. gSung mgur thor bu. In Gsung 'bum/ rang byung rdo rje. 16 vols. Zi ling: mTshur phu mkhan po lo yag bkra shis, vol. 5, p. 416. BDRC MW30541_D310C9 Abstract While staying at the imperial palace in Dadu, the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, dreamed of Marpa Lotsāwa and other gurus engaged in Dharma discussion. From the dream, a few verses remained vividly in his mind. They point to the innate state beyond conceptual thought, where clarity arises free from contrivance and whatever the mind rests upon is recognised as inseparable from its own nature. BDRC MW30541 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Karma Kagyu Nyingma Zhije and Chod INCARNATION LINE Karmapa HISTORICAL PERIOD 13th Century 14th Century TEACHERS Orgyenpa Rinchen Pel shes rab gzhon nu 'byung ba shes rab dpal kun dga' don grub ye shes Kumāradza Meban Rinchen Lingpa TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf Edited by Libby Hogg INSTITUTIONS Tsel Gungtang Sangpu Neutok Tsurpu Monastery Karma Gon Dechen Teng Wutai Shan Lhateng STUDENTS Yungton Dorje Pel kun dga' rgyal mtshan Longchenpa The Second Gangkar Lama, Rinchen Zangpo Zhangton Gyawo Sonam Drakpa Kumāradza Puntsok Pelzang rgyal ba dpal Yakde Paṇchen Tsondru Dargye kun dga' rdo rje dar ma rgyal mtshan The First Zhamarpa, Drakpa Sengge Gyelse Lekpa rgya ston kun dga' brtson 'grus 'jam dbyangs grags pa Barawa Gyeltsen Pelzang Meban Rinchen Lingpa AUTHOR The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje A Dream Song VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Two spontaneous songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje: one honouring the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin, the other celebrating the experience of unobstructed, effortless awareness. Both transmit direct spiritual realization through verse. A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Song One Aho mahāsukha ye! I bow at the feet of the benevolent, paternal lama! Akaniṣṭha, the celestial realm of lotus light, Is where the peaceful and wrathful victorious protectors reside. As foretold by the oath-bound mother ḍākinīs, Je Traktung Pawo (“Lord Heroic Blood-Drinker”), set foot here— [1] In this supreme, protected holy abode where spiritual experiences naturally arise, I offer these spontaneous spiritual songs. Here today the assembly of vajra brothers and sisters, Due to previously accumulated karmic fortune, which is not lacking, Have met you, the essence of all refuge. Now, having gained this feast of good fortune, Vajra blessings permeate our three doors: We’re ablaze with spontaneous visions in every way. Our bodies, maṇḍalas of the major and minor marks, shimmer like a rainbow. We’ve received the essential nectar of vajra speech. The great joyful awakened mind embraces us. [183] What auspicious fortune—an excellent, blissful experience! Yet, we were born at the end of this degenerate age, Where stainless Dharma conduct has nearly declined— All paternal siddhas have passed into the realm of space. Those who boast of being doctrine holders Only ever pass their time in attachment and aversion. In the glorious Vajrayāna tradition, Sincere devotion is extraordinarily rare. The life stories of the great, holy noble lords— They have sullied them with their misconceptions, Creating all sorts of entrances to negative deeds. Even righteous deeds they view as wrong. In these times when whatever one does becomes flawed, Thinking of this stirs up anguish within. Peerless precious father, Infallible refuge, When I recall how you care for me, My anguish is quashed. We, brothers and sisters, gathered here, With minds of unwavering faith, At this time we make this supplication: Glorious Traktung Wangpo, our lord lama, Atop the unchanging vajra throne, May the prints of your vajra feet ever remain! With the magnificent maṇḍala [184] of your three secrets, In the hidden grove where the mother ḍākinīs assemble, May you open gateways to hundreds of pure lands And ever turn the wheel of the profound and vast Dharma! With your limitless enlightened activity that tames beings, O Protector, may you illuminate The essential meaning of the glorious, indestructible luminosity In all directions, times, and circumstances! Those gathered together in this sacred abode, All the devoted, fortunate men and women, In the self-appearing Akaniṣṭha pure land, With the lord lama, King of Self-Awareness , [2] Amidst a retinue of one hundred thousand drops of self-luminous wisdom, In a feast gathering of inseparable union, In times that never shift, change, or wane, May we enjoy it as one taste! Root and lineage gurus of the three transmissions And the assembly of heroes and ḍākinīs of the three places, Through your unified unwavering enlightened intent, May our hopes and aspirations be fulfilled! Aho ye sarva maṅgalaṃ! COLOPHON Thus, when Dzogchen Tulku Rinpoche, the blood-drinking accomplished hero and crown jewel of all holders of the knowledge mantras, journeyed from Ölga in the east to the supreme place of the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain, those gathered there offered elaborate long-life prayers along with a feast offering, during which this melodious song, blazing with spiritual insight and faith, was spontaneously offered. Later on, Rabten, the venerable manager of that holy one’s enlightened activities, requested these be put into writing. Although the words may not be an exact match, I, Zhepe Dorje, the one who [185] practices according to his own spontaneous nature, arranged whatever I could recall. Song Two Aho ye! I’ve realized my mind to be the dharmakāya! Even what is called “Buddha” is nothing other than this. In the state of the astonishing, unobstructed view, Let whatever appearances arise be free and unfettered, Undistracted presence in the continuity of non-meditation. Though there is nothing to abandon like dullness, agitation, and other afflictions, Rest the thoughts that grasp the objects of the six senses Completely in the meditative equipoise where they naturally dissolve. All appearing sense pleasures are for the enjoyment of one’s own mind. Joyfully relaxing in a continuity free from grasping, Rest in just this uncontrived yoga. Through the kindness of the authentic guru, my sole father, By making devoted prayers from the very depths of my heart, Blessings have pervaded the wheel of phenomenal existence And there is no distinction between the guru and my mind. How joyful is the way I, the yogin, nurture good experiences! There is no difference between the six classes of beings and buddhas. Everything is the great dharmadhātu’s festive display. By understanding this very nature of the fundamental state, May everything be liberated effortlessly into the body of light! COLOPHON I, Zhepe Dorje, composed this following the wishes of Chö Samdrub the Scholar of Letters. NOTES [1] The recipient of Lelung's spontaneous song—addressed throughout as "Je Traktung Pawo" and "Glorious Traktung Wangpo," and described in the colophon as "Dzogchen Tulku Rinpoche"—can be identified with considerable confidence as Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin (1699–1758), the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang. Several converging lines of evidence support this identification. First, and most directly, the colophon's designation "Dzogchen Tulku Rinpoche" strongly points toward the Dzogchen Drubwang incarnation. The epithet Traktung ( khrag ’thung , "Blood-Drinker") is not itself sufficient for identification, since Lelung employs comparable tantric epithets elsewhere; it is the explicit Dzogchen title, together with the historical context, that provides the principal evidence. Second, the chronology fits closely. Lelung Zhepe Dorje was born in 1697 and died in 1740, while the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang was born in 1699 and died in 1758 (Greensmith 2018; Chhosphel 2011). Significantly, primary Tibetan biographical evidence states that in the Iron-Monkey year (1740) Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin travelled to Ü together with the 2nd Dzogchen Ponlob Pema Sangngak Tenzin (Ye shes rdo rje 1996–2000, vol. 2, pp. 238–241). This makes 1740—the year of Lelung's death—a particularly plausible occasion for the encounter. Lelung died only on the twentieth day of the eighth Tibetan month of that year, leaving a substantial part of 1740 in which the meeting could have occurred (Bailey 2016). The song itself gives no date, however, so 1740 remains probable rather than certain. Third, the two men moved within the same immediate spiritual network. The 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang was closely connected with Mindroling: he studied under Minling Lochen Dharmaśrī and received extensive teachings from Minling Trichen Pema Gyurme