Nyawon Kunga Pal[1] (Tibetan: nya dbon kun dga' dpal; 1285–1379) was an early master of Tibetan Buddhism. In his later years he was the founder of the Tsechen Monastery (rtse chen dgon[2]), which was founded in 1366 under the sponsorship of Prince Phakpa Pelzangpo (1318–1370), Gyantse's first prince.[3] It was one of the most important sites of the Jonangpa in Central Tibet.[4] It is situated on a mountainside near the Great Stupa of Gyantse (rgyal rtse Chos sde).

Nyawon Kunga Pal's primary teachers were Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan; 1292–1361) and Chogle Namgyal (phyogs las rnam rgyal; 1306–1386), from whom he received many teachings such as the Kalachakra.[5] His 'Od gsal rgyan gyi bshad pa, an important treatise on shentong (gzhan stong) from the experience of Vajrayoga practice, is contained in the Jo nang dpe tshogs (Jonang Publication Series, vol. 32).[6]

According to James Gentry Nyawon Kunga Pal played some role in inspiring Peldzin's (dpal 'dzin) anti-Old School polemic ("the most extensive anti–Old School polemic ever composed").[7]

See also

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References and notes

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  1. Also Nyawön Künga Pel, Nya Ön Kunga Pal, Nyawön Künga Pel Zangpo, Nyawonpa Kunga Pal, Nya dbon pa kun dga'dpal, Chinese: 聂琬巴·衮噶贝, etc.
  2. Chinese: Ziqin si 孜钦寺
  3. cf. treasuryoflives.org: Tsechen
  4. cf. jonangfoundation.org: Tsechen Monastery
  5. jonangfoundation.org: Nyawon Kunga Pal
  6. cf. jonangfoundation.org: Jonang Publication Series III
  7. James Gentry: The Philosophy and Practice of Amulets in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra:Wearing, Analyzing, and Recognizing Your Way to Liberation (after Gentry, James. “Rumblings of Thunder: Notes on the Identity and Intellectual Milieu of the Nyingma School Critic Peldzin.” In Histories of Tibet: Essays in Honor of Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp, edited by Kurtis Schaeffer, Jue Liang, and William McGrath, 323–337. Wisdom Publications, 2023)
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Further reading

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