Research

• Strengths and Weaknesses of the Four Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism: A Satirical Counsel by Mipham Namgyel Gyatso

  Karma Phuntsho

  5-26

  2024-12-14

  In this short composition, Mipham Namgyal Gyatso - an eastern Tibetan polymath and rimé master of the nineteenth century - combines satire, humor and heartfel... More

• History of Monastic Textbooks at Gomang Monastic University (II): From the Seventeenth-Century C.E. to Eighteenth-Century C.E.

  Jongbok Yi

  61-94

  2024-12-14

  This paper examines the historical development of the new monastic textbooks authored by Jamyang Shepa at Gomang Monastic College in Drepung Monastery from the ... More

• The Indian Ocean Itinerary of Buddhaguptanātha’s Namthar

  Iain Sinclair

  27-60

  2024-12-14

  The transoceanic travels of the sixteenth century yogī Buddha­gupta­nātha, as reported in rnam thar form by his Tibetan disciple Tāranātha, offer rare obs... More

• Tibetan Translation Key: Imperial Decrees of the Two Volume Lexicon

  Namgyal Tsetan

  71-105

  2024-05-31

  The new fragments of the Two Volume Lexicon (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa), also known as Madhyavyutpatti, or the “Middle Vyutpatti” (bye brag tu rtogs bye... More

• Inherited Stories, Timeless Wisdom: Intertextuality and Proverbs in the Aché Lhamo Namthar

  Daniel Wojahn

  45-69

  2024-05-31

  This article focuses on the textual basis of Aché Lhamo, the Tibetan opera. A close reading of multi-layered plays like the Aché Lhamo namthar reveals the ela... More

• Shalu Lotsawa, Situ Paṇchen and Daṇḍin’s Kāvyādarśa: A Bibliographic Excursion

  Leonard W.J. van der Kuijp, Chen Yilan

  5-44

  2024-05-31

  This essay examines in some detail the contributions Shalu Lotsāwa (zhwa lu lo tsā ba, 1441–1528) and Situ Paṇchen (si tu paṇ chen, 1699–1774) made to... More

• The Origins of the Dzogchen Eleven Words and Meanings: Comparing Nyima Bum, Longchenpa, and Rikzin Gödemchen

  Khenpo Yeshi

  39-82

  2023-12-18

  The purpose of this paper is threefold: to provide a historical overview of Dzogpa Chenpo (rdzogs pa chen po), commonly referred to as the Great Perfection; ... More

• History for the Future: Politics and Aesthetics in the Fifth Dalai Lama’s Cuckoo’s Song

  Ian MacCormack

  5-38

  2023-12-18

  This article translates and interprets several stanzas of poetry from the Cuckoo’s Song (Dpyid kyi rgyal mo’i glu dbyangs), the 1643 political history of Ti... More

• Notes on Shelkar Lingpa’s “Song of Lhasa Memories”

  Andrew Quintman, Kurtis R. Schaeffer

  73-83

  2023-07-26

  Few compositions of the early twentieth century hold a place as dear to the hearts of Tibetan readers as the “Song of Lhasa Memories.” This ornate poem,... More

• Praise, Shame, Patronage, and Genre-Blurring: Revisiting Two Vajra Songs of Lama Zhang Tsalpa

  Carl Yamamoto

  5-43

  2023-07-26

  This paper looks at two gur, or “vajra songs,” of the controversial twelfth-century yogin, sorcerer, tantric adept, literary innovator, statesman, and m... More

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