We at Jonang Foundation invite you to read the Summer '09 issue of our annual online newsletter.

Contents in this issue include:

• On the JF Horizon
• Quoting a Jonangpa
• Associate Director Opening
• Pilgrimage to Tibet '09
• JF on Facebook
• JF Shop Updates

Plus more ...

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Associate Director Position Opening

We seek to fulfill the position of Associate Director. The Associate Director will work in close collaboration with the Executive Director, the Director of Field Operations, and the Board of Directors in order to strategically develop and administer ongoing programs and initiatives hosted by Jonang Foundation.

Responsibilities: Assist in organizing and facilitating programs. Raise and manage funds for cultural and educational projects in Tibet including the primary school, nuns project, reproduction of Tibetan texts, etc.; this includes co-writing grants and progress reports. Help in developing online educational resources on the main website and blog. Promote the work of the foundation through advertisements and outreach campaigns. Regularly communicate with benefactors, supporters, and volunteers of the foundation.

Skills & Experience: Communication skills. Experience in grant writing, fundraising, advertising and outreach for a nonprofit organization. Computer literate with the ability to work with digital image programs and web tools (knowledge of html a plus). Interest in humanitarian and development nonprofit work in Asia as well as preservation of the specific cultural, educational, and spiritual heritage of Tibet as carried out by Jonang Foundation according to its Mission & Vision.

Commitment & Compensation: Jonang Foundation is an all-volunteer organization. The Associate Director will have opportunities to oversee on-site projects in Tibetan regions of China and to promote the foundation's work (expenses paid by the foundation), and will receive the necessary operating resources and support. Estimated 10-15 hrs per week. Candidates who reside in the United States will be given precedence.

To apply, send your resume along with a one page cover letter describing your interest in the position to info@jonangfoundation.org.

Handwritten Works by Taranatha

Taranatha Pecha

This is a reproduction of handwritten manuscripts of the Collected Works of Jetsun Taranatha in ten volumes. This edition is in cursive Tibetan script in pecha format. Published in China at Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (Beijing, 2008).

The set is an alternative version of texts from those printed from the Drepung, Phuntsok Ling, and Dzamthang editions of Taranatha's writings. Includes: Booklet table of contents with short biography of author. Unbound loose leaf folio with hard covers.

Limited availability.

To purchase these fine texts, visit the Assorted Tibetan Books page in JF's online Shop. The total cost is US $335.

Taranatha's Collected Works as Book Set

Taranatha's Book Set

The complete set of the Jonang scholar Taranatha's (1575-1635) Collected Works are now being made available in paperback book form for the first time. The collection is 45 volumes in total. Published in China as part of Mes po'i shul bzhag series (Beijing, 2008). The set is based on rare manuscripts from the Drepung Library Collection, and texts differ slightly from both the Leh edition (reproduced from the Phuntsok Ling blocks) and the Dzamthang prints. Includes: Table of contents and color illustrations. Softcover.

To purchase these fine texts, visit the Assorted Tibetan Books page in JF's online Shop. The total cost is US $575.

JF's Masters Database

One of the ongoing projects that we have been developing on the main website is our Masters Database in conjunction with the Sites Database. Recently we have added, expanded, and updated a few Jonang lineage masters. These include: Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, Nyawon Kunga Pal, and the Indian mahasiddha Buddhagupta who was a teacher of Taranatha. We will be regularly adding short biographies for new masters and expanding those that we have already entered. We are also working on new maps for the Sites Database.

JF Cause Image

Do you have a Facebook account? Then join us. Become a fan of Jonang Foundation, join the Jonang Foundation Cause, participate in the discussions on the Jonang Tibetan Buddhism group, and become a member of the Jonangpa.com Blog.

We hope to generate some positive activity and build a network of supporters via Facebook. Feel free to invite like-minded friends and get involved.

We have recently added a translation of Dolpopa's poetic tribute to the Indian adept Shavaripa titled, "Praise to the Mahasiddha Shavaripa."

An excerpt from this short piece reads,

The dakas of the three places dance in formation,
Dakinis sing sacred songs with roaring voices,
Proclaiming various dharmas with jingling sound;
Glorious hermit, at your feet I supplicate!

The translation is courtesy of Thomas Roth.

Download and read this from our Digital Library.

Padmavajra

The most recent addition to our online library is a translation of Dolpopa's "Praise to the Eight Siddhas." A short poetical tribute to the mahasiddhas or great tantric adepts of India. This liturgical piece is of particular importance because it is one of the earliest — if not the earliest — extent praise to these siddhas in Tibetan literature. For this reason, Dolpopa's description of the iconography of the siddhas gives us a glimpse into his visionary life, as well as how this classic set of siddhas was portrayed in early Tibetan art.

An excerpt from this short piece reads,

Padmavajra in the form of a layman, white in color,
Performing the path of supreme meditation and eating only fruit,
Flying in the sky, riding an emanated tigress;
To the feet of the one who subdues evil I praise.

The translation is courtesy of Jeff Watt.

Download and read this from our Digital Library.

See it also on Himalayan Art Resources.

Special Celebration of "As Long As Space Endures"

Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies presents:

Tibet House
Thursday February 26th 7pm
22 W. 15th Street
Free to the Public

In this event, the editor of the new volume on the Kalachakra As Long as Space Endures (Snow Lion, '09) will discuss the volume and the new temple, and three contributors — Joseph Loizzo, Michael Sheehy, and William Bushell — will discuss and read from their chapters on the history, practice, and scientific relevance of the Kalachakra teachings.

Join us for this very special event to commemorate the establishment of the important new site, "The Land of Kalachakra Study and Practice" in Ithaca, NY.

As Long As Space Endures: Essays on the Kalacakra Tantra

The Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) Tantra system is considered in the Tibetan tradition to be the pinnacle of Buddhist teaching, providing the clearest and most comprehensive exposition of how the highest potential for individual transformation is embedded within cosmic and social realities. The volume As Long As Space Endures: Essays on the Kalachakra Tantra celebrates the transmission of these important teachings.

This volume features two dozen translations and studies by top international scholars. There are several articles related to the Jonang tradition including: an article on the Jonang Kalachakra lineage history, a description of the sixfold vajrayoga, and a translation of Dolpopa's praise to Sukhavati.

This new volume can be purchased at Snow Lion Publications.