Nepal Series

• Melodious Tambura of Delight: A Guide to Māratika Cave, Supreme Site of Immortality by Chatral Rinpoche

Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche wrote this brief guide to the sacred Māratika cave at the request of his daughter, Sarasvatī. In a series of verses, he describes the significance of this powerful place of longevity — the "destroyer of death" is the literal meaning of its name — where Guru Padmasambhava and the Lady Mandāravā attained immortality.

• A Short Guide to Yangleshö in Nepal by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

This is a poetic guide to the sacred site of Yangleshö (yang le shod) near the village of Pharping to the south of the Kathmandu Valley, where it is said that Guru Padmasambhava attained the level of a Mahāmudrā vidyādhara. Jamyang Khyentse wrote the text following a series of visionary experiences; it has the quality of a revelation and ends with a series of cryptic prophecies.

• Liberation Upon Hearing: The History of the Great Jarung Kashor Stūpa 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 Trisong Deutsen, 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.

• A Brief Petitionary Offering to the Mātṛkā Pukkasī, Local Protectress of the Jarung Kashor Stūpa by Dudjom Rinpoche

A brief petitionary offering (gsol mchod) to the mātṛkā Pukkasī, who is the local protectress of the sacred Jarung Kashor stūpa in Boudha, Nepal.

• In Praise of Yangleshö in Nepal by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Verses in praise of the sacred site of Yangleshö (yang le shod) near the village of Pharping to the south of the Kathmandu Valley, where it is said that Guru Padmasambhava attained the level of a Mahāmudrā vidyādhara.

• The White Lotus: In Praise of Lumbinī by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Jamyang Khyentse composed this poem in praise of Lumbinī, the site of Buddha's birth and a major place of pilgrimage, during a visit in the late 1950s.

• In Praise of the Hidden Valley of Kyimolung by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

Having spent parts of his life in the hidden valley (sbas yul) of Kyimolung in Nubri, Nepal, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche composed this eulogy in praise of its sacred landscape.

• Prayer to the Three Great Stūpas of Kathmandu by Dudjom Rinpoche

A four-verse prayer to the three main stūpas of the Kathmandu Valley, i.e., Svayambhū (known to Tibetans as Pakpa Shingkun), Boudha (known to Tibetans as Jarung Khashor) and Namo Buddha.

• Short Prayer to the Three Great Stūpas of Nepal by Dudjom Rinpoche

A two-verse supplication to the three main stūpas of the Kathmandu Valley, i.e., Svayambhū, Boudha and Namo Buddha.

• A Prayer to the Stūpa of Jarung Khashor in Boudha by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Jamyang Khyentse composed this prayer at the actual site of the famous Boudha stūpa, known to Tibetans as "Jarung Khashor" (bya rung kha shor), while he was staying in the Kathmandu Valley in 1956/7.

• A Prayer to the Svayambhū Stūpa in Nepal by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

This short prayer, which is addressed directly to the sacred stūpa of Svayambhū (known to Tibetans as Pakpa Shingkun—“Noble All-Trees”) in Nepal, was composed at the site itself, and is part of a series of prayers addressed to the three major stūpas of the Kathmandu Valley.

• A Prayer to the Three Stūpas of Nepal by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A prayer to the three main stūpas of the Kathmandu Valley: Jarung Khashor or Boudha, Svayambhū, and Namo Buddha, which commemorates the bodhisattva Mahāsattva's sacrifice to a starving tigress.

• Prayer of Aspiration to the Stūpa Commemorating the Bodily Sacrifice to the Tigress by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

This short prayer to the sacred stūpa at Namo Buddha, which commemorates the Buddha's sacrifice—during one of his previous lives—of his own body to feed a hungry tigress and her cubs, is part of a series of prayers addressed to the three major stūpas of the Kathmandu Valley.

• Auspicious Dance of Longevity: A Song for Touring the Sacred Sites of Nepal by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A spontaneous song of joy, composed while on pilgrimage to Nepal in late 1956.

• Upon Arriving at Yangleshö by Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok

Composed at the cave of Yangleshö in Nepal, this spontaneous song praises the power of this sacred site, a place where Guru Padmasambhava once meditated and gained accomplishment, while also attesting to Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok's own poetic mastery and realization.

• India Series

• Pilgrimage Series

• Sikkim Series

• Tibet Series