Key Figures in Our Guides to Tibetan Buddhism
The guides to Tibetan Buddhism below are meant to help orient readers to the texts by and about important figures in Tibetan history, essential topics of practice and study, and important texts.
Indian Masters
Aryadeva Asanga Atisha Naropa Nagarjuna Padmasambhava Tilopa See also: Xuanzang, the incredible 7th century Chinese monk who spent 16 years traveling through China, and present-day Kyrgistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.Disciples of Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava
Mandarava Lang Pelgyi Senge Langdro Konchok Jungne Denma Tsemang the Translator and Calligrapher Kharchen Pelgyi Wangchuk Nyak Jñānakumara Nanam Dorje Dudjom Odren Pelgyi Wangchuk Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe Yeshe Tsogyal11th-18th Centuries
Longchenpa Marpa Milarepa Rangjung Dorje, Third Karmapa Rongzom Mahapandita Sakya Pandita Sakyasribhadra Tangtong Gyalpo Taranatha Tsongkhapa19th Century Masters
Shechen Gyaltsap Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang Jamgon Kongtrul Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Mipham Rinpoche Patrul Rinpoche20th & 21st Centuries
Sera Khandro Karl Brunnholzl His Holiness the Dalai Lama Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Dudjom Rinpoche Dzigar Kongrtul Gendun Chopel Gyatrul Rinpoche Khandro Tsering Chodron20th & 21st Centuries
Khangsar Tenpa'i Wangchuk Thinley Norbu Rinpoche Thrangu Rinpoche Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Pema Chodron Tulku Thondup B. Allan WallaceFor more biographies of key figures, see The Treasury of Lives. For shorter translations by many of these figures, see Lotsawa House.
See also our interactive timeline with all these figures (and lots more)!
Essential Topics in Our Guides to Tibetan Buddhism
Buddha Nature:
Buddhist Mindfulness
Buddhist Poetry
The Drikung Kagyu
The Drupka Kagyu (NEW)
Bhutan (NEW)
Tibetan Buddhist Essentials: An Exploration of the Nyingma Lineage with Tulku Thondup
Lojong / Mind Training
Madhyamaka
The Six Paramitas
Dudjom Rinpoche's Interview about Guru Padmasambhava
The Role of the Teacher in Tibetan Buddhism
The Seven Line Prayer of Guru Rinpoche
Tibetan Lunar Calendar
On Translation: Sarah Harding and Larry Mermelstein
Essential Texts in Our Guides to Tibetan Buddhism
Ngöndro: The Preliminary Practices (NEW)
Ngöndro: the Preliminary Practices of Tibetan Buddhism Ngöndro: The Actual Preliminary Practices The Ngöndro of the Longchen Nyingtik Lineage of the Nyingma Tradition The Ngöndro of the Dudjom Tersar Lineage of the Nyingma Tradition Ngöndros from Other Lineages within the Nyingma Tradition Ngöndro in the Kagyu Tradition Ngöndro in the Sakya, Gelug, and Bön Traditions Additional ResourcesBodhicharyavatara: The Way of the Bodhisattva
A Reader's Guide to Shantideva and the Way of the Bodhisattva Way of the Bodhisattva Resource Page A Brief History of the Way of the Bodhisattva Translating the Way of the Bodhisattva The Story behind the BodhicharyavataraThe Five Maitreya Treatises of the Mahayana
The Five Maitreya Texts: An Overview (NEW)- The Ornament of Clear Realization, the Abhisamayālaṃkāra
- The Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras, the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra
- The Middle Beyond Extremes, the Madhyāntavibhāga
- The Distinction Between Phenomena and Their Nature, the Dharmadharmatāvibhāga
- The Ultimate Continuum of the Mahāyāna Ratnagotravibhāga (Uttaratantra)
The Complete Nyingma Tradition
by Choying Tobden Dorje
A Resource Guide
Lama Sonam Tsering on Text
Alak Zenkar Rinpoche on Lama Tharchin Rinpoche
Choying Tobden Dorje and the Story Behind the Text
Praise
The Books