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108 Quintessential Instructions
As I’ve recently been reading through the collection of 108 Quintessential Instructions that was arranged by the Jonang master Kunga Drolchok (1507-1566), I’ve been thinking through the seemingly simple question,…
Read MorePublication Series II
Jonang Publication Series II The second set in the Jonang Publication Series (Jo nang dpe tshogs) is now available for purchase from Jonang Foundation. This annual series of select Tibetan…
Read MoreTibetan Zhentong Discourse II
Kongtrul also lists Rangjung Dorje’s and Dolpopa’s contemporary, the celebrated Nyingma master Kunkhyen Drimé Odzer or Longchen Rabjam (1308-1363). Longchenpa does use similar terminology but in a context and with…
Read MoreTārāyogīni Tantra
A short history of the distinct Jonang practice of Tara is featured on our blog. This post is titled, The Transmission of the Tantra and Practices of Tārāyogīni (Sgrol ma…
Read MoreTibetan Zhentong Discourse I
The wide variety of intricacies and nuances within the body of Tibetan thought that is termed “zhentong” is simply fantastic. The use of the word is so varied in fact…
Read MoreElucidating the Jeweled Matrix
Let’s talk texts. As much as contemplative practice, ritual, or even personal oral instructions are essential to esoteric transmission, it is texts and the transference of texts through time that…
Read MoreTārāyogīni Tantra & Practice
This post is titled, The Transmission of the Tantra and Practices of Tārāyogīni (Sgrol ma rnal ‘byor ma): A Little-Known Jonang Specialty. By Thomas Roth, a contributing author to the…
Read MoreZhentong isn’t Cittamātra
For some reason, those unfamiliar with the zhentong presentation tend to associate it with the Cittamāra (“Mind Only” or “Mentalist”) system, as if Madhyamaka was only divided into Svātantrika and…
Read MoreŚākyamuni’s 3 Revolutions
With the sustaining of a tradition, there is the multi-generational task of repeatedly defining and describing what is understood to be most real (or unreal). Then, every once in a…
Read MoreTradition of the Perfect Eon
The “now” is important for any tradition. For it is in the process of bringing the past into the present wherein a tradition is brought to life. However, the past,…
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