Luminous Lives: The Story of the Early Masters of the Lam 'bras in Tibet

by Cyrus Stearns

Overview

The tantric Buddhist tradition of the Lam 'bras, the "Path with the Result," has been practiced in Tibet for almost a thousand years, most prominently within the Sakya lineage. Luminous Lives is the first in-depth study of the literature and history of the Lam 'bras in Tibet. The central focus of the work is a rare Tibetan history that brings alive the story of the earliest men and women practitioners of the Lam 'bras. This text, recording the words of the great Sakya Pandita (1182 - 1251), was a major source for all later histories of the tradition. Recently rediscovered, it has been reproduced here along with Cyrus Stearns' excellent translation, introduction, and annotations. Luminous Lives opens a window into the world of one of the great traditions of tantric Buddhism in Tibet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780861713073
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	11/09/1996
Series:	Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Cyrus Stearns has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism since 1973. His main teachers have been Dezhung Tulku Rinpoché, Chogyé Trichen Rinpoché, and Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoché. He received a PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Washington and is the author and translator of various books, including The Buddha from Dölpo, King of the Empty Plain, and Hermit of Go Cliffs. He is an independent scholar and translator living in the woods on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, Washington.

Table of Contents

	Illustrations	ix
	Preface	xi
Part 1	The Early History of the Lam 'bras	1
	Introduction	3
Chapter 1	The Literary Tradition	9
	Sa chen's Eleven Commentaries on the Rdo rje tshig rkang	16
	Different Opinions about Sa chen's Eleven Commentaries	24
	Commentaries on the Rdo rje tshig rkang by Sa chen's Disciples	25
	The Works of Phag mo gru pa	26
	The Pod ser	32
	The Writings of Sa skya Pandita and His Disciples	35
	The Pod nag	36
	The Pusti dmar chung	38
	The Glegs bam phra mo	39
	Unveiling the Slob bshad	39
Chapter 2	The Early Masters in Tibet	47
1.	The Mystery of Lord Gayadhara	47
2.	The Tibetan Masters	55
Chapter 3	Dmar ston and the Zhib mo rdo rje	69
1.	The Author	69
2.	The Work	72
Part 2	Translation The Tibetan Story of the Excellent Masters	79
	Prologue	81
1	The Life of 'Brog mi Lo tsa ba	83
	Travels in Nepal and India	83
	Return to Tibet	89
	Lord Gayadhara's First Trip to Tibet	91
	Lord Gayadhara's Return to Tibet with 'Gos Lo tsa ba	93
	Lord Gayadhara's Third Trip to Tibet, and His Death	97
	'Brog mi Lo tsa ba's Special Qualities, and His Death	99
2	The Disciples of 'Brog mi Lo tsa ba	103
	The Three Male Disciples Who Reached Attainment	103
	The Four Female Disciples Who Reached Attainment	105
1.	Rtod mo Rdo rje mtsho'	105
2.	Dbrad sgom Dkon ne	105
3.	Shab pa mo Lcam gcig	107
4.	'Phyad mo Nam mkha'	107
	The Disciples Who Fully Received the Scriptures	109
1.	'Khon Dkon mchog rgyal po	109
2.	Gsal ba'i snying po	111
	The Disciples Who Fully Received the Oral Instructions	113
1.	Lha btsun Ka li	113
2.	'Brom De pa ston chung	113
3.	Se ston Kun rig	117
3	The Disciples of Se ston Kun rig	125
1.	The Zhang ston Brothers	125
2.	Lady Zha ma and Her Brother	125
3.	Ze sgom Byang seng	131
4	The Life of Sa chen Kun dga' snying po	133
	Early Studies	135
	Meeting Se ston Kun rig	137
	Zhang ston Chos 'bar and the Lam 'bras	143
	Sa chen's Three Disciples Who Reached Attainment Without Discarding the Body	149
1.	The Ceylonese Mendicant	149
2.	Sgom pa Kyi 'bar	149
3.	Byang chub sems dpa' Stag	151
	The Seven Who Reached the Stage of Forbearance	151
	Sa chen's Bestowal of the Lam 'bras	153
	Sa chen's Special Qualities, and His Death	155
	Rje btsun Grags pa rgyal mtshan	157
5	The Life of Sa skya Pandita	159
	Early Studies	161
	Meeting Mahapandita Sakyasri	163
	Taking Ordination	165
	Sa skya Pandita's Special Qualities	167
	Colophon	169
	Notes to Part One	171
	Notes to Part Two	203
	Bibliography	263
	Index	283

Editorial Reviews

"Cyrus Stearns presents in this book a rare manuscript history of the Path with Its Fruit instructions, the teaching that is at the very heart of the Sa skya school of Tibetan Buddhism. He proves himself to be one of the best Tibetan translators working today, capturing faithfully and movingly both the spirit and literal sense of his thirteenth-century author. He also demonstrates his prowess as a text discoverer: as in his previous Hermit of Go Cliffs, Stearns here makes accessible a precious work that was until recently unavailable even to the masters of the tradition."

David Jackson

"Stearns' survey of the oldest Lam 'bras literature with the admirable translation of a collective biography of the early masters of the tradition is a wonderful contribution to our knowledge of an unexplored area in Tibetan cultural history. Stearns has an excellent control over his subject and this is a worthy successor to his Buddha from Dolpo."

Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp

"Cyrus Stearns, an eminent scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, presents a seminal manuscript history of its earliest practitioners and masters, and a detailed description of the Lam 'bras teachings. At the heart of the book is Stearns's translation of a newly-discovered text that records the words of the great teacher Sakya Pandita, featuring Tibetan and English on facing pages. This book will be of particular interest to students of the Sakyapa tradition."

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