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Śākyaprabha + (Medeival Indian master of the Vinaya, reno … Medeival Indian master of the Vinaya, renowned in Tibet, together with Guṇaprabha, as one of the "two supreme ones" (mchog gnyis). Apparently from Kashmir, he was an expert in the Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya. He is best known for his work ''Śrāmaṇeratriśatakakārikā'' ("Three Hundred Verses on the Novice"), to which he wrote an autocommentary entitled ''Prabhāvatī''. (Source: "Śākyaprabha." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 742. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Nanyang Huizhong + (Nanyang Huizhong. (J. Nan'yō Echū; K. Namy … Nanyang Huizhong. (J. Nan'yō Echū; K. Namyang Hyech'ung 南陽慧忠) (675?—775). Chinese Chan master of the Tang dynasty; a native of Yuezhou in present-day Zhejiang province. He is said to have studied under the sixth patriarch (Liuzu) Huineng (638–713) as a youth and to have eventually become one of his dharma successors. After Huineng’s death, Nanyang led an itinerant life, traveling from one monastery to the next until he settled down on Mt. Baiya in Nanyang (present-day Henan province), whence he acquired his toponym. He is said to have remained in seclusion on the mountain for some forty years. In 761, he was invited to the palace by Emperor Suzong (r. 756–762), who honored Nanyang as his teacher. He took up residence at the monastery of Qianfusi, but later moved to Guangzhaisi at the request of Emperor Daizong (r. 762–779). Nanyang later established the monasteries of Yanchangsi and Changshousi and installed a copy of the Buddhist canon (Dazangjing) at each site. Juizong [''sic''] lived during a period of great efflorescence in the Chan school, but he was not closely identified with any one school. He is, however, said to have been critical of the teachings of the Chan master Mazu Daoyi (709–788) and other Hongzhou zong teachers in Sichuan in the south of China, who rejected the authority of the traditional Buddhist scriptures; he is also said to have criticized the Hongzhou interpretation of "mind is buddha" as being akin to the Śreṇika heresy, in which the body is simply an impermanent vessel for an eternal mind or soul. The notion that "inanimate objects can preach the dharma" (wujing shuofa) is also attributed to Nanyang. ("Nanyang Huizhong." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 572–73. Princeton University Press, 2014) 572–73. Princeton University Press, 2014))
Nāgārjuna + (Nāgārjuna was the c. 2nd century founder o … Nāgārjuna was the c. 2nd century founder of the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist philosophy. He is eulogized in the Tibetan tradition as one of the group of great Indian scholars known as the Six Ornaments, though he is equally renown in the Chinese and other East Asian Buddhist traditions. He was the first major Mahāyāna philosopher and his ''Mūlamadhyamakakārikā'' became the standard exposition for the Mahāyāna view of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') as presented in the ''Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras''.resented in the ''Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras''.)
Ouyi Zhixu + (Ouyi Zhixu. (J. Gōyaku/Gūyaku Chigyoku; K. … Ouyi Zhixu. (J. Gōyaku/Gūyaku Chigyoku; K. Uik Chiuk 蕅益智旭) (1599–1655). One of the four eminent monks (si da gaoseng) of the late-Ming dynasty, along with Yunqi Zhuhong (1535-1615), Hanshan Deqing (1546–1623), and Daguan Zhenke (1543–1604); renowned for his mastery of a wide swath of Confucian and Buddhist teachings, particularly those associated with the Tiantai, pure land, and Chan traditions. In his youth, he studied Confucianism and despised Buddhism, even writing anti-Buddhist tracts. He had a change of heart at the age of seventeen, after reading some of Zhuhong's writings, and burned his previous screeds. According to his autobiography, Zhixu had his first "great awakening" at the age of nineteen while reading the line in the ''Lunyu'' ("Confucian Analects") that "the whole world will submit to benevolence" if one restrains oneself and returns to ritual. After his father's death that same year, he fully committed himself to Buddhism, reading sūtras and performing recollection of the Buddha's name (nianfo) until he finally was ordained under the guidance of Xueling (d.u.), a disciple of Hanshan Deqing, at the age of twenty-four. At that time, he began to read extensively in Yogācāra materials and had another great awakening through Chan meditation, in which he experienced body, mind, and the outer world suddenly disappearing. He next turned his attention to the bodhisattva precepts and the study of vinaya. Following his mother's death when he was twenty-seven, Zhixu rededicated himself to Chan meditation, but after a serious illness he turned to pure land teachings. In his early thirties, he devoted himself to the study of Tiantai materials, through which he attempted to integrate his previous research in Buddhism and began to write commentaries and treaties on Buddhist scriptures and on such Confucian classics as the ''Zhouyi'' ("Book of Changes"). In the late-sixteenth Century, Jesuit missionaries such as Michele Ruggieri (1543–1607) and Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) had reintroduced Christianity to China and sought "to complement Confucianism and to replace Buddhism." This emerging religious challenge led Zhixu to publish his ''Bixie ji'' ("Collected Essays Refuting Heterodoxy") as a critique of the teachings of Christianity, raising specifically the issue of theodicy (i.e., why a benevolent and omnipotent god would allow evil to appear in the world); Zhixu advocates instead that good and evil come from human beings and are developed and overcome respectively through personal cultivation. After another illness at the age of fifty-six, his later years were focused mostly on pure land teachings and practice. In distinction to Japanese pure land teachers, such as Hōnen (1133–1212) and Shinran (1173–1262), who emphasized exclusively Amitābha's "other-power" (C. tali; J. tariki), Zhixu, like most other Chinese pure land teachers, advocated the symbiosis between the other-power of Amitābha and the "self-power" (C. jiri; J. jiriki) of the practitioner. This perspective is evident in his equal emphasis on the three trainings in meditation (Chan), doctrine (jiao), and precepts (lü) (cf. Triśikṣā ). Ouyi's oeuvre numbers some sixty-two works in 230 rolls, including treatises and commentaries on works ranging from Tiantai, to Chan, to Yogācāra, to pure land. His pure land writings have been especially influential, and his ''Amituojing yaojie'' ("Essential Explanations" on the ''Amitābhasūtra'') and ''Jingtu shiyao'' ("Ten Essentials on the Pure Land") are regarded as integral to the modern Chinese Pure Land tradition. (Source: "Ouyi Zhixu." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 604–5. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
The Fourth Shechen Gyaltsap Gyurme Pema Namgyal + (Shechen Gyaltsap Gyurme Pema Namgyal, a re … Shechen Gyaltsap Gyurme Pema Namgyal, a remarkable master who lived at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning o f the twentieth century, wrote ''The Great Medicine that Conquers Clinging to the Notion of Reality''. He was a disciple of the greatest luminaries of the nineteenth century, including Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, and Lama Mipham Rinpoche. Shechen Gyaltsap was indisputably one of the most learned and accomplished lamas of his time. The thirteen volumes of his large collection of writings contain many lucid and profound commentaries on various aspects of philosophy and practice. Shechen Gyaltsap was also an accomplished practitioner. He spentmuch of his life in retreat above Shechen Monastery in eastern Tibet, and achieved many signs of accomplishment. Once he started a three-year retreat based on the ''Vajrakilaya'' practice, but to everyone's surprise after only three months he emerged saying that he had completed his intended program. The next morning, his attendant noticed an imprint of his footprint on the stone threshold of the hermitage. Shechen Gyaltsap's disciples later removed the stone and hid it during the Cultural Revolution. Today, it is possible to see it at Shechen Monastery in Tibet. The imprint was an outer sign of his inner realization of the ''Vajrakilaya'' practice. (Source: ''The Great Medicine'', introduction, 21)introduction, 21))
Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche + (Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, born in 1967, is … Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, born in 1967, is the grandson and spiritual heir of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Since his grandfather’s passing in 1991, Rabjam Rinpoche has taken the responsibility of transmitting Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s teachings, and is bringing his vision for the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist teaching and culture to fruition.Rabjam Rinpoche is the seventh in the line of the Rabjam succession. The second Rabjam Rinpoche founded Shechen Monastery in Kham, eastern Tibet. Themonastery became one of the six main Nyingma Monasteries in Tibet but was destroyed in the mid-twentieth century. At the age of three, Rabjam Rinpoche began taking teachings from his revered grandfather and today holds this unbroken lineage. He was raised by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and attended almost every teaching, drupchen (9-day ceremony), and empowerment that he gave during twenty-five years. He traveled throughout the world with Khyentse Rinpoche and first visited the West in 1976.In the early 1980’s Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche built Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal and established Rabjam Rinpoche as its abbot. Today, there are 450 monks studying and practicing there under his guidance. Rabjam Rinpoche has created an administration and organization within the monk community that is a model of education, joyful discipline, and humanitarian activity.Rabjam Rinpoche established the Shechen Philosophical College and the Shechen Retreat Center in Nepal. In response to the needs of women wanting to practice and study in the lineage of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he rebuilt and improved the facilities of the Sisinang Nunnery in Bhutan where 180 nuns of all ages study and practice. In accordance with the wish of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he built a small Nyingma monastery and study center in Bodhgaya, India.Rinpoche supervised the education and upbringing of Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, the young incarnation of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He also is the president of the Shechen School, an impressive monastic school that includes secular education.(Source: [https://shechen.org/spiritual-development/teachers/shechen-rabjam-rinpoche/ Shechen Monastery])echen-rabjam-rinpoche/ Shechen Monastery]))
Shenxiu + (Shenxiu. (J. Jinshū; K. Sinsu 神秀) (606?–70 … Shenxiu. (J. Jinshū; K. Sinsu 神秀) (606?–706). Chinese Chan master of the Tang dynasty and putative founder of the "Northern school" (Bei zong ) of early Chan Buddhism. Shenxiu was a native of Kaifeng in present-day Henan province. As an extraordinarily tall man with well-defined features, Shenxiu is said to have had a commanding presence. In 625, Shenxiu was ordained at the monastery of Tiangongsi in Luoyang, but little is known of his activities in the first two decades following his ordination. In 651, Shenxiu became a disciple of Hongren (601-674), cofounder of the East Mountain Teachings (Dongshan famen) and the monk later recognized as the fifth patriarch of the Chan school; indeed, by many early accounts, such as the Chuan fabao ji and Lengqie shizi ji, Shenxiu became Hongren's legitimate successor. According to the famous story in the ''Liuzu tanjing'' ("Platform Sūtra of the Sixth Patriarch"), however, Shenxiu lost a verse-writing contest to the unlettered Huineng (638-713), whom Hongren then in secret sanctioned as the sixth patriarch. However, it is unclear how long Shenxiu studied with Hongren. One source states that it was for a period of six years, in which case he would have left Hongren's monastery long before Huineng's arrival, making the famous poetry contest impossible. Regardless of the date of his departure, Shenxiu eventually left Hongren's monastery for Mt. Dangyang in Jingzhou (present-day Hubei province), where he remained for over twenty years and attracted many disciples. Shenxiu and his disciples were the subjects of a polemical attack by Heze Shenhui (684-758), who disparaged Shenxiu as representing a mere collateral branch of Bodhidharma's lineage and for promoting what Shenhui called a "gradual" (jian) approach to enlightenment. Shenhui instead promoted a "sudden teaching" (dunjiao), which he claimed derived from a so-called "Southern school" (Nan zong) founded by Huineng, another (and relatively obscure) disciple of Hongren, whom Shenhui claimed was Hongren's authentic successor and the true sixth patriarch (liuzu). Later Chan historians such as Guifeng Zongmi (780–841) began to use the designation "Northern school" (Bei zong) to describe the lineage of Shenxiu and his disciples Yifu (661-736), Puji (651-739), and Xiangmo Zang (d.u.). While Shenhui's characterization of Shenxiu and his supposed "gradualism" is now known to be misleading, subsequent histories of the Chan tradition (see Chuandeng lu) more or less adopted Shenhui's vision of early Chan; thus Huineng, rather than Shenxiu, comes to be considered the bearer of the orthodox Chan transmission. As one mark of Shenxiu's high standing within the Chan tradition of his time, in 700, Shenxiu was invited to the imperial palace by Empress Wu Zetian, where the empress prostrated herself before the nonagenarian monk. She was so impressed with the aged Chan master that she decided to build him a new monastery on Mt. Dangyang named Dumensi. She also gave him the title of state preceptor (guoshi). Upon his death, he was given a state funeral. He is one of only three Buddhist monks whose biography is included in the ''Tang shi'' ("Tang Annals"). This is clearly not the profile of an imposter within the Chan lineage. Shenxiu's teachings are known to have focused on the transcendence of thoughts (linian) and the five expedient means (fangbian; S. upāya); these teachings appear in "Northern school" treatises discovered at Dunhuang, such as the ''Yuanming lun'', ''Guanxin lun'', and ''Dasheng wusheng fangbian men''. Shenxiu was an expert on the ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'', a text favored by Hongren and the early Chan tradition, and is also thought to have written a substantial commentary on the ''Avataṃsakasūtra''. Despite the uncomplimentary portrayal of the "Northern school" in mainstream Chan materials, it is now recognized that Shenxiu and his disciples actually played a much more important role in the early growth and development of the Chan school than the mature tradition acknowledged. (Source: "Shenxiu." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 800–801. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Sāramati + (Sāramati, a Sankrit rendering of the Chine … Sāramati, a Sankrit rendering of the Chinese name Jianyi, is credited with authorship of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' in the Chinese tradition. Little is known of this figure outside of Chinese accounts, which also attribute to him another work reportedly translated into Chinese as ''Dasheng fajie wuchabie lun'' and rendered into Sanskrit as the ''Mahāyānadharmadhātunirviśeṣa''. However, neither the name Sāramati nor this latter work are attested to in any Indian sources. Several academics that initially worked on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' have equated Sāramati with the well known sixth-century Indian scholar Sthiramati, though this assertion has been contested in more recent decades and remains controversial. recent decades and remains controversial.)
