April 29, 2011
April 28, 2011
Six Nails
Six Nails: "
I saw some people arguing about Tilopa on the Internet just the other day. Why people argue about such things, I simply do not know. Tilopa was an actual person, but at this point he is realistically a historical character. Of course, because he is who he is, even to hear of him, or interact with his story, still has the power to liberate. But, you have to be prepared. You cannot just say, 'Oh, I'll read about Tilopa and get liberated.' It usually does not work that way.
Right now, you are just arguing about nothing: things you read in books, or things somebody told you. You are not celebrating anything on the basis of lived-through experience of the nature of your own mind. It is just ridiculous.
"
Today must be Tilopa Day, eh? There is that tendency to romanticize things, but really, it is not necessary.
Just as you are is fine.
To prove it, Tilopa gave Naropa a teaching now memorialized in the Tibetan language as gnad kyi gzer drug: 'Six Nails of Key Points.' We've published it here before, so now we're publishing it again:
Don't recall.
Don't imagine.
Don't think.
Don't examine.
Don't control.
Rest.
I saw some people arguing about Tilopa on the Internet just the other day. Why people argue about such things, I simply do not know. Tilopa was an actual person, but at this point he is realistically a historical character. Of course, because he is who he is, even to hear of him, or interact with his story, still has the power to liberate. But, you have to be prepared. You cannot just say, 'Oh, I'll read about Tilopa and get liberated.' It usually does not work that way.
Right now, you are just arguing about nothing: things you read in books, or things somebody told you. You are not celebrating anything on the basis of lived-through experience of the nature of your own mind. It is just ridiculous.
You have to give up your own kingdom, go out and pound your own oil, and find your own girl.
I say this because Tilopa was born to royalty, but it didn't hold his attention. He tried the monastery, but was kicked out because of some scandal with a woman. He went running around, doing this and that, until a dakini told him to go live with a commercial sex worker in Bengal. In polite discourse, she is usually referred to as a prostitute, but if you place it in proper context, she was a hooker. She worked making sesame oil during the day, and turned tricks at night. Her name was Dharima.
Regardless, Tilopa took the dakini's advice, and went to work for Dharima. During the day, he pounded sesame seeds to make oil. During the night, he provided stability in the midst of proximate instability, according to the arising dynamics of emotional exigencies. Some accounts say he helped Dharima find customers, but these come to us from scholars and priests of a rather different order. As long as grapes keep growing, no hooker alive needs help finding customers.
One fine day, Tilopa seemed to realize something, and this drew a crowd. Dharima was in that crowd, and experienced Tilopa rather differently than she had in the past. She formed the thought that she wished to be his student, and Tilopa perceived this. He threw a flower at her, whereupon she seemed to realize something as well.
The official accounts put this all a bit differently:
When the prostitute who employed Tilopa heard that someone was levitating very high in the sky, she hastened to see who it was. To her surprise she discovered that it was her employee in the sky, and that he was still working for her, even as he hovered, by continuing to grind sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle. She felt ashamed to have given such work to a highly realized being, and with great regret, she confessed this to Tilopa and requested him to accept her as his student. As she mentally made this request, Tilopa threw a flower down to her from the sky. The flower hit her on the head, instantaneously causing her to reach complete realization. She then levitated to the same height as Tilopa.
You can take a lot from that account, such as even though he was 'highly realized,' he was still pounding seeds, looking after Dharima's interests. I'll just bet that got her attention.
Now, although he had contact with Saraha, and Nagarjuna, to name but two, some people say that in ultimate terms, Tilopa never had a human teacher. That seems terribly romantic doesn't it? After he screwed up the government job, and offended organized religion, it was no teacher, and chasing skirts, because 'a dakini told me to.' If we actually knew anybody like that today, we probably would not have very nice things to say about them.
The point is, this business with Tilopa is all historical account. Not everyone agrees on the details. You can find various accounts in the literature, and given the bare bones of the story -- runaway king on spiritual quest meets whore with heart of gold -- I see Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, don't you? Nevertheless, if Tilopa was around right this minute, and he heard you arguing about him, what do you think he would say? This is the man who told Naropa, 'don't recall, don't imagine, don't think, don't examine.'
When you get caught up in the display, and harden into a status, you cannot fly. Then, when you drop dead, and neither the display nor the status maintain continuity anymore, all this time you spent recalling, imagining, thinking, examining, and controlling will be wasted.
What are you doing right now?
"
Senge Dradok
Senge Dradok: "
The form of Guru Sengé Dradok is especially helpful in subduing the irrational energies of black magic as well as at dispelling bad omens and nightmares. If unexpected obstacles suddenly arise, he has the power to neutralize both visible and invisible beings, and to avert natural disasters. Guru Sengé Dradok can pacify all such threats. He is also a strong Buddha for overcoming jealousy. When you stop being jealous, your attitude becomes one of love and compassion. There is nothing obstructing the free radiation of beautiful qualities. Sengé Dradok is a wrathful emanation but his wrath is basically directed toward the destruction of jealousy and greed. It is not accompanied by attachment and clinging; there is nothing to win or lose. Rather, this wrath actively dispels lust and envy. There are many wrathful deities in the Vajrayana, but none of them are angry or emotionally negative. These forms express the intensity of true love and the fierceness of genuine compassion involved in dispelling attachment, ignorance and anger.
"
The form of Guru Sengé Dradok is especially helpful in subduing the irrational energies of black magic as well as at dispelling bad omens and nightmares. If unexpected obstacles suddenly arise, he has the power to neutralize both visible and invisible beings, and to avert natural disasters. Guru Sengé Dradok can pacify all such threats. He is also a strong Buddha for overcoming jealousy. When you stop being jealous, your attitude becomes one of love and compassion. There is nothing obstructing the free radiation of beautiful qualities. Sengé Dradok is a wrathful emanation but his wrath is basically directed toward the destruction of jealousy and greed. It is not accompanied by attachment and clinging; there is nothing to win or lose. Rather, this wrath actively dispels lust and envy. There are many wrathful deities in the Vajrayana, but none of them are angry or emotionally negative. These forms express the intensity of true love and the fierceness of genuine compassion involved in dispelling attachment, ignorance and anger.There is a line from a Vajrakilaya tantra which says, 'The vajra wrath of bodhicitta cuts through and destroys anger.' This is very important to understand. The wrathful nature of Guru Sengé Dradok is totally based upon love and compassion for all sentient beings.
The absolute way to meditate on Guru Sengé Dradok is to transcend jealousy and greed. This will instantly overcome black magic, curses, hexes, nightmares, and unexpected obstacles.
To practice on Guru Sengé Dradok, begin by cultivating a feeling of loving kindness and bodhicitta. Then visualize a dark blue sphere of light within a churning black cloud which transforms into the wisdom rainbow form of Guru Sengé Dradok. His skin color is dark blue and he has one face, two arms and two legs. Wearing a tiger-skin and surrounded by wisdom fire, he stands upon a demon who embodies negative habit energy and black magic. All of this is happening above a lotus surmounted by sun and moon disks. A crown of five skulls sits on his head and his long reddish-yellow hair blows up into the sky. He has three glaring eyes looking upward and four fangs. His right hand holds a flaming, five-pointed vajra high in the air and his left hand makes the subjugation mudra toward the earth. Lightning bolts fly from the tips of his fingers and sometimes you will see eight-spoked iron wheels spinning amidst the flames. Imagine he is chanting with great power, the syllables HUM and PHAT! Like a lion's roar, the deep vibration of his voice shakes the entire world.
Visualize Sengé Dradrog and recite the Vajra Guru Mantra as much as you can while he radiates wisdom lights which dissolve all negativity, black magic, bad omens, nightmares, or anything in the environment that might seem a little strange or unusual. Feel that these obstacles are completely removed by his blessing. Finally, dissolve Sengé Dradok into a dark blue light which merges with your heart center. Remain in meditation as long as you can and then dedicate the merit to all beings.
We excerpted this from a longer work entitled The Eight Emanations of Guru Padmasambhava, by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, Padma Gochen Ling Monterey Tennessee May 1992. You can find the complete transcript of this teaching at the Turtle Hill website.
"
Beacon of Certainty
Beacon of Certainty: "
The late Penor Rinpoche considered John Whitney Pettit's translation of Mipham's Beacon of Certainty to be of such lasting importance that he actually asked to contribute the foreword. Both Dzogchen Ponlob Rinpoche and Traleg Rinpoche highly recommend it to their sudents. Tulku Thondup considers Dr. Pettit's work 'thorough and clear.' I consider it a model for how Dzogchen needs to be translated into English.
This is not a review. This is a plug as shameless as a blood red horse flying down from a cold blue sky.
You can buy this book at discount, direct from the publisher, by clicking here and I really encourage you to do so. Dr. Pettit is extraordinarily gifted, and while his work is certainly well known, eagerly awaited, and deeply respected among Tibetans, he deserves a wider audience in the West.
We may have to get Manny Lamawitz to call his publisher and put some white on the rice.
"
The late Penor Rinpoche considered John Whitney Pettit's translation of Mipham's Beacon of Certainty to be of such lasting importance that he actually asked to contribute the foreword. Both Dzogchen Ponlob Rinpoche and Traleg Rinpoche highly recommend it to their sudents. Tulku Thondup considers Dr. Pettit's work 'thorough and clear.' I consider it a model for how Dzogchen needs to be translated into English.This is not a review. This is a plug as shameless as a blood red horse flying down from a cold blue sky.
You can buy this book at discount, direct from the publisher, by clicking here and I really encourage you to do so. Dr. Pettit is extraordinarily gifted, and while his work is certainly well known, eagerly awaited, and deeply respected among Tibetans, he deserves a wider audience in the West.
We may have to get Manny Lamawitz to call his publisher and put some white on the rice.
"
No Time for Happiness
No Time for Happiness: "
”Even if explanation is given, others misinterpret and will not accept it as truth.
Even if intention is beneficial, candid, and from the heart, they keep their misconceptions
"
”Even if explanation is given, others misinterpret and will not accept it as truth.Even if intention is beneficial, candid, and from the heart, they keep their misconceptions
Behold this age when crooked minded people see honest ones as crooked
The rope of hope and expectation must be cut, since it cannot benefit anyone.
The Victorious One said: 'All phenomena are like magic'
But what greater magic is there than the present age?
Enticing magicians are performing.
Fear the beguiling, hypnotising phantoms of the Kali Yuga.
The Victorious One said: 'All speech is like an echo,'
But now a much greater echo
is hypocritical speech.
Shun these luring words.
Whoever is seen are not human beings, they are deceivers,
Whoever speaks, this is not speech, it is just luring words,
Now there is no longer anyone to trust,
So remain content alone.
If bodily action is in accordance with Dharma, then most people object.
If speech is honest, then most people get angry.
If pure from the heart, then most people consider it a fault.
Now it is time to hide the self-nature.
Hide body and stay in a solitary place.
Hide speech and disengage from conversation.
Hide mind and only watch your own faults.
Therefore be called a hidden yogi.
No one can be trusted, so have aversion.
Nothing has essence so be sorrowful.
Whatever is wished for, there isn’t time to accomplish, so stop wishing.
To be a companion of these three is most beneficial.
Now happiness is exhausted, there is no time for happiness.
Not desiring sorrow, end the age of sorrow by practicing Dharma.
Whether happy or unhappy, know that it comes from karmic force.
Now, have no doubt or expectation in anyone.
Hoping in others with false smiles,
the self pretends with expectation,
doing this and that with hopes and doubts,
Now , when this occurs, do nothing”.
from Patrul Rinpoche’s The Practice of the Essence of the Sublime Heart Jewel: View, Meditation and Action.
"
Tulku: Gesar Mukpo Should Get A Medal For This
Tulku: Gesar Mukpo Should Get A Medal For This: "I wish everyone would watch this:
Write to rinpoche2006@gmail.com
"
Tibetan Feng Shui
Tibetan Feng Shui: "
This is a must read. The academics have somehow managed to inject kinky sex (pinning the supine demoness... heaven knows my heart but she knew me better) and gender studies (she was pinned because monks hate women) into feng shui.
Is that anything like making a mountain out of a molehill?
Seriously though, questions about 'Tibetan Feng Shui' abound, and we have touched upon this here (and here, and here) on DTBA in the past. For the past several months, I have been working on a little book about the subject, and if interest warrants, we may yet publish a few excerpts.
Anyway, this seems like a good opportunity to also mention that the indispensable THDL site is being completely overhauled, and will become the THLIB site in future. I can't explain exactly why this is being done -- on the theory of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' -- but everyone seems to think it is a marvelous idea anyway.
I just came across an interesting article on what the author, Martin A. Mills, calls 'royal Buddhist geomancy' in the December 2007 issue of JIATS, abstract here:
This is a must read. The academics have somehow managed to inject kinky sex (pinning the supine demoness... heaven knows my heart but she knew me better) and gender studies (she was pinned because monks hate women) into feng shui.Is that anything like making a mountain out of a molehill?
Seriously though, questions about 'Tibetan Feng Shui' abound, and we have touched upon this here (and here, and here) on DTBA in the past. For the past several months, I have been working on a little book about the subject, and if interest warrants, we may yet publish a few excerpts.
Anyway, this seems like a good opportunity to also mention that the indispensable THDL site is being completely overhauled, and will become the THLIB site in future. I can't explain exactly why this is being done -- on the theory of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' -- but everyone seems to think it is a marvelous idea anyway.
Write to rinpoche2006@gmail.com
"
Doboom Tulku's Remarks at Translator's Conference
Doboom Tulku's Remarks at Translator's Conference: "
CURRENT STATE OF TRANSLATORS’ WORLD
THE NEED OF THE HOUR
THE NEED OF THE HOUR
Anything that has a noble intent is also difficult. Translation is one such activity which comes from the translator’s desire to bring into the new language, texts or writings of import and significance. But can two languages convey the same idea just as well?
Faced with this challenge, the translator attempts many ways of retaining the original intent. Some undertake a literal translation endangering the meaning. Some go for meaning, but there again lies a catch. Does the translator know enough to uncover the layers of meanings held in the Sanskrit or Pali texts? To translate involves the step of understanding and rewording in the new language. Is the translator fully equipped to do this?
On the basis of the above questions, translations from Buddhist texts, both Sanskrit/Pali, and Tibetan can be put into four categories. The categories are directly related to the environment from which the translators came and the period in which they undertook the exercise.
