Holly Gayley

Holly Gayley, Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies, is a scholar and translator of contemporary Buddhist literature in Tibet. She is author of Love Letters from Golok: A Tantric Couple in Modern Tibet, co-editor of A Gathering of Brilliant Moons: Practice Advice from the Rime Masters of Tibet, and translator of Inseparable Across Lifetimes: The Lives and Love Letters of Namtrul Rinpoche and Khandro Tāre Lhamo.

Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok

H.H. Jigme Phuntsok (1933–2004) was a prominent teacher in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism who was recognized as a terton (treasure revealer) and renowned for his mastery of Dzogchen. Unlike many Tibetan masters who fled to India and the West, Jigme Phuntsok remained in China throughout the Cultural Revolution and played a major role in maintaining and reviving Buddhism in the region. He established a nonsectarian Buddhist community called Larung Gar near the town of Sertar in China’s Sichuan Province, where he taught thousands of students, many of Han Chinese ethnicity.

Khenpo Sodargye

Khenpo Sodargye was born in 1962 into a nomadic family in a small valley of the Tibetan region of Kham. He was ordained in 1985 and went on to become a lineage holder of the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) tradition, as well as a preeminent practitioner and scholar at Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy in Sertar. Khenpo Sodargye was the great Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche’s chief Tibetan-Chinese translator. He has traveled extensively in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia to offer teachings at Dharma centers and universities.

"Buddhist readers will be lifted by the unquestioned optimism for human achievement and potential in the future in Larung Gar teachings." —Publishers Weekly

"I am deeply honoured and grateful for the opportunity to remark on the writings of the eminent teachers of Larung Gar, especially the heart sons of the great and formidable Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche. My observations of both Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro and Khenpo Sodargye over the years have turned gradually to admiration and then to real veneration. Their “walk the talk” approach to the dharma they teach gives great hope to all followers of the Buddhadharma. And so, I want to express my joy that having their words now in printed form will provide at least a glimpse of the unfathomable and infinite activity of these great teachers from Larung Gar." —Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, author of The Guru Drinks Bourbon?

"Voices from Larung Gar is a groundbreaking volume that brings much-needed focus to one of the most important Buddhist institutions in the world. It provides depth and detail about this monastic academy and contemporary Buddhism in Tibet more generally. This volume also adds nuance to the larger question of how Buddhists interlace tradition and innovation in areas like gender equality, animal welfare, philosophy, and ethics." —David McMahan, author of The Making of Buddhist Modernism and editor of Meditation, Buddhism, and Science

"This anthology gives voice to the amazing leaders of the most dynamic Tibetan Buddhist institution of the last century. It illustrates vividly the remarkable ways in which Larung Gar monks and nuns are engaging modern social issues while remaining deeply grounded in their beloved Buddhist traditions." —David Germano, Executive Director of the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia

"Khenpo Jigme Puntsok Rinpoche was a remarkable master, the Buddha of Tibet in our time. Some of his disciples are among the most highly revered spiritual leaders in the East. This is a blessed book that can be used for reading as well as a sacred object on one’s altar." —Anam Thubten, founder and spiritual advisor to Dharmata Foundation and author of Choosing Compassion