The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study Of The Life And Thought Of The Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen

The Buddha from Doelpo is a revised and enlarged edition of the only book about the most controversial Buddhist master in the history of Tibet, Doelpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361), who became perhaps the greatest Tibetan expert of the Kalacakra or Wheel of Time, a vast system of tantric teachings. Based largely on esoteric Buddhist knowledge from the legendary land of Shambhala, Doelpopa’s insights have profoundly influenced the development of Tibetan Buddhism for more than 650 years. Doelpopa emphasized two contrasting definitions of the Buddhist theory of emptiness. He described relative phenomena as empty of self-nature, but absolute reality as only empty of other (i.e. relative) phenomena. He further identified absolute reality as the buddha nature or eternal essence present in all living beings. This view of an emptiness of other, known in Tibetan as shentong, is Doelpopa’s enduring legacy. The Buddha from Doelpo contains the only English translations of three of Doelpopa’s crucial works. A General Commentary on the Doctrine is one of the earliest texts in which he