Author Description

"The Precious Treasury of the Way of Abiding: This volume of Longchenpa's Seven Treasuries focuses on the four great samayas of Dzogchen: ineffability, openness, spontaneous presence, and oneness. In support of his presentation, Longchepa quotes extensively from the Dzogchen tantras, as well as from Garab Dorje, Nagarjuna, Shri Singha, Padmasambhava, and other great masters of the Buddhist tradition. Producing an English edition of the Seven Treasuries is a daunting task, both scholastically and linguistically. Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, late head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, felt that such a project would be a extremely important undertaking, but pointed out that these comprehensive and profoundly intricate texts presented enormous challenges to quality translation. Every line and often each word, of Longchenpa's text has vast meaning, requiring deep understanding and experience in both practice and studies. The Padma Translation Committee, headed by Richard Barron (Lama Chökyi Nyima), established a multi-leveled editorial process, similar to the traditional manner of translation projects in Tibet's great monastic institutions. In addition to having received input and direction from Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, the translators have benefited from several visiting scholars, who have lent their expertise in elucidating and clarifying these points in the texts. It was Chagdud Rinpoche's vision that the Seven Treasuries of Longchenpa be made available to Western students of the Dzogchen tradition, and for this reason he founded the Translation Project in 1987, inviting Richard Barron (Lama Chökyi Nyima) to assist Padma in its endeavors. To date, the Padma Translation Committee has produced several of the Seven Treasuries, as well as numerous sadhana texts, ritual liturgies, prayers, and other practice materials."--Publisher's description.