A Supplication to the Profound Zhentong Madhyamaka Lineage

Composed by the great Jonang master Jetsun Taranatha (1575-1653) with added verses by the modern Jonang scholar Khenpo Ngawang Lodro Drakpa (1920-75), this supplication to the zhentong masters traces this unbroken and distinctive Zhentong Madhyamaka lineage from its ancient Indian ancestors up to the present living masters. Serving as a genealogical record for this sutra transmission line, these verses of poetic supplication to the generations of primary zhentong masters is an invaluable resource for understanding the history of this philosophical and contemplative tradition.

*This work is provided courtesy of the Ngedon Thartuk Translation Initiative.

Click to download and read this translation as a PDF file.

Ordinary Awareness & Pristine Awareness: A Treatise on the Distinction

Composed by the 3rd Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339), this treatise on the nature of awareness has been characterized by Tibetan masters as articulating a distinctive "zhentong" view. Rangjung Dorje's poetic work distinguishes the minds of buddhas from those of non-buddhas in clear and precise prose, giving us insights into the subtle movements and dynamics of awareness.

*This work is provided courtesy of the Ngedon Thartuk Translation Initiative.

Click to download and read this translation as a PDF file.

Taranatha's condensed text on the different schools and systems of Buddhist philosophy known as the "Essence of Zhentong" was recently published. This new book also includes a translation of Taranatha's "Twenty-one Profound Points," differentiating the zhentong views of Shakya Chogden and Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen.

Title: "The Essence of Other Emptiness"
Translator: Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus at UVA
Publisher: Snow Lion, 2007

Monks and Drums

Selected fine art photographs of Tibet and the Himalayan regions are now available to purchase online at Jonang Foundation's Benefit Tibet Photo Gallery.

Please support our work directly with your purchases of framed prints of selected high quality photos. All proceeds go directly towards funding our educational and cultural preservation projects in Tibet.

New photographs will be appearing periodically in the gallery so please stay-tuned!

To view the gallery and order prints, visit us here.

Dolpopa's masterpiece work on zhentong is now available in English.

Title: "Mountain Doctrine: Tibet's Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness and the Buddha Matrix"
Translator: Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus at UVA
Publisher: Snow Lion, 2006
Review: "The Mountain Doctrine of Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen is one of the great monuments of Tibetan philosophical literature. For nearly 700 years Dolpopa's work has been a fundamental source of inspiration for practitioners attracted to the definitive meaning of the Buddha's teachings. Jeffrey Hopkins deserves our sincere gratitude for making this profound message finally available to students of the Dharma outside Tibet." ---Cyrus Stearns