About Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche is a central figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Many aspects of his life still await proper study. Here, ten well known scholars shed light on this outstanding personality from a variety of different viewpoints. This volume contains ten papers on Padmasambhava, most of them originating from two conferences held in 2013 at SOAS, London, and in 2018 at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York.

"This volume is a vast lotus field, every petal filled with insightful, varied, and deeply informed perspectives on Guru Rinpoche. We see the Lotus Born One through the ancient lens of Dunhuang manuscripts, through historical and literary juxtapositions, as well as archaeological perspectives, investigation into amazing narratives of his revelations and of the landscapes in which they occurred. First rate scholarship and deep story-telling. This treasure is a pleasure."

Anne Carolyn Klein, Rigzin Drolma
Prof. of Religion, Rice University; co-Founder, Dawn Mountain Center for Tibetan Buddhism. Translator/Editor, Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay’s Strand of Jewels: My Teachers’ Essential Guidance on Dzogchen.

"State of the art research about Padmasambhava, the "Lotus-Born", based on early manuscripts, the narratives of the gTer ma literature and the living traditions commemorating the master in Tibet and the Himalayas. A rich variety of textual and ethnographic sources are offered in this book: a true landmark in the field of Padmasambhava studies."

Franz-Karl Ehrhard
Professor Emeritus of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich