DOCSLIB.ORG

Language Tibetan and (Mandarin) Chinese

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

© Lonely Planet Publications 357 Language CONTENTS TIBETAN Tibetan is a member of the Tibeto-Burman Tibetan 357 family of languages, and is spoken in Tibet The Written Language 357 and within exiled communities of Tibetans. Pronunciation 358 Lhasa dialect, the standard form of Tibetan, Accommodation 358 employs a system of rising and falling tones, Health & Emergencies 359 but the differences are subtle and meaning Conversation & Essentials 359 is made clear by context. Beginners need not Directions 359 worry about them. Language Difficulties 359 Like Chinese, Tibetan has no articles (a, Numbers 359 the) and doesn’t use plurals. Here the simi- Shopping & Services 360 larity ends, however. Tibetan differs from Time & Dates 360 European and Chinese languages, as it has Transport 360 a subject-object-verb sentence structure. Mandarin 361 Thus, where in English we would say ‘I see Pronunciation 361 John’ (subject-verb-object), in Tibetan the Accommodation 361 sentence is nga John thong gi duk, (‘I John Conversation & Essentials 362 see’, subject-object-verb). In another Directions 362 marked difference from Chinese, Tibetan Emergencies 362 has tenses and conjugates its verbs with Health 362 particles. There’s also a fairly complicated Language Difficulties 363 Numbers 363 system of prepositions (words like ‘in’ and Paperwork 363 ‘on’). Shopping & Services 363 If all this makes Tibetan sound extremely Time & Dates 363 difficult to pick up on the road, don’t fret; Transport 364 providing you relax a little, it’s fairly easy to get together a basic repertoire of phrases that will win you friends and help to get The two principal languages of Tibet are things done. For information on language Tibetan and (Mandarin) Chinese. The im- courses, see p316. Lonely Planet’s Tibetan LANGUAGE portance of Chinese is an unfortunate real- Phrasebook, which includes sections on ity in Tibet, and all Tibetans undertaking trekking, visiting temples and handicrafts, higher studies do so in Chinese. In urban is also recommended. Tibet (the countryside is another matter) almost all Tibetans speak Chinese. Never- THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE theless, even if you have studied or picked The Tibetan script was developed during the reign of Songtsen Gampo in the 7th up some Chinese in China, it’s worth trying century. It was founded on Indian models to get a few phrases of Tibetan together. It and comprises 30 basic letters including the will be much appreciated by the Tibetans vowel ‘a’, and four extra vowel signs for ‘e’, you encounter on your travels. ‘i’, ‘o’ and ‘u’. Each letter can be written in Linguistically, Chinese and Tibetan have three different styles, depending on the very little in common. They use different context in which a text is to be used. This sentence structures, and the tonal element is 7th-century Tibetan script was based on the far less crucial in Tibetan than in Chinese. language spoken in Tibet at the time, and Also, unlike the dialects of China, Tibetan spellings have never been revised since. As has never used Chinese characters