Padmakara Translation Group
Padmakara was founded in 1987, in Dordogne, France and is directed by Tsetul Pema Wangyal Rinpoche and Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche. As a department of SONGTSEN, Padmakara is responsible for the preservation, translation and publication of Tibetan texts. Its principal aim is to preserve and communicate to a Western audience the major texts of classic and contemporary Tibetan literature, particularly works on Buddhist philosophy and practice.
A multinational group of translators
The Translation Group consists of translators and editors of different nationalities working under the direction of Pema Wangyal Rinpoche and Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche. The translators, with qualifications in a number of disciplines, have all been studying and practising Tibetan Buddhism for many years, and most have completed one or more three-year retreat courses under the guidance of Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, two of the most respected Tibetan scholars of recent times. This experiential familiarity with the subject-matter of the texts they translate is essential to their understanding.
Their guiding principles include:
Starting by receiving transmission and explanation of the text from a qualified teacher
Careful, painstaking translation of the meaning, with extensive research and study where necessary
Submission of difficult points and doubts to competent teachers with a good knowledge of the text
Double-checking of the draft translation by at least one other translator
Careful editing and rewriting to produce a clear, readable style
Final text proof-read and approved by a person who knows the subject and has a good command of the final language
Translations of their work into German
- Der Friede beginnt in dir, Dalai Lama, O. W. Barth Verlag, 1994
- Lehren fur die Dakini, Padmasambhava, O. W. Barth Verlag, 1994