Gyatso, while Jetsunma Mingyur Peldron is listed among his important students (Chhosphel 2011; Ye shes rdo rje 1996–2000, vol. 2, pp. 197–205). Lelung's own religious career was deeply intertwined with the same Mindroling family and transmission network, including Pema Gyurme Gyatso and Mingyur Peldron (Greensmith 2018). His 1729 Pemakö travelogue also names Raspa Kunzang Dechen as a disciple of "Dzogchen Tulku," demonstrating direct connections between Lelung's circle and the Dzogchen incarnation lineage before the encounter (Bzhad pa'i rdo rje 1983, vol. 8, p. 399.3–399.4). Finally, the colophon places the encounter at Zangdok Palri, Lelung's Copper-Colored Mountain establishment associated with Namdroling in the Ölga valley. Lelung constructed this complex on the basis of his visions of Guru Rinpoche's pure land, with patronage from Polhane (Bailey 2016). The colophon records that when "Dzogchen Tulku Rinpoche" arrived there, a long-life ceremony and Tsok were performed for him, during which Lelung spontaneously sang the present verses. Taken together, the title, chronology, shared Mindroling network, and documented visit to Lelung's own establishment make Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin the most convincing identification of Lelung's "Je Traktung Pawo," with the meeting most plausibly, though not demonstrably, occurring in 1740. [2] “King of Self-Awareness” ( rang rig gi rgyal po ) is one appellation for the personification of the primordial ground ( gzhi ) in the Dzogchen view. This figure, who resides in the keep of Dzogchen thought, is generally referred to by various epithets, including All-Creating King ( kun byed rgyal po ), All-Knowing King ( kun rig rgyal po ), King of Awareness ( rig pa rgyal po ), King of Cognizant Awareness ( shes rig gi rgyal po ), Purifying King of Self-Cognizant Awareness ( sbyong byed rang shes rig pa’i rgyal po ), and Purifying King of Awareness ( sbyong byed rig pa rgyal po ), amongst others. Also see Karmay 2007, 52, n. 45. Photo credit: Lelung Dharma Centre Published: November 2024 BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary: Bzhad pa'i rdo rje. 1983–1985. mgur gyi rim pa thol byung rdo rje'i glu . In gsung 'bum Bzhad pa'i rdo rje , vol. 6, pp. 181–185. Leh: T. Sonam & D. L. Tashigang. BDRC MW22130_9A3DB8 Bzhad pa’i rdo rje. 1983. gnas mchog pad+mo bkod du bgrod pa’i lam yig . In Sle lung rje drung Bzhad pa’i rdo rje’i gsung ’bum , vol. 8, pp. 389–493. Leh: T. Sonam & D. L. Tashigang. MW22130_610579 . Ye shes rdo rje. 1996. “rDzogs chen dpon slob pad+ma gsang sngags bstan ’dzin gyi rnam thar mdor bsdus.” In Gangs can mkhas dbang rim byon gyi rnam thar mdor bsdus bdud rtsi’i thigs phreng , vol. 2, pp. 238–241. Beijing: Krung go’i bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang. BDRC MW25268_93D431 . Ye shes rdo rje. 1996–2000. rDzogs sprul ’gyur med theg mchog bstan ’dzin gyi rnam thar mdor bsdus (1699–1758) . In Gangs can mkhas dbang rim byon gyi rnam thar mdor bsdus , vol. 2, pp. 197–205. Beijing: Krung go'i bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang.. MW25268_C75B7D . Secondary: Bailey, Cameron. 2016. " A Feast for Scholars: The Life and Works of Sle lung Bzhad paʼi rdo rje ." DPhil thesis, University of Oxford, Wolfson College. Chhosphel, Samten. 2011. "The Second Dzogchen Drubwang, Gyurme Tekchok Tendzin." Treasury of Lives. https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Second-Dzogchen-Drubwang/9383 . TOL 9383; BDRC P677. Greensmith, Tom. 2018. "The Fifth Lelung Jedrung, Lobzang Trinle." Treasury of Lives. https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Fifth-Lelung-Jedrung-Lobzang-Trinle/9361 . TOL 9361; BDRC P675. Melnick Dyer, Alison. 2015. “Mingyur Peldron.” Treasury of Lives . https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Mingyur-Peldron/9394 Abstract In this publication, we are introduced to two spontaneous spiritual songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje (1697–1740). The first is composed in honour of the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang, Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin (1699–1758), addressed throughout by the devotional epithet Je Traktung Pawo ("Lord Heroic Blood-Drinker"), a conventional title and identified in the colophon as "Dzogchen Tulku Rinpoche," The song was composed at Lelung's Copper-Colored Mountain temple at Namdroling in the Olkha valley, on the occasion of the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang's arrival there from the east, and reflects the deep spiritual esteem in which Lelung held this great Nyingma master (see notes). The second song shifts to a more introspective theme, emphasising the experience of unobstructed, spontaneous presence — a state free from rigid meditation or effort, embodying the natural flow of awareness. These spontaneous songs, or mgur , are composed without premeditation and serve as a profound means for both the singer and the listener to connect with the essence of the teachings. Through these verses we are invited to experience a direct and heartfelt transmission of the subject being sung, bridging the inner realisation of the practitioner with the understanding of the audience. Please note video narration is only 2nd song at the present time. BDRC MW22130_ 9A3DB8 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 06:03 TRADITION Geluk | Nyingma INCARNATION LINE Lelung Jedrung HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century TEACHERS The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso The Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobzang Yesh e Damchö Zangpo Mingyur Paldrön Chöje Lingpa Dönyö Khedrup The First Purchok, Ngawang Jampa Ngawang Chödrak Yeshe Gyatso Damchö Gyatso Losal Gyatso Lhundrub Gyatso Dungkar Tsangyang Drukdrak The Second Dzogchen Drubwang, Gyurme Tekchok Tendzin TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTION Lelung Monastery Mindröling Ngari Dratsang Chökhor Gyal Trandruk Potala Tsāri STUDENTS Kunga Mingyur Dorj e Dorje Yom e Kunga Paldzom Lobzang Lhachok Dönyö Khedrub Polhane Sönam Tobgy e Ngawang Jampa Mingyur Paldrön The Fifth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Kalzang Pema Wangchuk Lhasang Khan AUTHOR Lelung Zhepe Dorje A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Discover all our translated Tibetan texts across a vast array of time periods and genres including: Buddhist, Biographical, Historical and more. BIOGRAPHICAL BUDDHIST CONTEMPORARY GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONAL MISCELLANEOUS Author Tradition Historical Period View All Reset Filters Song A Dream Song The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje A song remembered from a dream in which Marpa Lotsāwa and other gurus discuss the Dharma, pointing to the innate state beyond conceptual thought. Read Miscellaneous Types of Spiritual Songs Khenpo Shenga A brief and vivid account of the different kinds of spiritual songs and the experiences from which they arise. Read Song Searching for Mind Tsangnyon Heruka This song points to the paradox that mind cannot find its own nature by searching for it, since seeker and sought are not separate. Read Song A Song of the Great Perfection Śākya Śrī A short Dzogchen song of realization by Śākya Śrī, in which the master points to the natural liberation of all experience within the expanse of dharmatā. Read Song Arousing Desire of the Beautiful One: Simile and Meaning in Union Śākya Śrī A spontaneous karmamudra song by the yogin Śākya Śrī, uniting longing for his consort Namkha Dronma with direct recognition of rigpa. Read Song Song of the Dharma Dance Śākya Śrī Song of the Dharma Dance draws on the imagery of Tibetan ritual cham dance to guide an assembly of vajra siblings through successive Dzogchen contemplative instructions toward the recognition of great awareness-emptiness. Read Song Don’t Place Your Trust in… Sera Khandro A mgur of direct “pointing out” in which Sera Khandro dismantles every support of the path, revealing the already-complete unity of emptiness and luminosity. Read Song Five Aphoristic Couplets Nyagla Pema Dudul These five aphoristic couplets by Nyagla Pema Dundul use vivid images of natural impossibility to show that pride, confusion, and distraction obstruct liberation, emphasising that knowledge must be integrated into lived experience. Read Song Ocean, Waves, and Wind: A Song on the Nature of Mind Tsangnyon Heruka A song by Tsangnyön Heruka, using the imagery of ocean, waves, and wind to point directly at the nature of mind. Read Song Song of the Vulture Sera Khandro Sera Khandro sang this song at the age of eleven, a month after her mother’s death, following an encounter with a white vulture she recognised as the soul-bird of a ḍākinī. Read Prayer A Prayer to the Three Roots Khenpo Ngawang Palzang An opening homage to the Three Roots, invoking the full refuge assembly, gurus, deities, ḍākinīs, and protectors—as they arise from the expanse of the dharmadhātu and carry out enlightened activity. Read Song A Madman’s Meditation Experiences: A Song from Labchi Tsangnyon Heruka A Madman’s Meditation Experiences: A Song from Labchi, is a doha sung by Tsangnyön Heruka at the sacred hermitage of Labchi. Read View More Publications A unique window into Tibet's literary treasures spanning many genres and time-periods. Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Khenpo Shenga 1871–1927 View The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje 1284–1339 View Śākya Śrī 1853–1919 View Nyagla Pema Dudul 1816-1872 View Sera Khandro 1892-1940 View Tsangnyön Heruka 1452 –1507 View The Second Dzogchen Drubwang, Gyurme Tekchok Tendzin 1699–1758 View Jetsunma Tamdrin Wangmo Kalzang Chokyi Nyima 1836-1896 View Kunga Palden 1878–1944/1950 View Dza Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo 1808–1887 View Chöje Lingpa 1682–1720 View The Seventh Dzogchen Tenzin Lungtok Nyima Rinpoche b. 1974– View Rigpe Raltri 1830–1896 View The First Dodrubchen, Jigme Trinle Özer 1745–1821 View Losal Drölma 1802–1861 View Pema Tegchok Loden 1879–1955 View Butön Rinchen Drub 1290–1364 View Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor 1910–1991 View Dudjom Lingpa 1835–1903 View Dudul Dorje 1615–1672 View Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye 1813–1899 View Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo 1820–1892 View Khenpo Ngawang Palzang 1879–1941 View The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso 1856–1875 View Guru Chökyi Wangchuk 1200/1212–1270 View Jatsön Nyingpo 1585–1656 View Döndrub Gyal 1953–1985 View Milarepa 1040–1123 View Jigme Lingpa 1730–1798 View Tsongkhapa Lobzang Dragpa 1357–1419 View Tubten Chödar b. 1969 View Do Dasal Wangmo 1928–2018 View Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje 1800–1866 View The Fifth Lelung Zhepe Dorje 1697–1740 View People Tibet's influential figures including their works and mentions across translated texts. Search Person Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Discover Tibetan literary treasures with Tib Shelf. An online library of expertly translated Tibetan primary texts spanning diverse genres, time periods, and wisdom—your gateway to the stories and culture of Tibet. Enjoy downloadable publications, immersive videos and engaging audio narrations. Tibetan literature brought to you through beautifully translated publications, engaging audio narrations & immersive videos. Song A Song on the Merits of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong Milarepa Milarepa's poetic ode to Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong exalts nature itself as the source of this retreat site's blessing power, departing from traditional focus on Buddhist masters. Watch Today's Picks Song Arousing Desire of the Beautiful One: Simile and Meaning in Union Śākya Śrī A spontaneous karmamudra song by the yogin Śākya Śrī, uniting longing for his consort Namkha Dronma with direct recognition of rigpa. Biography Mura Pema Dechen Zangpo Tenzin Lungtok Nyima A genealogy of the Mura lineage through its incarnations, focusing on the Third Mura Pema Dechen's life, teachings, and key relationships, penned by Tenzin Lungtok Nyima. Advice Essential Advice in Three Sets of Three Butön Rinchen Drub Butön Rinchen Drup's concise text outlines ascending qualities for sages, bodhisattvas, and Mantrayāna practitioners, mirroring the progression through Buddhism's three vehicles. Supplication Prayer The Drop of Spring: A Spontaneous Vajra Song of Definitive Meaning That Supplicates the Great Charioteers of the Luminous Mahāmudrā Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo A vajra song supplicating the early Dagpo Kagyu masters while expressing aspirations for realization through the luminous Mahāmudrā path. Song Searching for Mind Tsangnyon Heruka This song points to the paradox that mind cannot find its own nature by searching for it, since seeker and sought are not separate. Download Biography Namkechenma: A Dream of Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Guru Chökyi Wangchuk Armed with the 'scroll of devastation' from his father, Guru Chöwang's first treasure excavation leads to a terrifying encounter with the Nine-Headed Nāga Demon, guardian of hidden teachings. Read LATEST PUBLICATIONS The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje A Dream Song Khenpo Shenga Types of Spiritual Songs Tsangnyon Heruka Searching for Mind Śākya Śrī A Song of the Great Perfection Śākya Śrī Arousing Desire of the Beautiful One: Simile and Meaning in Union Śākya Śrī Song of the Dharma Dance People 1871–1927 Khenpo Shenga View 1853–1919 Śākya Śrī View 1892-1940 Sera Khandro View 1813–1899 Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye View WEEKLY QUOTES བྱང་བསྟན་ཕུག་པར་རྟ་ལྗང་ཅན་གྱི་ཟེར། ། Sun rays do not enter a northern facing cave; མི་འཇུག་དངོས་པོའི་གཤིས་ལ་བཅོས་མེད་ཀྱང་། ། The nature of such things cannot be changed. ཕྱོགས་གཞན་བུག་པར་ཤར་བའི་སྣང་བ་ཡིས། ། However, light shining through the other opening འཐིབས་པོའི་སྨག་རུམ་སེལ་བ་འབྱུང་སྙམ་བགྱིད། ། Dispels the thick darkness One can contemplate this The 5th Dalai Lama – Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (1617–1682) AUDIO NARRATION A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Lelung Zhepe Dorje Two spontaneous songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje: one honouring the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin, the other celebrating the experience of unobstructed, effortless awareness. Both transmit direct spiritual realization through verse. Listen CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN Publications for Download Download Download Download Download Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved. Menu Close Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate SUBSCRIBE Publications People Listen Watch

Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen Watch Explore the stories and culture of Tibet through immersive videos. BIOGRAPHICAL BUDDHIST GOVERNMENTAL MISCELLANEOUS Author Tradition Historical Period View All Reset Filters Song Ocean, Waves, and Wind: A Song on the Nature of Mind Tsangnyon Heruka A song by Tsangnyön Heruka, using the imagery of ocean, waves, and wind to point directly at the nature of mind. See Publication Song A Madman’s Meditation Experiences: A Song from Labchi Tsangnyon Heruka A Madman’s Meditation Experiences: A Song from Labchi, is a doha sung by Tsangnyön Heruka at the sacred hermitage of Labchi. See Publication Song A Series of Spontaneous Spiritual Songs Lelung Zhepe Dorje Two spontaneous songs by Lelung Zhepe Dorje: one honouring the 2nd Dzogchen Drubwang Gyurme Thekchog Tenzin, the other celebrating the experience of unobstructed, effortless awareness. Both transmit direct spiritual realization through verse. See Publication Biography How Guru Chöwang Met the Guru at Ne Ngön Guru Chökyi Wangchuk During an alchemical corpse ritual, Guru Chöwang meets Padmasambhava in a profound encounter that defies categorization as dream, vision, or reality - an event he insisted truly occurred. See Publication Biography An Extraordinary Pure Vision at Kharchu's Nectar Cave: A Dream of Guru Chöwang Guru Chökyi Wangchuk After five days of Guru Pema practice, Chöwang's pure vision atop Mt Meru reveals worldly omens and a profound teaching: all phenomena, even demons, arise from mind itself. See Publication Praises In Praise of the Goddess Sarasvatī Tsongkhapa Lobzang Dragpa Tsongkhapa's celebrated ode to Sarasvatī resonates beyond monastery walls into Tibet's artistic and literary spheres, becoming a cultural touchstone of devotional poetry. See Publication Song A Song on the Merits of Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong Milarepa Milarepa's poetic ode to Kyangpen Namkhe Dzong exalts nature itself as the source of this retreat site's blessing power, departing from traditional focus on Buddhist masters. See Publication Aspirational Prayer The Magical Lasso: A Prayer of Aspiration to Accomplish Khecara Lelung Zhepe Dorje A heartfelt prayer to the ḍākinīs of three worlds, composed at Pemokö's Dudul Dewa Chenpo, seeking blessings to master the Vajrayāna path for all beings' benefit. See Publication Advice Devotion is the Highest Practice Khenpo Ngawang Palzang Khenpo Ngawang Palzang's morning devotional rings clear and true with tantra's essential message: devotion stands as the highest practice. See Publication Prayer The Vajra Verses: A Prayer of the Fierce Inner Heat Jigme Lingpa Jigme Lingpa's Longchen Nyingtik instruction on fierce inner heat practice, composed as a supplication to be sung between lineage prayers and practice commencement. See Publication Guidebook Hidden Sacred Land of Pemakö Dudjom Lingpa Dudjom Lingpa maps Pemakö's sacred geography, revealing its power spots, deity abodes, and purifying landscapes through traditional guidebook wisdom and spiritual insight. See Publication Declaration Sixteen Self-Assertions Drugpa Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal, Lopön Nadok The First Drugpa Zhabdrung's victory declaration of 1619, composed after defeating Tsang's ruler through ritual sorcery, helped establish Bhutan's identity while asserting his talismanic power. See Publication View More