Kumārajīva + (The most influential translator of Buddhis … The most influential translator of Buddhist texts into Chinese. He is regarded by tradition as the founder of the Chinese San lun zong or “Three Treatises” branch of the Madhyamaka school of Mahāyāna philosophy. According to his hagiography, Kumārajīva was born in the Central Asian petty kingdom of Kucha, where he was related to the royal family on his mother's side. In his youth, he studied Sarvāstivāda doctrine in Kashmir but was later converted to Mahāyāna at the Central Asian oasis town of Kashgar by the monk Buddhayaśas. When the Chinese general Lü Guang conquered Kucha in 383, he took Kumārajīva back with him to Liangzong near the Chinese outpost of Dunhuang as a prize, only to lose the eminent scholar-monk to Yaoxing (r. 394–416) when the Latter Qin ruler reconquered the region in 401. During his eighteen years as a hostage, Kumārajīva apparently learned to speak and read Chinese and seems to have been one of the first foreign monks able to use the language fluently. A year later in 402, Yaoxing invited Kumārajīva to the capital of Chang'an, where he established a translation bureau under Kumārajīva's direction that produced some of the most enduring translations of Buddhist texts made in Chinese. The sheer number and variety of the translations made by Kumārajīva and his team were virtually unmatched until Xuanzang (600/602–664 CE). Translations of some seventy-four texts, in 384 rolls, are typically attributed to Kumārajīva, including various sūtras, such as the ''Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra'', ''Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñapāramitā'', ''Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra'', ''Vimalakīrtinirdeśa'', ''Sukhāvatīvyūhasūtra'', and ''Vajracchedikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra'', and important śāstras such as the ''Mūlamadhyamakakārikā'', ''Śataśāstra'', ''Dvādaśamukhaśāstra'', and the ''Dazhidu lun''. Because Kumārajīva was one of the first foreign monks to have learned Chinese well, he produced translations that were readily comprehensible as Chinese, and his translations remain the most widely read in East Asia of any translator’s; indeed, where there are multiple translations of a scripture, it is almost inevitably Kumārajīva’s that remains part of the living tradition. The accuracy of his translations is said to be attested by the fact that his tongue remained unburned during his cremation. Along with his correspondences with the monk Lushan Huiyuan found in the Dasheng dayi zhang, these translations laid the foundation for Mahāyāna thought, and especially Madhyamaka philosophy, in China. His many famous disciples include Daosheng, Sengzhao, Daorong, and Sengrui, who are known collectively as the "four sages." (Source: "Kumārajīva." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 452–53. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27)ttp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27))
Jñānavajra + (There are multiple authors associated with … There are multiple authors associated with this name, that were active in the 12th century who transmitted Tantric lineages that spread to Tibet. These include one from Kashmir ([https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=P7148 BDRC: P7148]) and one from Nepal ([https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=P4CZ15139 BDRC: P4CZ15139]). Some have also suggested that the author of the ''Tathāgatahṛdayālaṃkāra'', a commentary on the ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'', was Chinese due to the colophon, which refers to the author as Rgya'i mkhan po. However, this could either refer to India (Rgya mkhar) or China (Rgya nag). Nevertheless, this is the only non-Tantric work attributed to an author by the name of Jñānavajra.ed to an author by the name of Jñānavajra.)
Eighth Tai Situpa Chökyi Jungne + (Tibetan Buddhist scholar recognized as the … Tibetan Buddhist scholar recognized as the eighth Tai Si tu incarnation, remembered for his wide learning and his editorial work on the Tibetan Buddhist canon. He traveled extensively throughout his life, maintaining strong relationships with the ruling elite of eastern Tibet and the Newar Buddhists of the Kathmandu Valley. Born in the eastern Tibetan region of Sde dge, Chos kyi 'byung gnas was recognized as a reincarnate lama (''sprul sku'') by the eighth Zhwa dmar, from whom he received his first vows. He would go on to study with Kah thog Rigs 'dzin Tshe dbang nor bu (1698–1755), from whom he learned about gzhan stong (“other emptiness”). At the age of twenty-one, he accompanied several important Bka' brgyud hierarchs, the Zhwa dmar and the twelfth Karma pa, to Kathmandu, a journey that was to have a profound impact on the young Si tu's life. He returned to eastern Tibet in 1724, where he was received favorably by the king of Sde dge, Bstan pa tshe ring (Tenpa Tsering, 1678–1738). Under the latter's patronage, Chos kyi 'byung gnas founded Dpal spungs monastery in 1727, which became the new seat for the Si tu lineage (they are sometimes called the Dpal spungs si tu). Between the years 1731 and 1733, he undertook the monumental task of editing and correcting a new redaction of the bka' 'gyur section of the Tibetan Buddhist canon, to be published at the printing house of Sde dge. Although in his day Tibetan knowledge of Indian linguistic traditions had waned, Chos kyi 'byung gnas devoted much of his later life to the study of Sanskrit grammar and literature, which he had first studied with Newar paṇḍitas during his time in Kathmandu. He sought out new Sanskrit manuscripts in order to establish more precise translations of Sanskrit works aiready translated in the Tibetan canon; he is esteemed in Tibet for his knowledge of Sanskrit grammar. In addition to his prolific scholarly work, Chos kyi 'byung gnas was an accomplished painter as well as a gifted physician, much sought after by the aristocracy of eastern Tibet. In 1748, he visited Nepal once again, where he translated the ''Svayambhūpurāṇa'', the legends concerning the Svayambhū stūpa, into Tibetan. He was received amicably by the rulers Jayaprakāśamalla (1736–1768) of Kathmandu, Raṇajitamalla (1722–1769) of what is now Bhaktapur, and Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa Śāha, who would unify the Kathmandu Valley under Gorkhali rule several decades later. Chos kyi 'byung gnas' collected writings cover a vast range of subjects including lengthy and detailed diaries and an important history of the Karma bka' brgyud sect coauthored by his disciple Be lo Tshe dbang kun khyab (Belo Tsewang Kunkyap, b. 1718). He is retrospectively identified as an originator of what would become known as Khams ris med movement, which gained momentum in early nineteenth century Sde dge. (Source: "Chos kyi 'byung gnas." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 189. Princeton University Press, 2014)'', 189. Princeton University Press, 2014))
Tomoko Makidono + (Tomoko Makidono received an MA in South As … Tomoko Makidono received an MA in South Asian Area Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and an M. Litt. in Sanskrit Language and Literature from Kyoto University, Japan. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Hamburg under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk. The tentative title of her PhD thesis is “A Contribution to the Understanding of the Practice Lineage in Indo-Tibetan Madhyamaka.” Her main research interests lie in the practice lineages (''sgrub brgyud'') of what is known as Madhyamaka of Extrinsic Emptiness (''gzhan stong dbu ma''), particularly as found in the writings of Kaḥ-thog-dge-rtse Mahāpaṇḍita (1761–1829). She is also interested in devotional forms of Buddhism in general, including the Buddhist concepts of Pure Land across South and East Asia. From September 2008 to September 2009 she conducted field research in Nepal, and since then went several times back for shorter periods of field research. ([https://www.kc-tbts.uni-hamburg.de/people/makidono.html Source Accessed Feb 18, 2020.])idono.html Source Accessed Feb 18, 2020.]))
Asaṅga + (Traditionally counted among the Seventeen … Traditionally counted among the Seventeen Great Paṇḍitas of Nālandā, Asaṅga was an illustrious Indian scholar who, along with his brother Vasubandhu, is credited with the founding of the Yogācāra school and the introduction of the associated theories of mind-only (''cittamātra''), the storehouse consciousness (''ālayavijñāna''), the three natures (''trisvabhāva''), and so forth, into the milieu of Indian Buddhist philosophical discourse. He is most famously eulogized in the Tibetan tradition for his association with the Five Dharma Treatises of Maitreya (Byams chos sde lnga), which he is reported to have received directly from the bodhisattva Maitreya. In terms of the ''Uttaratantra'', the Tibetan tradition, which divides the text into two distinct works, asserts that Asaṅga was the author of the prose commentary (''vyākhyā'') of this work, while Maitreya, himself, is the author of the actual verses of the treatise (''śāstra'').ctual verses of the treatise (''śāstra'').)
