Herbert V. Guenther

Herbert Vighnāntaka Günther (17 March 1917 – 11 March 2006) was a world-renowned scholar and translator of texts from Tibetan Buddhism. He was one of the first translators of the Vajrayana and Dzogchen teachings into English.

He was well known for his pioneering translations of Gampopa's Jewel Ornament of Liberation and Longchenpa's Ngalso khorsum (ngal gso skor sgum), which he published as a trilogy under the title Kindly Bent to Ease Us.

He was a Professor and Head of the Department of Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.

Early life and education

He was born March 17, 1917 in Bremen, Germany, son of the scupltor Reinhold Günther.

A frail child, he was fascinated from a very early age by the cultures of Southeast and Central Asia. He haunted the Asian section of Bremen’s Ethnographic Museum and devoured any books he could find on the exploration and history of those areas. His extraordinary talent for languages also became apparent early on. From a visiting Chinese engineer he learned Chinese when he was nine years old; by age ten he was tutoring Russian sailors in German in exchange for Russian language lessons.

He attended the Alte Gymnasium in Bremen; in addition to the regular curriculum of Latin, Greek and Hebrew, he studied Sanskrit by himself from grammar books someone had given to him. The list of languages would grow exponentially, until it was easier for family members to answer the question, “What languages does he know?”, by replying, “That’s more easily answered by listing the ones he doesn’t know.”

By the time he began his studies at Munich University he read both Chinese and Sanskrit fluently and had written some papers on Sanskrit topics. For this reason he was allowed to study not only Vedic Sanskrit and Iranian Studies but also Pali, Prakrit and Sinhalese. Within three years he had fulfilled all the requirements for the Ph. D. and went to Vienna University, where he obtained his second doctorate (Dr. Phil. Habil) and taught for a few years.

In 1944 he married Dr. Ilse Rossrucker, a classics scholar, who was the lifelong collaborator in his work. They had two daughters: Edith Kimbell and Nora Szederkenyi.

In India

Guenther in India

In 1950, Guenther moved to India with his family to further his research. In India, he first taught Russian at Lucknow University in Uttar Pradesh before becoming head of the Department of Buddhist and Tibetan studies at the Sanskrit University, Varanasi.

Ilse Guenther states:

At first Herbert taught Russian at Lucknow University, but he also came in contact with many scholars and pandits. Almost every day he went to the house of professor Surendranath Dasgupta (the author of the excellent work A History of Indian Philosophy) to read out and recite Sanskrit texts for the professor (who was half blind at that time, but wanted to finish his last book), take notes and help him in every way he could. He also worked together with Acharya Narendra Deva and his friend Pandit Jaganath Upadhyay to bring out a clear analysis of Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakosha. Many times we went to Benares and Sarnath for a visit and for most valuable meetings and discussions with outstanding scholars and pandits.

For many summer holidays we traveled to Manali, crossed the Rothang pass to stay in Lahoul, visiting many Tibetan monasteries to study and copy out many rare Tibetan texts.

In 1958 the Government Sanskrit College in Varanasi was transformed into the Sanskrit University (Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya) and Herbert was invited to teach there as professor for Buddhist studies. At that time many Tibetan Lamas had fled from Tibet and lived as refugees in various places in India. With the help of the Indian government five very learned Lamas were installed as research fellows at the Sanskrit University and about thirty very good young lamas were allowed to study Sanskrit and assist in the research. All of them did excellent work that was internationally recognized.

Steven Goodman states:

... in India [he] began to have contact with the living traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. During the summer breaks he would travel to the mountain regions of Himachal Pradesh, where he studied with Kagyu lamas and learned about Vajrayana Buddhism, particularly Mahamudra. He told me he often had to cross dangerous mountain streams to gain access to the rocky heights of his teachers’ remote hermitages. He usually had to haul paper up there so he could copy by hand the precious manuscripts he studied.

When the Tibetan Diaspora began in 1959, Guenther had the opportunity to study with lamas from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He developed a keen interest in the Nyingma tradition, particularly Dzogchen, and quickly gained a reputation within the Tibetan refugee community as a true spiritual friend, one who honored their cultural traditions.

The fruit of his early tantric studies was published in Varanasi as Yuganaddha: The Tantric View of Life (1952). He soon published his translation of a Tibetan manual on Mahayana Buddhism, Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation (1956), and in the ensuing year his Philosophy and Psychology in the Abhidharma established him as a leading authority on the Pali and Sanskrit sources for “Buddhist psychology.”