The first phase is the period of colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent. At this time most of the translators were either missionaries or else those deeply committed to Christianity. While it is creditable that they undertook to translate from other religions, it was inevitable that they brought with them their understanding of Christianity into Buddhism. Kern's early translation of the Lotus Sutra, Saddharmapundarīka, is one of the best or worst examples of this period. He, for example translated the idea of sensual corruption as “the flesh pots of Egypt”; taken out straight from the Bible. Further he went on to unconsciously defeat the core teaching of Buddhism by equating nirvana with death.
Another example is of Rhys David's translations taken from Pali sources. She found, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, an affirmation of the existence of the Soul in the teaching of the Buddha!
Some writers, even though may not have prolific translators, brought words into use which reflected their poor understanding of the subject. For example, Waddell’s term Lamaism is full of Christian prejudice against Buddhism. Waddell had lived in Tibet and understood Buddhism to a great extent, but back in his Christian environs, he succumbed to prejudiced writing conforming to the then prevailing attitude.
In the second phase of translation of Buddhist texts, the influence shifted from Christianity as the major one to that of Marxism. This is approximately the first 50 years of this century. Most translators in this period were powerfully influenced by Kant. However, the introduction of Kantian categories and concepts into the translation and interpretation of Buddhist texts did not help to reveal the real object and purpose of these texts. Stcherbatsky for instance, repeatedly used the phrase 'the thing in itself'…a direct reflection of Kantian metaphysics. He uses it to refer to the absolute or ultimate reality. However, whether it is a helpful phrase for understanding the Buddhist conceptions of paramārtha or tathatā is very doubtful. Another western philosopher, Berkely, who was the first among western philosophers to propose the existence of only mind, was a bishop who wanted to prove that nothing could exist except in the mind of God, and therefore God had to be accepted as the supreme architect of the world. Most contemporary scholars now recognize that Buddhist mentalist philosophers, particularly Asanga and Vasubandhu, have a very different outlook from that of the traditional western idealism.
The third phase can be said to run roughly from the middle of the twentieth century to the present, as is evident from the translations of some western scholars. The new fashion was to look to western psychology, as taught primarily by Freud and Jung, for conceptual schemes to be used in the translation and interpretation of Buddhist materials. There has also been a new tendency to adopt the concepts of linguistic relativism, particularly as propounded by Wittgenstein, for help in the work of translating Buddhist texts into English. There are many modern translators who, in their translation of Buddhist texts, have made large-scale use of concepts and terms taken from modern Western Psychology and linguistic relativism. The most obvious example of these new influences in the translation of Buddhist texts into English are the works of Guenther; but there are many others who also fall into this category.
The common thread thus is that the translator’s background greatly influences the translation, whether it means taking terms and ideas from Christianity, Western philosophy or school of thought. The result has inevitably caused some distortion, to a greater or lesser extent of the original genuine Buddhist message.
One must add this problem is not only pertaining to translations made from the original into English. Similar problems were noted when translations were made into Chinese. The Taoist, and to a lesser extent Confucian concepts influenced the translation and interpretation of Buddhist materials, and in some cases seriously distorted the meaning.
How then were Buddhists texts translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan? Perhaps the remarkable accuracy of the Tibetan translations of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit is due in part to the fact that in the eighth or ninth centuries C.E. Tibet hardly had any well-developed or well-defined intellectual tradition of its own. That is to say, the Buddhist concepts and values embodied in the Buddhist texts were introduced into what was virtually an intellectual vacuum. To put it more positively, the Tibetan translators were able to read, translate and interpret Buddhist texts through spectacles which were not already coloured by their own intellectual preconceptions.
The current trend is more encouraging. Today translators are either sitting with Tibetan scholars or they are themselves well versed in Tibetan literary sources to ensure that the right meaning is carried through. Sometimes such attempts lead to overtly literal English translations which become difficult, if not impossible, for the average English reader not familiar with the original language to understand. Still this is a positive development, for such relative difficulty in comprehension is preferable to wrong comprehension. This is what I have called the fourth phase, which I feel is done with a new spirit of objectivity and respect for the indigenous Tibetan Buddhist tradition, both literary and oral, and its legitimate representatives.
I fully agree with the statement by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche in his letter to the participants of this conference that enforcing a directive of any kind with regard to the Translation of the Words of the Buddha would not be possible, as the days of the great, all-powerful Dharma Kings and Patrons are long gone. However, I am also clearly aware that Rinpoche’s basic concern is the survival of the pure Buddha Dharma in the modern world. We know that the key word for achieving the goal of this conference is working together. Therefore, allow me to state that I have cherished a long felt idea that there is a need of modern day Sgra-sbyor-bam-po-gnyis-pa.
This unique conference is a perfect occasion to initiate such a project. I don’t see any reason why a consensus about methodology of compiling such monumental work can not be reached. That will be a real milestone in the journey of translations.
Faced with this challenge, the translator attempts many ways of retaining the original intent. Some undertake a literal translation endangering the meaning. Some go for meaning, but there again lies a catch. Does the translator know enough to uncover the layers of meanings held in the Sanskrit or Pali texts? To translate involves the step of understanding and rewording in the new language. Is the translator fully equipped to do this?
On the basis of the above questions, translations from Buddhist texts, both Sanskrit/Pali, and Tibetan can be put into four categories. The categories are directly related to the environment from which the translators came and the period in which they undertook the exercise.
The first phase is the period of colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent. At this time most of the translators were either missionaries or else those deeply committed to Christianity. While it is creditable that they undertook to translate from other religions, it was inevitable that they brought with them their understanding of Christianity into Buddhism. Kern's early translation of the Lotus Sutra, Saddharmapundarīka, is one of the best or worst examples of this period. He, for example translated the idea of sensual corruption as “the flesh pots of Egypt”; taken out straight from the Bible. Further he went on to unconsciously defeat the core teaching of Buddhism by equating nirvana with death.
Another example is of Rhys David's translations taken from Pali sources. She found, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, an affirmation of the existence of the Soul in the teaching of the Buddha!
Some writers, even though may not have prolific translators, brought words into use which reflected their poor understanding of the subject. For example, Waddell’s term Lamaism is full of Christian prejudice against Buddhism. Waddell had lived in Tibet and understood Buddhism to a great extent, but back in his Christian environs, he succumbed to prejudiced writing conforming to the then prevailing attitude.
In the second phase of translation of Buddhist texts, the influence shifted from Christianity as the major one to that of Marxism. This is approximately the first 50 years of this century. Most translators in this period were powerfully influenced by Kant. However, the introduction of Kantian categories and concepts into the translation and interpretation of Buddhist texts did not help to reveal the real object and purpose of these texts. Stcherbatsky for instance, repeatedly used the phrase 'the thing in itself'…a direct reflection of Kantian metaphysics. He uses it to refer to the absolute or ultimate reality. However, whether it is a helpful phrase for understanding the Buddhist conceptions of paramārtha or tathatā is very doubtful. Another western philosopher, Berkely, who was the first among western philosophers to propose the existence of only mind, was a bishop who wanted to prove that nothing could exist except in the mind of God, and therefore God had to be accepted as the supreme architect of the world. Most contemporary scholars now recognize that Buddhist mentalist philosophers, particularly Asanga and Vasubandhu, have a very different outlook from that of the traditional western idealism.
