Sakyapa Sonam Gyaltsen (1312-1375), born into the powerful Khon family that ruled much of Tibet, was teacher and mentor to many great masters of all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He is still widely revered for his scholarship and sanctity. Lama Choedak Yuthok was born in a yak-hair tent in Central Tibet in 1954. After becoming a monk and studying for twelve years under the Most Venerable Chogay Trichen Rinpoche, he completed a three-year solitary retreat. Since 1982, he has served as interpreter for prominent teachers from all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
McComas Taylor's interest in Tibet was sparked by a chance meeting with Lama Choedak Yuthok and he subsequently immersed himself in all things Tibetan. He lives in Canberra Australia, in a house inspired by the :fortress-monasteries or the Himalayas, amid a jumble of children, books and treasures garnered from the natural world. A rich blend of history, legend, poetry, adventure and romance, The Clear Mirror is a treasure-trove of the traditional narrative and folk wisdom of Tibet. It presents in full the often-cited but elusive accounts of the origins of the Tibetan people, the coming of the Dharma to Tibet, and the appearance of Avalokiteshvara as the patron deity of Tibet. Compiled in 1368 from earlier histories as well as a rich oral tradition, the text treats the era during which Buddhism came to Tibet, the city of Lhasa was established as the capital, and the Jokhang and Ramoche temples were founded. The compiler, the renowned Sakya scholar Sonam Gyaltsen, narrates the traditional accounts in an engaging and highly readable style, in his words, 'to give pleasure to the faithful and to those who desire a history of the propagation of the Teachings'. Written to inform and entertain, the book has maintained a preeminent position in Tibetan society and is still popular today.

The Clear Mirror: A Traditional Account of Tibet's Golden Age, Sakya Sonam Gyaltsen, Snow Lion Publications, $16.95

Sakyapa Sonam Gyaltsen (1312-1375), born into the powerful Khon family that ruled much of Tibet, was teacher and mentor to many great masters of all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He is still widely revered for his scholarship and sanctity.