Dorje, G.

Dorje, G. on the DRL

Authors of English Works

Gyurme Dorje

Dates

Birth:	1950
Death:	2020/02/05
Place of birth:	Edinburgh, Scotland

Tibetan calendar dates

Dates of birth

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

Dates of passing

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

About

Translates from:	Tibetan;Sanskrit
Translates to:	English

Primary Affiliation (Workplace)

Tsadra Foundation Grantee;84000

Teachers

Kangyur Rinpoche · Dudjom Rinpoche · Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche · Chatral Rinpoche · Tulku Pema Wangyal · Zenkar Rinpoche · Thubten Nyima

PhD University

SOAS,University of London

Biographical Information

Gyurme Dorje was born in 1950 in Edinburgh, where he studied classics (Latin and Greek) at George Watson's College and developed an early interest in Buddhist philosophy. He holds a PhD in Tibetan Literature (SOAS) and an MA in Sanskrit with Oriental Studies (Edinburgh). In the 1970s he spent a decade living in Tibetan communities in India and Nepal where he received extensive teachings from Kangyur Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. In 1971 Dudjom Rinpoche encouraged him to begin translating his recently completed History of the Nyingma School (རྙིང་མའི་སྟན་པའི་ཆོས་འབྱུང་) and in 1980 his Fundamentals of the Nyingma School (བསྟན་པའི་རྣམ་གཞག) - together this was an undertaking that was to take twenty years, only reaching completion in 1991. In the 1980s Gyurme returned to the UK and in 1987 completed his 3 volume doctoral dissertation on the Guhyagarbhatantra and Longchenpa's commentary on this text at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.

From 1991 to 1996 Gyurme held research fellowships at London University, where he worked with Alak Zenkar Rinpoche on translating (with corrections) the content of the Great Sanskrit Tibetan Chinese Dictionary to create the three volume Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary. He has written, edited, translated and contributed to numerous important books on Tibetan religion and culture including The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History (2 vols.) (Wisdom, 1991), Tibetan Medical Paintings ( 2 vols.) (Serindia, 1992), The Tibet Handbook (Footprint, 1996), the first complete translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and A Handbook of Tibetan Culture (Shambhala, 1994). (Source Accessed Jan 28, 2020)

Publications

• "The Guhyagarbhatantra and its XIVth Century Commentary Phyogs-bcu mun-sel." PhD Thesis, SOAS, University of London (3 vols), 1987. See [1]
• Dudjom Rinpoche's The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History. Wisdom Publications, Boston. 1st edition (2 vols), 1991; 2nd edition (1 vol), 2002; ISBN 0861711998. See Wisdom Books
• Tibetan Medical Paintings. Serindia Publications, London (2 Vols); ISBN 0-906026-26-1. 1992. See Serindia
• Tibet Handbook. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 1996; 2nd edition 1999; 3rd edition 2004; ISBN 1900949334 See Footprintbooks
• Bhutan Handbook. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 2004. See Footprintbooks
• Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings, Eskenazi & Fogg, London. 2001. See Whiteberyl
• Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings: Illuminated Manuscript from the White Beryl of Sangs-Rgyas Rgya-Mtsho. Holberton, Paul Publishing, 2008. ISBN 9780953994106 ISBN 0953994104
• An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary, (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vol. 1, 2001). Enquiries: tedic@hotmail.com
• "A Rare Series of Tibetan Banners." In Pearls of the Orient, Serindia, 2003. See Serindia
• The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete English Translation, Penguin Classics, 2005.
• Jokhang: Tibet's Most Sacred Buddhist Temple, Thames & Hudson, 2010
• The Guhyagarbha Tantra: Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions. (Snowlion)
• An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary. (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vols. 2-3.

Links

Wiki Pages

• Dorje, G. on the DRL
• Dorje, G. on the LIB
• Dorje, G. on the BNW

Buddha Nature Project

Person description or short bio

Expand to see this person's philosophical positions on Buddha-nature.

Is Buddha-nature considered definitive or provisional?
Position:
Notes:
All beings have Buddha-nature
Position:
If "Qualified", explain:
Notes:
Which Wheel Turning
Position:
Notes:
Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka
Position:
Notes:
Zhentong vs Rangtong
Position:
Notes:
Promotes how many vehicles?
Position:
Notes:
Analytic vs Meditative Tradition
Position:
Notes:
What is Buddha-nature?
Position:
Notes:
Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་)
Position:
Notes:
Causal nature of the vajrapāda
Position:

Names

Gyurme Dorje

Affiliation

Tsadra Foundation Grantee

Other Biographical Information

Gyurme Dorje holds a PhD in Tibetan Literature and an MA in Sanskrit with Oriental Studies. From 1991 to 1996 he held research fellowships at London University, where he worked on the Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary.

Trans Himalaya, under the direction of Dr Gyurme Dorje, a Tibetologist and Tibet travel writer, organise travel throughout the Tibetan plateau, as well as in Mongolia, China and the Himalayas (Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, and Ladakh).

RYWIKI page

Main Teachers

The previous Kangyur Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, Tulku Pema Wangyal, Zenkar Rinpoche Thubten Nyima

Some Published Works of Gyurme Dorje

(includes translations, editions and original compositions)

• The Guhyagarbhatantra and its XIVth Century Commentary Phyogs-bcu mun-sel. PhD Thesis, SOAS, University of London (3 vols), 1987. See [1]

• Dudjom Rinpoche's The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History. Wisdom Publications, Boston. 1st edition (2 vols), 1991; 2nd edition (1 vol), 2002; ISBN 0861711998. See Wisdom Books

• Tibetan Medical Paintings. Serindia Publications, London (2 Vols); ISBN 0-906026-26-1. 1992. See Serindia

• Tibet Handbook. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 1996; 2nd edition 1999; 3rd edition 2004; ISBN 1900949334 See Footprintbooks

• Bhutan Handbook. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 2004. See Footprintbooks

• Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings Eskenazi & Fogg, London. 2001. See Whiteberyl
• Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings: Illuminated Manuscript from the White Beryl of Sangs-Rgyas Rgya-Mtsho. Holberton, Paul Publishing, 2008. ISBN 9780953994106 ISBN 0953994104

• An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vol. 1, 2001). Enquiries: tedic@hotmail.com

• “A Rare Series of Tibetan Banners”, in Pearls of the Orient, Serindia, 2003. See Serindia

• The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete English Translation, Penguin Classics, 2005 See [2]

• Jokhang: Tibet's Most Sacred Buddhist Temple, Thames & Hudson, 2010

• The Guhyagarbha Tantra: Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions (Snowlion)

• An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vols. 2-3

The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century.

Refers to something that is taught for a specific reason, rather than because it is entirely true.

Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana).

Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature.

The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena.

Tsen Khawoche's "meditative tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; it is one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana.