When the Light Shines Through is a portfolio of portraits of Tibetan Buddhist masters produced in a limited edition of 800. Each portfolio consists of a set of 20 portraits printed on very fine and rare acid-free card stock. The names of the masters are written on the front of each print in Tibetan. Their names are in English on the back along with where and when the photograph was made. The portfolio case is 8 1/2” x 6” x 1/4” and is made of the same card stock, but with a dull-coat lamination to give it protection. Each portfolio was printed and hand-assembled at Premo Graphic Design and Printing Company in Riga, Latvia. Inguna and Gvido Trepsa, founders of the company, conceived and produced the portfolios. The design is by Arta Ozola. The portfolios are signed and numbered by Don Farber. There are about 500 portfolios left in the edition. They are $65 each (plus the cost of shipping). Much of the income from the sale of the portfolios will help support Don Farber’s ongoing work photographing Buddhist life. To order portfolios, write to Don Farber at farbrphoto@aol.com and include the address that you would like the portfolios to be sent to and the quantity of portfolios you would like to order. Then, we can estimate the cost of shipping and reply to you with a total cost and give you further instructions for sending payment.

Portraits of the following masters are included in the portfolio:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama Venerable Lati Rinpoche Venerable Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen Khandro Tsering Chodron Venerable Togden Amting The late Venerable Azing Rinpoche Venerable Tenga Rinpoche The late Ven. Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche	His Eminence Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche His Holiness Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche Venerable K.C. Ayang Rinpoche Venerable Lama Tharchin Rinpoche The late Very Venerable Kalu Rinpoche His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche Ven. Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk Rinpoche

Precious Jewels (Reprinted from an article in the November 2001 issue of the Shambhala Sun which included 8 of the portraits in this portfolio.) In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is an enlightened being who forgoes nirvana and vows to take rebirth again and again in order to save all sentient beings from suffering. In the Vajrayana tradition preserved in Tibet, the rebirths of enlightened Buddhist masters are traced from lifetime to lifetime. A letter written before a master dies, or clairvoyant visions and dreams of a living master, help to locate a young child who is the emanation of the deceased master. While remembering only glimpses of their previous life, these children show remarkable learning abilities and concentration powers. With diligent practice and study, and proper training usually given by chief disciples of their previous incarnation, they have the potential to become extraordinary teachers. These masters, known as rinpoches (precious jewels), are at the heart of Tibetan Buddhist culture. In the typical Tibetan home, there are photographs displayed of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other incarnate masters. Generations of family members have been disciples of several incarnations of the same master. The rinpoche is a source of faith to the family, giving teachings, divinations, and guidance for their life including guiding them through their dying. Whether a lama is recognized as the incarnation of a previous master is not paramount to Tibetans. There are some extraordinary lamas who, from many years of monastic training or retreats, are venerated as much, if not more, than incarnate lamas. I have felt an urgency to photograph the last of the Buddhist masters who received their training in Tibet before the Chinese invasion. I am profoundly moved by the qualities of kindness, compassion, and equanimity of these extraordinary beings. From these masters, we receive the unbroken transmission of Dharma that was passed on from master to disciple in the pristine, Tibetan high plateau. - Don Farber