for its a result of significant changes in spoken written language. Tibetan over the last 12 centuries, written 358 TIBETAN •• Pronunciation lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com TIBETAN •• Health & Emergencies 359 My name is ... – and yours? TIBETAN TREKKING ESSENTIALS HEALTH & EMERGENCIES ngai ming-la ... sa, a- ni kerâng-gi tsenla kare ray? How many hours to ...? I have altitude sickness. Help! ... ... rog nângda! Is it OK to take a photo? ... bahtu chutsö kâtsay gogiray nga lâdu nagi Fire! par gyâbna digiy-rebay? I want to rent a (yak/horse). I must get to low ground as quickly as possible. may bahgi! / Thief! Where are you from? nga (yâk/ta)-chig lagöyö nga sa mahsa gâng gyokgyok joh gokidu kuma du! kerâng loong-pa ka-ne yin? I need a porter. Go away! Slowly, slowly! kalee kalee phah gyuk! nga dohbo khukhen-chig gö Let's go! ta doh I’m ill. I’m from ... nga ... ne yin ... I need a guide. nga nagidu Australia autaliya sleeping bag nye-koog tent gur It’s an emergency. Canada canada nga lâmgyü chaykhen-chig gö road/trail lam za dâgpo ray! New Zealand shinshilen How much does it cost per day? mountain ri Call a doctor! UK injee loongpa âmchi kay tongda! cave dâgphuk USA amerika nyima rayrayla laja kâtsay ray? Call the police! Which way to ...? pass la river tsângpo korsoong-wa kay tongda! Yes & No ... I’m lost. ... dohyagi lâmga kagiray? valley loong shong There are no words in Tibetan that are the nga lâmga lasha direct equivalents of English ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Is this the trail to ...? lake tso hot spring chu-tsen Where are the toilets? Although it won’t always be correct, you’ll ... sângchö kabâh yöray? di ... dohyagi lâmga rebay? north châng be understood if you use la ong for ‘yes’ and What is the next village on the trail? south lho hospital menkhâng la men for ‘no’. east shâr diarrhoea dröko shewa lâmga tenay chin-na dângpo loongpa karay lebkiray? west noob fever tsawa DIRECTIONS Where is the ...? ... Do you have a room available? Tibetan and spoken Tibetan are very differ- oo as in ‘soon’ ... kabâh yö ray? khâng mi yöbay? ent, and the development of a transliteration ö similar to the ‘u’ in ‘put’ I’m looking for ... system for use by speakers of European lan- u as in ‘rude’ ... guages is a formidable task. ü similar to the ‘u’ in ‘flute’ How much is it for one night? ... ka-bâh yö-may mik tagiyö In this book we’ve generally chosen the tsen chik la katsö ray? most commonly used spelling of each term. Consonants right yeba In cases where there is wide disagreement, With the exception of the examples listed I’d like to stay with a Tibetan family. left yönba we have chosen the spelling that’s easiest to below, Tibetan consonants should be pro- nga böpay mi-tsâng nyâmdo dendö yö straight ahead shar gya LANGUAGE pronounce. nounced as in English. Where a consonant is followed by an h, it means that the con- I need some hot water. LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES PRONUNCIATION sonant is aspirated (accompanied by a puff ngala chu tsapo gö Do you speak English? Tibetan has some tricky sounds for English of air). An English example of this might be LANGUAGE speakers – there are quite a few