This much-awaited first English translation of Jamgon Kongtrul's autobiography is refreshingly real. In addition to its inspirational value, kongtrul's story is a rich source of information on the religion, culture, and political climate of Tibet during his times.
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1900) was one of the most influential figures and prolific writers in the Tibetan Buddhist world. He was a founder and the single most important proponent of the nonsectarian movement that flourished in eastern Tibet and remains popular today.

Also included with the autobiography are two additional texts: one, authored by Kongtrul himself, discusses the past masters of whom he was considered to be an emanation; the second was written by one of Kongtrul's close personal students and recounts Kongtrul's final days, his funeral, and the commemorative rites following his death. Taken together, these three texts place Kongtrul firmly within a historical context as one of the most important figures in the history of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul, Translated and Edited by Richard Barron (Chokyi Nyima), Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, 549 pages, $39.95

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye was one of the most brilliant stars in the galaxy of scholars and siddhas from Tibet, the land of snow. Predicted by the Buddhas, he was the crown jewel in the rime (non-sectarian) movement of Buddhism in Tibet. He was born on December 14, 1813, to Sonamphel and Tashitso in front of Mount Pema Lhatse, one of the eight sacred places in Kham (eastern Tibet). Lodro Thaye became learned in the ten ordinary and extraordinary branches of knowledge, and it became his responsibility to explain and compose texts, which incorporated a great number of teachings from both the old and new traditions, including the lineages of oral teachings, hidden treasures (terma), and teachings of pure vision. These were all brought together in Lodro Thaye's great Five Treasuries of Knowledge. Like a second Buddha, he served all traditions of Dharma without any bias, through his teaching, practice, and activity. At the age of eighty-seven on January 19, 1899, he passed away.

CONTENTS: The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul
Dedication	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
Foreword by Ven. Ringu Tulku	xiii
Translator's Note	xv
Translator's Introduction	xvii
A Gem of Many Colors: The Autobiography of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye	1
The Marvelous Gem-Like Vision: An Account of the Passing of and Funeral Observances for the All-Seeing Lord, the Venerable Jamgon Ngag-gi Wangchuk Yonten Gyatso by Nesar Karma Tashi Chophel	371
The Mirage of Nectar: A Fragmentary Account of the Past Lives of Pema Gargyi Wangchuk Thrinle Drodul Tsal by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye	411
Bibliography	503
Appendix: Tables of Contents to Collections Compiled by Jamgon Kongtrul Thaye and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo	515