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March 2021
Khyentse Vision Project:
Translating the Works of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo into English
On the auspicious anniversary of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the first Khyentse, we are pleased to launch the website for the Khyentse Vision Project, an initiative to translate the collected works of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo into English. We also invite you to join our online practice on the Tri Ratna Anusmriti Sadhana (the sadhana of The Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels) and to study together Rinpoche’s teachings on Green Tara puja and how to do the puja on our own.
For our Chinese audience, don’t miss the new sutra translations into Chinese on the Kumarajiva Project website. You are also invited to join the periodic sutra recitation of the Confession of the 35 Buddhas (in Chinese) and accumulation of long-life prayers for Rinpoche.
Image above: Thangka portraying Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and his previous incarnations, Dzongsar monastery
Khyentse Vision Project Launches New Website
Khyentse Vision Project is an inspiring new translation project under the auspices of Khyentse Foundation. The project’s mission is to translate into English the complete works of the Great First Khyentse, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. There are more than 16,000 Tibetan pages to be translated, including both the original 13-volume gsungs ’bum (collected works) and the bka’ babs bdun (literally, seven transmissions) collection of termas, instructions, and liturgies. The English translation of these collections is projected to take 30 years to complete. The project will eventually expand to include languages other than English.
Khyentse Vision Project aspires to become a translation hub for the teachings and writings of all the other Khyentse masters as well. The project will be defined by its emphasis on collaboration with other translation groups. We will work closely with Tsadra Foundation on their project to publish the Tibetan source text of the writings of all the Khyentse lineage masters. We will also collaborate with other projects, such as Adam Pearcey’s Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö translation project, the Chokling Tersar Project, and the Longchen Nyingtik Project.
An exciting element of the Khyentse Vision Project, the Translator Training Program, already offers expert workshops and in-house tutorials to a pilot group of trainees. Along with a collaborative course program with Rangjung Yeshe Institute and Dharma Sagar, the training is designed to help our translators develop the specific skills they need to translate the kind of material found in the Khyentse Wangpo canon.
The project is still in its formative phases, building a team of translators and developing all the infrastructure and workflow processes necessary for such an ambitious undertaking. This new website will offer an introduction to the project, its team members, and collaborative efforts. Our first published translations in English will be made available with the launch of our virtual reading room, currently under construction, in the latter half of 2021.
If you would like to support this inspiring branch of Rinpoche’s activity, please consider donating to Khyentse Foundation for the project. Visit the Khyentse Vision Project website for full details.
Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels
You’re invited to join the Triratna Anusmriti Sadhana (the sadhana of The Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels), an online ongoing group practice initiated by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we will constantly face a range of emotions, many of which we experience as negative — fear, loss of purpose, loss of confidence, lack of clarity, insecurity, aggression, failure, clinging, and so many more. By practicing this sadhana, we can create a common space for a disciplined group practice where people from diverse backgrounds connect in the endeavor of calming our internal turmoil.
We can integrate this beautiful sadhana into our daily lives as a way to systematically manage and train our minds. Everyone is welcome to join. Practice session are ongoing every Friday at 7 PM India time and every Sunday at 8:30 AM India time. Registration is open now.
Rinpoche’s Teaching on Green Tārā
“As I said, this is really, really, personally my favorite puja. There are several reasons for that. Tārā is a motherlike figure, and being female she is known to be always quick to respond. Of course, this is all dualistic thinking. But since we are dualistic, as you know, what choice do we have? Also, Tārā is one of the four main deities practiced by those great people at Nalanda University such as Nāgārjuna—even by the big, grand, great Nāgārjuna. I personally can say that the Tārā puja has helped me in so many ways.” — Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Arya Tārā is the patron and main protector deity of Khyentse Foundation. In 2017, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche conducted a 21-day Tārā puja in Bir, India. Since then, he has also conducted the Tārā puja many times around the world to pay homage to Tārā. Rinpoche and Siddhartha’s Intent Taiwan offered the Zabtik Drolma (Green Tara) puja in Taipei recently and Rinpoche also gave a teaching on how to do the puja. The sadhana and full text of the October 2020 teaching are available on our website.
Zabtik Drolma is open to everyone and no prerequisites are required. Rinpoche is encouraging all of us to practice the puja individually and in groups, without relying on monks and lamas. Watch for more information in the coming weeks and months as plans develop to support the practice.
First Chinese Translation of Seven Sutras Available
The Kumarajiva Project has recently completed and published new translations of seven sutras and one commentary text in their online library. These translations are available in the Chinese language for the first time in history. You are also invited to join the sutra recitation (in Chinese) of the Confession of the 35 Buddhas, together with the accumulation of Rinpoche’s long-life prayers, organized by the Kumarajiva Project.
Image: Illustration by Alicja Zmigrodzka commissioned by the Kumarajiva Project for the new translation into Chinese of Toh 346 The Account of the Noble Deeds of Sumāgadhā.
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