Vairotsana + (Vairotsana was the greatest of all Tibetan … Vairotsana was the greatest of all Tibetan lotsawas. Together with Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra, he was one of the three main masters to bring the Dzogchen teachings to Tibet. Vairotsana was born into the Pagor clan, and was sent to India by Trisong Detsen to study with Indian panditas. He also travelled widely in China, Khotan, Nepal, Shangshung and elsewhere. He was one of the original seven monks ordained by Shantarakshita. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Vairotsana Rigpa Wiki])Rigpa Wiki]))
Vasubandhu + (Vasubandhu, who lived around the Fourth ce … Vasubandhu, who lived around the Fourth century CE, was one of India's most prominent Buddhist philosophers. His prolific writings record an odyssey through the systems of the leading Buddhist schools of his day. Though primarily venerated by later Buddhists as co-founder of the Yogācāra school with his half-brother Asaṅga, his pre-Yogācāra works, such as the Abhidharma-kośa and his auto-commentary (-bhāṣya) on it, have continued to be seriously studied until the present day. He wrote commentaries on many Mahāyāna texts, works on logic, devotional poetry, works on Abhidharma classifications (see below), as well as original and innovative philosophical treatises. Many of his writings survive in their original Sanskrit form, but others, particularly his commentaries, are extant only in Chinese or Tibetan translations. (Source: [http://www.acmuller.net/yogacara/thinkers/vasubandhu.html Dan Lusthaus])ra/thinkers/vasubandhu.html Dan Lusthaus]))
Gyatrul Rinpoche + (Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche was born in 192 … Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche was born in 1924 in China near the Tibetan border. At the age of seven he was recognized to be a reincarnate tulku and trained at Payul Dhomang Monastery in eastern Tibet. Rinpoche spent many years in solitary retreat before fleeing the Communist invasion of Tibet in 1959. After living in India for twelve years, Rinpoche moved to America and in 1976 was appointed as H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche’s spiritual representative in America. Rinpoche has founded many Buddhist centers, including Tashi Choling in Oregon, Orgyen Dorje Den in the San Francisco Bay area, Norbu Ling in Texas, Namdroling in Montana, and a center in Ensenada, Mexico. ([https://wisdomexperience.org/content-author/gyatrul-rinpoche/ Source Accessed July 30, 2020])-rinpoche/ Source Accessed July 30, 2020]))
Thubten Chodron + (Venerable Thubten Chodron is an author, te … Venerable Thubten Chodron is an author, teacher, and the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey, the only Tibetan Buddhist training monastery for Western nuns and monks in the US. She graduated from UCLA, and did graduate work in education at USC. Ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun in 1977, she has studied extensively with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, and Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche. Ven. Chodron teaches worldwide and is known for her practical (and humorous!) explanations of how to apply Buddhist teachings in daily life. She is also involved in prison outreach and interfaith dialogue. She has published many books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation, and has co-authored a book with His Holiness the Dalai Lama—''Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions''. ([https://wisdomexperience.org/product/samsara-nirvana-and-buddha-nature/ Source Accessed Jan 24, 2020])dha-nature/ Source Accessed Jan 24, 2020]))
Wǒnch'ǔk + (Wǒnch'ǔk. (T. Wen tsheg; C. Yuance; J. Enj … Wǒnch'ǔk. (T. Wen tsheg; C. Yuance; J. Enjiki 圓測) (613-695). In Korean, "Consummate Keenness"; Silla-dynasty monk renowned for his expertise in Sanskrit and Yogācāra doctrine, who was influential in Chinese and in later Tibetan Buddhism. Wǒnch'ǔk is said to have left for Tang-dynasty China at the age of fifteen, where he studied the writings of Paramārtha and the ''She lun'', or ''Mahāyānasaṃgraha'', under Fachang (567–645). Wǒnch'ǔk later became the disciple of the Chinese pilgrim-translator Xuanzang who, in accordance with the new Yogācāra teachings of Dharmapāla that he had brought back from India (see Faxiang zong), denounced the existence of the ninth "immaculate consciousness" (''amalavijñāna''), which Paramārtha had advocated, and taught instead the innate impurity of the eighth "storehouse consciousness" (''ālayavijñāna''). These crucial doctrinal issues are said to have caused a split between the major disciples of Xuanzang: Wǒnch'ǔk and his followers came to be known as the Ximing tradition in honor of Wǒnch'ǔk's residence, Ximingsi, and was said to have been more open to positions associated with the earlier She lun zong; and the lineage of his fellow student and major rival Kuiji (632–682), which came to be known as the Ci'en tradition after Kuiji's monastery, Da Ci'ensi, and honed more rigidly to Xuanzang and Dharmapāla’s positions. Wǒnch'ǔk's famed ''Haesimmilgyǔng so'' (C. ''Jieshenmi jing shu''), his commentary on Xuanzang's translation of the ''Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra'', includes traces of Wǒnch'ǔk's earlier training in She lun zong thought and Paramārtha's expositions on the controversial notion of ''amalavijñāna''. Wǒnch'ǔk regarded the ''amalavijñāna'' as simply another name for the inherent purity of the ''ālayavijñāna'', but, unlike Xuanzang, he considered the ''ālayavijñāna'' to be essentially pure in nature. He also disagreed with Xuanzang's contention that the ''icchantika'' could not attain buddhahood. Hence, his work seems to be an attempt to reconcile the divergences between the old Yogācāra of Paramārtha and the new Yogācāra of Xuanzang. Wǒnch'ǔk's commentary to the ''Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra'' was extremely popular in the Chinese outpost of Dunhuang, where Chos grub (Ch. Facheng; c. 755–849) translated it into Tibetan during the reign of King Ral pa can (r. 815–838). Only nine of the ten rolls of the commentary are still extant in Chinese; the full text is available only in its Tibetan translation, which the Tibetans know as the "Great Chinese Commentary" (Rgya nag gi 'grel chen) even though it was written by a Korean. Five centuries later, the renowned Tibetan scholar Tsong kha pa drew liberally on Wǒnch'ǔk's text in his major work on scriptural Interpretation, ''Legs bshad snying po''. Wǒnch'ǔk's views were decisive in Tibetan formulations of such issues as the hermeneutical stratagem of the three turnings of the wheel of the dharma (''Dharmacakrapravartana''), the nine types of consciousness (''vijñāna''), and the quality and nature of the ninth "immaculate" consciousness (''amalavijñāna''). Exegetical styles subsequently used in all the major sects of Tibetan Buddhism, with their use of elaborate sections and subsections, may also derive from Wǒnch'ǔk's commentary. Consequently, Wǒnch'ǔk remains better known and more influential in Tibet than in either China or Korea. Wǒnch'ǔk also wrote a eulogy to the ''Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra'', and commentaries to the ''Renwang jing'' and Dharmapāla's *''Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi'', the latter of which is no longer extant. (Source: "Wǒnch'ǔk." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 996–97. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Xie Lingyun + (Xie Lingyun (SHEE-EH LIHNG-yewn) was born … Xie Lingyun (SHEE-EH LIHNG-yewn) was born into one of the most powerful aristocratic families of the Six Dynasties, one that was at the center of cultural and literary movements. The Xie family moved from Henan to Zhejiang province. His great wealth gave him all the leisure he needed. His book collection made him one of the most learned poets of his time, and he was famous as a calligrapher and painter. He was an eccentric and had a special love for nature. Xie spent much time wandering around the country looking at celebrated landscapes.His poems were a blending of sentiment, reason, and beauty of nature with Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucian philosophy. Xie edited the southern version of the ''Mahaparinirvana-sutra'', wrote a “discussion of essentials,” and identified the combination of Nirvana and Samsara with the doctrine of Void. These were tasks well suited to a mind accustomed to the Daoist teachings of the ''Dao De Jing'' . . . Xie was regarded as the first of the nature poets and the founder of the school of mountains and waters poetry (''shanju fu''). His editions and commentary on Buddhism popularized this religion with educated Chinese scholars. ([https://www.enotes.com/topics/xie-lingyun Source Accessed Aug 20, 2020])In the Jin Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, [the] ''Mahaparinirvana-sutra'' spread in the Central Plains [and] had two versions: the southern one and the northern one. The northern version was translated by Tan Mochen, while the southern one by Xie Lingyun, Hui Yan and Hui Guan. The two versions had many differences in their structure, content and style. According to many documents, Xie played a quite important role in the retranslation and the compilation of [the] ''Mahaparinirvana-sutra''. He participated in and presided over it. In addition, he did a lot of pertinent research and annotating work. ([https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Xie-Lingyun-and-the-Retranslation-and-the-of-Yan-jun/eeecb39bd8afa62bac6d7c87552fea54365b7664 Source Accessed Aug 20, 2020])a54365b7664 Source Accessed Aug 20, 2020]))
Minyak Lama Yeshe Dorje + (Yeshe Dorje (born fourteenth century) from … Yeshe Dorje (born fourteenth century) from Minyak in Kham was a student of the Karma Kamtsang master Mase Tönpa Rinchen Zangpo (1317–1383), the second Gangkar Lama. The latter is known as one of "the five learned ones from Minyak" and was a student of the Third and Fourth Karmapas, Dölpopa, Butön, and several Kadampa masters. (Adapted from ''[[When the Clouds Part]]'', p. 309)n the Clouds Part]]'', p. 309))
Khenpo Zhenga + (Zhenpen Chökyi Nangwa, a disciple of Orgye … Zhenpen Chökyi Nangwa, a disciple of Orgyen Tendzin Norbu, was the nineteenth abbot of Dzogchen's Śrī Siṃha college, the founder and first abbot of Dzongsar's Khamshe monastic college, and the teacher of countless Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu lamas. He and his disciples are said to have established nearly one hundred study centers, emphasizing the study of thirteen Indian root texts.g the study of thirteen Indian root texts.)
