DOCSLIB.ORG

Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet THE TSADRA FOUNDATION SERIES Buton's History of Buddhism in India published by Snow Lion, an imprint ofShambhala Publications and Its Spread to Tibet Tsadra Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that contributes to the ongoing development of wisdom and compassion in Western minds by advancing the combined study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Taking its inspiration from the nineteenth-century nonsectarian Tibetan scholar and meditation master Jamgon Kongtriil Lodro Taye, Tsadra Foundation is named ~ Treasury ofPricele ss Scripture after his hermitage in eastern Tibet, Tsadra Rinchen Drak. The foundation's various program areas reflect his values ofexcellence in both scholarship and contemplative Buron Rinchen Drup practice, and the recognition of their mutual complementarity. Tsadra Foundation envisions a flourishing community of Western contempla­ TRANSLATED BY tives and scholar-practitioners who are fully trained in the traditions of Tibetan Lisa Stein and Ngawang Zangpo Buddhism. Ir is our conviction that, grounded in wisdom and compassion, these individuals will actively enrich the world through their openness and excellence. This publication is a part of the Tsadra Foundation's Translation Program, which aims ro make authentic and authoritative texts from the Tibetan traditions avail­ able in English. The Foundation is honored to present the work of its fellows and grantees, individuals of confirmed contemplative and intellectual integrity; how­ ever, their views do not necessarily reflect those of the Foundation. Tsadra Foundation is delighted to collaborate with Shambhala Publications in making these important texts available in the English language. SNOW LION BOST ON & LONDON 2013 Page 153 40 - BUTON'S HI S TORY O F BUDD HISM A BUDDHIST EDUCATION - 41 Further, Texts that refine every affiictive emotion-our enemies­ And protect us from the miserable existences are treatises, Present it coherently and in order. Since they have these qualities of refinement and protection. These two qualities cannot be found in other systems. Such instructions express the Buddha's authorization. Therefore, because treatises provide the ultimate commentary ,: exclusively on the speech of the Buddha and therefore possess ii. The Treatises the qualities of refining and protection, strive diligently to retain This section has three parts: (1) characteristics of a treatise, (2) etymology their meaning. of the word "treatise:' and (3) categories of treatises. c. Categories ofTreatises a. Characteristics of a Treatise This section has five parts: categories of treatises according to their (1) qual­ Authors whose minds are without distraction explain the canon's mean­ ity, (2) function, (3) subject matter, (4) what part of the canon they teach, ing consistent with the path co attaining freedom. The Highest Continuity and (s) a summary of kinds of treatises. states: aa. Treatises Classified by Quality Place on the crown of your head, as you would the Seer's canon, [The teachings of] whoever teaches referring exclusively to the The Main Stages ofAwakening: The Bodhisattvas' Stages presents [treatises] Victor's doctrine in nine categories. The first three are treatises that are meaningless or have With a mind free from distraction, the wrong meaning as opposed to those that are meaningful. The second And (whose teachings] concur with the path to the attainment three are treatises that are misleading or hollow as opposed to those that of freedom. are effective in relieving suffering. The third three are treatises that stress study or debate as opposed to those that emphasize spiritual accomplish­ ment. Among these nine, the final one in each group is sublime; the first b. Etymology ofthe Word "Treatise" two, inferior. The Sanskrit word for treatise is shastra. Shasana means"t o refine.'' [Treatises] Some· count treatises that stress study and debate as a fifth sublime cat­ refine [the reader, changing one] from (the state of an individual immersed egory, but this is incorrect, for Reaching a Definitive Conclusion: A Summary in] emotional affiictions and the three poisons co someone endowed with states that these both consist of non-Buddhist treatises. Therefore, only the the three trainings. Tayi, or tarana, means "to protect." (Treatises] protect final one in each group is sublime since they are taught in the Buddha's canon. from [undesired] results-the miserable realms and the sufferings of exis­ tence. This etymology can also be found in the canon. The Rational System bb. Treatises Classified by Function ofExposition states: In terms offunction, treatises have three categories: treatises that synthesize A treatise is proven by its characteristic, the Buddha's speech. a vast [wealth of information], treatises that reveal the profound, and trea- According to its etymology, it refines (shas) and protects (tra); thus, it is a treatise. ·A note in the text identifies one of these as "Lhopa." Page 154 4l - BUT6N'S HISTORY OF BUDDHISM A BUDDHIST EDUCATION - 43 tises that rectify order. The Discourse on Monastic Discipline is an example Without diligence in the five fields of knowledge of the first; The Ornament ofManifest Realization, of the second; and The Even the noblest person cannot attain omniscience. Ornament ofthe Discourses or The Compendium a/Training, of the third. Therefore, to defeat [challenges], to care for others, And for complete understanding, persevere [in those fields]. cc. Treatises Classified by Subject Matter Grammar and logic pertain to defeating others' [challenges]; medicine and According to subject matter, there are three types of treatise: (r) treatises art pertain to caring for others; and the study ofBuddhi sm pertains to gain­ that present the multiplicity of phenomena [empirical reality], ( z.) treatises ing full understanding. that present the nature of phenomena [absolute reality], and (3) treatises that present freedom and omniscience. Treatises on Logic Treatises on logic contain examinations ofdirect and inferential logic, exclu­ I' Treatises on Empirical Reality sion, examples, and the reasoning of refutation. These were synthesized into This section has two parts: (r) treatises on ordinary topics and (l) treatises six [chapters in] A Compendium ofAll Discourses on Logic and commentar­ on special topics. ies on its intent, including the seven treatises on logic, seven analyses, eight proofs, and seven following texts. Among treatises on logic, three treatises represent the main work, like a a' Treatises on Ordinary Topics . body; four treatises grow from them, like limbs. The first three-commen­ Treatises on ordinary topics include those that address worldly matters and taries toA Drop ofReasoning- present techniques for those of the sharpest, the eighteen kinds of judgment [of humans, animals, and so forth]. Such middle, or lowest degree of acuity to easily realize correct understanding. texts include One Hundred Verses on Knowledge, A Drop ofNourishment far The Kashmiri master Jnanashri did not believe Ascertainment ofDignaga's Individuals, and A Treasury ofVerse. These works constitute the cause for "Compendium ofLogic" to be a commentary to A Compendium ofAll Dis­ states ofuplift and can possibly become the basis for freedom. One Hundred courses on Logic, yet he wrote, "I will elucidate its system." Master Dharmot­ Verses on Knowledge states: tara considered it to be a commentary to A Compendium ofAll Discourses on Logic, which is correct. Ifyou act well in human life, Among the four auxiliary treatises, none enlarge upon the chapter of . The road to the heavens will not be long. direct perception. Two works enlarge upon inferential reasoning (done for When you ascend the stairways of gods and humans, one's own benefit): Drops ofReasons, which defines logical entailments of Freedom will lie nearby. a subject's qualities in general; and Analysis ofRelations, which defines dif­ ficult logical entailments or proofs. Reasoningfar Debate enlarges upon the [Treatises for] judging human beings, horses, elephants, and so forth belong· chapter on aiding others and presents the subjects of the proponent and to this category. opponent in debate, and victory, defeat, and conclusion. Establishing Other Continuums presents that other minds can be understood from [their] speech and that this convention does not contradict the mind-only [per­ b' Treatises on Special Topics spective]. As that text states: Treatises on special topics are works that address the principal fields of knowledge. Ihe Ornament ofthe Discourses states: Seeing one's own body's acts Preceded by the mind, Page 155 44 - BUTON'S HISTORY OF BUDDHISM A BUDDHIST EDUCAT ION - 4 5 One can perceive this in others, and know their minds. The same text states: Mind-only has a similar method (of reasoning]. Who leads [others] to the teachings on the path of intellectual Tibetans who claim that these and other intellectual treatises belong to the theories collection ofobserved phenomena are incorrect since intellectual reasoning Has distanced themselves far from the Sage's doctrine and is found in treatises on logic, whereas observed phenomena are found in has been ruined. treatises on Buddhist knowledge. The Rational System ofExpos ition states: Nevertheless, should the characteristics of the Transcendent Buddha's teachings be altered, Therefore, due to conceptual analysis, It is reasonable to examine that case. Previous (lifetimes'] familiarization, not having performed [nonvircuous aces], Treatises on Sanskrit Grammar And not relying on scriptural
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Thinking in Buddhism: Nagarjuna's Middle
    Thinking in Buddhism: Nagarjuna’s Middle Way 1994 Jonah Winters About this Book Any research into a school of thought whose texts are in a foreign language encounters certain difficulties in deciding which words to translate and which ones to leave in the original. It is all the more of an issue when the texts in question are from a language ancient and quite unlike our own. Most of the texts on which this thesis are based were written in two languages: the earliest texts of Buddhism were written in a simplified form of Sanskrit called Pali, and most Indian texts of Madhyamika were written in either classical or “hybrid” Sanskrit. Terms in these two languages are often different but recognizable, e.g. “dhamma” in Pali and “dharma” in Sanskrit. For the sake of coherency, all such terms are given in their Sanskrit form, even when that may entail changing a term when presenting a quote from Pali. Since this thesis is not intended to be a specialized research document for a select audience, terms have been translated whenever possible,even when the subtletiesof the Sanskrit term are lost in translation.In a research paper as limited as this, those subtleties are often almost irrelevant.For example, it is sufficient to translate “dharma” as either “Law” or “elements” without delving into its multiplicity of meanings in Sanskrit. Only four terms have been left consistently untranslated. “Karma” and “nirvana” are now to be found in any English dictionary, and so their translation or italicization is unnecessary. Similarly, “Buddha,” while literally a Sanskrit term meaning “awakened,” is left untranslated and unitalicized due to its titular nature and its familiarity.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes and Topics: Synopsis of Taranatha's History
    SYNOPSIS OF TARANATHA'S HISTORY Synopsis of chapters I - XIII was published in Vol. V, NO.3. Diacritical marks are not used; a standard transcription is followed. MRT CHAPTER XIV Events of the time of Brahmana Rahula King Chandrapala was the ruler of Aparantaka. He gave offerings to the Chaityas and the Sangha. A friend of the king, Indradhruva wrote the Aindra-vyakarana. During the reign of Chandrapala, Acharya Brahmana Rahulabhadra came to Nalanda. He took ordination from Venerable Krishna and stu­ died the Sravakapitaka. Some state that he was ordained by Rahula­ prabha and that Krishna was his teacher. He learnt the Sutras and the Tantras of Mahayana and preached the Madhyamika doctrines. There were at that time eight Madhyamika teachers, viz., Bhadantas Rahula­ garbha, Ghanasa and others. The Tantras were divided into three sections, Kriya (rites and rituals), Charya (practices) and Yoga (medi­ tation). The Tantric texts were Guhyasamaja, Buddhasamayayoga and Mayajala. Bhadanta Srilabha of Kashmir was a Hinayaist and propagated the Sautrantika doctrines. At this time appeared in Saketa Bhikshu Maha­ virya and in Varanasi Vaibhashika Mahabhadanta Buddhadeva. There were four other Bhandanta Dharmatrata, Ghoshaka, Vasumitra and Bu­ dhadeva. This Dharmatrata should not be confused with the author of Udanavarga, Dharmatrata; similarly this Vasumitra with two other Vasumitras, one being thr author of the Sastra-prakarana and the other of the Samayabhedoparachanachakra. [Translated into English by J. Masuda in Asia Major 1] In the eastern countries Odivisa and Bengal appeared Mantrayana along with many Vidyadharas. One of them was Sri Saraha or Mahabrahmana Rahula Brahmachari. At that time were composed the Mahayana Sutras except the Satasahasrika Prajnaparamita.
