Ebook: The Six Lamps: Secret Dzogchen Instructions of the Bön Tradition

Esteemed Tibetologist Jean-Luc Achard contextualizes and provides a clear translation of highly secret precepts on Dzogchen practice unlike anything published.

The Instructions on the Six Lamps is a profound and important work from the Bön Dzogchen tradition and is one of the root texts of the Zhangzhung Nyengyü (Oral Transmission of Zhangzhung) series of orally transmitted teachings. Considered to be the central work of the inner cycle of these teachings, it expertly details the principles of the natural state and its visionary marvels. The root text describes highly secret precepts of Dzogchen (Great Perfection) practice—the teachings of Trekchö and Thögel—as revealed by Tapihritsa to Gyerpung Nangzher Löpo. The teachings in this text represent oral instructions transmitted by a single master to a single disciple in the mode known as “single transmission.” It is through such a practice that one can see the clear light of one’s own mind before achieving complete buddhahood. In this respect, the text contains a complete teaching of Dzogchen, from beginning to end.

Review
“Jean Luc Achard is undoubtedly one of the most experienced and knowledgeable Western scholars on the various Great Perfection systems of Tibet, both Buddhist and Bon. His lucid and annotated translation of the Six Lamps is a must read for any serious student and practitioner of Tibetan Dzogchen. His masterly translation is assisted with learned comments and notes which will assist inquisitive researchers in their quest for primary sources and contextualization. This volume is an important contribution to Tibetan Studies in general as well as to the serious specialists and student of this meditative systems.” (Marc des Jardins, Concordia University )

“This book is a must read for all those who are interested in the doctrines of the Great Perfection of the Bonpo and Nyingma traditions. The expertise of the author on the subject matter is pleasantly reflected in his meticulous yet poetical translations. A welcome and significant addition to publications in Western languages on a fundamental topic.” (Donatella Rossi, author of The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion )

“Many have eagerly been awaiting an English rendering of Jean Luc Achard’s masterly French translation of the Instructions on the Six Lamps. These are most fascinating and important Bön teachings. Achard moreover is the leading expert in the field. He brings his impressive erudition, near native command of the Tibetan language, and impeccable academic acumen to the task. In addition—and this is a combination even much rarer—on nearly every page, he displays deep insight into the application of these teachings in actual practice. This new translation is a major improvement on what is widely available in English. Achard manages to render the direct, colloquial style of the Tibetan in plain and accessible English, lucid and faithful to the original. Extensive introductory materials greatly aid comprehension for the general reader but do not burden with technical minutiae. This sympathetic translation will speak to a wide audience but will also be much appreciated by those with a more scholarly or academic bent.” (Henk Blezer, Leiden University and Amsterdam Free University )

About the Author
Jean-Luc Achard is a tibetologist, researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France), as well as the editor and publisher of the Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, a free online academic journal of Tibetan Studies. He has been studying Buddhism for 35 years and has specialized in the study and practice of the teachings of Dzogchen (Great Perfection). In particular, he has studied with Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche for several years and translated numerous Bönpo texts of Dzogchen for the retreats of Yongdzin Rinpoche. He is currently engaged in the translations and commentaries of sevearal key works of Dzogchen belonging to the Bön and Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He lives in Courdimanche-sur-Essonne, a small village in France.


Biography of Jean-Luc Achard
I have followed a training in Tibetan Studies first at the INALCO and then at the EPHE (Sorbonne) where I attended the seminaries by Anne-Marie Blondeau, a specialist in Bon and rNying ma gter ma literature. Since 1999 I have become a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris and am a member of Centre de Recherches sur les Civilisations de l'Asie Orientale (CRCAO). Among other academic duties, I am a member of the scientific committee of the Institut d'Etudes Tibétaines (IET) of the Collège de France (Paris), as well as the founder and director of the Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines (RET) which is available for free on the Digital Himalaya website from the Cambridge University: http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/journals/ret/