List of Tibetan writers explained

This is a chronological list of important Tibetan writers.

7th-10th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	7th century	thon mi sam bho ta	-	Inventor of the Tibetan script
	757-817	ye shes mtsho rgyal	Princess of Kharchen Great Bliss Queen	Consort of Padmasambhava
	8th century	rnam par snang mdzad lo tsa ba	Vairotsana	Translator of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan during the first phase of translation
	8th to 9th century	pad ma 'byung gnas	Guru Rinpoche	Brought Buddhism to Tibet
Yuthok Yonten Gonpo (the Elder)	708–833	g.yu thog yon tan mgon po	-	Author of foundational works on Tibetan medicine (rgyud bzhi, Gyüschi)
	957–1055	lo chen rin chen bzang po	-	First translator of Sarma texts

11th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1055–1149	ma gcig lab sgron	Dorje Dudul Chenmo	Famous yogini, promoter of Chöd in Tibet
	1012–1097	mar pa	-	Important translator of Sarma texts
	11th to 12th century	mi la ras pa	Jetsün	Famous yogi, known for his Vajra songs
	1054–1123	glang ri thang pa		Kadam tradition
	born 1055	pa tshab lo tsa ba nyi ma grags pa	-	Translated many Madhyamaka texts
	1079–1153	sgam po pa	Sönam Rinchen, Dagpo Lhaje, Nyamed Dakpo Rinpoche, Da'od Zhonnu	Founder of Kagyu
	1092–1158	sa chen kun dga’ snying po	3rd Sakya Trizin	Systematised teachings of the Sakya tradition

12th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1102–1176	'chad ka ba ye shes rdo rje	Geshe Chekhawa	Wrote the Seven Points of Spiritual Training
	1110–1170	phag mo gru pa	Dorje Gyalpo	-
	1126–1202	g.yu thog yon tan mgon po	-	Contributions to Tibetan medicine
	1142–1182	bsod nams rtse mo	4th Sakya Trizin	-
	1143–1217	'jig rten gsum mgon	Drikungpa	Founder of Drigung Kagyu^[1]
	1147–1216	grags pa rgyal mtshan	5th Sakya Trizin	Commentator on Asvaghosa's Fifty Verses of Guru Devotion
Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen	1182–1251	sa skya pandi ta kun dga’ rgyal mtshan	6th Sakya Trizin	-

13th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1204–1283	karma pak shi		Wrote over 100 texts on Buddhism, preserved at Tsurphu Monastery
Drogön Chögyal Phagpa Lodrö Gyaltsen	1235–1279/80	chos rgyal 'phags pa blo gros rgyal mtshan	7th Sakya Trizin	Devised the 'Phags-pa script
	1284–1339	rang byung rdo rje	3rd Karmapa	-
	1290–1364	bu ston rin chen grub		Catalogued thousands of religious and philosophical works
	1292–1361	dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan	-	See also Jonang, Kalacakra

14th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	14th century	karma gling pa	Tertön	-
	1308–1364	klong chen rab 'byams	Longchenpa, Tertön	Wrote several texts on Dzogchen and Buddhist philosophy
	1323 – c. 1360	o rgyan gling pa	Tertön	-
	1340–1383	rol pa'i rdo rje	4th Karmapa	Wrote many dohas
	1357–1419	tsong kha pa		Reformer of Tibetan Buddhism, founder of the New Kadampa, Gelug
	1364–1432	rgyal tshab rje	Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen, 2nd Ganden Tripa	Wrote a well-known commentary on Shantideva's Bodhicaryavatara
	1385–1438	mkhas grub rje		-
	1391–1474	dge 'dun grub pa		Among other works, Training the Mind in the Great Way
	1392–1481	'gos lo tsa ba gzhon nu dpal	-	Author of the Blue Annals

