Known for his mastery of teachings across sectarian lines, his treatises on medicine and astrology, and his work as spiritual advisor to the last Yuan emperor of China, Rangung Dorje (1284-1339) is considered one of the most important and influential figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. First recognized as a tulku, or reincarnated Buddhist master, at the age of five, Rangjung Dorje became the Karma Kagyu lineage holder and instituted the reincarnation-based inheritance structure within Tibetan Buddhism that led to the formation of important lineages of tulkus such as the Dalai Lamas.

In this groundbreaking work, Ruth Gamble synthesizes her extensive research on Rangjung Dorje into a sweeping biography covering his life, legacy, and important selected writings. Included in her discussions are Rangjung Dorje's synthesis of Dzogchen and Mahamudra in his writings, his devotion to spreading the teachings of Buddha nature, and several works never before translated into English. As the most comprehensive work available on Rangjung Dorje, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.
The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje: Master of Mahamudra, Ruth Gamble, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 272 Pages, $24.95

RUTH GAMBLE is a David Myers Fellow at La Trobe University in the Department of Archaeology and History, the China Studies Research Centre, and the Centre for the Study of the Inland. She is an environmental and cultural historian of Tibet and the Himalaya, whose first book, Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism: The Third Karmapa and the Invention of a Tradition (Oxford University Press, 2018) traces the links between Tibet's reincarnation lineages and its sacred geography. Ruth has produced and co-authored an eTextbook series, Introduction to the Tibetan Language (Australian National University Press, 2018), and numerous articles and book chapters on Himalayan secular and sacred environments. She is part of the Lokaksi Translator team, which translates Buddhist texts for the 84000 project. She is currently writing a book on the Yarlung Tsangpo River and researching the nexus between belief and ecology in the Himalaya.

Series Introduction by Kurtis Schaeffer	vii
Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	1
The Biography
1. Birth	23
2. Education	47
3. Retreat	67
4. Teaching	89
5. Death	119
The Writings
6. The Liberation Story of Past Lives and The Liberation Story of the In-Between State	139
7. A Dream of Saraha	153
8. A Mala of Mountain Dharma's Siddhis	157
9. The Dancer, from Birth Stories of the Teacher	167
10. King of the Nagas, from Birth Stories of the Teacher	173
11. A Message to the Entire Kingdom	177
12. Songs of the View, Cultivation, Behavior, and Result	183
13. A Short Praise to Tsurpu Monastery	191
14. The Song That Settles the Ground-of-All	195
15. Rangjung Dorje's Recipes for Taking the Essence	201
16. Aspiration for Mahamudra, the Definitive Meaning	207
17. In Xanadu	213
Notes	215
Bibliography	245
Index	255