English
Deutsch Español Français Italiano Nederlands Português 中文 བོད་ཡིག
Explore Projects Updates About Donate
The Home of Tibetan Buddhist Texts in Translation
ISSN 2753-4812
ISSN 2753-4812

Letters Series

Letters

English (15) | Deutsch (2) | Español (2) | Français (2) | Português (2) | བོད་ཡིག (15)

Examples of official and personal correspondence:

Advice

by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
A letter to a fellow disciple of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö offering essential advice on how to practise the celebrated Nyingtik Saldrön guru yoga, which focuses on Jamyang Khyentse in heruka form.
Nyingtik Saldrön Guru Yoga Advice 8 Apr 2020
by Gorampa Sonam Senge
This letter includes an eight-point instruction concerning what is proper or reasonable for someone practising the path. From the directness of the message's tone, we can infer that the recipient, Geshe Sangye Gyaltsen, was someone close to Gorampa, but he is yet to be more precisely identified.
Advice 21 Oct 2024
by Gorampa Sonam Senge
In these verses of advice sent by letter to a learned disciple, Gorampa outlines seven roots of the path and seven important points of practice.
Advice 26 Nov 2024
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
Pithy instructions on the nature of mind and the indivisibility of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa ('khor 'das dbyer med), sent as a letter to Luding Zhabdrung.
Advice 17 Nov 2022
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
This letter to Damchö Gyaltsen of Tsechu (tshes bcu) includes four verses of extraordinarily pithy advice covering every stage of the path from the recollection of impermanence through to Dzogchen meditation.
Advice 3 Dec 2022
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
A letter containing supporting instructions (rgyab yig) or the quintessence of crucial points (gnad kyi bcud phur) for the Chöd practice known as the Whispered Transmission of Secret Conduct (gsang spyod snyan brgyud).
Advice Chöd 8 Dec 2022
by Khenchen Ngawang Palzang
The author describes this letter containing verses of advice as playful or offered in jest. In spite of this apparent light-heartedness, the text contains some acute observations about what it takes to be a true practitioner and, as the author also says, "condenses everything important".
Advice 17 Aug 2026
by Patrul Rinpoche
This brief letter, most likely addressed to Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima (1865–1926), urges the tulku to seek instruction on the Longchen Nyingtik practice of subtle channels and wind-energies (rtsa rlung) from Rogza Sönam Palge (1800–1884), whom Patrul describes as the sole remaining holder of a once vibrant lineage. The text is in heptasyllabic verse and rich in local dialect.
2 Jun 2026

General

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
Jamyang Khyentse must have written this letter to the Dalai Lama in 1954 or 1955 when meetings on the future of Tibet took place in Beijing. The tone of the letter is optimistic, as Khyentse Rinpoche expresses his gratitude to His Holiness for, as he saw it, securing the right to continue practising Dharma without interference or impediment.
24 Jun 2021
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
In this brief letter, Jamyang Khyentse confirms that Nezhi Tulku is an authentic treasure-revealer and imparts some advice about appropriate conduct.
1 May 2022
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
This public letter, written in the Water Dragon year (1952), is of historical signficance as it provides the full name of the Sixth Mingyur Rinpoche—Karma Jigme Chökyi Sengé Ngedön Trinlé Kunkhyap Palzangpo.
10 Dec 2023
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
In this brief letter, Jamyang Khyentse expresses his gratitude to Gyarong Khandro for practices performed on his behalf and lists the gifts he is sending her in return.
17 Jul 2020
by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
An appeal for funds, written in 1945, on behalf of the Sakya monastery of Sejo (se 'jo) in Dzakhok as they prepared to perform an elaborate torma repelling rite (gtor bzlog) based on the Eight-Deity Pañjaranātha.
Sakya 1 Apr 2022

History

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.
History Takhyung Barwa Termas 24 Nov 2022

Polemical

by Amdo Geshe Jampal Rolwé Lodrö
In this open letter, which likely dates from the mid-1920s, Jampal Rolwe Lodrö notes the popularity of Gorampa’s works, as well as those of other leading Sakya philosophers, Shākya Chokden (1428–1507) and Taktsang Lotsāwa Sherab Rinchen (b.1405). He claims that many monks took such polemical works—as he calls them—to be definitive, leading them to refute “the precious doctrine of the noble Dharma king, the great Tsongkhapa.” He therefore challenges anyone holding such views to a debate. But this is not before he demonstrates his own nonsectarian values by praising every major Tibetan school and identifying himself as a true follower of all their highest teachings.
Derge 31 Jan 2025

Related Topics

Replies

Official letter with seal of the Fifth Dalai Lama

Further information:

BDRC T14 (spring yig)
BDRC T207 (yig bskur)
BDRC T221 (chab shog)

Download this collection:

EPUB  PDF 

DONATIONS

If you find this site useful, please consider helping us to achieve our goal of translating more classic works from the Buddhist tradition and making them freely available. Please support us on Patreon.

Quick Links

Words of the Buddha | Indian Masters | Tibetan Masters | Topics

Tools

Other Sites

84000 | Rigpa Wiki | Himalayan Art | Buddhist Digital Resource Center | Treasury of Lives

Social

Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

LICENSE

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

ISSN 2753-4812

This website uses cookies to collect anonymous usage statistics and enhance the user experience.
Decline
Accept