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Zara Houshmand is an Iranian American writer, editor, and literary translator whose work crosses boundaries and cultural divides. She lives in the mountains of California. +
Rinpoche is popularly known for his approachable teaching style, strong humor and teachings based on a long lineage of great lamas. His own gurus included the most celebrated of Gelug teachers: His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, His Holiness Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, Venerable Geshe Thupten Wanggyel, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Venerable Lati Rinpoche, Venerable Tara Tulku Rinpoche and Venerable Khalkha Jetsun Dampa Rinpoche.
Rinpoche is spiritual director of many temples, meditation centres and retreat centres in Australia, the United States and Canada. He was first invited to teach in Australia by Lama Thubten Yeshe in 1976. ([https://buddhaweekly.com/buddha-nature-important-video-teaching-venerable-zasep-rinpoche-mantra-chanting-yoko-dharma/ Source Accessed March 21, 2019])
The Venerable Acharya Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, a highly realized and internationally respected teacher of Gelugpa Buddhism, was born in Tibet in the province of Kham in 1948. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche was recognized as the 13th incarnation of Lama Konchog Tenzin of Zuru Monastery. In 1959, during the Chinese invasion, he escaped from Tibet and continued his education for sixteen years in India under the tutelage of many of the greatest teachers of Mahayana Buddhism. In 1975, Zasep Rinpoche left India to study in Thailand where he joined the monks of a forest monastery. For eighteen months he studied and practiced with them. He then traveled to Australia and translated for Tibetan speaking Lamas for a number of years.
Since 1976 he has taught western Dharma students in Australia, Canada, and the United States and has developed Dharma centres in each of these countries. Rinpoche regularly visits these centres and offers extensive teachings, initiations and retreats which his many students enthusiastically attend. Zasep Rinpoche now resides in Nelson, BC, close to the Gaden for the West retreat centre (Gaden Tashi Choling Retreat).
In 1999, Rinpoche and his students created the Gaden for the West umbrella organization to more effectively support and nourish the study of Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhism in the West. He supports a number of Buddhist projects in Tibet, Mongolia and India through the non-profit society Gaden Relief. Proceeds from sales/donations on this site will be used to support the website, and the projects of Gaden for the West.
([http://www.zaseptulku.com/ Source Accessed March 21, 2019])
Zaya Pandita or Namkhaijamts (1599–1662) was a Buddhist missionary priest and scholar of Oirat origin who is the most prominent Oirat Buddhist scholar. Among his accomplishments is the invention of the Clear Script.
Zaya Pandita was the fifth son of Babakhan, a minor Khoshut prince. After Babakhan converted to Tibetan Buddhism in the early 17th century, he, like many other Oirat princes, wished for one of his sons to enter the Buddhist clergy. In pursuit of his wish, Babakhan chose Zaya to become a śrāmaṇera ("novice monk"). In 1615, Zaya journeyed to Lhasa where he would study and practice Buddhism, including study under the guidance of the Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, 4th Panchen Lama.
In 1638, Zaya Pandita left Tibet at the direction of the Panchen Lama to conduct missionary work among the Mongols. One year later in 1640, he assisted Erdeni Batur, Khun Taiyishi of the Choros (Oirats) tribe, in assembling a pan-Mongol conference between the Oirat and the Khalkha Mongols. The purpose of the conference was to encourage the formation of a united Mongolian front against potential external enemies, such as the Kazakhs, Manchus, and Russians and to settle all internal matters peacefully. The conference produced a code, which provided protection from foreign aggression to both the Oirat and the Khalkha and guaranteed the free movement of people throughout Mongol land.
When not engaged in diplomacy between the Oirat and the Khalkha, Zaya Pandita spread Tibetan Buddhism to the Oirats, the Khalkha and even the Kalmyk people in far away Russia. In furtherance of his missionary work, Zaya Pandita composed a new alphabet, based on the traditional Mongolian alphabet, called "Clear script" (''todo bichig'') to transcribe the Oirat language as it is pronounced. By doing so, Zaya Pandita eliminated the ambiguities of the traditional Mongolian alphabet.
From the time Zaya Pandita developed the Clear Script in 1648 until his death in 1662, he translated approximately 186 Buddhist texts from Tibetan language to the Oirat language while still serving the religious needs of the Oirat tribes in Dzungaria.
