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The Home of Tibetan Buddhist Texts in Translation
ISSN 2753-4812
ISSN 2753-4812

History Series

History

English (36) | Deutsch (3) | Español (3) | Français (5) | 中文 (1) | བོད་ཡིག (36)

If you do not recount the history

Of the supremely secret definitive teachings,

People may not trust their authenticity.

Translations of various works on history (lo rgyus) including royal genealogies (rgyal rabs):

Biography

by Longchen Rabjam
As part of his history of the Lama Yangtik lineage, Longchenpa offers a first-hand account of his own early life, a brief but important reference for later biographers.
Autobiography Lama Yangtik 23 Jan 2024
by Longchen Rabjam
Longchenpa tells how the Dzogchen teachings transmitted by Vimalamitra were concealed in the Zha Lhakhang by Nyang Tingdzin Zangpo, then retrieved by Dangma Lhungyal and passed on to Chetsün Senge Wangchuk.
Biography Lama Yangtik 28 Aug 2025
by Longchen Rabjam
Extracted from The Jewel Rosary History, this brief biography of Guru Jober (1196–1255) provides details about his spiritual training and accomplishment.
Biography Lama Yangtik 8 Feb 2024
by Longchen Rabjam
Extracted from The Jewel Rosary History, this short biography of Zhangtön Tashi Dorje (1097–1167) describes his encounters with emanations of the protectors Vajrasadhu and Ekajaṭī and his discovery of the Dzogchen teachings as hidden termas in a cave.
Biography Lama Yangtik 16 Feb 2024
by Longchen Rabjam
Extracted from The Jewel Rosary History, this short biography of Khepa Nyima Bum (1158–1213) provides some details about his spiritual training and accomplishment.
Biography Lama Yangtik 14 Feb 2024
by Longchen Rabjam
Extracted from The Jewel Rosary History, this biography of Longchenpa’s root guru became an important source for later historians, such as Gö Lotsawa Zhönnu Pal, Guru Tashi, Dudjom Rinpoche and Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje.
Biography Lama Yangtik 25 Jan 2024
by Longchen Rabjam
Extracted from The Jewel Rosary History, this biography of Kumārādza’s root teacher became an important source for later historians, such as Gö Lotsawa Zhönnu Pal, Guru Tashi, Dudjom Rinpoche and Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje.
Biography Lama Yangtik 6 Feb 2024
by Longchen Rabjam
Extracted from The Jewel Rosary History, this brief biography of Trulzhik Sengge Gyabpa, root teacher of Melong Dorje (1243–1303), provides details about his training and accomplishment.
Biography Lama Yangtik 7 Feb 2024
by Longchen Rabjam
Extracted from The Jewel Rosary History, this brief biography of the great Indian paṇḍita Vimalamitra describes how he was invited to Tibet, where he taught a small circle of disciples before travelling on to Wutai Shan.
Biography Lama Yangtik 26 Aug 2025
by Orgyen Lingpa
This revelation of Orgyen Lingpa, discovered at Samye Chimphu, provides a brief account of Guru Padmasambhava's life and deeds. Each of its sixteen chapters describes eight features, beginning with Padmasambhava's eight manifestations, his eight life-giving fathers, eight mothers, and so on. The text concludes with a series of prophecies.
Biography Termas 18 Aug 2017

Buddha’s Lives

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
Notes on a number of topics, including how Buddha Śākyamuni generated bodhicitta and completed the accumulation of merit over three incalculable aeons, the four kāyas, the twelve deeds, and the three councils. The text is undated and has no colophon, but it is possible that Jamyang Khyentse drew upon Zhuchen Tsultrim Rinchen's (1697–1774) catalogue (dkar chag) to the Derge Tengyur or a similar source.
Jātaka Bodhicitta Buddha Śākyamuni 8 Dec 2021