Guenther's official website states:

High points of those years were the annual three month summer vacations to escape the heat in the plains; the family would join one of the trading caravans that crossed the Rothang Pass from Manali to Lahul, and stay either as guests of the local ruler or at Shashur Gompa (monastery). There he studied intensively with local scholars and researched the texts in the library, some of which he copied out as facsimiles by hand, this being the days before Xerox; in later years he also made his own microfilms.

In 1963, Guenther left India with his wife and two young daughters. He had been invited to become the chair of the new Department of Far Eastern studies department at the University of Saskatchewan.

In North America

Herbert Guenther and students at Guenther's home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, circa 1975. Dr. Guenther is seated at the end of his dining room table. Clockwise from Dr. Guenther are: Joan Goodman, Michael Faber, Kennard Lipman, Steven Goodman, Michael Azzato, and Jim Valby. The group was meeting for their weekly non-university study of a Dzogchen text by Longchenpa. Photo by Marilynn Valby.

In 1964, Guenther became Chairman of the Department of Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchwan.

Ilse Guenther states:

In many ways life was much easier [in Canada]. We had more time for writing books and articles; he also had the opportunity to go to many conferences, give lectures and courses in various places (for one term he taught at Yale University). Our two daughters had the opportunity to study and we enjoyed playing music at home and at the Musical Arts Club and going to concerts. But his main interest here, too, was writing, studying the original texts, all the time striving to understand what the texts wanted to say and to present this in his books.

His students at the University of Saskatchewan included Leslie Kawamura, James Valby, Kennard Lipman, Steven Goodman.

Guenther's website states:

With his students he had a sixth sense for offering just the encouragement and concrete, constructive criticism necessary. Many of them became lifelong friends.

Steven Goodman states:

In North America he continued to work with Tibetan teachers, especially with Tarthang Tulku, through the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, and with Chögyam Trungpa, through the Naropa Institute in Boulder. Beginning in 1975, his years of Dzogchen study bore fruit in the masterful translation of Longchenpa’s trilogy Kindly Bent to Ease Us. His subsequent works reflected his growing interest in systems philosophy and the new sciences (Matrix of Mystery, The Creative Vision, and From Reductionism to Creativity).

During this period, he was also a visiting professor at the University of Toronto.

Guenther's website states:

... he was always very generous with his immense erudition, eager to share his interests, while respecting solid intellectual accomplishment in fields unrelated to his own. [...] His vast personal library included books from art to science and biology.

And also:

He was a keen amateur flutist. Most evenings he would play chamber music with his pianist wife and friends; he especially enjoyed playing the Baroque trio sonatas and Classical concertos.

He enjoyed traveling and loved hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

Following his retirement as Professor Emeritus, he remained active as a scholar, still writing books and articles until his last hospitalization.

Influence

As a pioneer in the English translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts, his translations and scholarly writings influenced the generation of translators who followed in his footsteps. Although many of his translation choices were set aside by future translators, his influence was undeniable.

Jim Valby wrote that he sought out Guenther after reading a book of his translations of Tibetan texts into English (Treasures on the Tibetan Middle Way) and he asked Guenther to teach him.

[Guenther] said that he would teach me the intellectual side of things but I have to go somewhere else to learn practice. So I studied with him for about 15 years earning Master's and PhD degrees in Tibetan studies. In particular, he encouraged me to study the Dzogchen texts of Shrisingha, Vimalamitra and Longchenpa.

According to Steven Goodman, Guenther used to say that a good translator must do two things: 1) translate Tibetan terms based on the genre and approach in which they are being used, and 2) continually refine one's translation choices.

Goodman also stated:

I fondly remember our four- to five-hour Tibetan sessions, from my days as a graduate student, and our hiking adventures in the Colorado Rockies, when he once remarked about the altitude: “The curious thing is, the higher I am the better I feel.”

