Publisher's Synopsis
"If one knows the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, and the Tantra Without Syllables, one will have command over the general meaning of the tantras, like a king who has command over his subjects." —Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle The eleventh-century Seventeen Tantras are among the most important texts in the tradition of the Great Perfection—and in all of Tibetan Buddhism. This edition of the first of the two volumes presented here, the Self-Arisen Vidya Tantra, is the first-ever complete English translation of that text. The second text, the Self-Liberated Vidya Tantra, is a crucial aid to understanding the first tantra, as well as a profound text in its own right. This set provides these two luminous texts in crystal-clear translation, along with Malcolm Smith's comprehensive introduction and two vital appendixes: a brief historical account and survey of the Seventeen Tantras; and an examination of the themes of the Seventeen Tantras, translated from the String of Pearls Tantra. This is vital reading for any student of Dzogchen.
