This dissertation presents a complete translation and critical edition of the autobiography of the Tibetan Buddhist lama Yol mo Bstan 'dzin nor bu (1598-1644). Entitled The Sarangi with the Vajra Sound, Bstan 'dzin nor bu's autobiography provides a unique perspective on the religious, cultural, and political contexts of the early seventeenth century. A series of essays addressing important themes in the autobiography introduces the translation through critical readings placing the text within the wider fields of Buddhist literature, doctrine, and practice. Chapter One considers the tension between the doctrine of the emanation body (sprul sku) and the social institution of the recognized rebirth (yang srid) through the autobiographical account of Bstan 'dzin nor bu's childhood. The author's literary reconstructions of his memories of present and previous lives are explored as grounds for an analysis that seeks to recover the salience of individual agency as a factor in social and religious history. Chapter Two examines the categories of monk and the tantric priest (sngags pa) through a review of their role as an organizing dichotomy in representations of Tibetan Buddhism. The stark opposition and antipathy generally afforded to these two religious occupations is challenged through a close reading of Bstan 'dzin nor bu's account of his transformation from the former to the latter. This reading reveals that Bstan 'dzin nor bu addresses this shift not in terms of doctrinal view or soteriological practice, but rather in terms of physical comportment and social identity. Chapter Three addresses Bstan 'dzin nor bu's career as a sngags pa by focusing upon his interactions with several of the leading political figures of his time. Chapter Four offers reflections on the author's stated reasons for composing the autobiography and revisits the questions of memory, agency, and identity raised in the previous essays. Chapter Five consists of a complete translation of The Sarangi with the Vajra Sound. Annotations throughout the translation identify key individuals, institutions, locations, texts, and practices that appear in the autobiography. Chapter Six consists of a critical edition in the Tibetan dbu can script based upon three extant manuscripts in the dbu med script.