Dzogchen

by Longchen Rabjam
This opening section of Longchenpa's history of Lama Yangtik includes a discussion of the direct wisdom-mind transmission of the victorious ones from dharmakāya to sambhogakāya to nirmāṇakāya, the last of which includes the three supreme blessing emanations and the sublime wisdom emanations, such as the twelve Dzogchen teachers.
Lama Yangtik Dzogchen 9 Sep 2025
by Longchen Rabjam
The second section of Longchenpa's history of Lama Yangtik includes the stories of the vidyādharas Garab Dorje, Mañjuśrīmitra, Śrī Siṃha, Vimalamitra and Jñānasūtra.
Lama Yangtik Dzogchen 12 Sep 2025
by Longchen Rabjam
Longchenpa clearly drew upon earlier histories, such as the Great History from the Vima Nyingtik, to compose this survey of the Zabmo Yangtik lineage, which follows the mind-direct transmission of Samantabhadra and the Twelve Dzogchen Teachers, the symbolic transmissions of vidyādharas beginning with Garab Dorje, and the transmission of individuals from Nyang Tingdzin Zangpo and other Tibetan masters down to himself.
Zabmo Yangtik 22 Sep 2026

Family History

by Mayum Tsering Wangmo
The Lakar matriarch Pema Tsering Wangmo tells the fascinating story of her family, renowned for its patronage of monasteries and teachers throughout Tibet. She recalls the legend of how the family received its name from the great Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa, and speaks about the most significant figures from the last few generations, including her own sister, Khandro Tsering Chödrön.
19 Jul 2005

Institutions

by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Some notes on the history of Dzongsar Monastery, seat of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), with emphasis on the sacred objects that the monastery housed during Khyentse Wangpo's time and thereafter.
Dzongsar 3 Sep 2020
by Pema Rigtsal Rinpoche
A short history and description of Namkha Khyung Dzong in Ngari, situated near Mount Kailash, which was destroyed during the communist takeover of Tibet.
Tibet 17 Jan 2025

Practice Origins

by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
A simple guide to the seven types of authoritative transmission (bka' bab bdun) received by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892): oral teachings, earth treasures; rediscovered treasures; mind treasures; recollected treasures; pure visions and aural lineages.
Nonsectarianism Khyentse Kabab 1 Nov 2022
by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo recounts the origin of the teachings of Siṃhamukhā and how they have been subsequently passed down to him. He closely follows the story associated with the lineage of Bari Lotsawa (ba ri lugs).
Siṃhamukhā Rinchen Terdzö 31 Dec 2018
by Jigme Lingpa
Jigme Lingpa describes how the cycle of Yumka Dechen Gyalmo was first revealed to him by a ḍākinī, while he was on pilgrimage in Drakyi Yangdzong in 1773.
Yumka Dechen Gyalmo Termas Restricted 26 Jun 2020
by Jigme Lingpa
This letter relates the history of the kīla that Jigme Lingpa found as a material treasure at Mount Hepori. The text was written for Queen Tsewang Lhamo of Derge and offered to her together with the kīla itself. The letter is found only in the Lhasa edition of Jigme Lingpa's writings, which might indicate that it was initially kept secret and only discovered after her passing, too late to be included in the Derge edition.
Letters Takhyung Barwa Termas 24 Nov 2022
by Pema Rigtsal Rinpoche
Extracted from A Garland of White Lotuses: An Account of the Teaching and Teaching Holders of the Pal Drakmar Namkha Khyungdzong Tradition, this is a brief historical overview of the Chöd practice of Tröma Nakmo (khros ma nag mo) that was received by Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904) in visionary encounters with Machik Labdrön and Padampa Sangye.
Chöd Dudjom Tersar 4 Mar 2024
revealed by Tertön Sogyal
Extracted from "The Profound Instruction of Tendrel Nyesel", this is Guru Padmasambhava's explanation to Yeshe Tsogyal outlining the principles that underlie the practice.
Tendrel Nyesel Restricted 25 Nov 2025