    [Show full text]
  • Principles of Logic Roehampton : Printed by John Griffin ^Principles of Logic
    PRINCIPLES OF LOGIC ROEHAMPTON : PRINTED BY JOHN GRIFFIN ^PRINCIPLES OF LOGIC By GEORGE HAYWARD JOYCE, S.J. M.A., ORIEL COLLEGE, OXFORD PROFESSOR OF LOGIC, ST. MARY S HALL, STONYHURST *.r LONGMANS, GREEN & CO 39, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON NEW YORK. BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA 1908 INTRODUCTION THIS work is an attempt at a presentment of what is fre quently termed the Traditional Logic, and is intended for those who are making acquaintance with philosophical questions for the first time. Yet it is impossible, even in a text-book such as this, to deal with logical questions save in connexion with definite metaphysical and epistemolo- gical principles. Logic, as the theory of the mind s rational processes in regard of their validity, must neces sarily be part of a larger philosophical system. Indeed when this is not the case, it becomes a mere collection of technical rules, possessed of little importance and of less interest. The point of view adopted in this book is that of the Scholastic as far as is philosophy ; and compatible with the size and purpose of the work, some attempt has been made to vindicate the fundamental principles on which that philosophy is based. From one point of view, this position should prove a source of strength. The thinkers who elaborated our sys tem of Logic, were Scholastics. With the principles of that philosophy, its doctrines and its rules are in full accord. In the light of Scholasticism, the system is a connected whole ; and the subjects, traditionally treated in it, have each of them its legitimate place.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of Prajna in Buddhism from Early Buddhism to the Prajnaparamita System: with Special Reference to the Sarvastivada Tradition
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 2001 The development of Prajna in Buddhism from early Buddhism to the Prajnaparamita system: with special reference to the Sarvastivada tradition Qing, Fa Qing, F. (2001). The development of Prajna in Buddhism from early Buddhism to the Prajnaparamita system: with special reference to the Sarvastivada tradition (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/15801 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/40730 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The Dcvelopmcn~of PrajfiO in Buddhism From Early Buddhism lo the Praj~iBpU'ranmirOSystem: With Special Reference to the Sarv&tivada Tradition Fa Qing A DISSERTATION SUBMIWED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES CALGARY. ALBERTA MARCI-I. 2001 0 Fa Qing 2001 1,+ 1 14~~a",lllbraly Bibliolheque nationale du Canada Ac uisitions and Acquisitions el ~ibqio~raphiiSetvices services bibliogmphiques The author has granted anon- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pernettant a la National Library of Canada to Eiblioth&quenationale du Canada de reproduce, loao, distribute or sell reproduire, priter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats.
    [Show full text]
  • VT Module6 Lineage Text Major Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
    THE MAJOR SCHOOLS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM By Pema Khandro A BIRD’S EYE VIEW 1. NYINGMA LINEAGE a. Pema Khandro’s lineage. Literally means: ancient school or old school. Nyingmapas rely on the old tantras or the original interpretation of Tantra as it was given from Padmasambhava. b. Founded in 8th century by Padmasambhava, an Indian Yogi who synthesized the teachings of the Indian MahaSiddhas, the Buddhist Tantras, and Dzogchen. He gave this teaching (known as Vajrayana) in Tibet. c. Systemizes Buddhist philosophy and practice into 9 Yanas. The Inner Tantras (what Pema Khandro Rinpoche teaches primarily) are the last three. d. It is not a centralized hierarchy like the Sarma (new translation schools), which have a figure head similar to the Pope. Instead, the Nyingma tradition is de-centralized, with every Lama is the head of their own sangha. There are many different lineages within the Nyingma. e. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is the emphasis in the Tibetan Yogi tradition – the Ngakpa tradition. However, once the Sarma translations set the tone for monasticism in Tibet, the Nyingmas also developed a monastic and institutionalized segment of the tradition. But many Nyingmas are Ngakpas or non-monastic practitioners. f. A major characteristic of the Nyingma tradition is that it is characterized by treasure revelations (gterma). These are visionary revelations of updated communications of the Vajrayana teachings. Ultimately treasure revelations are the same dharma principles but spoken in new ways, at new times and new places to new people. Because of these each treasure tradition is unique, this is the major reason behind the diversity within the Nyingma.
