, a new book of translations by Holly Gayley, faculty in Religious Studies, has just been released by Snow Lion Publications. This is first translation into English of a unique literary archive, namely the biographies and correspondence of the Tibetan visionaries Namtrul Rinpoche and Khandro Tāre Lhamo,who helped revitalize Buddhism in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. This archive served as source materials for Gayley's 2016 monograph, Love Letters from Golok: A Tantric Couple in Modern Tibet. Her translations capture a turning point in modern Tibetan history as well as the affection of a contemporary tantric partnership.
“In a love relationship that was not just based on ordinary passions, but rather the union of incisive knowledge and skillful means, Namtrul Rinpoche and Khandro Tāre Lhamo came to know the pure essence of wisdom exaltation as the sacred union of male and female. They used this unobstructed power to work for the welfare of others through their enlightened deeds. I am grateful to Holly Gayley for bringing their exemplary life stories and songs of profound union into the English language so that readers can glimpse the best of our Tibetan Vajrayana tradition.”
—Lama Chonam, teacher and translator, Light of Berotsana Translation Group