I highly recommend all translations by Malcolm Smith (Loppon Malcolm Smith [Kunga Namdrol]). Thusness and I think that Malcolm is a very serious and responsible translator. Some translations of Buddhist texts we have seen are pretty bad quality or the translators have been slack, but it is certainly not the case for any translations by Malcolm.
A complete translation of two of the eleventh-century Seventeen Tantras—texts that are among the most important in all of Tibetan Buddhism.
“If one knows the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, and the Tantra Without Syllables, one will have command over the general meaning of the tantras, like a king who has command over his subjects.”—Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle
The eleventh-century Seventeen Tantras are the most important texts in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of the Great Perfection. This boxed set provides two luminous translations. The first is the only complete English translation of the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, which is the major commentary tantra on all aspects of the doctrine of the Great Perfection. The second, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, outlines the structure of Dzogchen tantras in general and also provides a detailed outline of the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra.
Malcolm Smith also offers a comprehensive introduction and two vital appendices: (1) a brief historical account and survey of the Seventeen Tantras and (2) an examination of the themes of the Seventeen Tantras, translated from the commentary to the String of Pearls Tantra. This is vital reading for any student of Dzogchen.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"I sincerely rejoice that Acarya Malcolm Smith, a
translator conversant in two languages, has now translated these two
volumes directly from Tibetan into English with altruism, skill, and
great diligence, and that Wisdom Publications, renowned throughout the
world, has chosen to publish them." (from the foreword by Tulku Dakpa
Rinpoche)
"Malcolm Smith's rendition of the original tantras
included in the present collection are particularly faithful to the
flavor of the original texts, using a precise English lexicon, which
really helps readers generate a pertinent picture of what the originals
actually state." (from the foreword by Jean-Luc Achard, author of The
Six Lamps)
Acarya Malcolm Smith has certainly given the world a
rare gift by presenting to English-reading Dzogchen practitioners this
skilled translation of the first two volumes of the Seventeen Tantras,
the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra and its accompanying commentarial tantra, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra.
The
exceptional features of each of the seventeen tantras of Ati Yoga’s
quintessential secret cycle of the upadesa class are described with
metaphors. The Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra is described with the
metaphor of the ocean. The eighty-four chapters of this oceanic treatise
detail the pinnacle view, meditation, conduct, and result of all paths
of Buddhadharma presented in this world. As the destined Dharma of this
time, this translation is extremely timely. I wish to express deep
gratitude to Malcolm and the wonderful Zangthal team for their noble
aspiration and qualified capacity to finally bring these most precious
teachings that exist in our world into the English language. (Sangye
Khandro, Translator and Teacher, Light of Berotsana Translation Group)
“Malcolm
Smith’s translation of these two tantras has opened a door to
fundamental, previously inaccessible Nyingma teachings. With a
comprehensive knowledge and experience of the subject, Smith has created
an erudite translation that is not only accurate but also clear in
meaning and beautiful to read. This work is an important milestone in
the translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts.” (Peter Alan Roberts,
translator of The Mind of Mahamudra)
“In 1975, when the
magnificent Buddhist master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche visited the West for
the first time, an event comparable to the Indian adept Vimalamitra
bringing Dzogchen from India to Tibet, among the very first
transmissions he gave was the reading of the Rigpa Rangshar Tantra
(Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra). Now this preeminent tantra has finally
arrived in the English language to be taught and studied, read and
re-read, contemplated, savored, and practiced by all fortunate people.
This crown jewel of human civilization covers all the big questions in
life and brings certainty about the deepest topics to interrupt,
transform, and free the mind from confusion and ignorance. Even merely
hearing its title forms a connection to realizing the innermost nature
of reality. I deeply rejoice in this.”
(Erik Pema Kunsang)
About the Author
Malcolm Smith is a graduate of the Shang Shung
Institute’s School of Tibetan Medicine (2009) and has been a student of
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu since 1992. He is a veteran of a traditional
three-year solitary Tibetan Buddhist retreat, a published translator of
Tibetan Buddhist texts (in
Treasures of the Sakya Lineage,
Shambhala, 2008), and was awarded the acarya degree by the Sakya
Institute for Buddhist Studies in 2004. He has worked on translations
for renowned lamas since 1992, including His Holiness Sakya Trizin,
Kunzang Dechen Lingpa, Lama Migmar Tseten, Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen and
many other lamas.
He’s the translator of Buddhahood in This Life.
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