The third phase can be said to run roughly from the middle of the twentieth century to the present, as is evident from the translations of some western scholars. The new fashion was to look to western psychology, as taught primarily by Freud and Jung, for conceptual schemes to be used in the translation and interpretation of Buddhist materials. There has also been a new tendency to adopt the concepts of linguistic relativism, particularly as propounded by Wittgenstein, for help in the work of translating Buddhist texts into English. There are many modern translators who, in their translation of Buddhist texts, have made large-scale use of concepts and terms taken from modern Western Psychology and linguistic relativism. The most obvious example of these new influences in the translation of Buddhist texts into English are the works of Guenther; but there are many others who also fall into this category.
The common thread thus is that the translator’s background greatly influences the translation, whether it means taking terms and ideas from Christianity, Western philosophy or school of thought. The result has inevitably caused some distortion, to a greater or lesser extent of the original genuine Buddhist message.
One must add this problem is not only pertaining to translations made from the original into English. Similar problems were noted when translations were made into Chinese. The Taoist, and to a lesser extent Confucian concepts influenced the translation and interpretation of Buddhist materials, and in some cases seriously distorted the meaning.
How then were Buddhists texts translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan? Perhaps the remarkable accuracy of the Tibetan translations of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit is due in part to the fact that in the eighth or ninth centuries C.E. Tibet hardly had any well-developed or well-defined intellectual tradition of its own. That is to say, the Buddhist concepts and values embodied in the Buddhist texts were introduced into what was virtually an intellectual vacuum. To put it more positively, the Tibetan translators were able to read, translate and interpret Buddhist texts through spectacles which were not already coloured by their own intellectual preconceptions.
The current trend is more encouraging. Today translators are either sitting with Tibetan scholars or they are themselves well versed in Tibetan literary sources to ensure that the right meaning is carried through. Sometimes such attempts lead to overtly literal English translations which become difficult, if not impossible, for the average English reader not familiar with the original language to understand. Still this is a positive development, for such relative difficulty in comprehension is preferable to wrong comprehension. This is what I have called the fourth phase, which I feel is done with a new spirit of objectivity and respect for the indigenous Tibetan Buddhist tradition, both literary and oral, and its legitimate representatives.
I fully agree with the statement by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche in his letter to the participants of this conference that enforcing a directive of any kind with regard to the Translation of the Words of the Buddha would not be possible, as the days of the great, all-powerful Dharma Kings and Patrons are long gone. However, I am also clearly aware that Rinpoche’s basic concern is the survival of the pure Buddha Dharma in the modern world. We know that the key word for achieving the goal of this conference is working together. Therefore, allow me to state that I have cherished a long felt idea that there is a need of modern day Sgra-sbyor-bam-po-gnyis-pa.
This unique conference is a perfect occasion to initiate such a project. I don’t see any reason why a consensus about methodology of compiling such monumental work can not be reached. That will be a real milestone in the journey of translations.
Write to rinpoche2006@gmail.com
"
Dzongsar Khyentse's Keynote Address at Translation Conference
Dzongsar Khyentse's Keynote Address at Translation Conference: "
“Translating the Words of the Buddhadharma for
Hearing, Contemplation and Meditation”
Monday, 16 March 2009, 09.00
Whenever people have asked me about the purpose of this conference, I’ve found myself saying something rather vague and evasive. I do understand that conferences are usually expected to follow a specific agenda; the problem is there’s so much we need to talk about, that I’ve found it extremely difficult to pinpoint where to start. At the same time, it’s precisely because there’s so much to talk about that this conference is being held.
One of the first Tibetan translation conferences ever, happened about twenty years ago as a result of the efforts of Dobum Rinpoche. More recently a very successful conference, hosted by Light of Vairochana was held in Colorado, established an excellent basis of good and friendly communications among translators. They also had discussions about founding a translator’s guild, which I found extremely encouraging. I’d like to see many more of this kind of conference in the future.
For now, though, we need to set the agenda for this conference, and rather than limiting ourselves to examining and discussing all the short-term projects and issues we’re currently facing as individuals, I’d like us to take a much broader view. I’d like to suggest that, over the next few days, we start the process of mapping out exactly what needs to be done during our lifetimes and beyond, in order to ensure the preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist sacred texts. Basically, our agenda is to write the agenda for an ongoing translation conference; a conference that never closes because all the attendees continue to consult and work together in pursuit of a common goal.
For decades now, a few individual lamas and translators like yourselves, have been putting a great deal of effort into translating Tibetan Buddhist dharma texts into various languages. What’s more, you’ve been doing it in spite of the almost total lack of support translation work receives, and always under the pressure of needing to produce material quickly. Actually, it’s quite amazing what’s been achieved—and yet, you have almost always worked alone.
As we consider what will need to be done for the sake of the future of the Buddhadharma, I think it’ll become clear that we have to aim a little higher than merely translating the odd book here and there. In fact, I believe that the only way for us to achieve the enormous task we face, is by finding ways of working together—not only the translators, but also the sponsors, the teachers and, of course, the students, who are the real beneficiaries of your work. Over the years, such collaborations have been rare, and it’s an aspiration of mine that we’ll be working together far more closely in the future.
Of course, this tendency towards working alone may have something to do with the habits of Tibetan lamas. Generally speaking, working in a group isn’t common amongst Tibetans, and particularly amongst the lamas.
Why go through all the pain and agony of working with other people when you don’t have to? After all, two human beings trying to work together always slows a process down and is often frustrating. And for quite a number of projects, it simply isn’t necessary. So, as long as the tasks we undertake are small enough to be completed by just one person, or one school, or one particular lineage, being individualistic isn’t a problem.
Unfortunately, though, there are projects that, by their very nature—for example, their enormous size or complexity—simply cannot be achieved by individuals or even small groups of translators. And I believe that translating a large portion of the Buddhadharma—by which I mean all the texts that were brought from India to Tibet more than a millennium ago—from Tibetan into modern languages, is such a project.
Although I can see that there’s so much that needs to be discussed, I myself am not a translator. In fact, I’ve never even translated one page of text, let alone an entire book! Yet, for some peculiar reason, I find myself associated with this Translation Conference—mostly, I think, owing to the involvement of Khyentse Foundation. And I imagine that this situation is a little worrying for some of you real translators, since enthusiastic amateurs tend to be rather naïve about the art of translation. Most naïve of all, of course, are the Tibetan lamas, like myself.
So, out of this naïve and inexperienced head of mine, I have come up with some areas of discussion that I would like to propose for this conference.
They are:
• To identify the challenges faced by those translating Tibetan Buddhist texts into modern languages, for example how to train future generations of translators, and how to attract the very necessary attention of the Rinpoches;
• To examine the financial and infrastructural support available for translation work—or should I say the lack of it; and also
• For all of us to be aware of where we are right now in this process of translating the Tibetan texts for the modern world, and to think about where we would like to be in 2109 which also involves heightening our awareness of just how urgent and precarious the situation has become.
When this conference was first announced, many people responded positively and were very encouraging. But, understandably, a few were apprehensive, wondering things like, “Is this another of those Tibetan conferences where everyone is expected to be polite and agree about everything?” or “Is this another of those pointless conferences where a bunch of hard-headed translators dig their heels in, and insist on doing things their way, regardless of what anyone else says?” Some translators have even declared, quite openly, that they, “Only work alone”, and simply, “Don’t believe in ‘conferences’.”