Leslie Kawamura stated:

Among his earliest students [in North America] were Jim Valby and Leslie Kawamura, and following them many students from Canada and the United States graduated with either their M.A. or Ph.D. degrees. He was able to attract students who wanted to study Buddhism but not necessarily in its traditional interpretation, because Dr. Guenther’s approach to the study of Buddhist texts and principles required not only an accurate understanding of the language in which they were written (i.e., Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, or Mongolian) but also the ability to interpret the texts so that the author’s intention came alive in the translations and interpretations. Consequently, we can credit Dr. Guenther for introducing into the Buddhist academic world an interpretation of the Buddhadharma that was not necessarily sectarian in interpretation. His publications moved from the traditional literal style that tended to be “dry as dust” (Dr. Guenther’s favorite expression) to one which was dynamic and apropos of the human situation.

Publications

Guenther was the author of over thirty books and more than ninety scholarly articles.

From Wikipedia:

Books

• Guenther, Herbert V. (1949) Das Seelenproblem im älteren Buddhismus.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1952) Yuganaddha - the Tantric View of Life.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1956) Concept of Mind in Buddhist Tantrism.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1958) Levels of Understanding in Buddhism.
• Sgam-po-pa (author) Guenther, Herbert V. (trans) (1959, 1986). The Jewel Ornament of Liberation. London Rider & Co., (1959); new edition Boston: Shambhala Publications.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1959–60) The Philosophical Background of Buddhist Tantrism.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1969) The Royal Song of Saraha: a Study in The History of Buddhist Thought.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (trans) Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Part 1: Mind. Berkeley, CA, USA: Dharma Publishing, 1975.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (trans) (1959, 1986). Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Part 2. Berkeley, CA, USA: Dharma Publishing, 1976.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (trans) (1959, 1986). Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Part 3: Wonderment. Berkeley, CA, USA: Dharma Publishing, 1975.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1959, 1986). Tibetan Buddhism In Western Perspective. Berkeley, CA, USA: Dharma Publishing, 1986.
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1963) The Life and Teachings of Naropa. Translated from Tibetan with Philosophical Commentary based on the Oral Transmissions.. Oxford: Clerendon Press. Reprinted: Shambala South Asia Editions.
• Guenther, Herbert V. Tibetan Buddhism without Mystification: The Buddhist Way from Original Tibetan Sources, Brill 1966. Reprinted as Treasures on the Tibetan Middle Way, (Shambhala, 1976)
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1971) Buddhist Philosophy in Theory and Practice. Penguin, London. : Shambhala Publications, Boulder and London 1976.
• Guenther, Herbert V. and Chogyam Trungpa (1975) The Dawn of Tantra. Shambala Publications, Inc. {
• Guenther, Herbert (1974) Philosophy and Psychology in the Abhidharma Delhi, India Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
• Guenther, Herbert (1975) Mind In Buddhist Psychology: The Necklace of Clear Understanding by Yeshe Gyaltsen Berkeley, CA Dharma Publishing
• Guenther, Herbert (1975) On Spiritual Discipline, Toronto, The Dreadnaught Press. (Limited Edition).
• Guenther, Herbert (1976) The Tantric View of Life (Shambhala, 1976)
• Klong-chen rab-'byams pa Looking Deeper: A Swan's Questions and Answers (Ngang pa'i dris lan sprin gyi snyng po) (Timeless Books, 1983)
• Guenther, Herbert (1984) Matrix of Mystery: Scientific and Humanistic Aspects of rDzog-chen Thought 1984 Boulder, CO
• Guenther, Herbert (1987) Creative Vision: The Symbolic Recreation of the World According to the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition of Tantric Visualization Otherwise Known as The Developing Phase (Lotsawa, 1987)
• Guenther, Herbert (1989) From Reductionism to Creativity: rDzogs-chen and the New Sciences of Mind, (Shambhala, 1989)
• Guenther, Herbert (1992) Meditation Differently: Phenomenological-psychological Aspects of Tibetan Buddhist (Mahāmudrā and sNying-thig) Practices from Original Tibetan Sources. Matilal Banarsidass
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1993) Ecstatic Spontaneity: Saraha's Three Cycles of Doha (Asian Humanities Press, 1993)
• Guenther, Herbert V. (1996) The Teachings of Padmasambhava. Brill.