consonant ‘kettle’, where the ‘k’ is aspirated and the ‘tt’ injeeke shing gi yö pe? clusters, and, like Korean and Thai, Tibetan is non-aspirated. The distinction is fairly CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS Do you speak English? makes an important distinction between important, but in simple Tibetan the con- Hello. tashi dele aspirated and non-aspirated consonants. text should make it clear what you are talk- Goodbye. kalee pay kayrâng injikay shing-gi yöbay ing about. (when staying) I don’t understand. Vowels Goodbye. kalee shu The following pronunciation guide is based ky as the ‘kie’ in ‘Kiev’ (when leaving) ha ko masong on standard British pronunciation. ng as the ‘ng’ in ‘sing’ Thank you. tujay chay I understand. r like a slightly trilled ‘r’ Sorry. gonda a as in ‘father’ ts as the ‘ts’ in ‘bits’ I want ... ... nga la ... gö ha kosong ay as in ‘play’ good yâg-po e as in ‘met’ ACCOMMODATION NUMBERS ee as in ‘meet’ Where’s a ...? ... ... kabâh yöray? What’s your name? 1 chik i as in ‘begin’ guesthouse dhön khâng kerâng gi tsenla kare ray? 2 nyi o as in ‘go’ hotel drü-khâng 3 soom 360 TIBETAN •• Shopping & Services lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com MANDARIN •• Pronunciation 361 4 shi ian as in ‘yen’ 5 nga SIGNS – TIBETAN MANDARIN iao as in the exclamation ‘yow!’ 6 doog nyen-ga Danger ie as in ‘pier’ Travellers going from China into Tibet or 7 dün zü-sa Entrance o as in ‘or’ 8 gye from Tibet onwards into China are well ad- ou as the ‘oa’ in ‘boat’ dönsa Exit vised to pick up a Chinese phrasebook such 9 gu kah kag Stop u as in ‘flute’ after j, q, x or y 10 chu as Lonely Planet’s Mandarin Phrasebook. It u as in ‘rude’ when preceded by other go-chay Open should help you through most of your travel 11 chu chik go-gyâb Closed consonants 12 chu nyi needs, in both Tibet and China. ü as the ‘u’ in ‘flute’ pah gyâb michok No Photographs 13 chok sum thama ten michok No Smoking ui as the word ‘way’ 14 chu shi PRONUNCIATION uo as the word ‘war’ sâng chö Toilets The dialects of China are tonal, which 15 chö nga means that variations in vocal pitch within 16 chu dug Consonants words are used to determine their meaning. 17 chu dun Many Mandarin consonants are pronounced TRANSPORT When learning Mandarin Chinese, the 18 chob gye I want to go to ... differently from their English equivalents. standard example given to demonstrate the 19 chu gu ... principle of its four tones is ma: Some pairs of consonants have the same 20 nyi shu nga ... la drondö yö pronunciation as each other (eg q and c 21 nyi shu tsa chik Can I get there on foot? high tone: mā – ‘mother’ sound the same), but the sound of the fol- 30 soom chu rising tone: má – ‘hemp’ or ‘numb’ lowing vowel changes depending on which 40 shib chu phagay gompa gyâbnay leb thoobki rebay? ci falling-rising tone: mǎ – ‘horse’ is used. Thus is pronounced ‘tser’, while 50 nga chu Where is the bus going? falling tone: mà – ‘scold’ or ‘swear’ qi is pronounced ‘tsee’. There are three 60 doog chu c/q j z such pairs of consonants in Pinyin: , / , 70 dün chu mota-di kabâh dohgi ray Pinyin and s/x.
Recommended publications
  • OM MANI PADME HUM the Jewel Is in the Lotus Or Praise to the Jewel In

