A Journey to Connect with Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo

It has been a longtime aspiration of mine to translate the dharma since I began studying Buddhism over 15 years ago. I am so thankful for everyone at Khyentse Vision Project for their support, mentorship, and kindness to bring that dream to fruition! — Julie Jay, Khyentse Vision Project translator Training and Internship Program graduate

Julie Jay is one of five recent graduates from Khyentse Vision Project’s (KVP) pilot translator Training and Internship Program. A native Canadian, Julie grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. Her interest in Buddhism began with the Theravada tradition. Then, in 2007, she became a follower of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and decided to study Tibetan in India. She later completed both undergraduate and graduate studies in Buddhism and Himalayan languages at Rangjung Yeshe Institute (RYI) in Nepal and served as a translator for Siddhartha’s Intent and for Pema Lingpa Treasure Vajrayana Centre in Victoria. The opportunity to join KVP’s 2-year translator training program was thus the culmination of years of study, practice, and experience.

Julie has recently published her first translation, “Nectar of Beneficial Words for Beginners,” a general guide to the entire path for beginner practitioners by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Recognizing the importance of balancing both spiritual and psychological healing, Julie is also pursuing graduate studies in counselling psychology at Yorkville University and completing her practicum as student counsellor at the Greater Victoria Citizens’ Counselling Centre. She will achieve her master’s degree in August 2023.

Khyentse Vision Project, a major translation initiative under Khyentse Foundation, was officially launched in July 2020 on the 200th birth anniversary of the First Khyentse, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–92). KVP’s mission is to translate Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s collected works and to share the treasury online. Its long-term aspiration is to become a translation hub for the teachings and writings of all the Khyentse masters.

KVP piloted its first translator Training and Internship Program in 2021–22. Ten trainees attended 4 months of weekly workshops and reading classes with KVP expert consultants. They then participated in a special RYI Advanced Classical Reading seminar and a mentorship program with in-house translators. In the second year of the program, five interns from among the trainees completed their own translation of a Khyentse Wangpo work, and several are contributing their expertise to the project. The program owes its success both to the dedication and enthusiasm of the trainees and to the generous efforts of the in-house translator team. Ten new trainees have been accepted into the program for 2023–24.

To commemorate this auspicious day of the parinirvana anniversary of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, one of the most eminent Buddhist masters of the 19th century, Khyentse Foundation would like to highlight KVP’s newly published translations, most of them available in English for the first time. Other important publications by KVP include a selection of texts from the Drubtab Kuntu (Compendium of Sādhanas), celebrating the completion of the Drubtab Kuntu transmissions given by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, an incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, at Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute in India in fall 2022. The translations were first shared with English-reading participants at the event, deepening their understanding of this special cycle of transmissions.

Subscribe to the Khyentse Vision Project mailing list and be notified of its new translations and other work.

Photos and images courtesy Julie Jay and Khyentse Vision Project.