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A Christian Catechism in Tibetan

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A Christian Catechism in Tibetan A Christian Catechism in Tibetan An English translation and study of Ippolito Desideri’s Tibetan manuscript The Essence of the Christian Faith Elaine M Robson A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts March 2014 Word count: 74,368. Abstract This thesis is a translation and study of the Italian Jesuit, Ippolito Desideri’s Tibetan manuscript The Essence of the Christian Faith which he wrote towards the end of his five year stay in Tibet (1716-1721). It is the first of his Tibetan works to be translated into English. Desideri’s intention in writing was twofold: Firstly, to explain to Tibetan Buddhist readers why their denial of an intrinsically existent God (rang grub dkon mchog) leads to nihilism. Secondly, he wrote to express in the Tibetan language (in the form of a catechism) something of the nature and character of the triune God, and why belief in him does not destroy the Buddhist understanding of ‘emptiness’, but in fact enhances it. In Desideri’s introduction he explains why he considers the Tibetan Buddhist dGe lugs presentation of ‘emptiness’ to be flawed. He disagrees with their assertion that all things are beginningless and are mere mentally fabricated constructs which are dependent on their ‘basis of designation’. Desideri considers that the existence of the Independent, who is external to the inter-dependent, explains the existence of the inter-dependent; whereas the denial of the Independent leads to the denial of everything. Desideri describes God as the all pervading and compassionate One who sent his Son to liberate people from that which causes them to be shackled and which only perpetuates their ‘ignorance’. Drawing on many highly contextualised illustrations, he presents the main doctrines of the Christian Faith in a way that a Tibetan reader who was hearing about Christianity for the first time could relate to. Desideri sought to reassure his readers the acceptance of the biblical God who necessarily exists intrinsically would not destroy, but would in fact enhance, the dGe lugs understanding of ‘emptiness’ and thereby remove the ‘fall into nihilism’. i copyright © E.M.Robson 2014 Dedication To the people of Tibet: For whom Desideri wrote his Tibetan manuscripts almost three hundred years ago. (1716-1721) ii copyright © E.M.Robson 2014 Acknowledgements I wish to thank my supervisor Professor Paul Williams who has shown a great interest in my research. He has generously and unhesitatingly given me considerable time and support. I am particularly grateful for his guidance as I worked through the first part of Desideri’s manuscript. I am indebted to him for his knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism and for his patience. I also thank Dr Phillip Denwood of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London whose Tibetan language class I attended in 1982. I am grateful for the help he gave me during 1998-2002 when I embarked on my initial examination and research of Desideri’s written documents. Special thanks to my youngest son, Dr Stephen Robson who has always been willing to help me with computer hardware and software challenges, which I have faced during this project. His assistance has been invaluable. Warm thanks to other friends and family members who have been longsuffering as I have so repeatedly spoken of Desideri that I am sometimes teased! This thesis would not have been realised without their openhearted, thoughtful and varied support over many years. I am very grateful to the University of Bristol Disability Services for their generous support and guidance during the time I have been studying in Bristol. Dr Michael Barnes, under whom I studied Interreligious Dialogue at Heythrop College, asked me in 2004 “So is Desideri your hero?” Ten years later I would still agree that he is! iii copyright © E.M.Robson 2014 Author’s declaration I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author. SIGNED: E M Robson. DATE: 30th March 2014. iv copyright © E.M.Robson 2014 Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... i Dedication ............................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ iii Author’s declaration ............................................................................................................................. iiv Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................. viiiviii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................ 1 (1) Early days .................................................................................................................................. 1 (2) Desideri’s five years in Tibet .................................................................................................... 5 (3) Desideri’s forced departure from Tibet ..................................................................................... 8 THE PURPOSE OF THE THESIS ................................................................................................... 10 LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 18 REVIEW OF THE CURRENT LITERATURE ............................................................................... 19 THE ESSENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH .................................................................................. 23 PART ONE ........................................................................................................................................... 23 LAYING THE FOUNDATION ....................................................................................................... 23 PART ONE A ................................................................................................................................... 23 Section Headings: ......................................................................................................................... 23 Desideri’s dedication or prologue ................................................................................................. 24 The need to differentiate between truth and falsehood ................................................................. 29 Everything is empty of intrinsic existence – true or false? ........................................................... 36 The moon and its reflection in a clear lake ................................................................................... 39 Senseless Babble! ......................................................................................................................... 43 An infinite regress of causes that have no starting point .............................................................. 44 Dependent Origination .................................................................................................................. 47 How a heavy object moves ........................................................................................................... 50 The Birth of a Person .................................................................................................................... 51 The illustration of an endless road and its implications ................................................................ 52 The necessity to be touched by a causal efficacy force ................................................................ 53 Emptiness cannot be established without ‘Dependency’ .............................................................. 54 An illustration of a ruler and his vassals ....................................................................................... 55 Disconformity with the Cause ...................................................................................................... 57 Concepts of Upper & Lower, etc .................................................................................................. 58 v copyright © E.M.Robson 2014 An illustration of manufactured objects ........................................................................................ 60 LAYING THE FOUNDATION ....................................................................................................... 62 PART ONE B ................................................................................................................................... 62 Section Headings: ........................................................................................................................
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