Report July 2021

This month we published three new translations—all texts of the second omniscient one, Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa. Two of those have never been translated before.

The first text is The Root Empowerment of the Vase Conferring Majesty: The Inner Enabling Empowerment of the Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse. This root empowerment text, revealed as a mind treasure by Jigme Lingpa for the Vidyādhara Assembly (Rigdzin Düpa), contains the inner enabling empowerments (nang nus pa 'jug pa'i dbang).

Our second text is The Single Oceanic Wisdom, An Aspiration to Recognise the Bardos, an aspiration prayer to recognize the various phases of the four intermediate states, or bardos—the natural bardo of this life, the bardo of dying, the bardo of dharmatā, and the bardo of becoming—and apply the techniques and practices that will bring about realization. It was translated by the Venerable Sean Price, who is also one of our advisors.

Finally, we are particularly pleased to have completed the translation one of the fundamental works in the core Longchen Nyingtik collection: Skull Fragments: The Root Tantra of the Vidyādharas, from the Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse, revealed by Jigme Lingpa. This root tantra provides a terse overview of the inner tantras and a brief account of the treasure's revelation. As Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche remarked, it is usually taught only to a few select disciples. We are grateful to Khenpo Sonam Tsewang, Adam Pearcey and Stefan Mang for reviewing the text and to Tulku Dawa Rinpoche for his clarifications.

In August the Longchen Nyingtik Project will have a brief intermission, but we will be back in September with many new translations. We are currently finalizing translations of A Sādhana of Hayagrīva’s Assembly and A General Summary of the Three Yogas: The Words of the Awesome Ones by Jigme Lingpa, Vajra Blessings: A Self-initiation for the Guru Practice Vidyādhara's Assembly (Rigdzin Düpa) by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and we are working on several other texts.

Homage to the primordial expanse of Samantabhadra!

The single sphere of awareness

Is the place where all phenomena are liberated.

Although innumerable vehicles of Sūtra and Mantra are taught,

There is only one vehicle.

-Jigme Lingpa, A General Summary of the Three Yogas: The Words of the Awesome Ones (Palchen Düpa)

(Translation in progress. Support our project to translate the texts of the Heart Essence teachings here.)