News from Samye Translations

Posted on March 31, 2023

The final months of the Water Tiger Year (2022-23) brought Samye Translations into a crescendo of activity, with round-the-clock writing, editing, and design from our international team of researchers, writers, editors, and designers. We are now delighted to share our rich harvest with the world: Firstly, we’ve published an entirely new book documenting the treasure sites of Chokgyur Lingpa, titled Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Lingpa. Secondly, we have completed a revised edition of our 2016 publication The Great Tertön, which is available for preorder now. Lastly, our pilgrimage project, Nekhor, dedicated to documenting the sites of great Buddhist masters, has thoroughly revised the Nekhor App and website. See below for more information on these three major projects.

Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Lingpa
Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Lingpa represents the fruition of a years-long project, on behalf of Phakchok Rinpoché, to document and preserve the Great Tertön Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Linga’s legacy and lineage. These pages trace the full arc of the Great Tertön’s revelations across the landscape of Tibet and offer a full visual journey to all the treasure sites of the Great Tertön.

Alongside images of the sacred sites where the Great Tertön’s treasure revelation unfolded, this volume presents rich supplementary material, including translations of Guru Padmasambhava and the Great Tertön’s biographies. Those who wish to experience and connect with the Great Tertön’s life and legacy will find this an essential companion on their journey.

Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Lingpa can be purchased by following this link. Given the unique nature of this publication, please note that the book has been printed in very limited numbers and will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Samye Translations has had sell the book at a higher price than originally intended in order to compensate for the high shipping costs due to the extra weight of this coffee table-sized book. We apologize for this inconvenience, and aspire to make further prints and more efficient distribution in the future.

The Great Tertön: Revised Edition
This thoroughly revised and updated edition of The Great Tertön has been prepared in order to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Chokgyur Lingpa’s passing, the 100th anniversary of Kyapjé Tulku Urgyen Rinpoché’s birth, and the life of Kyapjé Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche. This process has been much like polishing a great gem, which is now presented to the world anew.

The Great Tertön represents an indispensable book for all Chokling Tersar practitioners, and a source of wisdom and inspiration for any follower of the Vajrayana. Filled with amazing accounts, replete with teachings on devotion and pure perception, The Great Tertön offers practitioners all the necessary resources to cultivate the right approach toward our practice and our teachers. The choice of texts and the structure were designed by Phakchok Rinpoché himself, gently guiding us towards a deeper understanding of the ground, path, and fruition of Vajrayana practice.

The Great Tertön: Revised Edition can be purchased by following this link. The book is currently still being printed, and the copies will be shipped as soon as they are ready. (Should you decide to purchase both books, Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Zhikpo Lingpa and The Great Tertön: Revised Edition, the books will be shipped together as soon as the The Great Tertön: Revised Edition is ready for shipment.)

Nekhor
Nekhor, meaning “pilgrimage” in Tibetan (or literally, “circling the sacred”), was first envisioned nearly a decade ago, in 2014. An initiative of Samye Translations, Nekhor is driven by a single mission: to connect you with the sacred sites where awakened masters have lived, practiced, and benefited our world.

Beginning with Buddha Shakyamuni, from whom all streams of Buddhism in our modern age have flowed, and Guru Padmasambhava, the forefather of Tibetan Buddhism, we invite the intrepid spiritual seeker to journey with us through South Asia to explore the physical landscape that is the literal foundation of the Dharma.

To help guide you through this journey, we have developed a website and app bringing the pilgrim to the exact locations where the Buddha and the Mahaguru practiced meditation, shared their insight through teaching, and displayed vast miracles. The Nekhor App is available in both the Apple and Google App stores under the keyword “Nekhor.” As Nekhor develops, we aspire to include even more sacred sites associated with such authentic masters.

For those interested in a more in-depth presentation of Guru Padmasambhava’s life, our recently published Following in Your Footsteps series, documenting the Guru in Nepal and India, can be purchased on Our final installment, The Lotus-Born Guru in Tibet, is slated for release later this year.

Please Consider Supporting us on Patreon
These ongoing projects would not have been possible without your continued financial support. To keep these projects alive, please consider supporting us on Patreon. All donations and proceeds go towards funding further projects and supporting our ever-growing endeavor to make the teachings of the precious guru and lineage masters available to students across the world.