Annual Update

Trungpa Rinpoche

We are reviewing the manuscript for the vajrayana volume of The Profound Treasure of the Ocean of Dharma, the monumental edited compilation of thirteen years of the Vidyadhara’s teachings at the Vajradhatu Seminary, due to be published next year. We will complete our work on translating and reproducing the hundreds of notecards written by the Vidyadhara for his talks, which will be published along with the complete transcripts on DVD by Shambhala Media.

English-to-Tibetan Translation

Long ago we identified the importance of translating the Vidyadhara’s teachings in English into Tibetan, especially for the benefit of his continued presence at Surmang Monastery and elsewhere among the Tibetan community. It is a daunting task and requires highly literate, well-studied native Tibetan translators and writers. Karma Senge Rinpoche and Chökyi Senge Rinpoche, the twelfth Trungpa, have now requested our help and consultation in this effort.

Karma Senge Rinpoche and the twelfth Trungpa Tulku Chökyi Senge have requested that the elventh Trungpa Rinpoche’s English teachings be translated into Tibetan.

The ngöndro liturgy for the Vidyadhara’s termas did not include verses for contemplating the “four reminders,” an essential component of ngöndro practice. Karma Senge Rinpoche considered using sections from other Tibetan compositions by the Vidyadhara for this. But in the end, he favored using the four short, pithy verses the Vidyadhara composed in english in 1974, for his students who were beginning to practice ngöndro in the context of the first “tantra group” in Boulder. Khenpo Tsering worked hard to translate these into Tibetan, attempting to capture both their meaning and spirit of directness. Karma Senge Rinpoche and the Committee reviewed, refined, and discussed this with him in detail on May 7. We think this was an historic and auspicious beginning.

Thrangu Rinpoche & Karma Choephel with Translation Committee, August 2011.
Photo by Marvin Moore.

And in August, the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche helped us complete these! Soon after our return home, we learned that Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche had encouraged two of his students to translate Meditation in Action into Tibetan. Two chapters have been completed, and they hope to finish by year’s end. Thrangu Rinpoche answering our questions. In August, the Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche taught Khenpo Gangshar’s Naturally Liberating Whatever you Meet in Halifax. He was very kind to meet with us and go over the translation of Karma Senge Rinpoche’s commentary for the Vidyadhara’s ngöndro. As always, we are ever grateful to Thrangu Rinpoche for his vast wisdom and kindness. Much to our joyful embarrassment, Rinpoche offered us, and all translators, a tenminute praise of dharma translation, which we have posted here.

Publishing Activities

The Collected Vajra Liturgies is now available here.

As we reported in last year’s newsletter, we completed a significantly revised edition of our daily chant book in the late fall, now entitled Collected Vajra Liturgies, which includes thirteen new chants and several revised translations, both of which are available separately. This summer we published a new edition of the set of additional vajrayana chants, two of which include revisions. Please see our website for more information. The new Shambhala Chant Book, is intended for public programs and was just published this summer, including a special shrine-room edition for our centers, making this more elegant and uniform throughout the community. Next year we will issue a new edition of the Warrior Chant Book, used at Warrior Assemblies. We moved into the realm of Tibetan text publishing over the last year.

The Werma Sadhana in Tibetan.

We produced a digitally typeset edition of the Werma Sadhana and commissioned white brocade text covers, suitable for our Shambhala shrines. We also reprinted a beautiful two-color limited edition of the The Sadhana of Mahamudra, calligraphed by Lama ugyen Shenpen as an expression of his devotion during the Vidyadhara’s final illness. We also published a new digitally typeset edition, which includes some minor corrections to the Tibetan, recently approved by Karma Senge Rinpoche. Both have elegant red brocade covers.

The Activity of Blessings: The Practice of Guru-Protector Dorje Dradul Second Edition can be ordered from Shambhala Media.

We helped to edit and typeset a new edition of The Activity of Blessings: The Practice of Guru-Protector Dorje Dradül composed by the Sakyong, which includes a very interesting essay on “The Thirteen Dralas of Tibet,” commissioned by the Dorje Kasung from Committee member Robin Kornman, who wrote it shortly before his untimely death. This essay is now on our website under the “offerings” section. This fall, we plan to publish a series of talks on The Sadhana of Mahamudra given by Changling Rinpoche during his visit to Halifax last year.

Gesar Texts

Last fall, we worked extensively with Lama Tenzin, a chöpön of Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, on a number of Gesar texts that Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche had requested us to translate and learn how to practice. Lama Tenzin is very learned and well-practiced in these, and working with him was reminiscent of our relationship with Lama ugyen Shenpen. He helped us understand the meaning and taught us all aspects of the practice: visualization, chanting, music, mudras, and tormas. The majority of our time was spent learning the practice of Dorje Tsegyal (“Indestructible King of Life”) by Jamyang Mipham Gyatso. We also refined other texts, such as The guru yoga of gesar Norbu Dradül, and finished with a very energetic gallop through Mipham’s “The Horse Race Supplication.”

Gene Smith