The Five Great Treasures

Jamgön Kongtrul the Great

The Five Great Treasures - Jamgön Kongtrul the Great (1813-1899) is widely known for synthesizing the knowledge and experience of the many lineages of Buddhism in Tibet. This synthesis is recorded in ‘The Five Great Treasures‘:

1. The All-encompassing Treasury of Knowledge, sheja kun la khyabpé dzö [Tib.], an encyclopedia of Buddhist wisdom and knowledge.
2. The Treasury of Precious Instructions, damngak dzö [Tib.], which gathers the pith instructions of the eight main lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.
3. The Mantra Treasury of the Oral Lineage, kagyü ngak dzö [Tib.], which gathers some fundamental teachings of the Nyingma kama and the main teachings for the practice of the Kagyü lineage.
4. The Precious Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings, rinchen ter dzö [Tib.], which gathers most important rediscovered teachings (terma [Tib.]) of the Nyingma tradition, and incorporates what is extant of the Extraordinary Treasury (tunmong ma yinpé dzö [Tib.]), Jamgön Kongtrul’s own revealed teachings.
5. The Vast Treasury of Teachings, gya chen ké dzö [Tib.], which comprises the remaining works of Jamgön Kongtrul.