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Tibetan Literature: an Analysis

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Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-5, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Tibetan Literature: An Analysis Chiranjib Kar Ph.D Scholar of the Department of Indo-Tibetan Studies, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan-731235 Abstract : Literature communicates the socio- written verbal art forms, and thus it is difficult to cultural status of a group of human being, in every agree on its origin, which can be paired with that of part of the world; literature has been more or less language or writing itself. a mirror of the society because it’s where we find a In content, Indian literature comprises clear reflection of the ancient social, political, everything which is included in the word religious as well as the cultural history of various ‘literature’ in the broadest sense of the term: countries. Apart from the Buddhist point of view, religious and mundane, epic and lyric, dramatic and their Tibetan literature divided into four sections. didactic poetry as well as narrative and scientific Literature belonging to Early Period (Up to 10th prose. Developments in print technology have century C.E.), Middle Period (11th to 18th century allowed an ever growing distribution and C.E.), Modem Period (Up to 1950 C.E.) and proliferation of written works, culminating Contemporary Period (1950 C.E. downwards). in electronic literature. In this article, I have tried to give little light upon the meaning to literature and the Different interpretation of definition of Buddhist Tibetan literature of these four periods Literature from 7th century C.E. (At the time of Thonmi There have been various attempts to define Sambhota) to 20th century C.E. (At the time 14th "literature". Simon and Delyse Ryan2 begin their Dalai Lama Ven. Tenzin Gyatso) and show the attempt to answer the question "What is development of Buddhist Tibetan literature in Literature?" with the observation: course of time. The quest to discover a befitting definition for "literature" is a road that is much travelled, Key Words: Thonmi Sambhota, Padmasambhava, though the point of arrival, if ever reached, is āntarak ita, Kagyur-Tangyur, Four Buddhist seldom satisfactory. Most attempted definitions are School, 14th Dalai Lama Ven. Tenzin Gyatso. broad and vague, and they inevitably change over Ṡ ṣ time. In fact, the only thing that is certain about Literature communicates the socio-cultural status defining literature is that the definition will change. of a group of human being to describe its mind and Concepts of what is literature change over time as face. In every part of the world, literature has been well. Definitions of literature have varied over more or less a mirror of the society because it’s where we find a clear reflection of the ancient time; In Western Europe prior to the eighteenth social, political, religious as well as the cultural century, literature as a term indicated all books and history of various countries. writing. A more restricted sense of the term Literature consists of written productions, emerged during the Romantic period, in which it began to demarcate "imaginative" often restricted to those deemed to have artistic or 3 intellectual value. Etymologically, the term derives literature. Contemporary debates over what from Latin root literatura/ litteratura ("learning, constitutes literature can be seen as returning to the writing, grammar," originally "writing formed with older, more inclusive notion of what constitutes letters," from litera/littera "letter" or handwriting1) literature. Cultural studies, for instance, takes as its was used to refer to all written accounts, but subject of analysis both popular and minority intertwined with the roman concept of cultura: genres, in addition to canonical works. learning or cultivation. The concept has changed meaning over time: nowadays it can broaden to include non- 2 Simon Ryan; Delyse Ryan. "What is Literature?". Foundation: Fundamentals of 1 Meyer, Jim (1997). "What is Literature? A Literature and Drama. Australian Catholic Definition Based on Prototypes". Work Papers of University. Retrieved 9 February 2014. the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of 3 Ross, "The Emergence of "Literature": Making North Dakota Session 41 (1). Retrieved 11 and Reading the English Canon in the Eighteenth February 2014. Century", 406 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Page 379 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-5, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in The value judgment definition of literature The entrance of Bon carried by the priests considers it to exclusively include writing that in the south-west Tibet, as the tradition speaks, possesses high quality or distinction, forming part during the early consolidation of Yar-lungs of the so-called belles-lettres ('fine writing') leadership leaves small literary records to construct tradition.4 This is the definition used in the a separate chapter. A