A rare collection of letters by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso, from the Water Pig year - now preserved in France, their recipients and original acquisition remain a mystery. Eleventh Day, Ninth Month, Water Pig Year LETTER ONE: These days, [I hope] your Mount Meru like body, which is produced as a result of the glorious and outstanding training of the past, is well and that the series of great benevolent waves of your four virtuous actions are continuously beautiful. Note that from Chabtru Khenpo, [ 1 ] who recently arrived in Lhasa on the 21st day of the 11th Tibetan lunar month of the Water Dog Year (1922), I have received, as offerings for advice, good khataks (offering scarfs) made of Mongolian silk, five zho of rin and tur , [ 2 ] one handkerchief [made of] a type of fine cloth, and a manaho snuff box with a lid and case. [ 3 ] On my side, my conditioned body is not tainted by any harm and is in a state of temporary comfort. I am continuously and happily, with the highest intentions, conducting religious and temporal matters for the benefit of beings and the doctrine, like that of the supreme one’s [ 4 ] life. In the future, too, please be sure to take good care of your health, which is the source of all the auspicious goodness and prosperity, and run [the country] as before to generate waves of benefit for the doctrine and all beings. Moreover, [please] continue to accumulate auspicious merit. Together with this letter, I enclose a blessed protective object, [ 5 ] a sealed pair of handprints, and three handmade, blessed circles of earth. [ 6 ] Sent on the auspicious 11th day of the 9th month of the Water Pig Year (1923). LETTER TWO: These days, [I hope] your body is as stable as conch, which comes from the glorious ocean of virtuous actions, and that you are enjoying the wealth, which competes with the gardens of heavenly paradise. Note that from Chabtru Khenpo, [ 7 ] who recently arrived in Lhasa on the 21st day of the 11th Tibetan lunar month of the Water Dog Year (1922), I have received, as offerings for advice, good khataks (offering scarfs) made of Mongolian silk, and five zho of rin and tur , one handkerchief [made of] a type of fine cloth, and a manaho snuff box with a lid and case. On my side, the conditioned constitution [of my body] is steady, and I endeavour to carry out virtuous actions to spread religious and temporal matters. In the future too, please spread happiness in accordance with local conditions. Moreover, like the good actions of the past, [please] continue to accumulate auspicious merit. Together with this letter, I enclose a blessed protective object, a sealed pair of handprints, and three handmade, blessed circles of earth. Sent on the auspicious 11th day of the 9th month of the Water Pig Year (1923). COLOPHON None NOTES [1] byab[s] khrus mkhan po [2] Zho is a measurement of currency. rin and mthur [3] Ma na ho is a type of precious stone. [4] Supreme one could be one of three things: the Manchu emperor, Russian royalty, or previous incarnations of the Dalai Lama. Given that the first two no longer existed in 1922, it is most likely that he was referring to his previous incarnations [5] For example, an amulet or protective thread [6] Dried soil. It is blessed with mantras and considered auspicious (many ingest it). [7] byabs khrus mkhan po BIBLIOGRAPHY Ta la'i bla ma 13 thub bstan rgya mtsho. 1923. Private Collection. London: Tib Shelf W002 Published: May 2021 Abstract These letters were purchased and are now conserved in a private collection in France. The means of the initial acquisition is unknown. The recipient(s) of the letters are currently unidentified, and their connection with the Thirteenth Dalai Lama is undetermined. We are happy to receive any information concerning these letters. TIB SHELF W002 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Geluk INCARNATION LINE Dalai Lama HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS The Third Purchok, Jampa Gyatso The Fourth Amdo Zhamar, Gendun Tendzin Gyatso The Fifth Ling Rinpoche, Lobzang Lungtok Tenzin Trinle The Tenth Tatsak Jedrung, Ngawang Pelden Chokyi Gyeltsen Lobzang Rabsel The Eighty-Second Ganden Tripa, Yeshe Chopel Lerab Lingpa Agvan Dorjiev TRANSLATORS Rachael Griffiths Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Ganden Sera Monastery Drepung Monastery Tashilhunpo Kumbum Jampa Ling Tsel Gungtang Ralung Monastery Gyuto Dratsang Reting Monastery Drepung Gomang Dratsang Langdun Manor House Lhasa Tsuklakhang Shol Printery Namgyel Potala Norbulingkha Mentsikhang Ikh Khuree Tsari Bhutan House Wutai Shan Bodhgaya Lhamo Latso STUDENTS Tubten Namdrol The Fifth Reting Rinpoche, Tubten Jampel Yeshe Tenpai Gyeltsen The Ninth Panchen Lama, Tubten Chokyi Nyima Gedun Lungtok Rabgye The Ninth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Tubten Chowang Nyamnyi Dorje The Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje The Second Jamgon Kongtrul, Khyentse Ozer The Eleventh Tongkhor, Lobzang Jigme Tsultrim Gyatso The Fifth Kondor Tulku, Lobzang Namgyel Tendzin Lhundrub Jampa Taye The Sixth Ling Rinpoche, Thupten Lungtok Namgyal Trinle AUTHOR The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, Tubten Gyatso Eleventh Day, Ninth Month, Water Pig Year VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Treasure Revealer Sera Khandro 1892-1940 BDRC P742 TREASURY OF LIVES LOTSAWA HOUSE Sera Khandro Kunzang Dekyong Wangmo was one of the most remarkable female treasure revealers of twentieth-century Tibet. Born in Lhasa, she resisted an arranged marriage and, following profound visionary experiences, fled to Golok to pursue a life of Dharma. Enduring extreme hardship, social opposition, and periods of illness, she nevertheless became renowned for her devotion, eloquence, and spiritual attainment. As both a consort and an independent treasure revealer, she transmitted and uncovered major treasure cycles, including teachings connected to Dudjom Lingpa and Drime Özer, as well as her own visionary revelations. Her life and writings offer a rare and powerful account of female religious agency within the Nyingma tradition. She spent her later years teaching and travelling across eastern Tibet, gathering a wide circle of disciples, and is remembered as a central figure in the modern Tibetan treasure tradition. Song Don’t Place Your Trust in… Sera Khandro A mgur of direct “pointing out” in which Sera Khandro dismantles every support of the path, revealing the already-complete unity of emptiness and luminosity. Read Song Song of the Vulture Sera Khandro Sera Khandro sang this song at the age of eleven, a month after her mother’s death, following an encounter with a white vulture she recognised as the soul-bird of a ḍākinī. Read Translated Works Mentioned In Menu Close Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Research Tool Privacy Policy & Terms of Use SUBSCRIBE Publications Watch People Listen

Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor chronicles the life of Chatral Kunga Palden (1878-1944) in this luminous biographical account. The Wondrous Light of Lunar Nectar The one who seized the citadel of the awakened intent of primordially pure space, And who met everyone with spontaneous compassion to the greatest degree— In remembrance of this yogin of the essential, supreme vehicle, I will compose this biography devoid of embellishment or understatement. This sacred lord guru ( Kunga Palden ) was born near the glorious Sakya monastery of Galenteng , which was founded by Ga Anye Dampa near Chögyal Derge Lhundrub Teng Monastery. Although he was initiated into a religious life, he conducted himself in a rough manner. He would wrap stones with animal hide held by a yak-haired rope and keep this [weapon] around his waist, as he would constantly engage in fighting. Once when he was on his way home after evening group practice, he saw a mountain surrounded by a grassy meadow with mist rolling in. Atop this mountain sat two small, white retreat houses. At this sight, he thought over and over about how he must live such a life in retreat. In fact, he went to a monastery where he attended a literacy teacher and stayed in retreat on the Element Taming [Vajrapāṇi]. During breaks, he read the biography of venerable Milarepa, and continuously recollected: “Now, I must rely upon a qualified guru in order to perfectly accomplish the doctrine.” He continued to attend his teacher but received the following reprimand: “Other people can complete the recitations for the Element Taming [Vajrapāṇi] in one month, but you are distracted with these texts and have not even accomplished the recitations in two months!” Despite this scolding, he continued to read Milarepa’s biography and other texts. He completed enough recitations for the thousand-armed (Avalokiteśvara) and performed a fire offering ritual. Then, over and over again, he asked himself: “Which guru should I properly rely on?” He heard about Patrul Rinpoche’s life story, and as some others were about to seek him out, he decided to go too. Without telling anyone else, Kunga Palden confided in his mother that he would be leaving for Dzachuka to meet Patrul Rinpoche. With tears in her eyes, his mother looked and did not say anything. Kunga grabbed some travel provisions, and while he was leaving his mother broke down in tears. He reached the valley of Dza Mamo Khar [ 1 ] in Dzachukha when Patrul Rinpoche was teaching on the Bodhicharyāvatāra . He arrived and received the [last] chapter concerning dedication. Then he received the [entire] Bodhicharyāvatāra from Mura Chogtrul Pema Dechen Zangpo although he did not gain a stable understanding. When he received teachings on [Nāgārjuna’s] A Letter to a Friend from Gemang Önpo Orgyen Tenzin Norbu, he gained a stable understanding, and so he thought: “I've become a suitable vessel to rely upon this guru.” He was certain about this, and he said he never hoped to receive empowerments, instructions, or advice from any guru other than Gemang Önpo Orgyen Tenzin Norbu. Ön Rinpoche said: “Look over a text and you might gain some knowledge. In general, study is important at the outset.” Ön Rinpoche took care of him for a few years and Kunga Palden studied texts. “But I had great hopes of practicing meditation,” he said, and he frequently requested [teachings]. “At that time,” Kunga told me, “I practiced the Sakya Time of the Path without interruption, [ 2 ] and I did my best to dedicate the tormas while using my ritual bell and hand drum.” Besides this, he enthusiastically and diligently received, studied, and practiced Longchenpa’s Trilogy of Natural Ease (Ngalso Korsum) and the Seven Treasuries, [Ngari Paṇchen Pema Wangyal’s] Ascertaining the Three Vows , Bodhicharyāvatāra , The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way: Wisdom , the Teachings of Maitreya , the empowerment of the two main volumes of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse (Longchen Nyingtik), creation stage practices, the practice of the channels, winds, and the physical yogas, The Unexcelled Primordial Wisdom ( Yeshe Lama ), The Three Phrases that Hit the Key Points , and much more. In particular, since Ön Rinpoche reached the end of practice within one lifetime, he bestowed the empowerment, profound instructions, and oral transmission of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence ( Lama Yangtik Yizhin Norbu ). On the day that there was an exchange of gifts in reciprocity for the teachings, Ön Rinpoche received a fine hanging-scroll of the omniscient Longchenpa from my old father Dilgo Tashi Tsering. Rinpoche said: “This is a good interdependence,” and he gave it to the lord guru, Kunga Palden. Ön Rinpoche instructed: “Now there is no need for you to apply yourself to studying texts. You only need to go to the mountains on retreat and practice your meditation. Whatever you find to eat, eat it. Whatever clothes you come across, put them on. Food that others may offer, rituals for the dead, and bestowing empowerments—there is no need for such things. Go meet Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and exclusively receive the essential instructions for [Longchenpa’s] Finding Rest in Illusion then stay in a retreat near [Khenpo] Zhenga’s place.” “Nothing can compare to receiving the essential instructions on Finding Rest in Illusion from my root guru, Ön Rinpoche,” thought Kunga Palden. “However, since it's my guru’s command, I must meet Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo and receive the teaching as my guru instructed.” Thinking this, he left for his homeland. Along with a few monks from Galen Monastery , he went to Dzongsar to meet Jamyang Khyentsé Rinpoche, who gave the Hévajra Gyu lam empowerment as well as the blessings and instructions for Khecara in an extensive manner. Between his explanations of the instructions, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo gave supplementary and additional talks. “These days, in the current times, there are many prideful people who say they have renounced [cyclic existence] and are free from activities. If foreigners came to Tibet and said that they must abandon the Three Jewels, they would immediately agree with them. I am in a state of bustling distraction, but still, if they were to place my head on the threshold, bring an axe and say: ‘If you don’t abandon the Three Jewels, we will cut your throat with this axe!' I wouldn’t abandon the Three Jewels even with my words. I would gladly answer them. These days there are Buddhist practitioners who have no substance at all, only great renown.” When other friends were about to depart [the teachings], they made many promises to continuously practice the Hevajra Time of the Path and complete the fundamental recitation total for Khecara. Kunga Palden told me: “In the past, I practiced the Time of the Path and made torma offerings [to the deities], but it's been several years since I stopped. I promised that I would practice The Guru’s Inner Essence in a mountain retreat.” Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo said: “A kha kha, I have conferred empowerment and instructions for Hevajra and Khecara on you, and I take any wrongdoings of this upon myself. It was the wrong occasion,” as he pulled on his cheek. “Or, I could consistently recite the Aṣṭa Chö Rok [ 3 ] and the three OṂ(s) thirty-three times a day,” Kunga Palden replied. “Do whatever you like." “I will continuously recite the approach [recitations] for Aṣṭa and Khecara,” Kunga answered. Having offered the text and the essential instructions for Finding Rest in Illusion , Kunga Palden requested the instructions and oral transmission. “You can receive them from your root guru as I do not know the instructions for Finding Rest in Illusion ,” replied Khyentse Wangpo. “He never gave me the teachings,” Kunga Palden confessed. Then he stayed in a lonely mountain retreat without any bustling distractions. Kunga Palden received the empowerment and instructions for the Guru’s Inner Essence and practiced without interruption the guru yoga of [Longchenpa’s] Stages of Guru Practice: The Ocean of Attainments and the guru yoga of the smaller aural transmission of the Natural Manifestation of Primordial Wisdom . He exclusively practiced the inner guru yoga that is devoid of elaborations. On the tenth day of the waxing and waning phases of the month, he offered extensive tantric feasts. He accepted whatever clothing and other valuable provisions were given as offerings. Whatever offerings people gave for the dead or for the living, whether great or small, he used them to make woodblocks for texts such as The Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish and A Hundred Deeds , and he placed them in the Dzogchen Monastery’s printing house. He lovingly protected the wild animals and the various birds by using methods such as the conservation law of sealing the mountains and valleys. He accepted a great amount of salt, which he gave to the wild animals. Through such actions, he nurtured wild animals in the manner of livestock. Kunga Palden had disciples who were a calling distance or about a league away in all directions. He made his students enter thatched meditation huts to practice only unelaborate meditation in silence. He advised his students not to collect food offerings or keep any texts other than the Guru’s Inner Essence , the Seven Treasuries, and the cycle of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse. Kunga Palden did not even have a hand drum or a ritual bell for performing ceremonies. He collected a lot of supplies for ritual feast offerings and delicious foods and drinks which he generously gave to the birds, wild animals, and the poor. When many ordinary people gathered, he taught them the essential points about karmic causes and results, taking refuge, generating the intentional mind of awakening, and the four causes of the Blissful Realm in a concise and easily understandable manner. He thus encouraged them to engage in virtue. At some point, he developed a sickness of the white channels which caused him weariness. Due to this he exclusively engaged in the practice of removing obstacles in the body, as found in the Guru’s Inner Essence. He did not take any other treatment or medicine, and he was freed from the sickness. He taught, “By supplicating the guru, vital provisions will come naturally even if you are staying in a pleasant mountain retreat. In places without water, you can say, ‘Let water arise here!’ Then, when you dig for it, water will emerge.” In his familial line there have been many who did not live long, but since he practiced the longevity practice of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence , he was able to live for more than seventy years. “At the time of engaging in the longevity practice, one needs to hold the wind in the center of the heart. Doing so ensures there is no chance for obstructions of the life-sustaining wind to come about. I came to the firm conviction concerning daily work that other than supplicating my root guru, Önpo, there is no need for such things as divination, astrological calculations, or predicting good and bad days,” Kunga Palden clarified. “In Galenteng, there is a lord called the 'Steward of Derge Khangsar.' His fortress became empty and inside there was a room where absolutely no light could get in, so I went there to engage in a hundred-day dark retreat of the Guru’s Inner Essence . “In the first vision, there appeared a great ravine in which a thickening darkness amassed from above and below, and you could not see the end of it. In its center was a small stone the size of two feet. There I stood, crouched. When gusts of upturning and swirling winds came, all of the long prairie grass swayed back and forth with whistling sounds— shu . I kneaded some barley flour into dough and ate it. Then I had the impression that gray flour became scattered from the rim of my small cup. Although I was in a comfortable position, fear prevented me from becoming completely relaxed. “Again, I was in that ravine, and there came an intense roaring sound— ur ! —as hail clouds rolled in. They enveloped my illusory body and carried me into the surrounding space. As soon as that happened, I recalled that my mind was integrated with the guru’s mind, and I felt a shiver of happiness. At once the anxiety returned, although it was not a shock to me. “Many pure and impure visionary realms appeared, and inside a round orb of light ( tigle ) about the size of a fingernail were all the beings of the six classes organized [according to their] happiness and suffering. Their arrangement was not mixed together, but it was clear and complete. I thought: ‘Is it not like that one saying? On a single particle there are countless [other] particles filled with buddhafields in which buddhas enact their activities.’ From all this, a trusting faith arose in me. “Later on, since going into dark retreat, I thought the visions of leaping-over ( tögal ) would be enhanced, but I did not experience any increase.” Kunga Palden said. When I (Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche) received the final instructions of the Guru’s Inner Essence , Kunga Palden told me about his visions in dark retreat as additional explanations for practicing the dark retreat yogas. “I have explained to you how the dark retreat visions appear so that after this when you come to practice the dark retreat yogas, you will find this very beneficial. That's why I have shared them with you,” Kunga Palden said. “ Dzogchen Khenpo Lhagyal and my own virtuous students have stayed in that place for one hundred days and practiced. However, they did not have harsh experiences. In general, it probably varies according to the differences in peoples’ channels, winds, and essences." He also said: “When [Önpo was teaching the] profound instructions for the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence , he praised its great blessing. To his students who were exerting themselves in their retreat, Lord [Önpo] said, ‘In general, if there is no study, then contemplation and meditation will not develop properly. Unless one has looked into the Root Stanzas of the Middle Way: Wisdom , in particular, one will not comprehend the atemporal, natural rest of cutting-through (trekchö). Therefore, it is very important to study the Root Stanzas of the Middle Way: Wisdom .’ ” When the Dharma lord Patrul Rinpoche gave teachings for the textual traditions of sūtra and tantra, he never had the custom of keeping texts with him; however, he remained inseparable from one volume of the Guru’s Inner Essence until he died at the age of seventy-nine. “As for myself, I received the empowerment and instructions from the lord guru, Ön Rinpoche. Then, at that time, I did my best in my practice, yet there was not even the slightest depth to my realization, view, or meditation. But discursive concepts such as ‘Have I been deceived by these instructions?’ never occurred to me,” Kunga Palden confided. That is all he said. Other than this, he did not tell any of his students how the sign of heat on the stages and the paths arose in his mind. The Lord’s close friend, Khenpo Dralo of Dza Gyal Monastery practiced the approach recitations for the essential sections of the secret practice of the protectors and guardians of the Guru’s Inner Essence . As a result, he received a lot of veneration and offerings and came to be known as a companion of the protectors. He knew that this was the help of the protectors, and he clarified his position to them: “I did not engage in your practice for the benefit of this life. I am practicing for the sake of the supreme spiritual attainment.” By saying this three times, he ended up with fewer visitors. “When I initially stayed alone in my retreat, I did not need to meet anyone in person. All I had to do was practice day and night, and I was content. Yet, as soon as I had the name of Guru Kunga Palden many people assembled. They never allowed me to be completely free, as I constantly had to engage in various activities that would connect people to the teachings,” he recalled. Khenpo Zhenga Rinpoche said: “I spent my entire life teaching the sutras and tantras, but whenever Kunga Palden asked questions concerning the profound points of view and meditation, I could not answer immediately. I had to think about it carefully. I suppose the wisdom from his meditation had unfolded.” Jamgön Dorje Chang Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche (Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö) said: “I received both the instructions and transmission for the Guru’s Inner Essence from Guru Kunga Palden, and he also explained many excellent profound points on practice.” During the later years of his life, he stayed in the retreat place called Nepu in front of the Ziltrom glacier, which became his residence, and Palpung Situ Pema Wangchok (1886–1952) also attended him there. Later Kunga Palden was protected by the compassionate refuge of Drubwang Dzogchen Tubten Chökyi Dorje, and he came to stayed at the upper meditation cave of Tsering Jong [near Dzogchen Monastery]. He uninterruptedly turned the wheel of the Dharma of the essential maturing [empowerments[ and liberating [instructions] of the supreme vehicle and the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence in particular to the majority of abbots and tulkus of Dzogchen Monastery. There he died and many amazing sights occurred such as tiny pearl-like relics ( ringsel ) arising from his bones. When I (Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche) reached my eleventh year my legs were burned, and I came close to death. At that time the holy guru Kunga Palden performed the ablution ritual, conferred the layman’s vows, and carried out a longevity practice for a month. In particular, he granted an elaborate and detailed explanation of the whole of the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Guru’s Inner Essence , beginning with the Stages of Guru Practice: The Ocean of Attainments right up to the final inventory. I also received practical guidance from him on the channels, winds, and physical yoga practices of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse. He told me that I should focus on practice as my main activity and, as a supplement to this, grant instructions to those who seek the teachings. He also gave me his own copies of the Seven Treasuries, which he had studied for his entire life, and his personal copies of the Trilogy of Natural Ease and cared for me with immeasurable compassion. COLOPHON Therefore, I, Maṅgala Śrī Bhūti ( Tashi Paljor ) have written this brief biography, which is devoid of embellishment or understatement, at my retreat place. May all beings set out upon the direct path of the supreme, sovereign vehicle, and may this text become a cause for them to follow the path as found in this glorious guru’s life of liberation. NOTES [1] Dza Patrul Rinpoche reconstructed this Maṇi stone wall, which was first constructed by Samten Puntsok (bsam gtan phun tshogs). [2] Time of the Path ( lam dus ) is the common name for the daily Hevajra sādhana, which must be practiced regularly without interruption. [3] This is a root mantra found in the practice of Hevajra. Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: July 2020 Edited: April 2025 BIBLIOGRAPHY Tashi Paljor (bkra shis dpal ’byor. theg pa mchog gi rnal ’byor pa bya bral kun dga’ dpal ldan gyi rnam thar ngo mtshar bdud rtsi’i snang ba . In gsung ’bum/_rab gsal zla ba , vol. 1, 621–636. Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1994. BDRC W21809 . Abstract The Wondrous Light of Lunar Nectar is a biography of Chatral Kunga Palden (1878–1944) written by Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor. BDRC LINK W21809 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 18:42 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th Century 20th Century TEACHERS Pema Tegchok Loden The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo Orgyen Tenzin Norbu Mipam Gyatso Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Patrul Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo The First Adzom Drugpa, Drodul Pawo Dorj e The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorj e TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Galenteng Dzogchen Monastery Dzongsar Derge Gonchen STUDENTS Rigdzin Wangyal Lobzang Palden Tenzin Nyandrak Könchok Zangpo Pema Damchö Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor Tsewang Rigdzin Norbu Tenzin Chimé Yesh e Tenzin Gyaltsen Jigme Lodrö The Eleventh Tai Situ, Pema Wangchok Gyalpo Togden Jampa Tendar Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Wangchuk AUTHOR Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor The Wondrous Light of Lunar Nectar VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

A short Dzogchen song of realization by Śākya Śrī, in which the master points to the natural liberation of all experience within the expanse of dharmatā. A Song of the Great Perfection A ho! Homage to the lama, Samantabhadra, the very nature of self-knowing awareness. Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, empty in themselves—whatever arises is sameness itself. Ati, the Great Perfection, lies beyond the reach of conceptual mind. Rest in effortless self-liberation, O Dzogchenpa! Mind itself, groundless, empty yet luminous, is the expanse of dharmatā. Whatever dualistic thoughts may arise—past, present, or future— Never straying from the expanse of dharmatā, they are liberated in their own place. Rely on authentic mindfulness, O Dzogchenpa! Mindfulness, its object, and the one who is mindful are free from concrete grasping. Mind and its objects are purified into the expanse of dharmatā. The five poisons, freed from the root, are an unbroken stream of primordial wisdom. Liberation upon arising, without bias or partiality—is this not so, O Dzogchenpa? Appearances have no objective reality; one's own mind is without intrinsic nature. Saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are non-dual, beyond the sphere of subject and object. Everything is ineffable—empty and luminous, beyond the ordinary mind. Awareness and the expanse, without meeting or parting—is this not so, O Dzogchenpa? Within the primordial expanse, gain stability in rigpa. For the Sky Yogin, unceasingly, All days are exhausted into the expanse free from grasping. Abide in the natural state, O Dzogchenpa! COLPHON Thus this was sung as a song of personal experience by the Great Perfection Sky Yogin, the Venerable Śākya Śrī. NOTES None BIBLOGRAPHY Kathog Situ Chökyi Gyatso. Togden Shakya Shri: The Life and Liberation of a Tibetan Yogin. Translated and compiled by Elio Guarisco. 2nd ed. Arcidosso, Italy: Shang Shung Edizioni, 2011. Togden Shakya Shri (rTogs ldan shākya shrī). gSung ʼbum shākya shrī. 1 vols. Kathmandu: Khenpo Shedup Tenzin And Lama Thinley Namgyal, 1998. pp.700-701. BDRC MW23563 . Abstract In this brief song of spiritual experience (nyams mgur ), the Drukpa Kagyü and Dzogchen master Śākya Śrī (1853–1919) sings of the view of Ati, the Great Perfection. Across five verses he points to the empty, luminous nature of mind itself, the self-liberation of whatever arises within the expanse of dharmatā, and the dissolution of subject and object, mindfulness and its object, and the five poisons into primordial wisdom. Each verse turns to address the practitioner directly—"O Dzogchenpa!"—calling them to rest in effortless self-liberation and abide in the natural state. BDRC MW23563 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma Kagyu INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 18th Century 19th Century TEACHERS Mipam Gyatso Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye bstan pa'i nyi ma pad+ma dri med 'od zer ye shes snang ba TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Dzogchen Monastery Swayambhunath Boudha Stupa Drugu Gon Namo Buddha STUDENTS kun lha bstan 'dzin bsod nams rgyal mtshan bsod nams bzang po Lama Monlam Rabzang Ngawang Tenzin Gyatso The Tenth Drukchen, Mipam Chokyi Wangpo Tokden Orgyen Tenzin Tersey Tulku Pelling Ani Wangdzin AUTHOR Śākya Śrī A Song of the Great Perfection VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.

Khenpo Tsöndru chronicles his teacher Pema Tegchok Loden (1879–1955), from his studies with renowned masters to his role as Dzogchen Śrī Siṃha's abbot, culminating in solitary meditation practice. The Biography of Dzogchen Khenchen Abu Lhagang The birthplace of the glorious and kind Khenchen Pema Tegchok Loden , also known as Dzogchen Khen Lhagyal or Lhagang, was in the Dzogchen Drogri valley. The names of his parents, his birth year, and other details are unknown. [ 1 ] Both Dzogchen Khenpo Chimé Rinpoche and Khenpo Chönam Rinpoche were his nephews, as was a monk called Wangchuk Tsering, who was proficient in the scriptures. [ 2 ] When two of his younger nephews were recognized as the emanations of Do Rinpoche, Khenchen Tegchok said: “Whether or not they are emanations, they should become monks. It is customary in our family lineage for there to be proper monastics.” As this indicates, he was certainly born into a family lineage with a naturally good [standing]. There is a reliable account reported by two senior disciples that Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo had a clear indication in a dream while he was staying at Dzogchen Monastery that Pema Tegchok Loden was one of the emanations of the great paṇḍita Vimalamitra, who appears in Tibet once every hundred years. [ 3 ] Dokham’s crown ornament of scholars and adepts, Patrul Jigme Chökyi Wangpo , had four disciples who were superior to himself. [ 4 ] Pema Tegchok Loden’s exceptional gurus included one of these, Önpo Tenga, or Orgyen Tenzin Norbu, who surpassed his teacher in the [philosophy of] the Middle Way, as well as his direct disciple Dzogchen Khenpo Zhenga, or Khenchen Zhenpen Chökyi Nangwa. [ 5 ] The master also had a mutual guru-disciple relationship with the great destroyer of delusion Galen Lama Kunga Palden . [ 6 ] He served at the lotus feet of many particularly noble, spiritual mentors including the Fifth Dzogchen Tubten Chökyi Dorje and Jamyang Mipham Chogle Namgyal, as well as listening to and contemplating sūtras and tantras along with the general fields of knowledge. [ 7 ] He thus became a lord of scholars. In particular, he acquired a clear understanding of [Dharmakīrti’s] Seven Treatises (Dedun) and the root texts and commentarial literature of the sūtras. He became known as an exceptional scholar of valid cognition, authoritative in exposition, debate, and composition. For eight years he served as the abbot of the main Dzogchen Monastery and Śrī Siṃha College. He continued his enlightened activities by primarily explaining and propagating the thirteen great classics of Indian [Mahāyāna philosophical] scriptures, as well as the sūtras, tantras, and fields of knowledge. Thereafter, he devoted the remainder of his life to practice in what is known as the Yamāntaka Meditation Cave, a cave near Dzogchen Monastery where the long mantras of Vajrakīlaya and Yamāntaka as well as the seed syllable of Yamarāja naturally appeared. This is also where the Dharma lord Patrul Rinpoche wrote The Words of My Perfect Teacher: An Instructional Manual for the Preliminary Practices of The Heart Essence of the Great Expanse ( Longchen Nyingtik ) and conducted a long retreat, imbuing the cave with blessings. Pema Tegchok travelled twice to Dzogchen Monastery when others requested him to do so and it was of some significance for