The first English translation of a classic treatise on how the Tibetan practice of Dzogchen, or Great Perfection, is in fact the culmination of the path of Mahayana Buddhism.
Rongzom Ch kyi Zangpo (eleventh century) was an important Tibetan
Buddhist translator, fully adept in Sanskrit and, along with
Longchenpa and Ju Mipham, is considered to be one of the three
great systematizers of the Nyingma tradition. His works, whether
translations from Sanskrit, commentaries on canonical texts, or
original compositions such as Entering the Way of the Great
Vehicle, demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of, and direct
experience with, a wide variety of teachings that were coming into
Tibet from India.
Dominic Sur first studied with Tibetan masters in India, Nepal, and
Tibet for several years before returning to the United States,
where he was fortunate enough to study with several outstanding
scholars of Buddhism at Sarah Lawrence College, Harvard Divinity
School, and the University of Virginia. In 2015, he completed a PhD
in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia and is now a
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Utah State University.
“Dominic Sur presents an outstanding study and translation of a
renowned treatise by one of the greatest luminaries of Tibetan
literature, the great Rongzompa. Starting with the Mahāyāna corpus,
this volume illuminates how all the vehicles relate with, and
culminate in, the Great Perfection. It is an invaluable addition to
Buddhist literature in the West.”—Tulku Thondup, author of The
Heart of Unconditional Love
“In this book, Dominic Sur has rendered into clear and elegant
English Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo’s Entering the Way of the Great
Vehicle, one of the great classics of Tibetan thought, and one of
the earliest treatises composed by a self-avowed follower of the
Nyingma or “Ancient” tradition. Studied to this day in Nyingma
monastic colleges, Sur’s translation of this important
thousand-year-old work is a must read for anyone interested in
Tibetan intellectual history, and especially the early
philosophical elaboration of the Great Perfection.”—José Ignacio
Cabezón, Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural
Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
“The nature of suffering; the distinction (or lack thereof) between
illusion and reality; the value of reason for the spiritual path:
all of these essential Buddhist topics are treated with creativity
and freshness in this key early work of Tibetan Buddhist
philosophy. Sur’s incisive English prose renders this rich
philosophical work accessible while still retaining the precision
and complexity of the original.”—Kurtis Schaeffer, University of
Virginia
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