I’ve also heard that some mischievous people have been speculating that the purpose of this conference is to ensure the translation of the Kangyur, and nothing else; and that translations of texts that are needed more immediately, will be shelved completely. I would be surprised, though, if this rumour had really worried any of you. A thousand years ago the great Dharma Kings and Patrons had absolute, dictatorial power and great wealth, and were able to direct a scholar to drop everything and focus entirely on one project—like the translation of the Kangyur. But those days are long gone, and such a thing certainly couldn’t happen today—unfortunately.
Anyway, in spite of the many dilemmas translators face there is one thing of which I am absolutely certain: we must translate.
You’ll probably think I’m exaggerating, but I feel it’s entirely possible that the survival of Tibetan Buddhism could depend on its translation into other languages.
Personally, I find it hard to fathom the attitude of those Tibetan lamas who expect those who want to study and practice the Buddhadharma, first to perfect the Tibetan language. I can see that right now it’s important for some people learn Tibetan, but how necessary will it really be in a hundred years time? Fundamentally, the Buddhadharma and Tibetan culture are two different things, and just because someone is interested in Buddhadharma doesn’t mean that he or she aspires to be a Tibetologist.
Whenever Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche spoke of the gratitude Tibetans should feel for the great Dharma patron, King Trison Deutsen, he would say that, even if we Tibetans covered our entire world with solid gold and offered it to the King, it wouldn’t be enough to repay even a fraction of what we owe him for his extraordinary kindness—and he wasn’t referring to King Trison Deutsen’s social or political triumphs. It is believed that the project awarded the highest level of funding in King Trison Deutsen’s national budget was that of completing the task of translating the Word of the Buddha into Tibetan.
Enormous as the financial investment was, money was not the only price the Tibetans paid. Hundreds of the devoted students who attempted the journey to India to receive teachings and gather Buddhists texts, died from the terrible heat, strange food and virulent diseases they encountered on the Indian plains. Yet, in spite of the tremendous human sacrifice and unimaginable cost borne by the crown, this single undertaking may well be the one truly phenomenal Tibetan accomplishment.
One reason for prioritizing translation work is that we must, of course, continue to make available sacred Buddhist texts for the benefit of those non-Tibetans who wish to study and practice Buddhadharma. However, this is not the only reason for us to put all our energy into producing well-translated texts.
The Buddhist heritage and culture that permeated Tibetan life for more than a thousand years, has all but disappeared in India, its country of origin. Basically, the great Lotsawas who translated the Buddhist texts into Tibetan—where Buddhism continued to flourish for a millennium—effectively rescued the Buddhadharma from premature extinction. As a result, today, what had been virtually lost in India can now be found in Tibet—and what’s more is becoming available again in India.
As inauspicious as it may sound, when we look at the current situation of Tibet, and the waning enthusiasm amongst Tibetans themselves for their own language and culture, it’s clear that the same kind of virtual obliteration of Buddhist culture could quite easily happen again.
And I believe that, by translating the Tibetan Buddhist texts into modern languages, you may well be saving a vast swathe of Buddhist civilization and culture from global annihilation. The living traditions of Dharma that still exist today—for example, in Japan, China, Thailand and Burma—have only survived because they had the foresight to translate the original sacred Buddhist texts into their own languages.
In addition, as many of you know, those in the Tibetan community still able to speak and understand classical Tibetan are extremely rare. At the rate at which the language is disappearing, 50 years from now there will be almost no Tibetans who can read the words from texts such as the Kangyur and Tengyur and understand their meaning. And very soon it will be too late to do anything about it.
So, for all these reasons, when I learned that Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche aspires to translate the Kangyur into English, I felt tremendously encouraged.
Translating the Kangyur is, of course, a massive and extremely daunting task, and while it’s not the sole purpose of this conference, neither is it a project we can afford to ignore.
As very few Tibetans read or study the Kangyur these days, there are those who wonder if it’s really worth the effort—especially taking into consideration the enormous amount of resources such a translation project would involve. Amongst Tibetans, as you know, the Kangyur is widely used as a merit-making object: monasteries will certainly buy a copy, but will then simply shelve it. If offerings are made the text will be read out loud, but little effort will be invested in understanding the meaning of each word.
While paying homage to the Word of the Buddha is a powerfully meritorious spiritual act, the Tibetan habit of using the Kangyur solely for this purpose is neither to be admired nor emulated: in fact, it’s a big mistake. I’ve noticed that Chinese, Thai and Burmese Buddhists still read the Sutras and contemplate them; the Tibetans rarely do. My concern is that if we decide not to translate these texts, this Tibetan mistake will be both reinforced and perpetuated.
Every religion has an original holy book—for Christians it’s the Bible, and for Moslems it’s the Koran. For Buddhists, our root holy books are the Sutras and they are of vital importance, because what Buddha taught us must always be the final word on any given subject, not what we find in the Shastras—and definitely not what’s to be found in the Tibetan commentaries.
As Buddhadharma is taught more widely in the modern world, where attention to detail and authenticity are so valued, people are going to want to know what Buddha, himself, actually said. The trend today is for teachers, priests, scholars, politicians and fanatics to obscure the original meaning of important texts by interpreting them in a way that supports their own personal agendas—it’s happening in all religions, and sadly, Buddhism is no exception. When problems created by such interpretations arise in the future, our beacon of truth can only be the Words of the Buddha.
If you were to ask someone naïve, like myself, what I think should be translated? If I were given the chance to set our priorities, what would be the top of my list? Without doubt I would have to say that the teachings of the Buddha—the Sutras—should take precedence over the Shastras. Then, as the Shastras written by Indian authors are more authoritative and carry more weight, I would say that they should be translated before those of the Tibetan authors.
The Tibetans have developed the habit of preserving and propagating the work of Tibetan lamas, and seem to have forgotten about the Sutras and Shastras. Painful as it is for me to admit, Tibetans often promote the teachings of their own teachers far more than those of the Buddha—and I have no trouble understanding why Tibetan Buddhism is sometimes described as “Lamaism”. Today, as a result, our vision is quite narrow, and instead of dedicating our limited resources to translating the Words of the Buddha, we pour it into translating the teachings of individual lineage gurus, biographies, their long-life prayers, and prayers for the propagation of the teachings of individual schools.
These are just some of my reasons for believing that translating the Kangyur and Tengyur are projects that, at the very least, we must address and plan for right now. The way I see it, this immense translation effort can only be accomplished if we all join forces. Basically, we have to work together. And, more than anything else, we need to establish an ongoing dialogue and spirit of cooperation and mutual support amongst translators and all those implicated in the art of translation, and start planning for the future—what I’ve already described as an ‘on-going conference’. We need to decide where we want this process to be in 10 years, 25 years, 50 years and 100 years.
If just one person were to try, rather stubbornly, to shift a huge boulder on their own, all that would be achieved is a terrible drain on his energy and time—and most likely the boulder wouldn’t move an inch. The cooperative effort of a dozen people, though, could move the boulder quite easily. By working together as a group to move our own huge and immovable boulder, I believe that, at the very least, we’d be able to work out how to be more efficient, and how to use our resources more wisely.
