The Hevajra Tantras and teachings of the 'Path with Its Fruit' (lam 'bras) that originated in India have been central practices of Tibetan tantric Buddhism for a millenium. The Tibetans translated eight Hevajra transmissions with their tantras, commentaries, rituals, and instructions and authored countless scriptures in the context of the tantra and the 'Path with Its Fruit' that originated with the Indian Mahasiddha Virupa. Drawing on title lists (dkar chag), colophones, and commentaries authored between the 11th and 17th centuries, the author attempts a reconstruction of the Indian and Tibetan corpora of these transmissions, its literary history and relations to one another.
Hevajra and Lam Bras Literature of India and Tibet as Seen Through the Eyes of A-Mes-Zhab, Jan-Ulrich Sobisch, Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, Hardcover, 2008, 250 Pages. $116.00
Jan-Ulrich Sobisch is on the faculty of the Center for Religious Studies at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum. He studied Tibetology, Indology, and philosophy at Hamburg University from 1985 to 1992 with David Seyfort Ruegg, Lambert Schmithausen, and David Jackson, under whom he completed his dissertation on the three-vows literature. From 1994 to 1999, he was working under Albrecht Wezler for the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project when he discovered and cataloged the complete thirty volumes of the writings of Ame Shab (1597-1659). From 2003 to 2016, he was a professor at the University of Copenhagen, during which time he published on the Hevajra Tantra and its associated Tibetan teachings in the Sakya school. For the past ten years, he has been focused on the unique Dgongs gcig tradition of the Drigung Kagyu school. In 2016 he received the prestigious Humboldt Research Award in recognition of his scholarly achievements.
General introduction to the transmission of the Hevajra teachings. 1 General introduction to the transmission of the Path with Its Fruit teachings. 14 Short note on divisions and numbers in this book. 19 PART I: HEVAJRA LITERATURE OF INDIA AND TIBET AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A-MES-ZHABS 21 1. The Notes on the Hevajra literature. 21 2. Hevajra literature mentioned in A-mes-zhabs' records of teachings and other works. 63 3. The main lineages of the transmissions received by A-mes-zhabs. 77 PART II: THE PATH WITH ITS FRUIT LITERATURE OF INDIA AND TIBET AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A-MES-ZHABS. 83 1. The title list of the Yellow Book. 85 2. The title list of the (Little) Red Book. 103 3. The records of teachings of A-mes-zhabs. 113 4. Additional lam 'bras and Hevajra works. 127 Appendix I: Title list of Hevajra and lam 'bras related works mentioned by A-mes-zhabs. 133 Appendix II: Ten rare title lists. 187 Appendix IIIa: Translation of the Notes. 219 Appendix IIIb: Tibetan Text of the Notes. 227 Index of Names. 235 Abbreviations and Bibliography. 245
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