Articles

• Das Sidat-Samgarava - eine Grammatik des klassischen Sinhalesisch." Z.D.M.G., 1942.
• "Über das ka -Suffix im Sinhalesischen und die einheimische Genuslehre." Z.D.M.G., 1943.
• "Die Buddhistische Kosmogonie." Z.D.G.M., 1946.
• "Die Sinhalesische Sandeåa-Dichtung der 14 und 15, Jahrhunderte." W.Z.K.M., 1946
• "Der Mahanagakula-Sandeåa." W.Z.K.M., 1946
• "Einige Überlieferungsgeschichtliche Bemerkungen zum Dutthagamani- Epos."W.Z.K.M., 1946.
• "Ceylon im 15, Jahrhundert." W.Z.K.M., 1946.
• "Die verwandtschafsverhaltnisse der Sinhalesischen Konige im 15 und 16, Jahrhundert." W.Z.K.M., 1947.
• "Das Geistesleben der Naturvolker und indische Welt-anschaung." Archiv für Völkerkunde, 1947.
• "Noun Inflexion in Old Sinhalese." Journal of the Royal Society, 1949.
• "The Conditional Mood in Sinhalese." Journal of Oriental Studies, 1949.
• "Der Begriff des Leeren im Altindoarischen." K.Z., 1950.
• "Gabe und Geber." K.Z., 1951
• "The Bodhisattva's Realm of Knowledge." Stepping Stones, vol.1, no.7, 1951.
• "In Praise of Bodhicitta." Stepping Stones, vol. 1, no. 8, 1951.
• "Friends in the Good Life." Stepping Stones, vol. 1, no. 9-10, 1951.
• "The Diamond of Omniscience." Stepping Stones, vol. 2, no. 2, 1952.
• "The Jewel of Buddhahood." Stepping Stones, vol. 2, No. 4, 1952.
• "The Origin and Spirit of Vajrayana." Stepping Stones, vol. 2, no. 7-8, 1952.
• "Our Position in Life." Stepping Stones, vol. 2, no. 7-8, 1952.
• "Ahankara and Selfishness." Stepping Stones, vol. 2, no. 6-8, 1952.
• "The Psychology of the Three Kayas." Uttara Bharati, vol. 2, no. 1, 1955.
• "Dvags. Po. Lha. Rje's "Ornament of Liberation" Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol. 75, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1955), pp. 90–96.
• "Refuge." Mahabodhi, vol. 63, 1955.
• "Mantrayana aur Sahajayana." 2500 Years of Buddhism. Delhi:Government of India, 1956.
• "Mantrayana aur Sahajayana." Bauddh-dharm ke 2500 varsh. Delhi:Government of India, 1956.
• "How to Listen to Dharma." Mahabodhi, vol. 64, 1956.
• "Equanimity." Mahabodhi, vol. 66, 1958.
• "The Concept of Mind in Buddhist Tantrism." Journal of Oriental Studies, vol. 3, 1959-60.
• "The Philosophical Background of Buddhist Tantrism." Journal of Oriental Studies, vol, 4, 1959-60.
• "Levels of Understanding in Buddhism." Journal of Oriental Studies, vol. 78, no. 1, 1960.
• "Three Essentials." Middle Way, 1961.
• "A New Tibeto-Mongol Pantheon", Ragu Vira and Lokesh Chandra. Delhi, 1961.
• "Religion and Everyday Life." Middle Way, 1962.
• "Indian Buddhist Thought in Western Perspective - Infinite Transcendence versus Finiteness." History of Religions, 3, 1963.
• "Some Aspects of Tibetan Religious Thought." History of Religions, vol. 3, 1963.
• "Saraha's Song of Human Action." Middle Way, 1965.
• "Art and Thought in the Eastern World." Art Journal, Saskatchewan Society for Education Through Art, 1965.
• "Mentalism and Beyond in Buddhist Philosophy." Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 86, 1966.
• "Le Maitre Spirituel en Tibet." Hermes, 1966-67.
• "An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism." The Tibet Society Newsletter, vol. 1, no. 7, 1967.
• "The Concept of Freedom in Cross-Cultural Perspective." Saskatchewan History Teacher's Newsletter, vol. 5, no. 1, 1968.
• "Tantra and Revelation." History of Religions, vol. 7, no. 4, 1968.
• "The Spiritual Guide as Mystical Experience." The R.M. Bucke Memorial Society Newsletter-Review, vol. 3, no. 1, 1968.
• "Guilt and Purification in Buddhist Tantrism." Proceedings of the XIth International Congress for the History of Religions, vol. 2, Leiden, 1968.
• "Tantra: Meaningful Existence." Maitreya, vol. 1, 1969, Shambala
• "Mind, Space and Aesthetic Awareness" Anjali Peradanya, 1970.
• "Absolute Perfection" in Crystal Mirror I (Dharma Press, 1971)
• "Fact and Fiction in the Experience of Being" in Crystal Mirror II (Dharma Press, 1972)
• "On 'Spiritual Discipline'" in Maitreya vol. 3, 1972, Shambala
• "The Path and the Goal." The American Theosophist, vol. 60, no. 5, 1972.
• "Fact and Fiction in the Experience of Being." Crystal Mirror, vol. 2, Emeryville: Dharma Publishing, 1972.
• "Buddhist Metaphysics and Existential Meditation" Sciences Religieuses Studies in Religion, vol, 1, no. 4, 1972.
• "Samvriti and Paramartha in Yogacara According to Tibetan Sources." Two Truths in Buddhism and Vedanta, Ed. M. Sprung, Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing, 1973.
• "Forward." Calm and Clear, Lama Mipham, Emeryville: Dharma Publishing, 1973.
• "The Male-Female Polarity in Oriental and Western Thought." Maitreya, 4, 1973.
• "Buddhist Mysticism." Encyclopædia Britannica, 1974.
• "Buddhist Sacred Literature." Encyclopædia Britannica, 1974.
• "Forward" An Introduction to Tantric Buddhism, S.B. Dasgupta, Berkeley:Shamhala, 1974.
• "The Development of Tibetan Art." Sacred Art of Tibet, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1974.
• "Early Forms of Tibetan Buddhism." Crystal Mirror vol. 3, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1974.
• "The Teacher and the Student." Maitreya, 5, 1974.
• "Mind is the Root." Crystal Mirror 3, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1974.