Kalu Rinpoche + ([https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/v … [https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/kalu-rinpoche/12180 A new biography is available on Treasury of Lives (February, 2021)]An important modern meditation master and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. Recognized as an incarnation (sprul sku) of the Karma Bka' brgyud master 'Jam mgon kong sprul, Kalu Rinpoche was ordained at the age of thirteen by the eleventh Situ Rinpoche. Kalu Rinpoche began serious meditation study at an early age, undertaking his first three-year retreat at the age of sixteen. He also received the transmission of the teachings of the Shangs pa sect of Bka' brgyud. He later served as the meditation teacher at Dpal spungs monastery. Following the Chinese invasion, Kalu Rinpoche left Tibet in 1962 and first stayed at a small monastery outside of Darjeeling, India. He later settled in Sonada, West Bengal, where he built a three-year retreat center, teaching there before traveling internationally for ten years (1971–1981). In 1971, he traveled to France and the United States, at the request of the Dalai Lama and the Karma pa, in order to educate Westerners in Buddhism. During those ten years, Kalu Rinpoche founded many meditation and dharma centers in Canada, the United States, and Europe, with his main meditation school in Vancouver, Canada. Kalu Rinpoche led his first three-year retreat for Western students of Tibetan Buddhism in France in 1976. His full name is Kar ma rang 'byung kun khyab phrin las. (Source: "Kalu Rinpoche." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 410. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)For a recent publication about the life of Kyabje Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche, which contains accounts written by others about him, his writings—including his autobiography, songs, poems, essays, letters, and his own guru yoga—and translations of oral teachings, see ''Lord of the Siddhas: The Life, Teachings, Paranirvana and Legacy of Kyabje Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche'', 2019. https://www.namsebangdzo.com/Lord-of-the-Siddhas-p/9780692160442.htmFor information about the 2nd Kalu Rinpoche, Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche, see, https://paldenshangpa.org/his-eminence-the-2nd-kalu-rinpoche/pa.org/his-eminence-the-2nd-kalu-rinpoche/)
Śraddhākaravarman + (Śraddhākaravarman was a Kashmiri paṇḍita w … Śraddhākaravarman was a Kashmiri paṇḍita who was a student of Ratnakaraśānti (late 10th century – early 11th century) and teacher of Rinchen Zangpo. According to Jean Naudou, Śraddhākaravarman, with Padmākaravarman, was "one of the most productive Indian translators of his generation." Furthermore, describing his collaborations with Rinchen Zangpo, he writes, "The Kaśmīri origin of one of the two most fruitful collaborators of the ''Lo-chen'' [i.e. Rinchen Zangpo] is specified on several occasions: Śraddhākaravarman, introduced to the system of Buddhajñāna by Śāntipāda, taught it to Rin-chen bzaṅ-po at the same time as Padmākaravarman. He had also received from Vāgīśvara instructions about the propitiation of Tārā according to the method of Ravigupta, and he transmitted it to Tathāgatarakṣita. He is the author of a certain number of very short texts, of which the longest is ''Yogānattaratantrārthāvatārasaṃgraha'' (''Rg''. LXXII, 9) (24 p.)." (Jean Naudou, ''Buddhists of Kaśmīr'' [Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 1980], 191–92). The most important of Śraddhākaravarman's translations, according to Naudou, were carried out in cooperation with Rinchen Zangpo.ed out in cooperation with Rinchen Zangpo.)
Śrījñānākara + (Śrījñānākara was an Indian paṇḍita who oft … Śrījñānākara was an Indian paṇḍita who often collaborated with Rinchen Zangpo. He is listed as the translator of the ''Pradīpoddyotana-nāma-ṭīkā'' (''Sgron ma gsal bar byed pa zhes bya ba'i rgya cher bshad pa''), a root text on the Guhyasamaja Tantra (''Dpal gsang ba 'dus pa'i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen''), and is listed as the author of a commentary called ''Entering into Secret Mantra'' (''Mantravatara'', ''Gsang sngags la 'jug pa''). ([https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=P4CZ15236 Source Accessed Aug, 21, 2020])=P4CZ15236 Source Accessed Aug, 21, 2020]))
Śākyasiṁha + (Śākyasiṁha was an Indian paṇdita primarily … Śākyasiṁha was an Indian paṇdita primarily known for the Tibetan translation of the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkārakārikā'' that he completed with Kawa Paltsek (ska ba dpal brtsegs). According to the introduction to ''The Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature (Mahāyānasūtrālaṁkāra)'' (American Institute of Buddhist Studies, Columbia University's Center for Buddhist Studies, and Tibet House US, 2004), both the verses in the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkārakārikā'' (Peking 5521) and the work which contains the verses and commentary together under the title ''Sūtrālaṁkāra-bhāṣya'' (Peking 5527) were prepared by Śākyasiṁha and Kawa Paltsek during the royal translation project at Samye monastery in the 8th-9th century. (xxxiv) monastery in the 8th-9th century. (xxxiv))

Jñānacandra + (An 8th century Indian author that was associated mainly with the Yogācāra school of thought.)

Ratnākaraśānti + (A circa 11th century Indian scholar that w … A circa 11th century Indian scholar that was one of the gate-keepers at the great monastic university of Vikramaśīla, as well as being included in the list of the eighty-four mahāsiddhas under the name Śāntipa. He was a prolific author and proponent of the Yogācāra school that was outspoken in his attempts to harmonize this school of thought with the philosophy of the Madhyamaka school. Though the majority of his known works, many of which were preserved in the Tibetan canon, covered topics related to Tantra.n canon, covered topics related to Tantra.)