The todo bichig script is still used by Oirats in Xinjiang with slight revisions, and is taught alongside standard classical written Mongolian in that region. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaya_Pandita Source Accessed Oct 6, 2023])
According to Fredrick Liland, "The Oirat scholar Zaya Pandita (1599-1662) according to his biography made a new translation of the BCA. Zaya Pandita was influential in spreading the Buddhist faith also among the Kalmyks, a Mongolian people who migrated to the shore of the Caspian Sea in the 17th Century. He is said to have translated a large number of texts into the Oirat/Kalmyk language, so it is quite likely that the BCA was among these. The translation of Zaya Pandita has however not been found. (Source: Liland, Fredrik. "Later Editions and Translations." In "The Transmission of the Bodhicaryāvatāra: The History, Diffusion, and Influence of a Mahāyāna Buddhist Text," 49–58. MA thesis, University of Oslo, 2009.)
Zhàozhōu Cōngshěn (Chinese: 趙州從諗; Wade-Giles: Chao-chou Ts'ung-shen; Japanese: Jōshū Jūshin) (778–897) was a Chán (Zen) Buddhist master especially known for his "paradoxical statements and strange deeds".
Zhaozhou became ordained as a monk at an early age. At the age of 18, he met Nánquán Pǔyuàn (南泉普願 748–835; J: Nansen Fugan), a successor of Mǎzǔ Dàoyī (709–788; J. Baso Do-itsu), and eventually received the Dharma from him. When Nanquan asked Zhaozhou the koan "What is the Way?", the two had a dialogue, at the height of which Zhaozhou attained enlightenment. Zhaozhou continued to practice under Nanquan until the latter's death.
Subsequently, Zhaozhou began to travel throughout China, visiting the prominent Chan masters of the time before finally, at the age of eighty, settling in Guānyīnyuàn (觀音院), a ruined temple in northern China. There, for the next 40 years, he taught a small group of monks.
Zhaozhou is sometimes touted as the greatest Chan master of Tang dynasty China during a time when its hegemony was disintegrating as more and more regional military governors (jiédùshǐ) began to assert their power. Zhaozhou's lineage died out quickly due to the many wars and frequent purges of Buddhism in China at the time, and cannot be documented beyond the year 1000.
Many koans in both the ''Blue Cliff Record'' and ''The Gateless Gate'' concern Zhaozhou, with twelve cases in the former and five in the latter being attributed to him. He is, however, probably best known for the first koan in ''The Gateless Gate'':
A monk asked Chao-chou, "Has the dog Buddha-nature or not?" Chao-chou said, "Wu."
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhaozhou_Congshen Source Accessed July, 15, 2021]) +
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal [1594-1651], was an immediate reincarnation of the 4th Gyalwang Drukchen ('brug chen), the Omniscient Pema Karpo (kun mkhyen padma dkar po) and the 18th throne-holder and "hereditary prince" of Ralung (rwa lung). Like all previous Ralung throne holders, he was born into the branch of the noble Gya (rgya) family desended from Lha Nyen and Lha Bum who were the elder brothers of Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje the founder of the Drukpa Kagyu and the first Drukchen. This branch of the Gya clan produced all the Drukpa heirarchs and controlled the the main branch the Drukpa Kagyu sect centered at Ralung and Nam Druk (gnam ’brug) monasteries from the time of Tsangpa Gyare up until the 14th Ralung Heirarch and Second Drukchen Gyalwang Kunga Paljor (1428-1476). Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal's father was Drukpa Mipham Tenpai Nyima (yab chen mi pham bstan pa'i nyi ma) [1567-1619] the son of Drukpa Mipham Chögyal, and his mother was Sonam Pelkyi Butri (bsod nams dpal gyi bu khrid), daughter of the ruler (sde pa) of skyid shod.
Although he was enthroned as the 18th Abbot of Ralung (rwa lung), the seat of the hereditary lineage and first 'brug pa monastery to be established in Tibet, Ngawang Namgyal was compelled to flee Tibet in 1616 in order to escape the persecution of the powerful king of Tsang, a supporter of the Karma Kagyu, who recognized Pagsam Wangpo (dpag bsam dbang po) (1592-1641) [his own nephew and an illegitimate son of the 'phyongs rgyas myriarch], as the 5th Drukchen incarnation.