• "The Male-Female Polarity in Oriental and Western Thought" in Maitreya vol. 4, 1973, Shambhala
• "Early Forms of Tibetan Buddhism" in Crystal Mirror III (Dharma Press, 1974)
• "The Teacher and the Student" in Maitreya vol. 5, 1974, Shambhala
• "A Look Into the Sky Like Mirror." Crystal Mirror 3, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1974.
• "Mahamudra - The Method of Self - Actualization." The Tibet Journal 1, 1975.
• "Three Paths with a Single Goal." Gesar vol. 2, no. 4, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1975.
• "Tantra and Contemporary Man." Loka, Garden City, N.Y.:Anchor Press Doubleday, 1975.
• "Towards an Experience of Being Through Psychological Purification." A Study of Klesa, ed. Genjun H. Sasaki, Tokyo:Shimizukobundo Ltd., 1975.
• "A Journey Through Life: Five Stages on the Buddhist Path." Gesar vol. 3, no. 2, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1975.
• "Conversations with Herbert Guenther." Gesar vol. 3, no. 1, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, Fall 1975.
• "The Activation of Inner Potential." Gesar vol. 3, no. 4, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, Summer 1976.
• "The Road to Growth:The Buddhist Way." Gesar vol. 3, no. 3, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1976.
• "The Preparatory Stage." Garuda IV, The Foundations of Mindfulness, Boulder:Shambala Publications, 1976.
• "Towards Spiritual Order" in Maitreya vol. 6, 1977, Shambhala
• "The Fine Art of Translating, Interview with H.V. Guenther." Gesar vol. 4, no. 4, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing, 1978.
• "Absolute Perfection." Crystal Mirror - Journal of Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center, Berkeley, CA, Emeryville:Dharma Publishing,
• "The Experience of Being: The Trikaya Idea in its Tibetan Interpretation." In Developments in Buddhist Thought, ed. Roy C. Amore, SR Supplements 9, Waterloo:Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 1979.
• "Bodhisattva - The Ethical Phase in Evolution." In The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhism, ed. Leslie S. Kawamura, SR Supplements 10, Waterloo:Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 1981.
• "The Old and the New Vision." In The Evolutionary Vision, ed. Erich Jantsch, American Association for the Advancement of Science Selected Symposium no. 61, 1981.
• "Tasks Ahead." Presidential Address Given on the Occasion of the Third Conference of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Winnipeg, Canada, August 1980.
• "Meditation Trends in Early Tibet." In Early Ch'an in China and Tibet, ed. Whalen Lai and Lewis R. Lancaster, Berkeley Buddhist Studies Series 5, 1983.
• "Buddhist rDzogs-chen Thought and Western 'Daseinsanalyse'." In Buddhist and Western Psychology, ed. Nathan Katz, Boulder: Prajna Press, 1983.
• "Buddhism in Tibet" in Joseph M. Kitigawa and Mark D. Cummings (eds.) Buddhism and Asian History (Macmillan, 1987)
• "Vajrayana Buddhism and Modern Man." in One Vehicle, Journal of the National University of Singapore Buddhist Society, 1984.
• "The Existential Import of Dynamic Structures in rDzogs-chen Buddhism." In Acta Indologica, vol. VI, 1984.
• "Being's Vitalizing Core Intensity." Journal of Naritasan Institute for Buddhist Studies, no. 10, Narita, Japan, 1986.
• "Der geistige Mentor als unmittelbares Erlebnis." In Lotusblätter: Zeitschrift für Buddhismus, München, 1991.
• "Prozessdenken und buddhistische Psychologie." In Bodhibaum: Buddhistische Zeitschrift für Gesellschaft und Kultur, Wien 1993.
• "The Intensity-Immensity Singularity - A New Approach to Tantra." In Dhih - Journal of Rare
• "Basic Features of Buddhist Psychology" in John Pickering (ed.), The Authority of Experience: Essays on Buddhism and Psychology (Curzon 1997)
• "The Complexity of the Initial Condition." In The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, vol. 16, no. 2, December 1997..
• "Sound, Color, and Self-Organization." In The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, vol. 17,no. 1, 1998
• "Mandala and/or dkyil-'khor" In The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, 1999
• " 'Yoga' A Tibetan Perspective" In Yoga & World - International Newsletter for Yoga Teachers and Students, no. 11 (October–December 1999) Lower Lake, C.A, In The Cosmic Light - The University of Science & Philosophy Quarterly Magazine, Spring 2000. Vol. 2, no. 2
• "Light - An Emergent Phenomenon." In The Cosmic Light - The University of Science & Philosophy Quarterly Magazine, Autumn 1999, Vol. 1, no. 4
• "The Male-Female Complementarity." In The Cosmic Light - The University of Science & Philosophy Quarterly Magazine, Summer 2000, Vol. 2, no. 3
• "Reflections on Ethics: Cross-cultural Perspective." In The Cosmic Light - The University of Science & Philosophy Quarterly Magazine, Winter 2001, Vol. 3, no. 1
• "The Lama: From Authenticity to Theatrics." In The Cosmic Light - The University of Science & Philosophy Quarterly Magazine, Spring 2001, Vol. 3, no. 2
• "Three, Two, Five." In Journal of Integral Studies in Consciousness, Culture, Science, Spring 2000, vol. 1
• "The Homology of Emotionality and Rationality, Part I", Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies (Number One, 2005), Nalanda College of Buddhist Studies, Toronto