Jñānacandra +
Aśvaghoṣa + (Aśvaghoṣa was a Sarvāstivāda Buddhist phil … Aśvaghoṣa was a Sarvāstivāda Buddhist philosopher, dramatist, poet and orator from India. He was born in Saketa in northern India. He is believed to have been the first Sanskrit dramatist, and is considered the greatest Indian poet prior to Kālidāsa. He was the most famous in a group of Buddhist court writers, whose epics rivaled the contemporary Ramayana. Whereas much of Buddhist literature prior to the time of Aśvaghoṣa had been composed in Pāli and Prakrit, Aśvaghoṣa wrote in Classical Sanskrit. . . . He was previously believed to have been the author of the influential Buddhist text ''Awakening of Mahayana Faith'', but modern scholars agree that the text was composed in China. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C5%9Bvagho%E1%B9%A3a Source Accessed July 22, 2020])ed July 22, 2020]))
Yamāri + (Circa 11th century Indian author known for his commentary on his teacher Prajñākaragupta's ''Pramāṇavārttikālaṃkāra''.)
Maitrīpa + (Famed Indian Mahāsiddha whose influence wa … Famed Indian Mahāsiddha whose influence was felt in the Tibetan tradition via his student Marpa Chökyi Lodrö, and others. In terms of the ''Uttaratantra'' he is reported to have had visionary interactions with the Bodhisattva Maitreya that led him to discover instructions related to the treatise. However, there is no mention of this in his extant writings. Nevertheless, the lineage of the instructions that reportedly descend from him would form the basis for a meditative tradition of exegesis on this work that became widespread among followers of the Kagyu school. A tradition which feature a unique Mahāmudra approach to the ''Uttaratantra''.ahāmudra approach to the ''Uttaratantra''.)
Ratnamati + (In Sanskrit, "Bejeweled Intelligence," nam … In Sanskrit, "Bejeweled Intelligence," name of an Indian scholar and Chinese translator who lived during the fifth and sixth centuries CE. He was especially renowned for his prodigious memory of a great many sūtra verses. In 508 CE, Ratnamati traveled from India to the Northern Wei capital of Luoyang, where he began to work on a translation of Vasubandhu's "Treatise on the Ten Stages" (S. ''Daṡabhūmivyākhyāna''; C. ''Shidijing lun'') with Bodhiruci and Buddhaśānta (d.u.). However, disagreements between the collaborators over the nature of the ''ālayavijñāna'' (viz., whether it was pure, impure, or both) led them to produce different translations. Those who studied Bodhiruci's rendering came to be known as the Northern Di lun zong, while the followers of Ratnamati's version were known as the Southern Di lun zong. The Southern Di lun school was represented by Ratnamati's foremost pupil, Huiguang (468–537), who advocated that the ālayavijñāna was an ultimate truth (''paramārthasatya'') and coextensive with the buddha-nature (''foxing''), which thus was in fact innate. Ratnamati subsequently went on to collaborate with other scholars on the translation of other works, including the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', and the ''Saddharmapuṇdarīkopadeśa'' attributed to Vasubandhu. Ratnamati is also the name of a bodhisattva who appears in various Mahāyāna sūtras. (Source: "Ratnamati." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 703. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Jayānanda + (Jayānanda (Tib. རྒྱལ་བ་ཀུན་དགའ, gyalwa kün … Jayānanda (Tib. རྒྱལ་བ་ཀུན་དགའ, gyalwa kün ga, Wyl. rgyal ba kun dga') was the author of an important commentary on the ''Introduction to the Middle Way'' (''Madhyamakāvatāra'') by Candrakīrti called the ''Madhyamakāvatāraṭīkā''.The Tibetan literature has not preserved very much about Jayānanda. He appears to have publicly debated with Phya-pa Chos-kyi seng-ge (1109–1169) on ''madhyamaka'' subjects at Gsang-phu ne'u-thog monastery, of which the latter was abbot for eighteen years, most likely from 1152 to 1169, which resulted in a public defeat for him by that unique thinker who was one of Tibet's few, but foremost opponents of the ''*prāsaṇgika-madyamaka''. The great Gser-mdog Paṇ-chen Śākya-mchog ldan (1428–1507) writes that he thereafter left Tibet for Mount Wutai. In this connection, it is rather curious that he also writes . . . that Jayānanda had composed the ''Madhayamakāvatāravṛtti'' in Tibet. This work was not very much studied in later times, akthough a notable exception seems to have been Tsong-kha-pa, who cites it severally in some of his major writings, and then usually in a highly critical vein, particularly in connection with its "Tibetan followers." His influence in Tibet was nonetheless not inconsiderable. Among his many disciples, we should count Rma-bya Brtson-'grus seng-ge (?–1185) who, in fact, wrote a commentary on the ''Tarkamudgarakārikā''. So far, it seems that only his exegesis of the ''Mūlamadhyamakakārikā'' has been presevered by way of a late nineteenth century Sde-dge blockprint. (Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp, "Jayānanda. A Twelfth Century Guoshi from Kashmir Among the Tangut." ''Central Asiatic Journal'' 37, no. 3/4 (1993): 188–97)tic Journal'' 37, no. 3/4 (1993): 188–97))
Parahitabhadra + (Kashmiri Paṇḍita who became an important t … Kashmiri Paṇḍita who became an important teacher and collaborator for several influential Tibetan scholars and translators that spent time studying in Kashmir in the 11th Century. According to Karl Brunnhölzl in ''When the Clouds Part'':::Parahitabhadra was a student of the Kashmirian Mahāpaṇḍita Somaśrī and also studied Madhyamaka with Ratnavajra. Parahitabhadra's main Indian student was Mahāsumati, and he also taught Ngog Lotsāwa, Patsab Lotsāwa, Sangkar Lotsāwa Pagpa Sherab (a student of Jñānaśrībhadra), Sherab Gyaltsen (a student of Atiśa), Shönnu Cho, Su Gawé Dorje, and Marpa Dopa. Together with these translators, Parahita translated or revised many sūtras, tantras, and treatises (more than twenty works in the ''Tengyur'', among them the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'' and the ''Dharmadharmatāvibhāga''). There is also evidence that he collaborated with Sajjana, as their common revision of the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'' shows. In addition, the ''Tengyur'' contains three works authored by Parahitabhadra (a ''Śūnyatāsaptativṛtti'', a ''Maṇḍalābhiṣekavidhi'', and a rather extensive commentary on the first two verses of the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra''). Besides Kashmir, he was active in Toling in western Tibet. It seems that he was more of a Madhyamaka and Pramāṇa specialist, but there is no doubt that he was a part of the eleventh-century Kashmirian paṇḍita scene that was involved with the Maitreya texts and transmitted them to Tibet (he is also mentioned in one of the Tibetan transmission lineages of the Uttaratantra). (88)ission lineages of the Uttaratantra). (88))
Līlāvajra + (Līlāvajra, also known as Vilāsavajra or La … Līlāvajra, also known as Vilāsavajra or Lalitavajra, was an 8th century Indian master, perhaps from Oddiyana, who wrote commentaries on ''Chanting the Names of Manjushri'' and the ''Guhyagarbha Tantra''. Among the students of Vilāsavajra, the most prominent were Buddhaguhya and Buddhajñanapada, who both studied the cycle of the Web of Magical Illusion. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Vilasavajra Rigpa Wiki])g/index.php?title=Vilasavajra Rigpa Wiki]))
Kamalaśīla + (One of the most important Madhyamaka autho … One of the most important Madhyamaka authors of late Indian Buddhism, a major representative of the Yogācāra-Madhyamaka synthesis, and a participant in the famous Bsam yas Debate. According to Tibetan doxographies, he was a proponent of the Yogācāra-Svātantrika-Madhyamaka. Although little is known about his life, according to Tibetan sources he was a monk and teacher at Nālandā. Tibetan sources also count him as one of three (together with Śāntarakṣita and Jñãnagarbha) “Eastern Svātantrikas” (rang rgyud shar gsum), suggesting that he was from Bengal. He was clearly a direct disciple of Śāntarakṣita, composing important commentaries on his teacher’s two major works, the ''Madhyamakālaṃkāra'' and the ''Tattvasaṃgraha''. The latter commentary, which is extant in Sanskrit, is an important source for both Hindu and Buddhist philosophical positions in the eighth century. (Source: "Kamalaśīla." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 411. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
