An author of over one hundred books and articles including the authoritative History of Bhutan and Mipham’s Dialectics and the Debates on Emptiness, he speaks and writes extensively on Bhutan and Buddhism. His work has received extensive media coverage by the BBC, BBS, Kuensel, The Bhutanese, Science, Radio Free Asia, Oxford Today, Times of India, India Today, and Channel News Asia. He is also the President and founder of Loden Foundation, a leading educational, entrepreneurial, and cultural initiative in Bhutan. He is currently based in Thimphu, Bhutan. Read a complete bio on Wikipedia.
Library Items
He then briefly explains the project of Tsadra Foundation to spread the Tibetan Buddhist message of wisdom and compassion across the globe and the five main programs carried out to this effect. The five programs include grants for the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism, funding translations and scholarly work, support for Tibetan Buddhist publications, organizing conferences, trainings, and workshops, and building IT infrastructure and tools to promote Buddhist teachings. The buddha-nature website, which was launched in 2020, falls within the fifth program.
Having built the web resources, he explains that Tsadra hosted three scholarly events on buddha-nature: an academic conference in Vienna in 2019, an online conversation series with distinguished scholars and practitioners in 2020 (an ongoing series), and a panel on buddha-nature in Prague in 2022. These meetings and conversations were conducted in English. Seeing the great need to introduce the web resource to the Tibetan Buddhist centers in the Himalayas and to engage traditional scholars, the conference in Kathmandu was planned.
Furthermore, he explains why Tsadra built the buddha-nature web resource by citing the verse from the Ultimate Continuum in which Maitreya presents the five flaws which the buddha-nature teachings help overcome. First is the sense of diffidence and timidity to do good or seek enlightenment. He points out that people today, more than ever before, are stressed, confused, and mentally vulnerable. Many suffer from depression, struggle even to live their life, and engage in self-harm. The second is the problem of contempt toward other beings. Despite globalization and enhanced interaction through technological advancement, people still remain insular and biased, leading to serious contempt and mistreatment of others, who are perceived as inferior or less privileged. The third flaw is of holding onto the misconception. The world is rife with misinformation, fake news, and commercial and political deception, and most people are engrossed in what is vain and popular. They do not see the real or the truth, which is the fourth problem. People do not understand the theory of cause and effect and the importance of inner wellbeing, let alone the ultimate nature of reality. The fifth problem Maitreya points out is self-love or attachment to one's own creed, race, color, or group. Lopon Karma Phuntsho says that efforts to promote the teachings on buddha-nature is an attempt to overcome these problems by highlighting the point that all beings are by nature good and, in fact, are pure and compassionate like the Buddha.
He then goes on to describe how the presenters have been chosen by the leaders of the respective Tibetan Buddhist teachings, the mode of the presentations and discussions, and the schedule. He ends with a prayer that the teachings of buddha-nature reach far and wide and help people reveal their innate good nature.The book contains 32 works, including 30 titles attributed to Kyotön Monlam Tshultrim, one biography of Kyotön by his student, and a long introduction by the editor in English. He mentions how some titles from the two volumes from Drepung were excluded from this book, as they appear to be by other authors. He also explains the significance of Narthang and the early Kadam tradition for buddha-nature studies and how Kyotön lived at an interesting period of Tibetan religious history. The interest to publish the writings of this master came about as Kyotön has written several short and interesting works related to buddha-nature, which present the meditative tradition of Maitreya's teachings passed down from Tsen Khawoche.
The typeset was created and the layout and design done by the staff of Loden Foundation, which published the book with funding from Tsadra Foundation.Drawing on Maitripa’s autobiographical writings and literary work, this book is the first comprehensive portrait of the life and teachings of this influential Buddhist master. Klaus-Dieter Mathes also offers the first complete English translation of his teachings on nonconceptual realization, which is the foundation of Mahamudra meditation.
Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 6:49. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9L-KcGTJQs.;Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate;ātman;anātman;Buddha-nature as Self - Atman;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Debate(s);Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate
Affiliations & relations
- Loden Foundation Website // Bhutan Cultural Library // Bhutan Dialogues · websites