ALLCREATING

This project, ALLCREATING, looks at how Longchenpa creates a systematic Nyingma Great Completeness Buddhist tradition that integrates both effortful and effortless meditations, and which became standard for the tradition. I show how Longchenpa synthesizes effort and effortlessness from the tradition he inherited by comparing his commentary, A Treasure Boat: Instructions on the All-Creating Majesty (byang chub kyi sems kun byed rgyal po’i don khrid rin chen gru bo), with the “root text” (rtsa ba’i gzhung) on which it comments. I also reveal how Longchenpa introduces an effortful tantric meditation practice called guru yoga (bla ma’i rnal ’byor) into his commentary as he responds to the need to grant authority to the 10th century root text with additional elements that were popular in the 14th century among other Tibetan Buddhist traditions which were equally competing in codifying their transmissions in unified systems. 

Duration:

September 2025 – February 2026

Funding line:

Lore Agnes Fellowship by