Publications  

Publications | 8 Treatises | List of Publications | Translation Process | Faculty Only

Publications

From translations and publications to the tradition of oral teaching, discourse plays a leading role in the programs of Nitartha Institute. To meet the challenge of preserving Tibet's heritage of religious and philosophical texts, meaning must be transferred from one language to another and must travel across cultural and intellectual divides. The Institute brings skilled translators, Tibetan masters, and committed students together in an in-depth collaborative effort to preserve core texts of the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages and sustain the oral tradition of teaching.

The Institute has begun the translation of several important lineage texts from Tibetan into English, transcribed oral teachings and commentaries on these texts by teachers who lecture at the Institute, and published the root texts and commentaries for ongoing use by students. The entire process -- involving a synergy among texts, translators, teachers, and students (click here to view the process) -- is crucial to ensure an accurate and faithful transmission of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to Westerners.

Dialogue and debate among teachers, translators, and students are crucial for establishing the teachings in a Western context. Thus, culture transforms and understanding grows through both formal and informal exchanges at the Institute's annual summer programs.

Publications From Nitartha Institute

Since the founding of the Institute in 1996, over a dozen texts, many of them translated by Institute translators, have been taught by lineage masters and Acharyas. Working closely with the Institute's translators, these texts and commentaries have been published for use by the Institute's students and interested others. Several of these transcripts, and other manuscripts by Nitartha translators, are being published in the “Nitartha Institute Series” of books by Snow Lion Publications. The first publication in the series, "The Center of the Sunlit Sky, Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition" is by Nitartha translator Karl Brunnhoelzl.

Supplementary materials have also been produced to assist the learning process, including study guidelines, charts and Venn diagrams, digital versions of course materials, text outlines, samples of formal Tibetan- style debate, and new translations of technical vocabulary. The design of these materials represents a significant pedagogical innovation, as the traditional monastic college curriculum is re-envisioned for a Western learning context.

Our publications are available to the public in transcript form. Click here to view our publications list. For information on pricing and how to order please email Tashi Wangmo at “tashi@nitartha-institute.org”.