15th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
Gorampa Sönam Senge	1429–1489	go rams pa bsod nams seng ge	-	-
	1450–1521	padma gling pa	Tertön	-
	1454–1506	chos grags rgya mtsho	7th Karmapa	Commentary on Abhisamayalamkara (Mahayana sutras), and The Ocean of Reasoning, a commentary on Pramana literature
	1475–1542	dge 'dun rgya mtsho	2nd Dalai Lama	Mystical verse and visions
	1497–1557	ngor chen dkon mchog lhun grub	10th Abbot of Ngor Monastery	Author of Three Visions (foundational work of Sakya)

16th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1507–1554	mi bskyod rdo rje	8th Karmapa	Many works on Sutrayana, instructions on tantra
	1527–1592	padma dkar po	-	Master of the Drukpa Kagyü
	1543–1588	bsod nams rgya mtsho	3rd Dalai Lama	Stages of the Path: Refined Gold, Lamrim
	1556–1603	dbang phyug rdo rje	9th Karmapa	Wrote three Mahamudra texts
	1570–1662	blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan	4th Panchen Lama	Wrote a famous lamrim
	1575–1634	tA ra nA tha	Jonang	Historian of Indian Buddhism and author of Five Teachings of Maitreya

17th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1607–1677	skal ldan rgya mtsho	Kelden Repa	"Mgur Bum", poetry and songs in the style of Milarepa
	1608–?	rtse le sna tshogs rang grol	Tsele Gotsangpa	-
	1617–1682	ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho		Twenty-five Sealed Teachings
	1653–1705	sangs rgyas rgya mtsho		Wrote Vaidurya-Karpo and Vaidurya sNgon-po
	1682–1706	tshangs dbyangs rgya mtsho		Many great poems with often worldly subjects are ascribed to him

18th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1700–1774	chos kyi 'byung gnas		Grammarian
	1708–1757	skal bzang rgya mtsho	7th Dalai Lama	Explication of the Mandala rituals of Vajra Akshobhya Guhyasamaja
	1729–1798	'jigs med gling pa	Rigzin, Tertön	-
	1758–1804	'jam dpal rgya mtsho		-
	1761–1829	dge rtse pan chen	Tsewang Chokdrub	-
	1782–1853	bstan pa'i nyi ma		Author of Rinjung Lhantab

19th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1808–1887	'jigs med chos kyi dbang po	Patrul Rinpoche	-
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye	1813–1899	'jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas	Padma Tennyi Yungdrung Lingpa	Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings
	1820–1892	'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse’i dbang po	-	-
	1829–1870	mchog gyur gling pa	Tertön	-
	1835–1904	bdud 'joms gling pa	Tertön	-
	1846–1912	mi pham 'jam dbyangs rnam rgyal	Mipham Rinpoche	-
	1859–1935	shar rdza bkra shis rgyal mtshan	-	See also Bön
	1876–1933	thub bstan rgya mtsho	13th Dalai Lama	-
	1878–1941	pha bong kha pa bde chen snying po	-	-
	1893–1959	'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse chos kyi blo gros	-	Rime movement