While we are constantly aware of the urgency of the situation, I should add that we would be deceiving ourselves if we imagined that this generation of translators will see the completion of this project. In Tibet, it took seven generations of Tibetan Kings to accomplish the translation of the texts we have today; and some believe that there are still sutras and shastras that have yet to be translated into Tibetan.
What we must do, however, is lay the foundations, by devising a practical and far-sighted plan to ensure that, eventually, everything that should be translated, will be—and we have to do it now.
The challenge of translating volumes of Tibetan texts the size of mountains is only one aspect of the enormous task we’re faced with; there are others equally daunting that we need to start thinking about. For example, revising and updating existing translations into current, everyday language. It’s an unnerving prospect, I know, but the sacred texts must always be available in a form the present generation can understand.
And there are other issues like, who does the best job, the scholar-translator or the practitioner-translator?
When we encounter the more inscrutable passages from the Buddha’s teachings, it is usually to the interpretations of the great practitioners that we turn. If a practitioner-translator is our ideal because he or she has greater emotional authority than a scholar-translator, we should also remember that many of these great practitioners aren’t particularly well-versed in Buddhist philosophy. They even take pride in their lack of worldly knowledge, for example in their literary skills, telling us that they’re glad they didn’t waste their time studying ‘all that intellectual stuff’! And worse still, it is well-known in Tibet that often not only the practitioners, but even the scholars—the Geshes and Khenpos—didn’t know how to write their own names, let alone a whole sentence. So, imagining we can rely on the linguistic expertise of these great beings, may be a little over-optimistic.
We also have the problem of dealing with the excruciating modern phenomenon of ‘political correctness’. Can we really translate arhat as the ‘destroyer of enemies’? Can this literal translation really help students understand its true meaning? Especially these days, when such a phrase could so easily be confused with the language of religious fanaticism. Consequently, not only do scholars play a vital role in the process of translation, but so do the arbiters of social sensitivities; and their roles are at least equally important to that of the practitioner, and definitely not less.
We also need the help and advice of good editors and writers, so that we can ensure the language the text is being translated into is well written. Just because someone can understand Tibetan, doesn’t mean that they can write well in their own language. Take English, for example. As we all know, the way Tibetan is written is very different from English, but I wonder, is using a kind of pidgin-English to reflect the Tibetan style a good solution? Wouldn’t it be better for the native English translators to pay more attention to perfecting their written English style, so that they can represent Tibetan ideas in a way that their readers can understand?
Insignificant as it may sound when compared with what we have yet to achieve, I’ve noticed that few translators have been able to render many prayers and practices from Tibetan into other languages and retain the metre necessary to be able to chant them easily. And so, practitioners inspired by traditional forms of chanting, usually do so in Tibetan. I think we should starting thinking about how we can produce prayers in other languages—particularly those usually practiced in groups—that are written in metre so that students can chant in their own languages.
Although it’s true that we have not been blessed with great Dharma patrons like King Trison Deutsen, all is not lost because modern technology is on our side. The great translator Vairochana, when he needed to find a specific manuscript, had to walk from Tibet to India, and it took him several months. Today, thanks both to modern technology and projects like Gene Smith’s TBRC, it’s possible to download Tibetan texts to your computer, even from somewhere as remote as Bir—if the internet is working, of course.
I believe the process we begin here could now continue online quite easily in an ongoing conference of ideas and mutual support. And we shouldn’t limit who we bring into our conversations. Not only should we be talking to other translators, but also to all those who support the translation process, the teachers, the linguists, the writers, and, of course, the students.
By opening up the lines of communications between ourselves, we could start working out how we can help each other more efficiently.
You know, every time I visit Manhattan Island, I am amazed by the foresight of those Americans who created that part of New York City. They had such vision! The way they planned the layout of the streets and avenues, Central Park, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it’s as if they knew what would be needed in the 20th century, and beyond. This kind of visionary planning is absolutely necessary in order to achieve our goal.
Therefore, I would like to call on all of you here today—the translators, the Rinpoches and the sponsors—to aspire to be as visionary as those great New York City planners. After all, what we are going to do will have a far greater impact on the world than the laying out of a city ever could. We will be making available to people of all nationalities, everything they need to follow the Buddha’s infinite path to liberation, which is the only source of true happiness and enlightenment.
And so I entreat you, please, we must learn to work together. The stakes are high, and, practically speaking, it’s our generation who will shoulder the responsibility for ensuring that the Buddhadharma continues to flourish in this world. We need to make a thorough and effective plan for the future, and we must put it into action.
As a Tibetan, I am amazed when I read texts by the great Lotsawas, like Vairochana and Chogroluyi Gyaltsen, and remember just how much I, personally, owe them. They endured unimaginable hardships to bring the Buddhadharma from India to Tibet. Without their compassionate determination, their devotion and sheer hard work, I would never have been able truly to appreciate the words of the Buddha in my own language.
We are being given the opportunity to emulate those great beings—the translators, scholars, panditas and saints of the past—by taking on the task of translating and making available the Words of the Buddha to as many people in this world as possible, in their own languages, now and for centuries to come.
“Translating the Words of the Buddhadharma for
Hearing, Contemplation and Meditation”
Monday, 16 March 2009, 09.00
Whenever people have asked me about the purpose of this conference, I’ve found myself saying something rather vague and evasive. I do understand that conferences are usually expected to follow a specific agenda; the problem is there’s so much we need to talk about, that I’ve found it extremely difficult to pinpoint where to start. At the same time, it’s precisely because there’s so much to talk about that this conference is being held.
One of the first Tibetan translation conferences ever, happened about twenty years ago as a result of the efforts of Dobum Rinpoche. More recently a very successful conference, hosted by Light of Vairochana was held in Colorado, established an excellent basis of good and friendly communications among translators. They also had discussions about founding a translator’s guild, which I found extremely encouraging. I’d like to see many more of this kind of conference in the future.
For now, though, we need to set the agenda for this conference, and rather than limiting ourselves to examining and discussing all the short-term projects and issues we’re currently facing as individuals, I’d like us to take a much broader view. I’d like to suggest that, over the next few days, we start the process of mapping out exactly what needs to be done during our lifetimes and beyond, in order to ensure the preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist sacred texts. Basically, our agenda is to write the agenda for an ongoing translation conference; a conference that never closes because all the attendees continue to consult and work together in pursuit of a common goal.
For decades now, a few individual lamas and translators like yourselves, have been putting a great deal of effort into translating Tibetan Buddhist dharma texts into various languages. What’s more, you’ve been doing it in spite of the almost total lack of support translation work receives, and always under the pressure of needing to produce material quickly. Actually, it’s quite amazing what’s been achieved—and yet, you have almost always worked alone.
As we consider what will need to be done for the sake of the future of the Buddhadharma, I think it’ll become clear that we have to aim a little higher than merely translating the odd book here and there. In fact, I believe that the only way for us to achieve the enormous task we face, is by finding ways of working together—not only the translators, but also the sponsors, the teachers and, of course, the students, who are the real beneficiaries of your work. Over the years, such collaborations have been rare, and it’s an aspiration of mine that we’ll be working together far more closely in the future.
Of course, this tendency towards working alone may have something to do with the habits of Tibetan lamas. Generally speaking, working in a group isn’t common amongst Tibetans, and particularly amongst the lamas.