    OM MANI PADME HUM the Jewel Is in the Lotus Or Praise to the Jewel In

    On the meaning of: OM MANI PADME HUM The jewel is in the lotus or praise to the jewel in the lotus by His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso The Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet It is very good to recite the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM, but while you are doing it, you should be thinking on its meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast. The first, OM, is composed of three pure letters, A, U, and M. These symbolize the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech and mind of a Buddha. Can impure body, speech and mind be transformed into pure body, speech and mind, or are they entirely separate? All Buddhas are cases of being who were like ourselves and then in dependence on the path became enlightened; Buddhism does not assert that there is anyone who from the beginning is free from faults and possesses all good qualities. The development of pure body, speech, and mind comes from gradually leaving the impure states and their being transformed into the pure. How is this done? The path is indicated by the next four syllables. MANI, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factor of method- the altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love. Just as a jewel is capable of removing poverty, so the altruistic mind of enlightenment is capable of removing the poverty, or difficulties, of cyclic existence and of solitary peace. Similarly, just as a jewel fulfills the wishes of sentient beings, so the altruistic intention to become enlightened fulfills the wishes of sentient beings.
  • Tibet Under Chinese Communist Rule

    Tibet Under Chinese Communist Rule

    TIBET UNDER CHINESE COMMUNIST RULE A COMPILATION OF REFUGEE STATEMENTS 1958-1975 A SERIES OF “EXPERT ON TIBET” PROGRAMS ON RADIO FREE ASIA TIBETAN SERVICE BY WARREN W. SMITH 1 TIBET UNDER CHINESE COMMUNIST RULE A Compilation of Refugee Statements 1958-1975 Tibet Under Chinese Communist Rule is a collection of twenty-seven Tibetan refugee statements published by the Information and Publicity Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1976. At that time Tibet was closed to the outside world and Chinese propaganda was mostly unchallenged in portraying Tibet as having abolished the former system of feudal serfdom and having achieved democratic reforms and socialist transformation as well as self-rule within the Tibet Autonomous Region. Tibetans were portrayed as happy with the results of their liberation by the Chinese Communist Party and satisfied with their lives under Chinese rule. The contrary accounts of the few Tibetan refugees who managed to escape at that time were generally dismissed as most likely exaggerated due to an assumed bias and their extreme contrast with the version of reality presented by the Chinese and their Tibetan spokespersons. The publication of these very credible Tibetan refugee statements challenged the Chinese version of reality within Tibet and began the shift in international opinion away from the claims of Chinese propaganda and toward the facts as revealed by Tibetan eyewitnesses. As such, the publication of this collection of refugee accounts was an important event in the history of Tibetan exile politics and the international perception of the Tibet issue. The following is a short synopsis of the accounts.
  • The Meaning of the Short Chenrezig Mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum

    The Meaning of the Short Chenrezig Mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum

    Kopan Monastery Prayers and Practices Downloaded from www.kopanmonastery.com The Meaning Of The Short Chenrezig Mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum MANI is method, PADME is wisdom; so MANI PADME is method-wisdom. Buddha revealed the lesser vehicle teachings, the Mahayana paramitayana teachings and the mahayana vajrayana teachings. There is method-wisdom in the lesser vehicle teachings, method-wisdom in the mahayana paramitayana teachings and method-wisdom in the mahayana Vajrayana teachings. So MANI PADME contains everything: the hinayana lesser vehicle teachings of method-wisdom, the mahayana paramitayana method-wisdom and the mahayana vajrayana method-wisdom. By practising method-wisdom together, as signified by MANI PADME, one purifies the stains of body, speech and mind. This is signified by the OM - A U MA - these three sounds integrate to make OM, which signifies the vajra holy body, holy speech and holy mind of Buddha. By practising the method-wisdom signified by MANI PADME together, one purifies one's own ordinary body, speech and mind and they become inseparable from Buddha's vajra holy body, holy speech and holy mind. So the OM - AH U MA - signifies the three vajras. Then, MANI PADME also signifies the mahaanuttarayoga tantra path. What I explained before is general. Now, more specifically, by depending on the path of the generation stage, which is the method of the profound secret mantra that ripens the mind, and on the completion stage, which liberates the mind, you can cease the circle of suffering, the base-time ordinary birth, death and intermediate state; actualize the path-time dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya; and achieve the result-time dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya.
  • Chenrezig Practice

    Chenrezig Practice

    1 Chenrezig Practice Collected Notes Bodhi Path Natural Bridge, VA February 2013 These notes are meant for private use only. They cannot be reproduced, distributed or posted on electronic support without prior explicit authorization. Version 1.00 ©Tsony 2013/02 2 About Chenrezig © Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in Heart Treasure of the Enlightened One. ISBN-10: 0877734933 ISBN-13: 978-0877734932 In the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon of enlightened beings, Chenrezig is renowned as the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Avalokiteshvara is the earthly manifestation of the self born, eternal Buddha, Amitabha. He guards this world in the interval between the historical Sakyamuni Buddha, and the next Buddha of the Future Maitreya. Chenrezig made a a vow that he would not rest until he had liberated all the beings in all the realms of suffering. After working diligently at this task for a very long time, he looked out and realized the immense number of miserable beings yet to be saved. Seeing this, he became despondent and his head split into thousands of pieces. Amitabha Buddha put the pieces back together as a body with very many arms and many heads, so that Chenrezig could work with myriad beings all at the same time. Sometimes Chenrezig is visualized with eleven heads, and a thousand arms fanned out around him. Chenrezig may be the most popular of all Buddhist deities, except for Buddha himself -- he is beloved throughout the Buddhist world. He is known by different names in different lands: as Avalokiteshvara in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, as Kuan-yin in China, as Kannon in Japan.
  • Opening Speech Liao Yiwu