the benefit of the teachings. But besides these two occasions, he never left and stayed exclusively in seclusion in that sacred place. He had a square bed with a blanket, which was perfectly suitable for his cross-legged posture. He strove in meditation and never fully loosened his belt [to sleep]. He owned only a tea kettle, a bag for roasted barley flour, and some baskets, and never accepted any common worldly provisions. He devoted himself solely to the conduct through which one renounces all things and is freed from activities. When people gave him offerings on behalf of the dead, he would never accept large donations, only small ones, and even these were used as offerings for such things as celebrating the anniversary of the omniscient master, making feast offerings and so forth—he would not use them to fund his own resources. He never ate meat. During the summer, he would sit naked and offer his blood to the blood-drinking insects of the forest. When the moon shone at night, he would place his yogic meditation pad upon a boulder and practice the physical yogas, so much so that the boulder even grew smaller as a result. Between sessions, he boundlessly bestowed the nectar of profound instructions on faithful people from all directions, gaining countless disciples, including abbots and tulkus who preserved and upheld the doctrine of the victors and hermits who had given up life’s concerns and were free from activities. Even Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen Rinpoche said recently that he was Pema Tegchok’s student and that it was from him that he received the entirety of the Dzogchen Heart Essence’s (Nyingtik) instructional cycles. So exceedingly profound was his mind that the depth of his realization is difficult to comprehend. Still, we can consider what I believe to have been the core of his practice: all the instructions and profound advice from the textual tradition of the Omniscient One (Longchenpa Drimé Özer) and his heir ( Jigme Lingpa ), [ 8 ] the creation stage practices of the three yogas based upon the three roots of the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse, and the completion stage practices of winds according to the aural lineage based upon the primordial wisdom deity ( jñānasattva ) from the Assembly of Vidyadharas ( Rigdzin Dupa ), as well as the Four Works of the Heart Essence (Nyingtik Yabzhi), especially the Guru’s Inner Essence ( Lama Yangtik ) and the Heart Essence of the Ḍākinī (Khandro Nyingtik), as well as the Unexcelled Primordial Wisdom ( Yeshe Lama ), and the Seven Treasuries, especially the Treasury of the Dharmadhatu ( Chöying Dzö ). In any case, he became a great lord of realization, and at that time he was the source for clearing up misconceptions of [meditative] experiences and realizations for the majority of scholars and adepts in his vicinity including Zhechen Kongtrul Rinpoche. [ 9 ] As a sign that his material body had been liberated into a body of light, he never cast a shadow. As an indication of his accomplishment of the supreme inner heat ( tummo ), his water offerings never froze even in the bitter cold of winter, and people who came within his vicinity could feel the naturally arising heat within a bowshot of his dwelling. Since his training in discipline was as pure as the inner space of a lotus bulb, the sweet fragrance of discipline also permeated for about a bowshot. These signs were directly apparent. There were also well-known stories about the effectiveness of his blessings, such as how his protection cords could fend off weapons and prevent infant mortality. In brief, he was like a great moon of a Dharma teacher, in whom the qualities of scholarship, standing as a reverend monk, signs of accomplishment, kind deeds, and other sacred qualities were all fully complete. He was a crown ornament among myriad wish-fulfilling scholars and adepts, the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra manifesting in the form of a spiritual master, inseparable from the omniscient Drime Özer (Longchenpa). Having reached the full extent of his life and practice, he became fully enlightened within the space of peace. COLOPHON None NOTES [1] More information about the life of Khenchen Pema Tegchok Loden , including his dates and the names of his parents, has become available since this biography was written. For a full biography that incorporates the latest findings see Ryan M Jacobson, “Pema Tekchok Loden,” Treasury of Lives. [2] ’chi med ye shes, 19th c.–20th c., BDRC P6965 ; chos nam, 20th c., BDRC P2JM398 . [3] ’jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse’i dbang po, 1820–1892, BDRC P258 . [4] dpal sprul o rgyan ’jigs med chos kyi dbang po, 1808–1887, BDRC P270 . In addition, Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpe Nyima ( rmyo shul lung rtogs bstan pa’i nyi ma , 1829–1901/2) is said to have surpassed his teacher in view, Gyalrong Tenzin Dragpa ( rgyal rong bstan 'dzin grags pa , 1847/8–c.1921) surpassed his teacher in logic and epistemology, and Minyak Kunzang Sönam (mi nyag kun bzang bsod nams, 1823–1905) surpassed him in teaching the Bodhicaryāvatāra . [5] o rgyan bstan ’dzin nor bu, 1841/51–1900?, BDRC P5055 ; gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba, 1871–1927, BDRC P699 . [6] kun dga’ dpal ldan, 1878–1944, BDRC P6963 . [7] rdzogs chen grub dbang 05 bstan chos kyi rdo rje, 1872–1935, BDRC P701 ; mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846–1912, BDRC P252 . [8] klong chen rab ’byams pa dri med ’od zer, 1308–1364, BDRC P1583 ; ’jigs med gling pa, 1730–1798, BDRC P314 . [9] zhe chen kong sprul pad+ma dri med, 1901–1960, BDRC P744 . Photo Credit: Pema Tsel Paintings & Orgyen Khamdroling Thanks to Adam Pearcey at Lotsawa House for his editing. Published: July 2020 Edited: March 2025 BIBLIOGRAPHY Tubten Tsöndru (thub bstan brtson ’grus). rdzogs chen mkhan lha rgyal lam lha dgongs su grags pa’i mkhan chen pad+ma theg mchog blo ldan dpal bzang po’i rnam thar. In gsung ’bum/_thub bstan brtson ’grus , vol. 1, 67–72. Bylakuppe: Nyingmapa Monastery, 1985?. BDRC W10200 . Tubten Tsöndru. rdzogs chen mkhan chen a bu lha sgang gi rnam thar . In mkhan chen thub bstan brtson ’grus kyi gsung ’bum , vol. 2, 225–228. Lhasa: Bod ljongs bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, 1985. Abstract Khenpo Tsöndru's brief biography of his own teacher Pema Tegchok Loden (1879–1955), alias Khenchen Abu Lhagang, tells how he studied under some of the most illustrious masters of his day before serving as abbot for eight years at the famed monastic college of Dzogchen Śrī Siṃha and then retiring to a nearby cave, focusing on meditative practice. BDRC LINK W10200 DOWNLOAD TRANSLATION GO TO TRANSLATION LISTEN TO AUDIO 00:00 / 00:27 TRADITION Nyingma INCARNATION LINE N/A HISTORICAL PERIOD 19th–20th Century TEACHERS The Fourth Sechen Gyaltsab, Pema Namgyal The Third Dodrubchen, Jigme Tenpe Nyima Mipam Gyatso Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Kham Tsang Drukgyal Orgyen Tenzin Norbu Lungtok Tenpe Nyima Khenchen Pema Vavra Sönam Chöpel Zhenpen Chökyi Nangwa Yönten Gyatso Kunzang Palden Kunzang Dechen Dorje Purtsa Khenpo Akön The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chökyi Dorje The Third Mura Pema Dechen Zangpo TRANSLATOR Tib Shelf INSTITUTIONS Dzogchen Monastery Śrī Siṃha College Dzogchen Yamāntaka Cave STUDENTS Kunga Palden The Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo Chönam Rigdzin Wangyal Ngawang Norbu Tubten Nyima Gyurme Ösal Mewa Khenchen Jampal Khenchen Tsöndru Tenzin Chözang Tsewang Rigdzin Pema Kunzang Rangdröl Pema Kalzang Khenchen Könchok Rinchen Tubten Legshe Chökyi Jungne Botrul Do Ngak Tenpe Nyima The Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang, Jigdral Jangchub Dorje Drogön Yeshe Dargye The Fourth Mura, Pema Norbu Adzom Drugpa Tubten Pema Trinle Tubten Chökyi Dragpa Jamyang Sherab Gyaltsen The Third Gemang, Garwang Lerab Lingpa AUTHOR Khenpo Tsöndru The Biography of Dzogchen Khenchen Abu Lhagang VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS NEXT PUBLICATION > < PREVIOUS PUBLICATION Home Publications Read Listen Watch People Information About Meet the Team Services Translators Donate Subscribe to our newsletter Support Tib Shelf's ongoing work & Subscribe Today! Name * Email* Submit Tib Shelf is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to translating, presenting and preserving primary source Tibetan texts across a vast array of genres and time periods. We make these literary treasures accessible to readers worldwide, offering a unique window into Tibet's rich history, culture and traditions. Tib Shelf has been accredited by the British Library with the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2754–1495 CONTACT US | SHELVES@TIBSHELF.ORG © 2024 Tib Shelf. All rights reserved.