My Third Expedition to Tibet

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I am happy that Pandit Rahul Sankrityayan’s personal account entitled ‘To those whom I am indebted’ and ‘My third expedition to Tibet ’ in Hindi is now translated into Tibetan and English. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives is pleased to be able to publish this informative work in three languages viz. Hindi, Tibetan and English. It not only gives insightful knowledge regarding the people and places in Tibet he visited but also provides us with very important information about many rare manuscripts existing and preserved in Tibet at that time. It was due to his stubborn persistence that not only were these rare texts catalogued, but also many of them which could have been lost forever during the Chinese invasion were brought into India and saved. The text also sheds light on the life and the contributions of Gendun Choephel, the renowned and most progressive intellectual of modern Tibet, towards Tibetan literature and history.This publication is much enriched by the inclusion of Professor Samdhong Rinpoche’s well researched preface to Gendun Chomphel’s rGyal-khams rigs-pas bskor-ba gTam-rgyud gSer-gyi Thang-ma . With his authoritative scholarship and acumen, Rinpoche in his preface highlighted and revised the information of Rahul ji’s list of Sanskrit manuscripts which do not match with Gendun Choephel’s version. Reading this text was for me personally a very inspiring and delightful experience. Such a well researched paper that is so smooth and easy to read is hard to find.Therefore, I am happy that LTWA is publishing these important works. My special thanks go to the translator, Sonam Gyatso, Translator and Research Assistant at LTWA, for painstakingly and very beautifully translating the texts into Tibetan and English. I am sure that this publication will contribute much to the wider reading and research audience. On behalf of the translator I would like to thank and acknowledge all the editors, Tibetan and English, and LTWA staff who assisted him in this work.May all be happy!Geshe LhakdorDirectorThe Library of Tibetan Works and Archives