Lotsawa House is a virtual library of translations from Tibetan.
The site began in 2004 with just a handful of texts in English, and has since grown into a vast repository containing more than 6000 texts in nine languages—the writings of over 350 authors on more than 250 topics.
Our aim is to support the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism by providing an abundant, openly accessible repository of texts from a range of authors—an ever-expanding library that reflects the richness of the tradition and invites exploration and discovery. We seek to provide this literature in multiple languages, to collaborate with other translators and groups, and to promote an ethos of non-sectarianism.
“Congratulations on the beautiful website. May it flourish and the number of translations grow vast.”
MAJOR PROJECTS
Lotsawa House currently hosts five major projects:
Co-directed by
Holly Gayley,
Sarah Jacoby and
Padma 'tsho, this project has the aim of publishing as many texts as possible—in collaboration with Shambhala Publications—from the 53-volume collection known as the Ḍākinīs' Great Dharma Treasury (
mkha' 'gro'i chos mdzod chen mo), the largest anthology of writings by and about Buddhist women ever compiled in the Tibetan language.
This project has the goal of translating the collected writings of
Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959). Phase one of the project, jointly supported by the
Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal Trust, ran from 2019 to 2023. During this four-year period 500 English translations were completed—an unprecedented achievement for such an initiative. While the project is on pause before the second phase begins, the focus is on completing unpublished drafts and translating texts into other languages.
The aim of this project is to translate into English the core texts of the
Longchen Nyingtik (
klong chen snying thig), or Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse—the cycle of treasure (
terma) revealed by
Jigme Lingpa (1729/30–1798) in Central Tibet in the eighteenth century. The project is endorsed by a number of lamas, including
Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, and led by
Han Kop.
Khenchen Ngawang Palzang’s (1879–1941) counsels are relatively straightforward, often confessional, and infused with a melancholy that he imparts to his students, urging them to turn away from saṃsāra. Translator
Joseph McClellan is steadily working his way through these writings, which comprise the second volume of Ngawang Palzang's nine-volume Collected Works, with the help of Bhutanese editor
Ninjyed N.T..
In addition, Lotsawa House has contributed translations to a number of other projects, including 84000, Words of Jigme Phuntsok and Khyentse Vision Project.
ADVISORS
The vast majority of texts on the site were suggested for inclusion by Tibetan lamas and expert scholars, many of whom also kindly offered their help and advice in the translation process. This collaboration between translators and native experts is modelled upon the ancient partnerships of lotsāwas and paṇḍitas, which proved so effective when the Buddhist canon was first translated into Tibetan.
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TEAM
Founder-Director/Senior Editor
Adam Pearcey holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London, and a Master's degree from the University of Oxford. His publications include (as translator) His Holiness the Dalai Lama's
Mind in Comfort and Ease (Wisdom Publications, 2007), Ga Rabjampa's
To Dispel the Misery of the World (Wisdom Publications, 2012), and
Beyond the Ordinary Mind: Dzogchen, Rimé, and the Path of Perfect Wisdom (Snow Lion Publications, 2018).
Technical Director
Roger Espel Llima was born in Barcelona, and studied mathematics and linguistics in Paris and Clermont-Ferrand in France. He studied Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy at the Rigpa Shedra East in Pharping, Nepal from 2007 to 2017. He has also translated a number of Dharma books into Spanish and Catalan.
TRANSLATORS
More than a hundred individual translators and translation groups have contributed to Lotsawa House.
Read the full list
We also rely upon the efforts, technical expertise and generosity of many other people, especially our donors.
SUSTAINABILITY
Lotsawa House is committed to digital, financial and environmental sustainability.
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RESTRICTED TEXTS
Some texts on this website are labelled as restricted. Vajrayāna Buddhism places restrictions on the reading and practice of certain texts, which are intended only for those who have received the requisite empowerments, transmissions and instructions. If you are unsure as to whether you are entitled to read or practice a particular text please consult a qualified lineage-holder.
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CONTACT
Contact us by email here
Lotsawa House is registered in the UK as a Community Interest Company (#14358325), a category of company which exists primarily to benefit a community or with a view to pursuing a social purpose, with all profits having to be used for this purpose.
