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About the Berzin Archives
"Homage to the Buddhas and to the great masters who have studied, practiced, realized, and transmitted their teachings and insights.
Homage to the scholars who have researched and clarified these teachings, placing them in their historical and cultural contexts.
May the visitors to this site have the clarity of mind and purpose to examine these teachings in a meaningful manner and, if they find them of use, to study, understand, and practice them correctly for the benefit of all."
"May I release a shower of meaning from the words of the Dharma, and impart it clearly to all who wander."
Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche II and Alexander Berzin
The Berzin Archives is the collection of works of the American scholar and author Alexander Berzin, who spent 29 years in India, studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism. There, he served as translator primarily for his teacher, the late Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, and occasionally for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Dr. Berzin has taught extensively in universities and Buddhist centers in more than seventy countries since early 1980s.
With over 30,000 pages of material in English and several other languages, and over 800 hours of audio recordings, the Berzin Archives contain:
- translations and summaries of Tibetan texts
- published books and unpublished manuscripts
- audio recordings of Berzin's lectures
- transcripts and teaching outlines for hundreds of courses
- translations and notes on courses by Berzin's teachers
- private question sessions with Tibetan Buddhist masters and Islamic scholars
- reading notes from over a thousand English, German, French, and Russian works
- short Tibetan-English dictionaries of astrological and Buddhist technical terms
- journals of Berzin's world travels and reflections
Supported exclusively by user donations, Berzin Archives aims to provide on the Internet a free multilingual tool for learning about the four Tibetan Buddhist traditions and about Central Asian history and culture. It is sponsored through Berzin Archives e.V., a German non-profit society in the public domain (gemeinnütziger Verein Register Nr. 2423Nz, Berlin).
The pages of the Berzin Archives website focus on:
- explanations of the different Tibetan traditions regarding sutra and tantra
- Kalachakra, astrology, dzogchen, and mahamudra
- graded levels for study and practice, including materials for meditation
- a comparison of the Tibetan approach with that of other Buddhist traditions
- training programs, such as balanced sensitivity, inspired by Buddhist methods
- the history of Buddhist-Islamic interaction
Modeled after the traditional approach, each page is a piece of the puzzle. Hyperlinks suggest a network of ways to fit them together.
Conceived with strong belief in the benefit of the project and thanks to the help of many people, the website has been growing since its inception in November 2001. Finishing the Remaining Work will require dedicated teamwork and many more years of sustained effort. Its growth to maturity will come only with your support.
Whatever help you can give, may it be skills or any donation, will be greatly appreciated. Please consider contributing:
For further information, please contact us at info@berzinarchives.com.
Thank you,
Dr. Aldemar Hegewald
President of
Berzin Archives e.V.
Christian Dräger
Vice President of
Berzin Archives e.V.
"May I be a bridge, a boat, and a ship
For all who wish to cross the waters.
May I be an island for those who seek a rest
And a lamp for those desiring light."
Shantideva