    [Show full text]
  • Ontology of Consciousness
    Ontology of Consciousness Percipient Action edited by Helmut Wautischer A Bradford Book The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England ( 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or me- chanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. MIT Press books may be purchased at special quantity discounts for business or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected] or write to Special Sales Depart- ment, The MIT Press, 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. This book was set in Stone Serif and Stone Sans on 3B2 by Asco Typesetters, Hong Kong, and was printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ontology of consciousness : percipient action / edited by Helmut Wautischer. p. cm. ‘‘A Bradford book.’’ Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-262-23259-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-262-73184-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Consciousness. 2. Philosophical anthropology. 3. Culture—Philosophy. 4. Neuropsychology— Philosophy. 5. Mind and body. I. Wautischer, Helmut. B105.C477O58 2008 126—dc22 2006033823 10987654321 Index Abaluya culture (Kenya), 519 as limitation of Turing machines, 362 Abba Macarius of Egypt, 166 as opportunity, 365, 371 Abhidharma in dualism, person as extension of matter, as guides to Buddhist thought and practice, 167, 454 10–13, 58 in focus of attention, 336 basic content, 58 in measurement of intervals, 315 in Asanga’s ‘‘Compendium of Abhidharma’’ in regrouping of elements, 335, 344 (Abhidharma-samuccaya), 67 in technical causality, 169, 177 in Maudgalyayana’s ‘‘On the Origin of shamanic separation from body, 145 Designations’’ Prajnapti–sastra,73 Action, 252–268.
    [Show full text]
  • Thrangu Rinpoche II.Pdf
    Shenpen Ösel The Clear Light of the Buddha’s Teachings Which Benefits All Beings Volume 4, Number 2 September 2000 Aspiration for the World Over the expanse of the treasured earth in this wide world, May benefit for beings appear like infinite moons’ reflections, Whose refreshing presence brings lasting welfare and happiness To open a lovely array of night-blooming lilies, signs of peace and joy. —The Seventeenth Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje Shenpen Ösel The Clear Light of the Buddha’s Teachings Which Benefits All Beings Volume 4 Number 2 Contents This issue of Shenpen Ösel is primarily devoted to a series of teachings on the Medicine Buddha Sutra given by the Very Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche in the Cascade Mountains in Washington state in June of 1999. Copyright © 2000 Khenchen Thangu Rinpoche. 3 Introduction 4 A Joyful Aspiration: Sweet Melody for Fortunate Ones By the Seventeenth Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje 5 A Song By the Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje 7 The Medicine Buddha Sutra 7 Twelve Extraordinary Aspirations for the Benefit of Sentient Beings 14 The Buddha Shakyamuni Taught This Sutra to Inspire Us to Practice 23 Mudras, or Ritual Gestures, Help to Clarify the Visualization 33 The Benefits of Hearing and Recollecting the Medicine Buddha’s Name 39 Regular Supplication of the Medicine Buddha Brings Protection 48 The Correct View Regarding Both Deities and Maras 59 Somehow Our Buddha Nature Has Been Awakened, and We Are Very Fortunate Indeed 62 The Twelve Great Aspirations of the Medicine Buddha 65 Without Concentration There Is No Spiritual Progress By Lama Tashi Namgyal 69 The Sky-Dragon’s Profound Roar By Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Staff Editorial policy Editor Shenpen Ösel is a tri-annual publication of Kagyu Lama Tashi Namgyal Shenpen Ösel Chöling (KSOC), a center for the study and practice of Tibetan vajrayana Buddhism Copy editors, Transcribers, located in Seattle, Washington.
    [Show full text]
  • Thought and Practice in Mahayana Buddhism in India (1St Century B.C. to 6Th Century A.D.)