Why go through all the pain and agony of working with other people when you don’t have to? After all, two human beings trying to work together always slows a process down and is often frustrating. And for quite a number of projects, it simply isn’t necessary. So, as long as the tasks we undertake are small enough to be completed by just one person, or one school, or one particular lineage, being individualistic isn’t a problem.
Unfortunately, though, there are projects that, by their very nature—for example, their enormous size or complexity—simply cannot be achieved by individuals or even small groups of translators. And I believe that translating a large portion of the Buddhadharma—by which I mean all the texts that were brought from India to Tibet more than a millennium ago—from Tibetan into modern languages, is such a project.
Although I can see that there’s so much that needs to be discussed, I myself am not a translator. In fact, I’ve never even translated one page of text, let alone an entire book! Yet, for some peculiar reason, I find myself associated with this Translation Conference—mostly, I think, owing to the involvement of Khyentse Foundation. And I imagine that this situation is a little worrying for some of you real translators, since enthusiastic amateurs tend to be rather naïve about the art of translation. Most naïve of all, of course, are the Tibetan lamas, like myself.
So, out of this naïve and inexperienced head of mine, I have come up with some areas of discussion that I would like to propose for this conference.
They are:
• To identify the challenges faced by those translating Tibetan Buddhist texts into modern languages, for example how to train future generations of translators, and how to attract the very necessary attention of the Rinpoches;
• To examine the financial and infrastructural support available for translation work—or should I say the lack of it; and also
• For all of us to be aware of where we are right now in this process of translating the Tibetan texts for the modern world, and to think about where we would like to be in 2109 which also involves heightening our awareness of just how urgent and precarious the situation has become.
When this conference was first announced, many people responded positively and were very encouraging. But, understandably, a few were apprehensive, wondering things like, “Is this another of those Tibetan conferences where everyone is expected to be polite and agree about everything?” or “Is this another of those pointless conferences where a bunch of hard-headed translators dig their heels in, and insist on doing things their way, regardless of what anyone else says?” Some translators have even declared, quite openly, that they, “Only work alone”, and simply, “Don’t believe in ‘conferences’.”
I’ve also heard that some mischievous people have been speculating that the purpose of this conference is to ensure the translation of the Kangyur, and nothing else; and that translations of texts that are needed more immediately, will be shelved completely. I would be surprised, though, if this rumour had really worried any of you. A thousand years ago the great Dharma Kings and Patrons had absolute, dictatorial power and great wealth, and were able to direct a scholar to drop everything and focus entirely on one project—like the translation of the Kangyur. But those days are long gone, and such a thing certainly couldn’t happen today—unfortunately.
Anyway, in spite of the many dilemmas translators face there is one thing of which I am absolutely certain: we must translate.
You’ll probably think I’m exaggerating, but I feel it’s entirely possible that the survival of Tibetan Buddhism could depend on its translation into other languages.
Personally, I find it hard to fathom the attitude of those Tibetan lamas who expect those who want to study and practice the Buddhadharma, first to perfect the Tibetan language. I can see that right now it’s important for some people learn Tibetan, but how necessary will it really be in a hundred years time? Fundamentally, the Buddhadharma and Tibetan culture are two different things, and just because someone is interested in Buddhadharma doesn’t mean that he or she aspires to be a Tibetologist.
Whenever Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche spoke of the gratitude Tibetans should feel for the great Dharma patron, King Trison Deutsen, he would say that, even if we Tibetans covered our entire world with solid gold and offered it to the King, it wouldn’t be enough to repay even a fraction of what we owe him for his extraordinary kindness—and he wasn’t referring to King Trison Deutsen’s social or political triumphs. It is believed that the project awarded the highest level of funding in King Trison Deutsen’s national budget was that of completing the task of translating the Word of the Buddha into Tibetan.
Enormous as the financial investment was, money was not the only price the Tibetans paid. Hundreds of the devoted students who attempted the journey to India to receive teachings and gather Buddhists texts, died from the terrible heat, strange food and virulent diseases they encountered on the Indian plains. Yet, in spite of the tremendous human sacrifice and unimaginable cost borne by the crown, this single undertaking may well be the one truly phenomenal Tibetan accomplishment.
One reason for prioritizing translation work is that we must, of course, continue to make available sacred Buddhist texts for the benefit of those non-Tibetans who wish to study and practice Buddhadharma. However, this is not the only reason for us to put all our energy into producing well-translated texts.
The Buddhist heritage and culture that permeated Tibetan life for more than a thousand years, has all but disappeared in India, its country of origin. Basically, the great Lotsawas who translated the Buddhist texts into Tibetan—where Buddhism continued to flourish for a millennium—effectively rescued the Buddhadharma from premature extinction. As a result, today, what had been virtually lost in India can now be found in Tibet—and what’s more is becoming available again in India.
As inauspicious as it may sound, when we look at the current situation of Tibet, and the waning enthusiasm amongst Tibetans themselves for their own language and culture, it’s clear that the same kind of virtual obliteration of Buddhist culture could quite easily happen again.
And I believe that, by translating the Tibetan Buddhist texts into modern languages, you may well be saving a vast swathe of Buddhist civilization and culture from global annihilation. The living traditions of Dharma that still exist today—for example, in Japan, China, Thailand and Burma—have only survived because they had the foresight to translate the original sacred Buddhist texts into their own languages.
In addition, as many of you know, those in the Tibetan community still able to speak and understand classical Tibetan are extremely rare. At the rate at which the language is disappearing, 50 years from now there will be almost no Tibetans who can read the words from texts such as the Kangyur and Tengyur and understand their meaning. And very soon it will be too late to do anything about it.
So, for all these reasons, when I learned that Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche aspires to translate the Kangyur into English, I felt tremendously encouraged.
Translating the Kangyur is, of course, a massive and extremely daunting task, and while it’s not the sole purpose of this conference, neither is it a project we can afford to ignore.
As very few Tibetans read or study the Kangyur these days, there are those who wonder if it’s really worth the effort—especially taking into consideration the enormous amount of resources such a translation project would involve. Amongst Tibetans, as you know, the Kangyur is widely used as a merit-making object: monasteries will certainly buy a copy, but will then simply shelve it. If offerings are made the text will be read out loud, but little effort will be invested in understanding the meaning of each word.
While paying homage to the Word of the Buddha is a powerfully meritorious spiritual act, the Tibetan habit of using the Kangyur solely for this purpose is neither to be admired nor emulated: in fact, it’s a big mistake. I’ve noticed that Chinese, Thai and Burmese Buddhists still read the Sutras and contemplate them; the Tibetans rarely do. My concern is that if we decide not to translate these texts, this Tibetan mistake will be both reinforced and perpetuated.
Every religion has an original holy book—for Christians it’s the Bible, and for Moslems it’s the Koran. For Buddhists, our root holy books are the Sutras and they are of vital importance, because what Buddha taught us must always be the final word on any given subject, not what we find in the Shastras—and definitely not what’s to be found in the Tibetan commentaries.
As Buddhadharma is taught more widely in the modern world, where attention to detail and authenticity are so valued, people are going to want to know what Buddha, himself, actually said. The trend today is for teachers, priests, scholars, politicians and fanatics to obscure the original meaning of important texts by interpreting them in a way that supports their own personal agendas—it’s happening in all religions, and sadly, Buddhism is no exception. When problems created by such interpretations arise in the future, our beacon of truth can only be the Words of the Buddha.
