Tāranātha (1575-1634) was a Lama of the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is widely considered its most remarkable scholar and exponent.
Taranatha was born in Drong, Tibet, supposedly on the birthday of Padmasambhava. His original name was Kun-dga'-snying-po, which means Anandagarbha. He reportedly used a Sanskrit name as an indication of the value he placed on his Sanskrit scholarship in an era when mastery of the language had become much le...
more
Tāranātha (1575-1634) was a Lama of the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is widely considered its most remarkable scholar and exponent.
Taranatha was born in Drong, Tibet, supposedly on the birthday of Padmasambhava. His original name was Kun-dga'-snying-po, which means Anandagarbha. He reportedly used a Sanskrit name as an indication of the value he placed on his Sanskrit scholarship in an era when mastery of the language had become much less common in Tibet than it had once been. His exceptional qualities are said to have been recognized by others at a young age, as is often the case with great masters. He studied under such masters as Je Draktopa, Yeshe Wangpo, Kunga Tashi and Jampa Lhundrup, although his primary teacher was an Indian, Buddhaguptanatha.
Taranatha was recognized by Khenchen Lungrik Gyatso as the rebirth of Krishnacarya and the Khenchen's own teacher, Jetsun Kunga Drolchok.
Taranatha was a prolific writer and a renowned scholar. His best known work is the 143...
less