Following a prophecy of Padmasambhava in the gsang ba'i nor bu’i thig le’i rgyud (''lho rong lho sgo bas mthar bsti gnas tshol // de ltar byas na bod yul mi lo bdun // bsgom bsgrub byas las gnas der zhag bdun sgrub thag nye //'') and a prophecy of Pema Karpo, Ngawang Namgyal left for western Bhutan, where the Drukpa Kagyu ('brug pa bka' brgyud) school had already been established, and founded the Cheri Monastery in 1619 at the north end of the Thimphu valley. In 1629, he founded his first fortress, Simtokha Dzong, near Thimphu at a place where control could be exerted over traffic between the Paro valley to the west and Trongsa valley to the east.
Over his 35 years as the temporal and spiritual ruler of Bhutan, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal repelled a series of Tibetan invasions and overcame internal opposition to unify the country for the first time in its history.
On seven occasions between 1616 and 1679, Tibet launched war against Bhutan, first under the Tsangpa king and, after 1642, under the central Gaden Photang ([dga' ldan pho brang]) government newly established by 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho) [1617-1682].
So important was the Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to the stability of Bhutan during this period that his death was kept secret. In 1651 his closest aids announced that Shabdrung had entered strict retreat - and they continued to maintain that he was "in retreat" like this for more than 50 years issuing edicts in his name until 1705. ([https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Shabdrung_Ngawang_Namgyal Source Accessed Jan 27, 2023])
Liu Zhen studied Indology, Tibetology and Sinology at Universität-München, Germany from 2001-2008. In 2001 he received his MA with a thesis on The Maitreyavyākarana - A Comparison of the Different Versions with a Translation of the Sanskrit Text. In 2008 he received his Ph.D. with a dissertation on Meditation and Asceticism - A New Sanskrit Source for the Buddha Legend. He is currently a professor in the National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies, and Director of the Center for Gandhian and Indian Studies, at Fudan University. His research specialties are Veda and Vedic literature, comparisons between Chinese and Indian literature, Indian Mahā- and Hīna-yāna Buddhism, comparisons of Indian, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist documents, Sanskrit manuscripts and Indian and Central Asian art. ([https://www.harvard-yenching.org/person/liu-zhen/ Source Accessed Mar 21, 2022]) +
Zhi Qian. (J. Shi Ken; K. Chi Kyǒm 支謙) (fl. c. 220–252). Prolific earlier translator of Buddhist texts into Chinese. A descendant of an Indo-Scythian émigré from the Kushan. kingdom in the Kashmir-GandhAra region of northwest India, Zhi Qian is said to have been fluent in six languages. Although never ordained as a monk, Zhi Qian studied under the guidance of Zhi Liang (d.u.), a disciple of the renowned Indo-Scythian translator Lokakṣema (fl. c. 178–198 CE). Zhi Qian fled northern China in the political chaos that accompanied the collapse of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), eventually migrating to the Wu Kingdom in the south. There, he settled first in Wuchang and later in the Wu Capital of Jianye, which was where the majority of his translations appear to have been made. Zhi Qian was known to have been artistically talented, and many of his translations were noted for their fluent style that did not strive to adhere to the exact meaning of each word and phrase, but instead sought to convey the insights of the text in an accessible fashion for a Chinese audience. The fifty-three translations that are attributed to Zhi Qian range widely between Āgama and didactic materials and early Mahāyāna scriptural literature, but also include many spurious later attributions. . . . Among the translations that may with confidence be ascribed to Zhi Qian are early renderings of the ''Vimalakīrtinirdeśa'', the ''Pusa Benye Jing'', the ''Sukhāvatīvyūhasūtra'', the ''Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā'', and a primitive recension of the ''Avataṃsakasūtra''. Zhi Qian is also presumed to be one of the first Buddhist commentators in the East Asian tradition: Dao'an (314–385) States in his scriptural catalogue Zongli zhongjing mulu (now embedded in the Chu sanzang jiji) that Zhi Qian wrote a commentary to the ''Śālistambasūtra'' (C. ''Liaoben shengsi jing'') while preparing its translation. Late in his life, Zhi Qian retired to Mt. Qionglong, where he is said to have passed away at the age of sixty. (Source: "Zhi Qian." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 1056. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)
Zhihua Yao 姚治華 is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests cover Buddhist philosophy, Indian philosophy, and philosophy of religion. His publications include ''The Buddhist Theory of Self-Cognition'' (Routledge, 2005) and various articles in the ''Journal of Indian Philosophy''; ''Philosophy East and West''; the ''Journal of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research''; the ''Journal of Chinese Philosophy''; the ''Journal of Buddhist Studies''; and ''Comparative Philosophy''. ([https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/4-publikationen/hamburg-buddhist-studies/hamburgup-hbs03-authors-linradich-mirror.pdf Source Accessed June 29, 2020]) +
A Chinese priest who was active as a translator from the fourth through the fifth century. Chih-yen went to Kashmir to seek Buddhist scriptures and study Buddhist doctrines. He returned to Ch'ang-an with Buddhabhadra and translated fourteen sutras. Later he went again to India, where he died. ([https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/C/45 Source Accessed Sep 1, 2021]) +
Born in China with a deep fascination for Inner Asian cultures and religions, Zhouyang Ma embarked on his journey into Tibetan Studies as an undergraduate in 2011. His academic journey led him to earn an MA in East Asian Studies from Columbia University in 2016, followed by a PhD in Inner Asian and Altaic Studies from Harvard University in 2023.
