Lama Chöpa (The Guru Puja) is a central practice in the Gelugpa Vajrayana tradition, often incorporating a Tsog Offering (ritual tantric feast). One of the most beloved versions of this prayer service is one that was written about 360 years ago by the fourth Panchen Lama (or sometimes referred to as the first Panchen Lama), Panchen Lozang Chökyi Gyaltsen.
Until recently, the only English version of this important liturgy has been a 1979 edition from the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in a bi-lingual format. However, that scholarly translation does not follow the beautiful, traditional melodies of the service or include any information about the ritual gestures associated with particular passages.
Fortunately, Robert Preece, a western practitioner, undertook the task of creating a new translation that would capture the essence of the text, while parsing exactly to the traditional melodies of the different sections of the service. Rob is an excellent translator and writer, as can be seen from his other books about Tibetan Buddhism (The Courage to Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others; The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra; and The Wisdom of Imperfection: The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life), in addition to his being a professional psychotherapist.
The Sumeru Press Inc. is excited and proud to announce that we will be publishing Rob Preece’s Lama Chöpa translation in a new edition, including musical and mudra notations. It is our hope that this new edition will open a wonderful new dimension for practitioners of this profound puja sadhana.
More details as they become available…
The post Lama Chöpa, by Panchen Lozang Chökyi Gyaltsen, the 4th Panchen Lama appeared first on .