CYRUS STEARNS : LUMINOUS LIVES The Story of the Early Masters of the Lam ’bras Tradition in Tibet

The tantric Buddhist tradition of the Lam ’bras, the “Path with the Result,” has been practiced in Tibet for almost a thousand years, most prominently within the Sakya lineage. Luminous Lives is the first in-depth study of the literature and history of the Lam ’bras in Tibet. The central focus of the work is a rare Tibetan history that brings alive the story of the earliest men and women practitioners of the Lam ’bras. This text, recording the words of the great Sakya Pandita (1182–1251), was a major source for all later histories of the tradition. Recently rediscovered, it has been reproduced here along with Cyrus Stearns’ excellent translation, introduction, and annotations. Luminous Lives opens a window into the world of one of the great traditions of tantric Buddhism in Tibet.

Click here to return to the Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism series.

Read the biographies of Sakya Pandita and Sachen Kunga Nyingpo at the Treasury of Lives.

• Paperback
• 352 pages, 6.00 x 9.00 inches
• $34.95 
• ISBN 9780861713073

Cyrus Stearns first began to study Buddhism with Dezhung Rinpoche (1906–87) in 1973. Since that time he has studied with and translated for many Tibetan teachers, especially Dezhung Rinpoche and Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. Cyrus has a PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Washington and lived for about eight years in Nepal, India, and Southeast Asia. Among his other publications are The Buddha from Dolpo, Hermit of Go Cliffs, and Luminous Lives. Cyrus has three daughters and lives on Whidbey Island, Washington.

Other books by Cyrus Stearns: 
Ornament to Beautify the Three Appearances 
The Preliminary and Main Practices of the Sakya Lamdré Tradition 
Hermit of Go Cliffs 
Taking the Result as the Path 
Song of the Road