on the top of the Mongol Empire, a 10 yr previous Tibetan baby, Phagpa (1235-1280), used to be taken to the court docket of the Khans. He used to be knowledgeable there via his uncle, Sakya Pandita, and grew up conversing either Mongolian and Tibetan. whereas in his twenties, he created the 1st written alphabet for the Mongolian language. He grew to become a spiritual consultant to Kublai Khan, and officiated at his deploy as Emperor. As Kublai Khan had granted him regencies over the 13 myriarchies of Tibet, he was once titled Chogyal, or “Dharma King.” His complete identify was once Phagpa Lodro Gyaltsan buddy Zangpo. He was once on favourite sufficient phrases with the leaders of the Mongol empire, together with Kublai Khan, that he wrote letters to them. In his means as a non secular instructor he additionally gave them teachings approximately Buddhism.
It isn't really strange to have teachings approximately Buddhism which are written by way of Tibetan Lamas. what's strange approximately Chogyal Phagpa’s teachings is that he introduced them basically to audiences that have been neither Tibetan nor unavoidably sympathetic to Buddhism. The ancestral traditions of the Mongols met with many, if no longer all, of the nice religions of the realm less than the Mongol empire. Phagpa suggested Kublai Khan and his court docket on non secular matters typically, whereas he additionally taught them his personal faith, the Dharma of the Buddha.
Buddhism is essentially a peace loving culture, whereas Chogyal Phagpa lived his existence in a battle torn international. He spoke out with out reservation on many issues of presidency, whereas keeping powerful to the elemental tenants of Buddhism. those that examine human rights and their defense will locate Phagpa’s arguments noteworthy. His feel of international relations is in all places obvious all through his writings, whereas his experience of humanity is rarely misplaced. Phagpa’s writings hold a feeling of ask yourself, whereas his form of writing is intensely exacting. In an international the place just a small minority spoke Tibetan, and writings should be interpreted or misunderstood in lots of methods, Phagpa wrote with nice take care of grammar and significant use of the language. His unsleeping efforts at literary excellence make his paintings a pleasure and a excitement to learn. i am hoping that a few section of this literary excellence is carried over in my humble translation.
The texts translated during this quantity are an anthology of his writings, as are the former volumes during this sequence: Chogyal Phagpa: The Emperor’s Guru and recommendation to Kublai Khan: Letters through the Tibetan Monk Chogyal Phagpa to Kublai Khan and his courtroom. during this quantity you'll find Chogyal Phagpa’s writings on morality, starting from the vows of shelter to the vows for the Vajrayana, the samaya. additionally, you will locate a lot of his poems and letters, and there's a biography of a Mahasiddha that he wrote. within the Tibetan, Chogyal Phagpa’s amassed works fill 3 huge volumes of a couple of thousand pages every one. There stay a really huge variety of works to be translated. i am hoping that those works translated the following will serve to provide you a sampling of his many extraordinary writings and encourage you towards additional reading.