New translation: Commentary on Distinguishing Consciousness and Primordial Wisdom

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dechenpa
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Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:40 pm

New translation: Commentary on Distinguishing Consciousness and Primordial Wisdom

Post by dechenpa »

Some of you will be familiar with Karmapa Rangjung Dorje's text, 'Distinguishing Consciousness and Primordial Wisdom', or Namshe Yeshe, and perhaps its well-known commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul. Now we have a new English translation of another commentary, 'The Lamp that Dispels Darkness', composed in 1986 by the great Eastern Tibetan scholar and yogin, Karma Thinley Rinpoche (1931-).

Karma Thinley Rinpoche's commentary is written in the usual interlinear style of the Tibetan commentarial tradition and is based on Kongtrul's and the 15th Karmapa's earlier commentaries, but he provides some specific guidance with a Western audience in mind, helping to bridge the gap between the modern world view and the world view of Buddhism.

The Namshe Yeshe is a difficult text to appreciate and understand, and I think some of the assumptions of our Western worldview get in the way of this. This book can help those interested in understanding the Namshe Yeshe fully. It comes along with an afterword from the translator, 'Distinguishing "Consciousness" and "Vijnana"', distinguishing contemporary Western notions and assumptions about mind from the Buddhist understanding. The translator, Adrian O'Sullivan, has translated several of Karma Thinley Rinpoche's works, including his commentary on Nagarjuna's 'Friendly Letter' and his essay on the relationship between Buddhist cosmology and Western astrology http://dechenfoundationbooks.org/blog/2 ... -of-faith/.

'The Lamp that Dispels Darkness' is available here:
https://www.amazon.com/Lamp-that-Dispel ... 8&qid=&sr=
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Lingpupa
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Re: New translation: Commentary on Distinguishing Consciousness and Primordial Wisdom

Post by Lingpupa »

If there were a "like" button it would come in handy here.
All best wishes

"The profundity of your devotion to your lama is not measured by your ability to turn a blind eye."
dechenpa
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:40 pm

Re: New translation: Commentary on Distinguishing Consciousness and Primordial Wisdom

Post by dechenpa »

Thanks!
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