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. ISSN 2250-3226 Volume 7, Number 2 (2017), pp. 149-152 © Research India Publications http://www.ripublication.com Thought and Practice in Mahayana Buddhism in India (1st Century B.C. to 6th Century A.D.) Vaishali Bhagwatkar Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal (M.P.) India Abstract Buddhism is a world religion, which arose in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now in Bihar, India), and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who was deemed a "Buddha" ("Awakened One"). Buddhism spread outside of Magadha starting in the Buddha's lifetime. With the reign of the Buddhist Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the Buddhist community split into two branches: the Mahasaṃghika and the Sthaviravada, each of which spread throughout India and split into numerous sub-sects. In modern times, two major branches of Buddhism exist: the Theravada in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, and the Mahayana throughout the Himalayas and East Asia. INTRODUCTION Buddhism remains the primary or a major religion in the Himalayan areas such as Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal, and the Lahaul and Spiti areas of upper Himachal Pradesh. Remains have also been found in Andhra Pradesh, the origin of Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism has been reemerging in India since the past century, due to its adoption by many Indian intellectuals, the migration of Buddhist Tibetan exiles, and the mass conversion of hundreds of thousands of Hindu Dalits. According to the 2001 census, Buddhists make up 0.8% of India's population, or 7.95 million individuals. Buddha was born in Lumbini, in Nepal, to a Kapilvastu King of the Shakya Kingdom named Suddhodana.
    [Show full text]
  • Red Lion-Face Dakini Feast Gathering on the 25Th Day of Each Lunar Month
    NYINGMA KATHOK BUDDHIST CENTRE PRAYER TEXT RED LION-FACE DAKINI FEAST GATHERING ON THE 25TH DAY OF EACH LUNAR MONTH PAGE 1 VERSES OF SUPPLICATION TO THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS ARYAS When commencing any activity, by reciting these verses of auspiciousness once at the start, the activity will be accomplished smoothly and in accordance with one’s wishes. Therefore these verses should be given attention to. OM NANG SID NAM DAG RANG ZHIN LHUN DRUB PI TA SHI CHHOG CHUI ZHING NA ZHUG PA YI SANG GYE CHHO TANG GEN DUN PHAG PI TSHOG KUN LA CHHAN TSHAL DAG CHAG TA SHI SHOG Om, To the Buddhas, the Dharmas and Sanghas, The aryan assembly dwelling in the auspicious realms in the ten directions Where apparent existences are pure and spontaneously existent, I prostrate to them all and thus may there be auspiciousness for us all. DRON MI GYAL PO TSAL TEN THON DRUB GONG JAM PI GYEN PAL GE THRAG PAL DAM PA KUN LA GONG PA GYA CHHER THRAG PA CHEN King Of The Lamp, Enlightened Mind Of Stable Power Accomplishing Aims, Glorious Adornment Of Love, Glorious Sacred One Whose Virtues Are Renowned, Vastly Renowned In Giving Attention To All, PAGE 2 LHUN PO TAR PHAG TSAL THRAG PAL TANG NI SEM CHEN THAM CHE LA GONG THRAG PI PAL YID TSHIM DZED PA TSAL RAB THRAG PAL TE TSHEN TSAM THO PE TA SHI PAL PHEL WA DE WAR SHEG PA GYED LA CHHAN TSHAL LO Glorious One Renowned As Strong And Exalted Like Sumeru, Glorious One Renowned In Giving Attention To All Sentient Beings, Glorious One Renowned As Strong And Exalted Who Satisfies Beings' Minds, Merely hearing your names increases auspiciousness and success, Homage to the eight Sugatas.
