Tsong Khapa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of Mantra (Sngags rim chen mo)―considered by the present Dalai Lama to be one of Tsong Khapa’s two most im­portant books (along with his Lam rim chen mo)―is his masterful synthesis of the prin­ciples and practices of all four classes of Tantra, which formed the basis of his innovation in creat­ing the esoteric “Tantric College” institution and cur­ricu­lum in the early fifteenth century. With detailed reference to hundreds of works from the Tibetan Kangyur and Tengyur, the chapters presented and studied in this volume concern his treatment of the creation stage (bskyed rim) meditations of Unexcelled Yoga Tantra. This includes a detailed analysis emphasizing how and why such creation stage practices―uti­lizing deity yoga to transform death, the between, and life into the three bodies of buddhahood―are indispensible to creat­­ing a foundation for successfully enter­ing the culminal yogic practices of the perfection stage. (A subsequent volume will present the perfection stage chapters of this essential masterwork.)

An important work for both scholars and practitioners, this annotated translation is sup­ple­men­ted with extensive support materials. A companion volume of the critically edited Tibetan text―annotated with the found quotes from Tengyur and Kangyur texts in Tibetan (and Sanskrit where available)―also will be published in a limited edition, and as an e-book.

Published by American Institute of Buddhist Studies (AIBS)