The story of the remarkable life of Tsongkhapa has been well documented elsewhere, but this collection of works seeks to bring out a lesser-known side of this great scholar and meditator: the devotional poet. Tsongkhapa studied poetry, as did many of the great masters of his day and after, and in the colophon of many of his works he is referred to as the "Poet of the North."
"Splendor of an Autumn Moon" presents for the first time twenty-one devotional poems by Tsongkhapa, in both the original Tibetan and in artful English translations.
Splendor of an Autumn Moon, Tsongkhapa, Kilty trans., Wisdom Publications, 304 pages, $16.95
Gavin Kilty has worked as a translator and teacher of the Tibetan language since 1970. He teaches Tibetan and English, as well as Mahayana Buddhism, at various colleges in England.
| Introduction |
1 |
| Praise of the Buddha: The Unrivaled Lion of the Shakyas |
9 |
| Prayer to Sarasvati |
21 |
| Praise of Manjushri |
23 |
| Praise to Amitayus |
71 |
| Praise to Amitabha: Gateway to the Highest Buddha Realm |
77 |
| Prayer for Birth in Sukhavati, Realm of Bliss |
83 |
| Praise of an Unnamed Sakya Lama |
97 |
| A Prayer to My Precious Dharma Master, Dragpa Jangchub |
103 |
| A Harvest of Powerful Attainment: Prayer for Blessings of the Close Lineage |
109 |
| In Praise of Maitreya, the Crown of Brahma |
115 |
| In Praise of Vajrapani, Keeper of the Secret Mantra |
151 |
| In Praise of the Extraordinary Deity Achala |
163 |
| In Praise of Vajra Sarasvati, Light of Wisdom |
167 |
| In Praise of Goddess Namgyalma |
179 |
| A Prayer for the Beginning, Middle, and End of Practice |
193 |
| The Essence of a Human Life: Words of Advice for the Lay Practitioner |
209 |
| Dependent Arising: A Praise of the Buddha |
217 |
| Verses of Benediction: On Publication of a New Edition of Perfection of Wisdom Sutras |
247 |
| Praise of the Protector Dharmaraja |
263 |
| Twenty-one Verse Rosary Prayer |
269 |
| For As Long As |
281 |
| Notes and Comments on the Poems |
287 |
| Glossary |
299 |
| About the Translator |
305 |
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