Description: In this seminal work of Tibetan Buddhist studies, Cyrus Stearns has translated a text recounting the masters in the transmission line of the "Lam 'bras" or "Path with the Result" teachings in Tibet. "Luminous Lives" contains a detailed description of the "Lam 'bras" teachings and the text of the masters' biographies in English and Tibetan. This book is an essential reference work for those interested in the Sakyapa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Brief description: Cyrus Stearns has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism since 1973. His main teachers have been Dezhung Tulku Rinpoché, Chogyé Trichen Rinpoché, and Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoché. He received a PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Washington and is the author and translator of various books, including The Buddha from Dölpo, King of the Empty Plain, and Hermit of Go Cliffs. He is an independent scholar and translator living in the woods on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, Washington.
Review Quotes: "Cyrus Stearns, an eminent scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, presents a seminal manuscript history of its earliest practitioners and masters, and a detailed description of the Lam 'bras teachings. At the heart of the book is Stearns's translation of a newly-discovered text that records the words of the great teacher Sakya Pandita, featuring Tibetan and English on facing pages. This book will be of particular interest to students of the Sakyapa tradition."-- "Tricycle"