Revelations

by Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa
Chokgyur Lingpa's first-hand account of the treasure revelations of The Essential Sacred Dharma in Five Cycles (dam chos snying po skor lnga), The Gradual Path of Wisdom Essence (lam rim ye shes snying po), and The Magical Net of the Three Roots (rtsa gsum sgyu ’phrul drva ba) at Chimé Karmo Taktsang and Sengé Yumtsho in Kham in 1866. The account was inscribed on the back of a thangka depicting the revelation scene.
Chokling Tersar Inscriptions 2 Mar 2023
by Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa
A brief history of Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa's treasure (gter ma) revelations from when he was thirteen until he was thirty-three years old as recounted by the tertön himself in either 1860 or 1861.
Chokling Tersar Rinchen Terdzö 7 Feb 2023
by Dezhung Rinpoche
This brief explanation of the Fourfold Heart-Essence (Nyingtik Yabzhi) corpus and Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse (Longchen Nyingtik) revelation was written in Seattle in the early 1960s in reply to a question from E. Gene Smith. Dezhung Rinpoche consulted Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who clarified some points and added further notes. The text is thus included among the collected writings of both masters.
Nyingtik Yabzhi Longchen Nyingtik 30 Apr 2023
by Jamgön Kongtrul
This brief explanation of pure visions (dag snang) and mind treasures (dgongs gter) is extracted from Kongtrul's historical introduction to the Rinchen Terdzö collection.
Termas Rinchen Terdzö 23 Jan 2025
revealed by Pema Ledrel Tsal
The first half of this text is virtually identical to History of the Lineage of Gurus of the Great Perfection's Heart-Essence of the Ḍākinīs. The second half describes the earliest phases of the collection's transmission from Pema Ledrel Tsal (1291–1315) to Gyalse Lekpa (1290–1366), Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339) and beyond.
Khandro Nyingtik 29 Jan 2026
revealed by Pema Ledrel Tsal
A brief account of the Khandro Nyingtik lineage from Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrī down to the treasure-revealer Pema Ledrel Tsal and beyond.
Khandro Nyingtik 22 Nov 2023
by Yungtön Dorje Pal
Yungtön Dorje Pal recounts the history of the Khandro Nyingtik lineage from Samantabhadra onwards, including Padmasambhava's prophecy concerning Princess Pema Sal. He also shows how Karmapa Rangjung Dorje received the teachings, and how the lineage remained unbroken even after the untimely death of the treasure-revealer Pema Ledrel Tsal (alias Tsultrim Dorje).
Khandro Nyingtik 25 Mar 2026

Royal Genealogies

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
A list of the kings of Derge (sde dge) and their ancestors from the semi-divine progenitor Gar Namtsa Druk onwards, including numbered generations beginning with Gar Tongtsen, a minister to Songtsen Gampo.
Derge 1 Sep 2020
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
A concise summary of the history of Sikkim with a special focus on its royal genealogy, possibly notes taken when reading the original 'Bras ljongs rgyal rabs by the ninth Chogyal Thutob Namgyal and Maharani Yeshe Dolma.
Sikkim 8 Sep 2020

Sacred Places

by Ngakchang Shakya Zangpo
In this famous history of the sacred stūpa of Boudha, Guru Padmasambhava recounts the stūpa's origins. In response to a request from King Tri Songdeutsen, he tells how a humble poultry-woman first extracted a promise from the king and then built the stūpa together with her four sons, who were all later reborn as prominent figures in the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet. Padmasambhava also describes the benefits to be gained from circumambulating the stūpa and making offerings before it, and concludes with a series of prophecies concerning the stūpa's restoration.
Pilgrimage Termas Prophecy Nepal Benefits 22 Dec 2017
by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche
A brief history of the sacred image of Tārā, the Wish-Fulfilling Wheel (yid bzhin 'khor lo), in Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s residence, known as ‘The Garden of Immortality’ ('chi med grub pa'i dga' tshal), in Dzongsar Monastery, Derge, East Tibet.
White Tārā Dzongsar 24 Jun 2005

Substances and Statues

by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo explains the history and benefits of some sacred substances and two statues of Guru Padmasambhava—the 'representative' (kutsab) images known as Tukjé Ötro and Ngödrup Palbar—that were revealed by Chokgyur Lingpa.
Chokling Tersar 5 Sep 2022
by Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje
This short text was written in Hong Kong following the author's commissioning of one thousand and twenty-five portrait statues of Longchen Rabjam in 1992 and provides a history of the various statues of Longchenpa that have existed from the master's own lifetime to the present day.
3 Feb 2026

Related Topics

Autobiography Biography Jātaka Reception Records

King Tri Ralpachen

Courtesy of Himalayan Art Resources

Further information:

BDRC T12 (chos 'byung)
BDRC T1134 (lo rgyus)
BDRC T793 (rgyal rabs)

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