Tarthang Tulku

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

Tarthang Tulku is a Tibetan teacher (lama) in the Nyingma tradition who lives in America, where he works to preserve the art and culture of Tibet. He oversees various projects including Dharma Publishing, Yeshe-De, Tibetan Aid Project, and the construction of the Odiyan Copper Mountain Mandala. He is probably the first lama of the Nyingma lineage to teach in the United States.

Biography

Tarthang Tulku left Tibet age 25 after the Chinese government occupied and annexed the region. He taught in Benares, India, until emigrating to America in the late '60s with his wife, the poet Nazli Nour. After settling in Berkeley, CA they established the Tibetan Aid Project (TAP) which serves the needs of the Tibetan refugee community.

Tarthang Tulku eventually established the Nyingma Institute and Dharma Publishing in Berkeley, as well as the Odiyan Monastery.

At the Nyingma Institute, Tarthang Tulku worked with his student Steven Tainer to form what began as a series of presentations, and eventually became the book, Time, Space, and Knowledge which many consider a modern classic of Buddhist literature. Some people note that the viewpoint presented in the book is very similar to that of Dzogchen teachings.[1] Several other books continue the series.

Through his efforts and that of his dedicated students, Tarthang Tulku has been instrumental in the conveying of Buddhism in the west.

See also

• Tibetan Buddhism
• Nyingma

References

• Tarthang Tulku. Time, Space, and Knowledge: A New Vision of Reality. Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1977.

External links

• The Nyingma Institute
• Reviews of Time-Space-Knowledge Books
• Time, Space, Knowledge excerpts and exercises