The Buddha from Dolpo (2010)
The Buddha from Dölpo is a revised and enlarged edition of the only book about the most controversial Buddhist master in the history of Tibet, Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361), who became perhaps the greatest Tibetan expert of the Kālacakra, or Wheel of Time, a vast system of tantric teachings. Based largely on esoteric Buddhist knowledge from the legendary land of Shambhala, Dölpopa's insights have profoundly influenced the development of Tibetan Buddhism for more than 650 years.
Dölpopa emphasized two contrasting definitions of the Buddhist theory of emptiness. He described relative phenomena as "empty of self-nature," but absolute reality as only "empty of other," i.e., relative phenomena. He further identified absolute reality as the buddha nature, or eternal essence, present in all living beings. This view of an "emptiness of other," know in Tibetan as shentong, is Dölpopa's enduring legacy.
The Buddha from Dölpo contains the only English translation of three of Dölpopa's crucial works. A General Commentary on the Doctrine is one of the earliest texts in which he systematically presented his view of the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment. The Fourth Council and its Autocommentary (which was not in the first edition of this book) were written at the end of his life and represent a final summation of his teachings. These translations are preceded by a detailed discussion of Dölpopa's life, his revolutionary ideas, earlier precedents for the shentongview, his unique use of language, and the influence of his theories. The fate of his Jonang tradition, which was censored by the central Tibetan government in the seventeenth century but still survives, is also examined. (Source: Shambhala Publications)
| Citation | Stearns, Cyrus. The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. Tsadra Foundation Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010. First published 1999 by State University of New York Press. |
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- Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan. bstan pa spyi 'grel. Short title for Supplication Entitled “General Commentary on the Doctrine.” bstan pa spyi ’grel zhes bya ba’i gsol ’debs. In The Collected Works (Gsung ’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan (1292-1361): Reproduced from the copies of prints from the Rgyal-rtse Rdzong blocks preserved at the Kyichu Monastery in the Paro Valley, Bhutan, vol. 1: 686–94. Paro/Delhi: Lama Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, 1984.
- Also published in The ’Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works (Gsung-’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan, vol. 7, pt. 1: 494–501. Delhi: Shedrup Books, 1992.
- Also published in The ’Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works (Gsung-’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan, vol. 7, pt. 1: 494–501. Delhi: Shedrup Books, 1992.
- _____. bka' bsdu bzhi pa (The “Fourth Council). Short title for Great Calculation of the Doctrine That Has the Significance of a Fourth Council. Bka bsdus bzhi pa’i don bstan rtsis chen po. In The ’Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works (Gsung-’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan, vol. 5: 207–52. Delhi: Shedrup Books, 1992.
- ______. bka' bsdu bzhi pa'i rang 'grel - Autocommentary to the “Fourth Council.” Bka’ bsdu bzhi pa’i rang ’grel. In The Collected Works (Gsung ’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan (1292–1361): Reproduced from the copies of prints from the Rgyal-rtse Rdzong blocks preserved at the Kyichu Monastery in the Paro Valley, Bhutan, vol. 1: 585–665. Paro/Delhi: Lama Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, 1984.
