Royal Ambrosia: Three Great Perfection Tantras for the King

There was a raging debate going on in Tibet during the Eighth Century of our era. Everyone was trying to decide whether we attain enlightenment suddenly or gradually. A huge debate was staged pitting the Indian Pandit Kamalashila against the Chinese Hvashang Mahayana. Many believe that gradualism was the Indian position while sudden enlightenment was the Chinese position. These accounts ignore the very substantial body of literature from India representing the Instantaneous view: the literature of the Great Perfection. Could it be that the Indian side was more inclusive of Buddhism as a whole, having both gradual and sudden viewpoints, while the Chinese were represented only by the sudden view? We may wonder if the King was unaware of the Great Perfection literature, due to its secrecy. It is therefore of great consequence that we find preserved in the Nyingma Gyubum, The Hundred Thousand Tantras of the Ancients, three Great Perfection Tantras of the Mind Section that were translated by Vimalamitra and gNyags Jñānakumara specifically for presentation to King Trisong Detsen, who ruled from 755 to 804 C.E. When we read these Tantras, we are granted a window into what the Great Perfection meant to those at court and to those who were the policy makers. This translation empowers English speakers of today’s world to reach our own understanding of these Tantras that were meant for a King. Read more