“ A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems”
Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage
By
Nyoshul Khenpo
Translated by: Chokyi Nyima (Richard Barron)
Join us in reading “ A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems”! This book is for everyone who has an interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Certainly, just a chapter or a page or two will inspire long time practitioners. For those just beginning, this book will provide a comprehensive background of the lineages of teachers transmitting the teachings of the Great Perfection. Some may be touched by the perseverance and wisdom of one of the Masters included and pick up another book on their teachings or history.
Rinpoche asked Samden Ling to have an ongoing study group. A dharma friend gave me this book as a holiday gift. Another friend brought her copy of “ A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems” to a winter retreat with Rinpoche. The table of contents was translated for Rinpoche before he blessed this book for our group reading. Sometimes its difficult to know where to start in learning about a lineage, this book will provide a solid foundation from which to step onto the path of liberation.
At first it may be intimidating due to its large size that warrants slow methodical reading. Do not let this phase you however, as it is a rich treasure house of wisdom passed down to us over the generations. The subtitle of this book is, “ A Spiritual History of the Teachings of Natural Great Perfection” and is published by Padma Publishing 2005. I would recommend beginning with the introduction, which I lingered over for a weekend!
May all benefit!
Jacqueline Mandell