Sakya Paṇḍita

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“Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyaltsen stands as one of the greatest Tibetan Buddhist scholars of all time. Not only was he peerless in his erudition and debating skills, but he was also an extraordinarily prolific writer and accomplished Sanskrit translator. His writings made an indelible mark on Tibetan philosophical thinking, and they continue to be just as relevant today as they were during his lifetime. Among his remarkable achievements was the key role that he played in establishing the Indian system of the five major and five minor sciences in Tibet. As we delve into the life of Sakya Paṇḍita, we cannot but become imbued with the profound richness of his wisdom. Under his guidance, we embark on a journey of discovery of the nature of reality, and how we should best conduct ourselves along our spiritual path.” —His Holiness the Forty-Second Sakya Trizin, Ratna Vajra Rinpoche

SAKYA PAṇḍITA

Three Biographies

His Holiness the Sakya Trichen Drogön Chögyal Phakpa (Lodrö Gyaltsen) Gorampa Sönam Sengé Jamgön Ameshab (Ngawang Kunga Sönam)

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A set of classic biographies of Sakya Paṇḍita—one of Tibet’s greatest scholars and religious masters.

Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyaltsen (1182–1251) was a renowned Tibetan polymath, scholar, statesman, and religious master, and one of the most famous and consequential figures in the history of Tibet. The three classic biographies included here contain fascinating firsthand accounts of key events in Sakya Paṇḍita’s life, covering his family ancestry, early education, interactions and debates with other sects, travels to Mongolia and his diplomacy at the Mongol court, and a detailed account of the miraculous events that occurred in the last weeks of his life.

book information
  • Paperback
  • 224 pages, 6 x 9 inches
  • $19.95
  • ISBN 9781614297574
about the author
Sakya Paṇḍita

His Holiness the Sakya Trichen is the revered forty-first throne holder of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, which dates back to 1073. He is a member of the Khon family, who have been important teachers of Buddhism in Tibet since the eighth century. A brilliant master, he manifests profound wisdom and compassion, and his command of English renders his teachings particularly beneficial to students in the West. He was born in 1945 in Sakya, Tibet, and in 1959 escaped with tens of thousands of Tibetan people to India, where he continues to live and work tirelessly to rebuild the Sakya tradition. He has guided the establishment of over thirty monasteries in India and Nepal and has helped found Sakya centers around the world. His seat in North America is Tsechen Kunchab Ling in Walden, New York.

Other books by His Holiness the Sakya Trichen:
Ornament to Beautify the Three Appearances
The Preliminary and Main Practices of the Sakya Lamdré Tradition
The Freeing the Heart and Mind Trilogy
Freeing the Heart and Mind: Volume 3
Freeing the Heart and Mind: Volume 2
Freeing the Heart and Mind, Volumes 1 and 2
Freeing the Heart and Mind

Sakya Paṇḍita

Drogön Chögyal Phakpa (Lodrö Gyaltsen) (1235–1280) was the seventh Sakya Trizin and fifth of the five founding masters of the Sakya order. Although his religious name is Lodrö Gyaltsen, he is better known by his title, Drogön Chögyal Phakpa. Chögyal Phakpa was Sakya Paṇḍita’s primary disciple, religious heir, and paternal nephew. He accompanied Sakya Paṇḍita on his travels to the Mongol Court and participated in his activities there. He was at Sakya Paṇḍita’s side to witness the miraculous nature of the great master’s passing into parinirvana, described in vivid detail in his biography. Shortly thereafter, at the age of only nineteen, Chögyal Phagpa so impressed Emperor Kublai Khan that the khan designated him his personal religious master with the title of tishri, and gave him religious and secular authority over the three provinces of Tibet.

Sakya Paṇḍita

Gorampa Sönam Sengé (1429–1489) was a great Sakyapa scholar, philosopher, and prolific author. He wrote an impressive number of important commentaries on both sutra and tantra, including the Middle Way, the Perfection of Wisdom, logic, Abhidharma, and the Vinaya. His explications of the Sakyapa view and rebuttals of its challengers still form the core of philosophical studies in Sakyapa and other monastic colleges today. The biography of Sakya Paṇḍita translated here appears in the introductory matter he wrote as a preface to his famous work Classification of the Three Vows.

Sakya Paṇḍita

Jamgön Ameshab (Ngawang Kunga Sönam) (1597–1659) was the twenty-seventh Sakya Trizin. Although his religious name is Ngawang Kunga Sönam, he is better known by the respectful epithet Jamgön Ameshab due to his calm and dignified manner. Intensively trained in religious studies from childhood, he became throne holder of the Sakya order at the age of twenty-four. A prolific author of over thirty-five volumes of religious texts, he also played an important role as a peacekeeper and mediator between the various warring states and factions of his time.

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