Padmasambhava and Nubchen Sangye Yeshe: Legend, Lineage, Legacy

Abstract

Both Padmasambhava and Nubchen Sangye Yeshe are important figures in the foundational mythology of the Nyingma school—the former as the archetypal guru and fountainhead of practically all Nyingma lineages and doctrines and as the spiritual inspiration behind the treasures, the latter as a pivotal link in the transmission of early Nyingma teachings across the era of fragmentation (sil bu’i dus) and as the author of several seminal treatises on Dzogchen and Tantra. In this talk, we will seek to explore the nexus of links—both legendary and historical—that connect both personages.

About the Speaker

Dylan Esler (PhD, Louvain; MA, SOAS, London) works for 84000, an organization devoted to the translation into English of the Tibetan Buddhist canon. Previously, he was a researcher at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) of the Ruhr-University Bochum. He is affiliated with the Oriental Institute of Louvain (CIOL), where he has twice held the Satsuma Chair, and has also taught at the Inalco in Paris. Dr Esler’s research interests focus on early Nyingma expositions of Dzogchen and Tantra. His publications include an annotated translation of Nubchen Sangye Yeshe’s Lamp for the Eye of Contemplation, a seminal 10th-century treatise on Buddhist meditation (Oxford University Press, 2022), as well as a study of Nubchen’s Dzogchen commentaries, entitled Effortless Spontaneity (Brill, 2023).