The Lamp for the Eye of Contemplation: The Samten Migdron by Nubchen Sangye Yeshe, a 10th-century Tibetan Buddhist Text on Meditation

by Dylan Esler

Overview

This book presents an English translation of the Samten Migdron (Lamp for the Eye of Contemplation) by Nubchen Sangye Yeshe, a seminal 10th-century Tibetan Buddhist work on contemplation. This treatise is one of the most important sources for the study of the various meditative currents that were transmitted to Tibet from India and China during the early dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet. Written from the vantage point of the Great Completeness (Dzogchen) and its vehicle of effortless spontaneity, it discusses, in the manner of a doxography, both sutra-based-including Chan-and tantric approaches to meditation. The unabridged, annotated English translation of this Tibetan treatise is preceded by a general introduction situating the author-a pivotal figure in what would become the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism-and his work in historical and doctrinal context. The detailed annotations provide elucidating comments as well as crucial references to the numerous texts quoted by the Tibetan author. This book makes this groundbreaking Tibetan work on meditation accessible in English and opens fascinating windows on early forms of contemplative practice in Tibet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197609927
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dylan Esler is a scholar and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. He holds a PhD in Languages and Literature from the Université catholique de Louvain and an MA in Buddhist Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He currently works at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) of the Ruhr-University Bochum and is also affiliated with the Oriental Institute of Louvain (CIOL). His research interest focuses on early Nyingma expositions of Dzogchen and Tantra.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Abbreviations and Symbols General Introduction: The Text and its Author Chapter I: Laying the Groundwork Chapter II: Getting Ready Chapter III: Gaining Perspective Chapter IV: The Gradual Approach of the Classical Mahayana Chapter V: The Simultaneous Approach of Chan Chapter VI: The Tantric Vehicle of Mahayoga Chapter VII: The Vehicle of Effortless Spontaneity of Atiyoga Chapter VIII: Dedication of Virtue Colophons Bibliography