The Fourth Drukchen Pema Karpo + ("After the death of 'Jam dbyangs chos kyi … "After the death of 'Jam dbyangs chos kyi grags pa (the 3rd Drukchen or Gyalwang Drukpa), monks found the rebirth in the house of a minor aristocrat of Kongpo, to the disappointment of both the families of Rwa lung and Bya. This child, the sprul sku Ngag dbang nor bu, was to be the great Padma dkar po. Padma dkar po was one of those rare renaissance men. The breadth of his scholarship and learning invites comparison with the Fifth Dalai Lama. It was Padma dkar po who systematized the teaching of the 'Brug pa sect. It is no wonder that the 'Brug pa Bka' brgyud pa always refer to him as Kun mkhyen, the Omniscient, an epithet reserved for the greatest scholar of a sect. Padma dkar po was a shrewd and occasionally ruthless politician. His autobiography is one of the most important sources for the history of the sixteenth century. Padma dkar po was a monk and insisted on adherence to the vinaya rules for his monastic followers. He also held that in the administration of church affairs the claims of the rebirth and the monastic scholar took priority over those of the scion of a revered lineage. Although he preached often at both Rwa lung and Bkra shis mthong smon, the seats of his two immediate predecessors, he never exercised actual control over these monasteries and their estates. He founded his monastery at Gsang sngags chos gling in Byar po, north of Mon Rta dbang, which became the seat of the subsequent Rgyal dbang 'Brug pa incarnation." (Gene Smith, ''Among Tibetan Texts'', 81) (Gene Smith, ''Among Tibetan Texts'', 81))
Marpa Dopa Chökyi Wangchuk + (A contemporary and student of the illustri … A contemporary and student of the illustrious Tibetan masters Rongzom and Marpa the translator, Marpa Dopa traveled south to Nepal and India where he studied under numerous prominent Indian scholars and yogis of the time. He is mostly remembered for his translations of tantric works and, in particular, for the lineages of Cakrasaṃvara and Vajrayoginī that he brought back to Tibet and spread among his students.ck to Tibet and spread among his students.)
Zu Gawai Dorje + (A contemporary of Ngok Lotsāwa and Tsen Khawoche, he was a translator that studied in Kashmir in the 11th Century, where he became a student of several prominent scholars including Sajjana and Parahitabhadra.)
Dratsepa Rinchen Namgyal + (A prominent 14th century scholar associated with Kadam and Skya schools that was a student of Butön, as well as his biographer. He was also an early teacher of Tsongkhapa and is reported to have given the bodhisattva vow to Rongtön.)
Marpa Chökyi Lodrö + (A renowned Tibetan translator and lay Budd … A renowned Tibetan translator and lay Buddhist master who played an important role in the later transmission (''phyi dar'') of Buddhism from India to Tibet. He is regarded as the Tibetan founder of the Bka’ brgyud sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which traces its lineage to India and the mahāsiddhas Tilopa and Nāropa. In his traditional biographies, Mar pa is generally regarded as a reincarnation of the Indian mahāsiddha Dombī Heruka. Mar pa was born to wealthy landowners in the southern Tibetan region of Lho brag and quickly proved to be a gifted child. As an adult, Mar pa was characterized as having a volatile temper, although ultimately compassionate. His parents sent their son to study Sanskrit and Indian vernacular languages with the translator ’Brog mi Shākya ye shes in western Tibet. Because resources for studying Buddhism in Tibet were limited as the so-called dark period between the earlier dissemination (''snga dar'') and later dissemination (''phyi dar'') came to an end, Mar pa decided to make the harrowing journey to India to seek instruction from Buddhist masters. He would make three journeys there over the course of his life. He first spent three years in Nepal, acclimating to the new environment and continuing his study of local languages. There he met two Nepalese teachers, Chitherpa and Paiṇḍapa, who offered many religious instructions but also encouraged Mar pa to seek out the master who would become his chief guru, the great siddha Nāropa. (Source: "Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 533. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Dānaśīla + (According to Peter Alan Roberts, " . . . D … According to Peter Alan Roberts, " . . . Dānaśīla, also known as Mālava, . . . came to Tibet much later [than Jinamitra], in the reign of Ralpachen (''ral pa can'', r. 815–838). Dānaśīla has his name on 167 texts. He is also listed as the author of seven of these, five of which he translated himself, one of which curiously is a text of divination based on the croaks of crows. Of the remaining two texts he authored, Jinamitra translated one, while Rinchen Zangpo (''rin chen bzang po'', 958–1055), the prolific translator of a later generation, translated the other. Dānaśīla was from Kashmir." Roberts continues, "Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, together with a few other Indian scholars, compiled the great Tibetan-Sanskrit concordance entitled ''Mahāvyutpatti'', which was the fruit of decades of work on translation." ([http://www.jocbs.org/index.php/jocbs/article/view/37/35 Source Accessed Aug 18, 2020])sed Aug 18, 2020]))
Gendun Özer + (According to Tsering Wangchuk, Gedun Özer … According to Tsering Wangchuk, Gedun Özer was an important Kadam follower who lived between the 13th and 14th centuries and the author of a short commentary (57 fols.) on the Uttaratantra entitled ''Quintessential Essence of the Condensed Ultimate Definitive Meaning of the Uttaratantraśāstra'' (''Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i rnam bshad don dam rnam nges bsdus pa’i snying po’i snying po''). While little is known about his life, Wangchuk writes that Özer "strongly defends the Uttaratantra as being a text embodying the ultimate definitive meaning of all sūtras and śāstras." (Tsering Wangchuk, "The Uttaratantra in the Age of Argumentation: Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen and His Fourteenth-Century Interlocutors on Buddha-Lineage" [PhD diss., University of Virginia, 2009], 83) diss., University of Virginia, 2009], 83))
Padmasambhava + (Along with Trisong Detsen and Shantarakshi … Along with Trisong Detsen and Shantarakshita, Padmasambhava is considered one of the principal early teachers to bring Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century, Padmasambhava has numerous forms representing outer, inner and secret aspects of his spiritual being. He is also known by many different names which generally follow chronologically his life story. Aside from Trisong Detsen and Shantarakshita, the most important figures to interact with Padmasambhava were his principle Tibetan consort Yeshe Tsogyal and the principal Twenty-five Disciples. There are various Padmasambhava Number Sets which help to organize the important topics and essential subjects of his life and chronological sequence of important events, along with grouping the various sub-sets of important disciples. An 18th century curiosity is the inclusion of Padmasambhava as one of the pre-incarnations in the line of Panchen Lamas.Concerning the life story of Padmasambhava there are at least four different versions of his birth and early childhood. Within the Oral (Kama) Tradition of the Nyingma School, Padmasambhava was born in Northern India as the son of a king, or minister. In the Revealed Treasure (Terma) Tradition he was born on a lotus in Dhanakosha lake, in the country of Oddiyana, as an emanation of Lokeshvara and the Buddha Amitabha. The Treasure King, Dorje Lingpa, revealed a number of Buddhist and Bon treasure texts where the Bon explain a completely different narrative of the life story and have Padmasambhava born in Tibet. There is also some evidence to suggest that Padmasambhava came from South India and that he was the brother-in-law of the Indian Abbott Shantarakshita, founder of Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. ([https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=100 Source Accessed Jan 21, 2020])m?setID=100 Source Accessed Jan 21, 2020]))
