Zhangtön Tashi Dorjé ( Wylie: ''zhang ston bkra shis rdo rje'', c. 1097 – 1167) was a Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen teacher who was an important treasure revealer ( terton) in the

Menngagde In Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, Menngagde (, sa, upadeśavarga), is the name of one of three scriptural and lineage divisions within Dzogchen (''Great Perfection'' ). Dzogchen is itself the pinnacle of the ninefold division of practice according ...

lineage of

Dzogchen Dzogchen (, "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. ...

. He is particularly known for revealing the ''

Vima Nyingthig Vima Nyingthig (), "Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra", in Tibetan Buddhism is one of the two "seminal heart" () collections of the menngagde cycle Dzogchen, the other one being "Seminal Heart of the Dakini" (''mkha' 'gro snying thig''). Traditionally ...

'', a key Dzogchen cycle of teachings which includes the Seventeen tantras of Dzogchen.Germano, David; Gyatso, Janet (2001), "Longchenpa and the Possession of the Dakinis", in White, David Gordon (ed.), Tantra in Practice, Motilal Banarsidass Publ.Hatchell, Christopher (2014), ''Naked Seeing The Great Perfection, the Wheel of Time, and Visionary Buddhism in Renaissance Tibet'', p. 54. Oxford University Press Zhangton was born in Yamdrok Tonang and was a disciple of Chetsün Sengé Wangchuk. Traditional

Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...

histories hold that Zhangton had visions of

Vimalamitra Vimalamitra () was an 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk. His teachers were Buddhaguhya, Jñānasūtra and Śrī Siṃha. He was supposed to have vowed to take rebirth every hundred years, with the most notable figures being Rigzin Jigme Lingpa, ...

and discovered the ''Vima Nyingthig'' as a hidden treasure ( terma) in Chimpu,

Central Tibet Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

.Dudjom Rinpoche 1991, p. 561. Zhangton is also known for his authorship of ''The Great History of the Dzogchen Nyingtik'' (''rdzogs pa chen po snying thig gi lo rgyus chen mo''), a detailed chronological account of the Dzogchen tradition and lineage.Samten Karmay (2007). ''The Great Perfection (rdzogs chen): A Philosophical and Meditative Teaching of Tibetan Buddhism. Second edition'', p. 211. BRILL. Zhangton's main successor was his son Nyibum. Some modern Tibetologists like David Germano and Christopher Hatchell think that Zhangton may have been the main author of the ''

.''

References

Sources

* Dudjom Rinpoche (1991). ''The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, Its Fundamentals and History'', trans. and ed. by Gyurme Dorje. Boston: Wisdom Publications, pp. 559–561. * Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage (Junction City: Padma Publications, 2005), pp. 86–88. {{Buddhism topics Nyingma lamas Tertöns 12th-century lamas