    Opening Speech Liao Yiwu

    About the 17th Karmapa Liao Yiwu On the morning of 4 June, 1989, a contingent of over two hundred thousand soldiers surrounded the Chinese capital of Beijing, where they opened fire on unarmed protesters in a massacre at Tiananmen Square that shook the entire world. On 5 March of that same year, there had been another large massacre in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, news of this earlier event had been effectively suppressed. Because of the absence of the Western news media, the PLA’s cold- blooded killing of Tibetan protesters was never recorded on camera. The holy city of Lhasa was about ten times smaller than Beijing at that time, and Bajiao Square where the massacre took place was about ten times smaller than Tiananmen Square, and yet over ten thousand peaceful protesters assembled in that narrow square, where they clashed with some fifteen thousand heavily-armed soldiers. As a result of this encounter, more than three hundred civilians lost their lives, another three thousand were imprisoned, and the “worst offenders” were subsequently sentenced to death. The Jokhang Temple located next to the Potala Palace was attacked and occupied by army troops because it was flying the Snow Lion Flag of Tibetan independence, and it was burned to the ground along with its precious copy of the Pagoda Scriptures, a text which symbolizes the dignity of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. Tens of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists stood in the street bewailing the loss of their sacred text, and the lamas continually tried to rush into the burning temple to rescue the scriptures, but were shot down amidst the flames.
  • The Mirror 84 January-February 2007

    The Mirror 84 January-February 2007

    THE MIRROR Newspaper of the International Dzogchen Community JAN/FEB 2007 • Issue No. 84 NEW GAR IN ROMANIA MERIGAR EAST SUMMER RETREAT WITH CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU RETREAT OF ZHINE AND LHAGTHONG ACCORDING TO ATIYOGA JULY 14-22, 2007 There is a new Gar in Romania called Merigar East. The land is 4.5 hectares and 600 meters from the Black Sea. The Gar is 250 meters from a main road and 2 kilometers from the nearest village called the 23rd of August (the day of liberation in World War II); it is a 5-minute walk to the train station and a 10-minute walk to the beach. There are small, less costly hotels and pensions and five star hotels in tourist towns and small cities near by. There is access by bus, train and airplane. Inexpensive buses go up and down the coast. There is an airport in Costanza, 1/2 hour from the land, and the capital, Bucharest, 200 kilometers away, offers two international airports. At present we have only the land, but it will be developed. As of January 2007 Romania has joined the European Union. Mark your calendar! The Mirror Staff Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in the Tashigar South Gonpa on his birthday N ZEITZ TO BE IN INSTANT PRESENCE IS TO BE BEYOND TIME The Longsal Ati’i Gongpa Ngotrod In this latest retreat, which was through an intellectual analysis of CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU Retreat at Tashigar South, Argentina transmitted all around the world by these four, but from a deep under- SCHEDULE December 26, 2006 - January 1, 2007 closed video and audio webcast, standing of the real characteristics thanks to the great efforts and work of our human existence.
  • And Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet

    And Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet

    Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2012 The Raven and the Serpent: "The Great All- Pervading R#hula" Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet Cameron Bailey Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES THE RAVEN AND THE SERPENT: “THE GREAT ALL-PERVADING RHULA” AND DMONIC BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND TIBET By CAMERON BAILEY A Thesis submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Religion Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2012 Cameron Bailey defended this thesis on April 2, 2012. The members of the supervisory committee were: Bryan Cuevas Professor Directing Thesis Jimmy Yu Committee Member Kathleen Erndl Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii For my parents iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank, first and foremost, my adviser Dr. Bryan Cuevas who has guided me through the process of writing this thesis, and introduced me to most of the sources used in it. My growth as a scholar is almost entirely due to his influence. I would also like to thank Dr. Jimmy Yu, Dr. Kathleen Erndl, and Dr. Joseph Hellweg. If there is anything worthwhile in this work, it is undoubtedly due to their instruction. I also wish to thank my former undergraduate advisor at Indiana University, Dr. Richard Nance, who inspired me to become a scholar of Buddhism.
  • Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition

    Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition

    REVISED EDITION John Powers ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 1 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 2 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 3 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism revised edition by John Powers Snow Lion Publications ithaca, new york • boulder, colorado ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 4 Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 • Ithaca, NY 14851 USA (607) 273-8519 • www.snowlionpub.com © 1995, 2007 by John Powers All rights reserved. First edition 1995 Second edition 2007 No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free recycled paper. Designed and typeset by Gopa & Ted2, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Powers, John, 1957- Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism / by John Powers. — Rev. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-282-2 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-55939-282-7 (alk. paper) 1. Buddhism—China—Tibet. 2. Tibet (China)—Religion. I. Title. BQ7604.P69 2007 294.3’923—dc22 2007019309 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 5 Table of Contents Preface 11 Technical Note 17 Introduction 21 Part One: The Indian Background 1. Buddhism in India 31 The Buddha 31 The Buddha’s Life and Lives 34 Epilogue 56 2. Some Important Buddhist Doctrines 63 Cyclic Existence 63 Appearance and Reality 71 3. Meditation 81 The Role of Meditation in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism 81 Stabilizing and Analytical Meditation 85 The Five Buddhist Paths 91 4.
  • Restricted Dzogchen Teachings, Part 2: Buddhahood Without Meditation

    Restricted Dzogchen Teachings, Part 2: Buddhahood Without Meditation

    WISDOM ACADEMY Restricted Dzogchen Teachings, Part 2: Buddhahood Without Meditation B. ALAN WALLACE Lesson 7: Quantum Physics, and Vajradhara’s Cosmogony Reference Materials: “The Nine Stages Leading to Shamatha,” “The Five Kayas,” “The Five Facets of Primordial Consciousness,” and the Outlines for Sera Khandro’s, “The Fine Path to Liberation,” and “Garland for the Delight of the Fortunate.” SHAMATHA Shamatha is attained by progressing through the nine stages, relying on the eight antidotes to abandon the five faults. This is accomplished through the six powers and the four mental engagements. Fault Antidote 1. laziness 1. faith 2. aspiration 3. enthusiasm 4. pliancy 2. forgetfulness 5. mindfulness 3. laxity and excitation 6. introspection 4. non-application 7. application 5. over-application 8. equanimity 1. The first stage is attained through the power of hearing. 2. Stage 1: Directed Attention 3. Mindfulness 4. Introspection 5. From here until the seventh stage the flame progressively decreases in size until it becomes absent. This difference denotes the measure of the strength of effort required regarding mindfulness and introspection. 6. The elephant is the mind and the black colour symbolizes laxity. 7. The monkey is the proliferation of thoughts and the black colour symbolizes excitation. 8. The second stage is attained through the power of thinking. 9. Stage 2: Continuous Attention 10. Excitation has the five sense pleasures as its objects. 11. From here, the black colour progressively becomes white. This symbolizes the factor of vividness and the factor of stability progressively increasing. 12. The third and fourth stages are attained through the power of mindfulness.
  • Treasury of Compassion: a Collection of Quotes by Great Masters on the Practice of Chenrezi and His Six-Syllable Mantra

    Treasury of Compassion: a Collection of Quotes by Great Masters on the Practice of Chenrezi and His Six-Syllable Mantra