Bhāvaviveka + (Also known as Bhāviveka and Bhavya, an imp … Also known as Bhāviveka and Bhavya, an important Indian master of the Madhyamaka school, identified in Tibet as a proponent of Svātantrika Madhyamaka and, within that, of Sautrāntika-Svātantrika-Madhyamaka. He is best known for two works. The first is the ''Prajñāpradīpa'', his commentary on [[Nāgārjuna]]’s ''Mūlamadhyam- akakārikā''; this work has an extensive subcommentary by [[Avalokitavrata]]. Although important in its own right as one of the major commentaries on the central text of the Madhyamaka school, the work is most often mentioned for its criticism of the commentary of Buddhapālita on the first chapter of Nāgārjuna’s text, where Bhāvaviveka argues that it is insufficient for the Madhyamaka only to state the absurd consequences (''prasaṅga'') that follow from the position of the opponent . . . The other major work of Bhāvaviveka is his ''Madhyamakahṛdaya'', written in verse, and its prose autocommentary, the ''Tarkajvālā''. The ''Madhyamakahṛdaya'' is preserved in both Sanskrit and Tibetan, the ''Tarkajvālā'' only in Tibetan. It is a work of eleven chapters, the first three and the last two of which set forth the main points in Bhāvaviveka’s view of the nature of reality and the Buddhist path, dealing with such topics as bodhicitta, the knowledge of reality (''tattvajñāna''), and omniscience (''sarvajñātā''). The intervening chapters set forth the positions (and Bhāvaviveka’s refutations) of various Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools, including the śrāvaka, Yogācāra, Sāṃkhya, Vaiśeṣika, Vedānta, and Mīmāṃsā. These chapters (along with Śāntarakṣita’s ''Tattvasaṃgraha'') are an invaluable source of insight into the relations between Madhyamaka and other contemporary Indian philosophical schools, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. (Source: "Bhāvaviveka." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 114. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Longchen Rabjam Drime Özer + (Also known as Klong chen pa (Longchenpa). … Also known as Klong chen pa (Longchenpa). An esteemed master and scholar of the Rnying ma sect of Tibetan Buddhism known especially for his promulgation of rdogs chen. Klong chen pa is believed to be the direct reincarnation of Padma las 'brel rtsal, who revealed the ''Rdzogs chen snying thig'', and also of Padma gsal, who first received those teachings from the Indian master Padmasambhava. Born in the central region of G.yo ru (Yoru), he received ordination at the age of twelve. At nineteen, he entered Gsang phu ne'u thog monastery where he engaged in a wide range of studies, including philosophy, numerous systems of sūtra and tantra, and the traditional Buddhist sciences, including grammar and poetics. Having trained under masters as diverse as the abbots of Gsang phu ne'u thog and the third Karma pa, Rang 'byung rdo rje, he achieved great scholarly mastery of numerous traditions, including the Rnying ma, Sa skya, and Bka' brgyud sects. However, Klong chen pa quickly became disillusioned at the arrogance and pretention of many scholars of his day, and in his mid-twenties gave up the monastery to pursue the life of a wandering ascetic. At twenty-nine, he met the great yogin Kumārarāja at Bsam yas monastery, who accepted him as a disciple and transmitted the three classes of rdzogs chen (rdzogs chen sde gsum), a corpus of materials that would become a fundamental part of Klong chen pa's later writings and teaching career . . . Among the most important and well-known works in Klong chen pa's extensive literary corpus are his redaction of the meditation and ritual manuals of the heart essence (Snying thig), composed mainly in the hermitage of Gangs ri thod dkar. Other important works include his exegesis on the theory and practice of rdzogs chen, such as the Mdzod bdun (“seven treasuries”) and the Ngal gso skor gsum (“Trilogy on Rest”). (Source: “Klong chen rab 'byams.” In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 439. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Munivarman + (An Indian paṇḍita who was resident in Tibe … An Indian paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries. His name not only appears as the translator of the ''Lalitavistarasūtra'' but on other texts such as the ''Tathāgatācintyaguhyanirdeśasūtra'' (''The Teaching on the Unfathomable Secrets of the Tathāgatas'') and the ''Tathāgatajñānamudrāsamādhisūtra'' (''The Sūtra on the Samādhi That Is the Seal of the Gnosis of the Tathāgatas'').e Seal of the Gnosis of the Tathāgatas'').)
Nāropa + (An Indian scholar and tantric master who h … An Indian scholar and tantric master who holds an important place in the lineages of tantric Buddhism in Tibet. According to his traditional biography, Nāropa was a brāhmana born in Bengal, who traveled to Kashmir as a child. He was forced to marry at the age of seventeen, but the marriage ended by mutual consent after eight years. According to some sources, Nāropa’s wife (or sister according to other sources) was Niguma, who became a famous tantric yoginī. Nāropa was ordained as a Buddhist monk, entering Nālandā monastery in 1049. His talents as a scholar eventually led him to be selected to serve as abbot and as a senior instructor known by the name Abhayakīrti. In 1057, while at the monastery, he encountered an old hag (in reality a ḍākinī), who told him that he had understood the words of the texts he had studied but not their inner meaning. She urged him to go in search of her brother Tilopa. As a result of this encounter, Nāropa left the monastery to find Tilopa and become his disciple. Over the course of his journey, he encountered Tilopa in various forms but was unable to recognize him. Tilopa eventually revealed himself to Nāropa, subjecting him to a famous series of twelve greater and twelve lesser trials, involving serious physical injury and mental anguish. Tilopa eventually transferred his realization to Nāropa by striking him on the head with his shoe. Nāropa later compiled Tilopa’s instructions and transmitted them to his own disciples. (Source: "Nāropa." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 576. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
Rāmapāla + (An Indian student of Maitrīpa that wrote a commentary on his teacher's ''Sekanirdeśa'' that is preserved in Tibetan translation.)
Sajjana + (An eleventh-century Kashmiri scholar that … An eleventh-century Kashmiri scholar that was the source from which many prominent Tibetan scholars and translators of the day received teachings. Most notably he taught the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' to Ngok Lotsāwa and Tsen Khawoche, which spread in Tibet as the Ngok and Tsen traditions and became the two primary trends that influenced much of the history of the Tibetan exegesis of the treatise. He also helped Ngok translate the text and worked with several other Tibetan translators on works that were later included in the Tibetan canon. were later included in the Tibetan canon.)
Zurmang Pema Namgyal + (An esteemed 20th century Kagyu master from … An esteemed 20th century Kagyu master from Zurmang Monastery in eastern Tibet with strong ties to the Nyingma and Ri-me traditions. He was a student of the 11th Tai Situ and the famed Khenpo Zhenga with whom he studied at the Śrī Siṃha monastic university at Dzogchen Monastery. His pedogical manual (''yig cha'') for the latter's interlinear commentaries to the thirteen major Indian treatises came to form an important part of the curriculum at the monastic university at Dzongsar Monastery.monastic university at Dzongsar Monastery.)