Zhouyang Ma’s current research revolves around the rich tapestry of Buddhist culture within the Tangut Xia State, also known as Xixia or Western Xia (1038–1227). This historical period witnessed a convergence of Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist traditions in the Tangut area, and Zhouyang Ma’s doctoral dissertation, titled “An Inner Asian Buddhist Revolution: The Rise of Tibetan Buddhism in the Tangut Xia State,” delves into how the Tanguts became the earliest adopters of Tibetan Buddhism outside of the Tibetan heartland. His research interests encompass the compelling cultural exchanges between Tibetan and Tangut Buddhists, the intricate interplay between religion and politics, and the practices of Buddhist scholasticism within the Tangut State.
Beyond his research pursuits, Zhouyang Ma is an experienced educator, proficient in teaching languages and cultures, and actively engaged in the study of relevant pedagogy. His educational credentials include the Bok Certificate in Teaching Language and Culture and the Certificate of Distinction in Teaching from Harvard University. Over the years, he has imparted knowledge through general educational courses focusing on Chinese classics and Buddhist philosophy, along with extensive experience teaching Classical Tibetan. Currently, Zhouyang Ma is working on an introductory textbook for the Tangut language. ([https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/ikga/team/research/ma-zhouyang Source Accessed June 19, 2024]) +
Zhu Fonian. (J. Jiku Butsunen; K. Ch'uk Pullyǒm 竺佛念) (d.u.). A prolific early Chinese translator, who was active between the latter fourth and early fifth centuries. A native of Liangzhou, he collaborated with Buddhayaśas in the translation of the Dīrghāgama, with Dharmanandin in the translation of the Ekottarāgama, and the "Four-Part Vinaya" (Sifen lü), the Dharmaguptaka recension of the vinaya, which eventually becomes the definitive version of the vinaya in the Sinitic tradition. He was also involved in the translation of such texts as the ''Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā'', the ''Udānavarga'', a Sarvāstivāda anthology of aphorisms, and the ''Jñānaprasthāna'', the central treatise of the Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma. Some indigenous Chinese scriptures, such as the ''Pusa yingluo benye jing'', are also attributed to him. (Source: "Zhu Fonian." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 1058. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.) +
1. (from kong sprul gsan yig @ v. 1, f. 16v)
important master in the bka' ma transmission lineage of the rgyud bzhi.
