Stephen Gethin: The Natural Openness and Freedom of the Mind
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Description & Participants
The Natural Openness and Freedom of the Mind Book Launch
26 October 2024 · 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
Lopen Karma Phuntsho interviews translator Stephen Gethin and discusses the new book from Padmakara Translation Group, The Natural Openness and Freedom of the Mind: A Treasure Tantra of the Great Perfection by Deshek Lingpa with commentary by Khangsar Tenpa'i Wangchuk.
In September, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche offered the oral transmission, or lung, for this incredibly clear text of Dzogchen that, in the eighth century, Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal sealed in the mind of Yudra Nyingpo, one of Guru Rinpoche’s twenty-five disciples. The text was rediscovered as a mind treasure by an emanation of Yudra Nyingpo, Deshek Lingpa (1956-2020), also known as Tulku Lhatsam or Tertön Padma Jigme Dorje, who was the abbot of both two monasteries in Golok.
Shambhala Publications just released a translation of this text, which includes an extensive commentary by Khangsar Tenpa'i Wangchuk, one of the most revered Nyingmapa lamas of the twentieth century whose entire collected works the Padmakara Translation Group is translating. Find the book here on Shambhala's website.
Stephen Gethin studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge University, where he was also awarded a choral exhibition. After a number of years in professional practice, he spent much of the 1980s undertaking two three-year retreats in France, where he now lives and, as a founding member of the Padmakara Translation Group, continues to translate. He was a Tsadra Foundation Translation Fellow from 2005 to 2024. His published translations include:
- Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend, with commentary by Longchen Yeshe Dorje, Kangyur Rinpoche. Shambhala 2005.
- Zurchungpa’s Testament, by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Shambhala, 2006.
- A Garland of Views: A Guide to View, Meditation, and Result in the Nine Vehicles. Jamgön Mipham’s commentary on Padmasambhava’s Garland of Views, Shambhala, 2015.
- Dudjom Rinpoche’s A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practices. Shambhala, 2016.
- A Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle (The Mahāyāna-sūtrālaṃkāra with commentary by Mipham), Shambhala, 2018.
- A Chariot to Freedom: Guidance From the Great Masters on the Vajrayāna Preliminary Practices. A detailed preliminary practice commentary by Shechen Gyaltsap. Shambhala, 2021.
- Mahasiddha Practice: From Mitrayogin and Other Masters. Volume 15 of Jamgön Kongtrul’s Treasury of Precious Instructions (gdams ngag rin po che'i mdzod). Shambhala, 2021.
- Awakening Wisdom: Heart Advice on the Fundamental Practices of Vajrayana Buddhism by Pema Wangyal. Shambhala, 2023.
- The Natural Openness and Freedom of the Mind. Khangsar Tenpai'i Wangchuk's Collected Works. Shambhala, 2024.
- The Cloudless Sky. Khangsar Tenpai'i Wangchuk's Collected Works. Forthcoming.
- The Aspiration to the Excellent Way. Khangsar Tenpai'i Wangchuk's Collected Works. Forthcoming.
He also collaborated on a number of translations, including
- A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night by the Dalai Lama. Shambhala, 1993.
- Wisdom: Two Buddhist Commentaries by Khenchen Kunzang Pelden and Minyak Kunzang Sönam. Editions Padmakara, 1993.
- The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche. HarperCollins, 1994.
- A Guide to The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang. Shambhala, 2004.
Recommended content
This definitive composition of Mahāyāna teachings was imparted in the fourth century by Maitreya to the famous adept Asanga, one of the most prolific writers of Buddhist treatises in history. Asanga’s work, which is among the famous Five Treatises of Maitreya, has been studied, commented upon, and taught by Buddhists throughout Asia ever since it was composed.
In the early twentieth century, one of Tibet’s greatest scholars and saints, Jamgön Mipham, wrote A Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle, which is a detailed explanation of every verse. This commentary has since been used as the primary blueprint for Tibetan Buddhists to illuminate the depth and brilliance of Maitreya’s pith teachings. The Padmakara Translation Group has provided yet another accessible and eloquent translation, ensuring that English-speaking students of Mahāyāna will be able to study this foundational Buddhist text for generations to come. (Source: Shambhala Publications)