20th century

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	1901–1981	blo bzang ye shes bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho		Wrote on Gyallu
	1903 or 1905–1951	dge 'dun chos 'phel	-	Author of the White Annals and The Tibetan Art of Love
	1904–1987	'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje
	1905–1989	kar ma ran byung kun khyab		Shangpa Kagyu
	1908–1989	-	Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa	Historian
	1910–1991	dil mgo mkhyen brtse	From 1987 to 1991, led the Nyingma School	-
	born 1913	bya bral sangs rgyas rdo rje		-
	1920–1986	dge bshes rab brtan	-	Author on Buddhism
	1920–1996	sprul sku o rgyan	-	-
	1922–2008	thub bstan 'jigs med nor bu	Taktser Rinpoche	-
	1922–2001	bstan 'dzin chos grags	-	Former doctor of the 14th Dalai Lama
	born 1924	-	Abt des Karma Triyana Dharmachakra	-
	born 1926	bstan 'dzin rnam-dag	Lopön	See also Bön
	1928–1997	blo bzang rgya mtsho	Geshe	Founder of the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics Dharmshala, murdered in 1997
	1930–2002	-	Rinpoche	-
	born 1931	bskal bzang rgya mtsho	Geshe	Founder of the New Kadampa Tradition
	born c. 1931	phrin las nor bu	Dungsé Thinley Norbu Rinpoche	son of Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje, 2nd Dudjom Rinpoche
	1932–1999	-	Nyoshul Khenpo	-
	1933–2002	-	-	Autobiography
	born 1933	-	Khenchen	-
	born 1933	dpal ldan rgya mtsho	-	Autobiography
	born 1934	-	-	-
	born 1935	bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho	14th Dalai Lama, Geshe	Wide range of works on Buddhism
	1935–1984	thub bstan ye shes	-	Founder of the FPMT
	born 1937	bkra shis tshe ring	Geshe	-
	born 1938	nam mkha'i nor bu	Chögyal	Writings on Dzogchen
	born 1939	blo bzang bstan 'dzin	5th Samdhong Rinpoche, Kalon Tripa of the 13th Kashag of the Tibetan government-in-exile
	born 1939	-	-	-
	born 1940	-	-	-
	1940–2004	-	-	Contributions on Bardo
	1940–1987	chos rgya drung pa		-
	1941–2010	mkhan chen dpal ldan shes rab	-	Several Nyingma translations in English
Thubten Zopa Rinpoche	born 1946	-	Lama	Founder of the FPMT
	born 1948	bsod rgyal rin po che	-	Author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
	born 1951	chos kyi nyi ma	-	Son of Tulku Urgyen, contributions on Bardo
	born 1952	mi pham chos kyi blo gros		-
	1953–1985	don grub rgyal	-	A founder of modern Tibetan literature
	born 1958	bkra shis tshe ring	Geshe	-
	born 1959	-	-	Chinese writer
	born 1959	bkra shis zla ba	-	Author of A Soul Knotted on a Leather Thong
	born 1961	mkhyen brtse nor bu	Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse	-
	born 1961	bstan 'dzin dbang rgyal	-	See also Bön
	born 1963	-	-	Son of Chögyam Trungpa
	born 1965	-		-
	born 1966	ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho		Son of Tulku Urgyen
	born 1966	-	-	-
	born 1967	mkha' 'gro rin po che	-	Daughter of Trichen Jurme Kunzang Wangyal
	born 1969	tshe ring dbang mo sdom pa	-	Female poet
	born 1975	-	-	-
	born 1975	yongs dge mi 'gyur	Dorje Rinpoche	Youngest son of Tulku Urgyen

20th century (cont. alphabetically)

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Other names	Notes
	-	'jam dbyangs nor bu	-	-
	-	tshe ring don grub	Ancestor, ra lo	Novelist
	-	tshe ring rnam rgyal	-	Writer of Little Lhasa and other different articles in various newspaper
	-	tshe ring sha kya	Tsering Wangdu Shakya	Historian
	-	-	-	poet and writer

Foreign writers with Tibetan names

Name	Dates	Wylie transliteration	Original name	Notes
	-	Erik pad ma kun bzang	Erik Hein Schmidt	Translator and author, founder of Rangjung Yeshe Translations and Publications
	born 1939	-	Alyce Zeoli	Enthroned 1988, Palyul
	-	bla ma chos kyi nyi ma		-
	born 1936	pad ma chos sgron	Deirdre Blomfield-Brown	-
	-	gyur med rdo rje	-	-
	1901–1983	ngag dbang dbang rgyal	-	-
	born 1950	thub bstan chos sgron	Cherry Greene	-
	born 1947	tshul khrims Allione	Joan Rousmanière Ewing	-

See also

• Derge Parkhang
• Sa'gya library

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lord Jigten Sumgön - Founder of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage. Drikung Kagyu Official Website. 2013-10-07.