Translations

• Long-chen-pa, "The Natural Freedom of Mind" in Crystal Mirror IV (Dharma Press, 1975)
• Klong-chen rab-'byams-pa, "Now That I Come to Die" in Crystal Mirror V (Dharma Press, 1977)
• All book entries designated "trans" (above)

Forewords

• Allan Combs, The Radiance of Being: Complexity, Chaos and the Evolution of Consciousness (Paragon 1995)
• Eva M. Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet (Motilal, 1978)
• Tarthang Tulku, Time, Space, and Knowledge (Dharma Press, 1977)
• Lama Mipham, Calm and Clear (Dharma Press, 1973)

Further reading

Print publications:

• Buddhist Thought and Asian Civilization: Essays in Honor of Herbert V. Guenther on His Sixtieth Birthday. Leslie S. Kawamura and Keith Scott (eds.) (Dharma Press, 1977). (This book has a bibliography of Günther's works up to that point.) Cambridge University Press info page

Web publications:

• Ilse Guenther, Herbert Guenther: Striving for Insight and Understanding, Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies
• Leslie S. Kawamura, Reflections on the Life of Dr. Herbert V. Guenther, The Snow Lion Newsletter
• Steven Goodman, Death of a Pioneer, Lion's Roar
• Herbert V. Guenther, Buddha Nature: A Tsadra Foundation Initiative
• Herbert V. Guenther, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
• Category:HVG_Glossary, Rigpa Shedra Wiki (shows Guenther's translation choices for selected Tibetan terms)
• Herbert V. Guenther, Wikipedia
• Short biography, herbertguenther.com
• "Herbert V. Guenther". interdependentscience.com. 
• Listing of books by isbn
• Books published by Dharma Publishing