2. important bka' gdams/sa skya master in lineage of the blo sbyong teachings; he was involved with his student sems dpa' chen po dkon mchog rgyal mtshan in the compilation of the blo sbyong brgya rtsa. ([https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:P1943 Source Accessed June 12, 2022]) +
Held the monastic seat of Sangphu for 12 years, starting from wood rabbit year of the 5th rabjung until the fire rabbit year of the 6th rabjung, 1315-1327. +
Zhönu Senge is counted as the second of the “Nine Incomparable Lions,” patriarchs of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. He was born into a prominent Drukpa family – his paternal uncle was Darma Sengge Sanggye Won, the first of the Nine Incomparable Lions and the student of Tsangpa Gyare, who founded the Drukap tradition. He served as the third abbot of Ralung Monastery. +
Li Zijie 李 子捷 achieved a Ph.D. degree in East Asian Buddhism from Komazawa University in Tokyo under the guidance of Ishii Kōsei and Matsumoto Shirō. He was subsequently elected as a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Humanities of Kyoto University, under the guidance of Funayama Tōru. He is now a Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at SOAS University of London (Centre of Buddhist Studies), hosted by Lucia Dolce. His main research area is the history of East Asian Buddhist Thought between the 5th and 7th centuries. He is the author of Kukyō ichijō hōshōron to higashiajia bukkyō: Go—nana seiki no nyoraizō, shinnyo, shushō no kenkyū『究竟一乗宝性論』と東アジア仏教 ── 五—七世紀の如来蔵・真如・種姓説の研究 [The Ratnagotravibhāga and East Asian Buddhism: A Study on the Tathāgatagarbha, Tathatā and Gotra between the 5th and 7th Centuries] (Tokyo: Kokusho kankōkai, 2020). (Source: [https://www.soas.ac.uk/buddhiststudies/events/18feb2021-book-launch-revisiting-buddha-nature-in-india-and-china.html SOAS]) +
Zilnön Namkhé Dorjé (Wyl. zil gnon nam mkha'i rdo rje) (1868-20th c.) was a tertön from Kham, Tibet. One of his main termas is the Chime Soktik which he transmitted first to Khakhyap Dorje and later fully transferred to Dudjom Rinpoche who made it the main long life practice of the Dudjom Tersar lineage. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Ziln%C3%B6n_Namkh%C3%A9_Dorj%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki]) +
In 1291, Zongbao (宗寶, Wade-Giles: Tsung-pao) produced the edition [of the ''Platform Sūtra''] that became part of the Ming Dynasty Chinese Buddhist canon. This canonical version, apparently based on the Qisong edition, is about a third longer than the Mogao Caves version, and structured differently.
In 1934, D. T. Suzuki published an edition [of the ''Platform Sūtra''] based on the Mogao Cave text, but incorporating corrections from the Tsungpao (Zongbao) edition. +
Zsuzsa Majer holds MA degrees in Mongolian Studies, Tibetology, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language, as well as a PhD in Linguistics, with experience in English to Hungarian, Hungarian to English, Mongolian to English/Hungarian, English/Hungarian to Mongolian translations. ([https://www.proz.com/profile/2561287 Adapted from Source Mar 23, 2022]) +
H. E. Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche teaches Tibetan Buddhist meditation and philosophy worldwide. Rinpoche was born a prince of the Sikkimese Royal Court and was recognized by H. H. 16th Gyalwa Karmapa as the 12th incarnation of the Gharwang Tulkus.
Rinpoche is the supreme lineage holder of the Whispered Lineage of the Zurmang Kagyu tradition. He continues the activity of the unbroken line of the Gharwang Tulkus tracing back to the great 14th century Tibetan siddha Trung Mase, an emanation of the Indian mahasiddha Tilopa, and founder of Zurmang Monastery and the Zurmang Kagyu tradition. ([http://zurmangkagyu.org/the-12th-zurmang-gharwang/ Source Accessed Feb. 8, 2022])
Listen to an interview at [https://wisdomexperience.org/wisdom-podcast/gharwang-rinpoche/ the Wisdom Experience here].
For more information see:
*[http://zurmangkagyu.org/the-12th-zurmang-gharwang/ The Official Website of Zurmang Kagyu]
*[https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/12th_Zurmang_Gharwang Source: Erik Pema Kunsang]
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurmang_Gharwang_Rinpoche Source: Wikipedia] +
É
Émmanuel-Édouard Chavannes (5 October 1865 – 29 January 1918) was a French sinologist and expert on Chinese history and religion, and is best known for his translations of major segments of Sima Qian's ''Records of the Grand Historian'', the work's first ever translation into a Western language.
Chavannes was a prolific and influential scholar, and was one of the most accomplished Sinologists of the modern era notwithstanding his relatively early death at age 52 in 1918. A successor of 19th century French sinologists Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat and Stanislas Julien, Chavannes was largely responsible for the development of Sinology and Chinese scholarship into a respected field in the realm of French science. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89douard_Chavannes Source Accessed Apr 21, 2022]) +