    Treasury of Compassion: A Collection of Quotes by Great Masters on the Practice of Chenrezi and his Six-Syllable Mantra Compiled by Asanga Vajra Sakya TREASURY OF COMPASSION Preface Lord Buddha Shakyamuni gave us the gift of numerous teachings based upon and according to the karma and disposition of each sentient being. However in degenerate times like these, people are not able to devote their time and efforts to studying the vast teachings and towards practicing the Buddha's valuable teachings. So what can we do to counter the accumulations of negative karma in such times one may ask? The answer quite simply is to recite the Six-Syllable Mantra otherwise known as the Mani Mantra of Bodhisattva Chenrezi. Although a fully enlightened Buddha himself, Chenrezi out of his great compassion, manifested as a Bodhisattva on the tenth level. As a Bodhisattva, he manifests in a number of different emanations amongst us, benefiting sentient beings to this very day. It is said that when the defilements of sentient beings increase during the Degenerate Age, it becomes very difficult for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to help beings. However such Buddhas as Chenrezi, Tara, and Guru Padmasambhava, due to their great compassion and great aspirations, are very effective in such times. Which is why Chenrezi’s practice of the Six-Syllable Mantra, which is the highest and most profound practice of all, also happens to be the easiest of all. The Six-Syllable Mantra is said to contain the essence of all of the Buddha’s teachings in it. It is also said to be the king of all mantras.
  • Herever Possible

    Herever Possible

    Published by Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Central Tibetan Administration Dharamshala-176215 H.P. India Email: [email protected] www.tibet.net Copyright © DIIR 2018 First edition: October 2018 1000 copies ISBN-978-93-82205-12-8 Design & Layout: Kunga Phuntsok / DIIR Printed at New Delhi: Norbu Graphics CONTENTS Foreword------------------------------------------------------------------1 Chapter One: Burning Tibet: Self-immolation Protests in Tibet---------------------5 Chapter Two: The Historical Status of Tibet-------------------------------------------37 Chapter Three: Human Rights Situation in Tibet--------------------------------------69 Chapter Four: Cultural Genocide in Tibet--------------------------------------------107 Chapter Five: The Tibetan Plateau and its Deteriorating Environment---------135 Chapter Six: The True Nature of Economic Development in Tibet-------------159 Chapter Seven: China’s Urbanization in Tibet-----------------------------------------183 Chapter Eight: China’s Master Plan for Tibet: Rule by Reincarnation-------------197 Chapter Nine: Middle Way Approach: The Way Forward--------------------------225 FOREWORD For Tibetans, information is a precious commodity. Severe restric- tions on expression accompanied by a relentless disinformation campaign engenders facts, knowledge and truth to become priceless. This has long been the case with Tibet. At the time of the publication of this report, Tibet has been fully oc- cupied by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for just five months shy of sixty years. As China has sought to develop Tibet in certain ways, largely economically and in Chinese regions, its obsessive re- strictions on the flow of information have only grown more intense. Meanwhile, the PRC has ready answers to fill the gaps created by its information constraints, whether on medieval history or current growth trends. These government versions of the facts are backed ever more fiercely as the nation’s economic and military power grows.
  • High Peaks, Pure Earth

    High Peaks, Pure Earth

    BOOK REVIEW HIGH PEAKS, PURE EARTH COLLECTED WRITINGS ON TIBETAN HISTORY AND CULTURE BY HUGH RICHARDSON A COMPILATION OF A SERIES OF PROGRAMS ON RADIO FREE ASIA TIBETAN SERVICE BY WARREN W. SMITH 1 HIGH PEAKS, PURE EARTH High Peaks, Pure Earth is the title of the collected works on Tibetan history and culture by Hugh Richardson, a British diplomat who became a historian of Tibet. He was British representative in Lhasa from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1946 to 1950, during which time he did many studies on ancient and modern Tibetan history. He wrote numerous articles on Tibetan history and culture, all of which have been published in this book of his collected writings. Hugh Richardson was born in Scotland, a part of Great Britain that bears some similarities to Tibet, both in its environment and in its politics. Scotland has long had a contentious relationship with England and was incorporated only by force into Great Britain. Richardson became a member of the British administration of India in 1932. He was a member of a 1936 British mission to Tibet. Richardson remained in Lhasa to become the first officer in charge of the British Mission in Lhasa. He was in Lhasa from 1936 to 1940, when the Second World War began. After the war he again represented the British Government in Lhasa from 1946 to 1947, when India became independent, after which he was the representative of the Government of India. He left Tibet only in September 1950, shortly before the Chinese invasion. Richardson lived in Tibet for a total of eight years.