The Great Terton is at once a history book, a collection of oral instructions, and a support for our practice. It presents the life-stories of Guru Rinpoche, Chokgyur Lingpa, all the subsequent Chokling incarnations, and some of the main lineage masters from the line of transmission that now rests with Phakchok Rinpoche. These biographies have been taken either from original Tibetan texts or from the oral teachings that great masters have given in recent years. Each text benefits from a commentary by Phakchok Rinpoche, and each section is accompanied by a supplication or aspiration prayer, giving us the means to apply what we have learnt, directly in our practice.
The Great Terton is thus an indispensable book for all Chokling Tersar practitioners, and a source of wisdom and inspiration for any follower of the Vajrayana. Filled with amazing accounts, replete with teachings on devotion and pure perception, The Great Terton offers practitioners all the necessary resources to cultivate the right approach toward our practice and our teachers. The choice of texts and the structure were designed by Phakchok Rinpoche himself, gently guiding us towards a deeper understanding of the ground, path, and fruition of Vajrayana practice.
Samye Translations has prepared this thoroughly revised and updated edition of The Great Terton to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Chokgyur Lingpa's passing, the 100th anniversary of Kyapje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's birth, and the life of Kyapje Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche. This process has been much like polishing a great gem, which is now presented to the world anew. In addition, the reader will find a freshly-translated commentary by Kyapje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche on the three names of the Great Terton--Chokgyur Dechen Zhigpo Lingpa.