chapter dealing with the Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910– Tibetan literature regarding the ecclesiastic Bon 11) when it classifies literature as "the best precepts does not narrate its early period. The use expression of the best thought reduced to of Zhang-Zhung scripts in the model of ranjana- writing."5 However, this has the result that there is lipi (lanchana or lancha), as claimed by the Bonpo no objective definition of what constitutes priests prior to the innovation of Tibetan scripts "literature"; anything can be literature, and (7th century C.E.), may be hard to substantiate. The anything which is universally regarded as literature Bonpo priests in Dusa (Wyl. ’bru zha; a district in has the potential to be excluded, since value- Tibet) might claim their semblance with the speech judgments can change over time. Brukshi which might have been in Vogue by 2nd Jim Meyer6 considers this a useful century C.E. in the Western County in between the characteristic in explaining the use of the term to down course of the Sindhu and the north-eastern mean published material in a particular field (e.g., border of Iran. "scientific literature"), as such writing must use In 7th century C.E. Thonmi Sambhota language according to particular standards. The (Wyl. thon mi sam bHo ta) is accredited with the problem with the formalist definition is that in authorship of Tri ika Text (Wyl. sum cu pa) and order to say that literature deviates from ordinary verse treatise on grammar (Wyl. rtag kyi ’jug pa) uses of language, those uses must first be as he endeavouredṁṡ to systematize the Trans- identified; this is difficult because "ordinary Himalayan speeches spoken by the inhabitants of language" is an unstable category, differing Western Tibet (Wyl. stod bod). Numerous oral according to social categories and across history.7 traditions about ’dre, srin, khi, gdon, btsan, sgra gtsam, ’bran etc make one inquisitive regarding the The Tibetan literature is divided into four nomenclature of the early Tibetan Literature prior sections: to the growth of ecclesiatism in Tibet. i. Literature belonging to Early Period (Up The advent of Buddhist literature in to 10th century C.E.) Central Tibet and its predominant role through the ii. Literature belonging to Middle Period patronization of the Btsan rulers was well (11th to 18th century C.E.) documented. Also the support of the T’ang iii. Literature belonging to Modem Period emperors of China, the assistance of the Buddhist (Up to 1950 C.E.) teachers from Nepal with the source materials and iv. Literature belonging to Contemporary the influx of the Buddhist erudition for centuries Period (1950 C.E. downwards) paved the path for the Early-Spread (Wyl. snga Literature belonging to Early Period dar) of Buddhism in Tibet. It was the glamorous period of the Tibetans when they could control The stories of Ling Gesar which had been popular over the Central Asian silk routes on the north and in oral traditions may claim the early phase of the Uigyurs and the Arabs in the West. As a result creative composition among the Tibetans and of that the Tibetan language and literature obtained others Tibetan speaking people of Mongolia, China a wide scope to grow. and some people of Indian Himalayas side. The Buddhist literature in Tibetan extends The scriptures which fall on the roof of the in three sections, e.g. translation work (Wyl. yig royal palace of Lha-Tho-Tho-Ri (Wyl. lha tho tho bsgyur), revelations (Wyl. gter ma) and elucidatory ri; 4th century C.E.) probably was a symbolic compilations (Wyl. bstan bcos) by the Tibetan myth. At that time the scriptures were in which Buddhist scholars. language no one knows. In 8th century C.E. Padmasambhava (Wyl. pad ma 'byung gnas) visit Tibet and succeeded in application of the old tantra (Wyl. rnying rgyud) to 4 Eagleton, Literary theory: an introduction, 9 subdue his opponents. He therefore ensured the 5 Biswas, Critique of Poetics, 538 base of Buddhism in Tibet by installing the Samya 6 Meyer, Jim (1997). "What is Literature? A Monastery in Tibet. He and ntarak ita took Definition Based on Prototypes". Work Papers of active part in building this monastery. Padmasambhava carried some ṠSanskritṣ Tantric the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of texts from India and translated there into Tibetan, North Dakota Session 41 (1). Retrieved 11 like Vajramantra-bhiru-sandhimūla-tantra text. It February 2014. was translated by him in collaboration with 7 Eagleton, Literary theory: an introduction, 4 Vairocana. On the other hand ntarak ita Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) ṠPage 380ṣ Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-5, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in preaching the Buddha’s teaching to the people of sgam po) to Khri Ralpacan (Wyl. khri ral pa can), Tibet. in this period over five hundred and fifty one The teachings of kyamuni the Buddha Tibetan and Indian scholars had contributed in the were carried to Tibet in India original since the translation works.
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