    [Show full text]
  • VEIL of KASHMIR Poetry of Travel and Travail in Zhangzhungpa’S 15Th-Century Kāvya Reworking of the Biography of the Great Translator Rinchen Zangpo (958- 1055 CE)
    VEIL OF KASHMIR Poetry of Travel and Travail in Zhangzhungpa’s 15th-Century Kāvya Reworking of the Biography of the Great Translator Rinchen Zangpo (958- 1055 CE) by Dan Martin n November of 1987, I visited Samten G. Karmay at his office, then on Rue du Président Wilson in Paris. With over twenty I years’ distance, and indeed that many years older, it is difficult to recall exactly what words were spoken during that meeting. As you get older you tend to look back on your past and identify particular turning points, discerning paths both taken and not taken. You are forced to become a historian of your own life. Suspended as I was in a veritable bardo between the incipient stages of that dreaded academic disease known as dissertationitis at a North American university and my second and longest sojourn in South Asia, I do not believe I was aware at the time just how important this meeting would be for setting me steadily on a course of research into 11th- and 12th-century Tibetan history, and especially the history of the Bon religion. In a word, it was inspirational. In 1996, the last week of June, I attended a conference in the Spiti valley, quite near the border with Tibet, in Himachal Pradesh. It was a very long and tiring but eventful three-day bus trip from Delhi via Simla and Kinnaur. This conference was intended as a millennial cele- bration for Tabo Monastery’s founding by Rinchen Zangpo in 996 CE. So needless to say, many of the papers were devoted to the Great Translator.
    [Show full text]
  • Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava Essay
    Mirrors of the Heart-Mind - Eight Manifestations of Padmasam... http://huntingtonarchive.osu.edu/Exhibitions/sama/Essays/AM9... Back to Exhibition Index Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava (Image) Thangka, painting Cotton support with opaque mineral pigments in waterbased (collagen) binder exterior 27.5 x 49.75 inches interior 23.5 x 34.25 inches Ca. 19th century Folk tradition Museum #: 93.011 By Ariana P. Maki 2 June, 1998 Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, Padmakara, or Tsokey Dorje, was the guru predicted by the Buddha Shakyamuni to bring the Buddhist Dharma to Tibet. In the land of Uddiyana, King Indrabhuti had undergone many trials, including the loss of his young son and a widespread famine in his kingdom. The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara felt compassion for the king, and entreated the Buddha Amitabha, pictured directly above Padmasambhava, to help him. From his tongue, Amitabha emanated a light ray into the lake of Kosha, and a lotus grew, upon which sat an eight year old boy. The boy was taken into the kingdom of Uddiyana as the son of King Indrabhuti and named Padmasambhava, or Lotus Born One. Padmasambhava grew up to make realizations about the unsatisfactory nature of existence, which led to his renunciation of both kingdom and family in order to teach the Dharma to those entangled in samsara. Over the years, as he taught, other names were bestowed upon him in specific circumstances to represent his realization of a particular aspect of Buddhism. This thangka depicts Padmasambhava, in a form also called Tsokey Dorje, as a great guru and Buddha in the land of Tibet.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tibetan Translation of the Indian Buddhist Epistemological Corpus
    187 The Tibetan Translation of the Indian Buddhist Epistemological Corpus Pascale Hugon* As Buddhism was transmitted to Tibet, a huge number of texts were translated from Sanskrit, Chinese and other Asian languages into Tibetan. Epistemological treatises composed by In­ dian Buddhist scholars – works focusing on the nature of »valid cognition« and exploring peripheral issues of philosophy of mind, logic, and language – were, from the very beginning, part of the translated corpus, and had a profound impact on Tibetan intellectual history. This paper looks into the progression of the translation of such works in the two phases of the diffusion of Buddhism to Tibet – the early phase in the seventh to the ninth centuries and the later phase starting in the late tenth century – on the basis of lists of translated works in various catalogues compiled in these two phases and the contents of the section »epistemo­ logy« of canonical collections (Tenjur). The paper inquires into the prerogatives that directed the choice of works that were translated, the broader or narrower diffusion of existing trans­ lations, and also highlights preferences regarding which works were studied in particular contexts. I consider in particular the contribution of the famous »Great translator«, Ngok Loden Shérap (rngog blo ldan shes rab, 1059­1109), who was also a pioneer exegete, and discuss some of the practicalities and methodology in the translation process, touching on the question of terminology and translation style. The paper also reflects on the status of translated works as authentic sources by proxy, and correlatively, on the impact of mistaken translations and the strategies developed to avoid them.
    [Show full text]