If you were to ask someone naïve, like myself, what I think should be translated? If I were given the chance to set our priorities, what would be the top of my list? Without doubt I would have to say that the teachings of the Buddha—the Sutras—should take precedence over the Shastras. Then, as the Shastras written by Indian authors are more authoritative and carry more weight, I would say that they should be translated before those of the Tibetan authors.
The Tibetans have developed the habit of preserving and propagating the work of Tibetan lamas, and seem to have forgotten about the Sutras and Shastras. Painful as it is for me to admit, Tibetans often promote the teachings of their own teachers far more than those of the Buddha—and I have no trouble understanding why Tibetan Buddhism is sometimes described as “Lamaism”. Today, as a result, our vision is quite narrow, and instead of dedicating our limited resources to translating the Words of the Buddha, we pour it into translating the teachings of individual lineage gurus, biographies, their long-life prayers, and prayers for the propagation of the teachings of individual schools.
These are just some of my reasons for believing that translating the Kangyur and Tengyur are projects that, at the very least, we must address and plan for right now. The way I see it, this immense translation effort can only be accomplished if we all join forces. Basically, we have to work together. And, more than anything else, we need to establish an ongoing dialogue and spirit of cooperation and mutual support amongst translators and all those implicated in the art of translation, and start planning for the future—what I’ve already described as an ‘on-going conference’. We need to decide where we want this process to be in 10 years, 25 years, 50 years and 100 years.
If just one person were to try, rather stubbornly, to shift a huge boulder on their own, all that would be achieved is a terrible drain on his energy and time—and most likely the boulder wouldn’t move an inch. The cooperative effort of a dozen people, though, could move the boulder quite easily. By working together as a group to move our own huge and immovable boulder, I believe that, at the very least, we’d be able to work out how to be more efficient, and how to use our resources more wisely.
While we are constantly aware of the urgency of the situation, I should add that we would be deceiving ourselves if we imagined that this generation of translators will see the completion of this project. In Tibet, it took seven generations of Tibetan Kings to accomplish the translation of the texts we have today; and some believe that there are still sutras and shastras that have yet to be translated into Tibetan.
What we must do, however, is lay the foundations, by devising a practical and far-sighted plan to ensure that, eventually, everything that should be translated, will be—and we have to do it now.
The challenge of translating volumes of Tibetan texts the size of mountains is only one aspect of the enormous task we’re faced with; there are others equally daunting that we need to start thinking about. For example, revising and updating existing translations into current, everyday language. It’s an unnerving prospect, I know, but the sacred texts must always be available in a form the present generation can understand.
And there are other issues like, who does the best job, the scholar-translator or the practitioner-translator?
When we encounter the more inscrutable passages from the Buddha’s teachings, it is usually to the interpretations of the great practitioners that we turn. If a practitioner-translator is our ideal because he or she has greater emotional authority than a scholar-translator, we should also remember that many of these great practitioners aren’t particularly well-versed in Buddhist philosophy. They even take pride in their lack of worldly knowledge, for example in their literary skills, telling us that they’re glad they didn’t waste their time studying ‘all that intellectual stuff’! And worse still, it is well-known in Tibet that often not only the practitioners, but even the scholars—the Geshes and Khenpos—didn’t know how to write their own names, let alone a whole sentence. So, imagining we can rely on the linguistic expertise of these great beings, may be a little over-optimistic.
We also have the problem of dealing with the excruciating modern phenomenon of ‘political correctness’. Can we really translate arhat as the ‘destroyer of enemies’? Can this literal translation really help students understand its true meaning? Especially these days, when such a phrase could so easily be confused with the language of religious fanaticism. Consequently, not only do scholars play a vital role in the process of translation, but so do the arbiters of social sensitivities; and their roles are at least equally important to that of the practitioner, and definitely not less.
We also need the help and advice of good editors and writers, so that we can ensure the language the text is being translated into is well written. Just because someone can understand Tibetan, doesn’t mean that they can write well in their own language. Take English, for example. As we all know, the way Tibetan is written is very different from English, but I wonder, is using a kind of pidgin-English to reflect the Tibetan style a good solution? Wouldn’t it be better for the native English translators to pay more attention to perfecting their written English style, so that they can represent Tibetan ideas in a way that their readers can understand?
Insignificant as it may sound when compared with what we have yet to achieve, I’ve noticed that few translators have been able to render many prayers and practices from Tibetan into other languages and retain the metre necessary to be able to chant them easily. And so, practitioners inspired by traditional forms of chanting, usually do so in Tibetan. I think we should starting thinking about how we can produce prayers in other languages—particularly those usually practiced in groups—that are written in metre so that students can chant in their own languages.
Although it’s true that we have not been blessed with great Dharma patrons like King Trison Deutsen, all is not lost because modern technology is on our side. The great translator Vairochana, when he needed to find a specific manuscript, had to walk from Tibet to India, and it took him several months. Today, thanks both to modern technology and projects like Gene Smith’s TBRC, it’s possible to download Tibetan texts to your computer, even from somewhere as remote as Bir—if the internet is working, of course.
I believe the process we begin here could now continue online quite easily in an ongoing conference of ideas and mutual support. And we shouldn’t limit who we bring into our conversations. Not only should we be talking to other translators, but also to all those who support the translation process, the teachers, the linguists, the writers, and, of course, the students.
By opening up the lines of communications between ourselves, we could start working out how we can help each other more efficiently.
You know, every time I visit Manhattan Island, I am amazed by the foresight of those Americans who created that part of New York City. They had such vision! The way they planned the layout of the streets and avenues, Central Park, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it’s as if they knew what would be needed in the 20th century, and beyond. This kind of visionary planning is absolutely necessary in order to achieve our goal.
Therefore, I would like to call on all of you here today—the translators, the Rinpoches and the sponsors—to aspire to be as visionary as those great New York City planners. After all, what we are going to do will have a far greater impact on the world than the laying out of a city ever could. We will be making available to people of all nationalities, everything they need to follow the Buddha’s infinite path to liberation, which is the only source of true happiness and enlightenment.
And so I entreat you, please, we must learn to work together. The stakes are high, and, practically speaking, it’s our generation who will shoulder the responsibility for ensuring that the Buddhadharma continues to flourish in this world. We need to make a thorough and effective plan for the future, and we must put it into action.
As a Tibetan, I am amazed when I read texts by the great Lotsawas, like Vairochana and Chogroluyi Gyaltsen, and remember just how much I, personally, owe them. They endured unimaginable hardships to bring the Buddhadharma from India to Tibet. Without their compassionate determination, their devotion and sheer hard work, I would never have been able truly to appreciate the words of the Buddha in my own language.
We are being given the opportunity to emulate those great beings—the translators, scholars, panditas and saints of the past—by taking on the task of translating and making available the Words of the Buddha to as many people in this world as possible, in their own languages, now and for centuries to come.
Write to rinpoche2006@gmail.com
"
Visions of Pemakod
Visions of Pemakod: "
Now that the year of the Earth Cow is really, truly here, you can go ahead and invest $20.00 in a Tibetan wall calendar... and at the same time, support the Pemakod Project, which I encourage you to investigate.
Pemakod is one of those interesting places that hold great promise for the future. H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche was born in Pemakod in 1904, and thereafter relocated to Indian-controlled Pemakod in 1959. You can find the story by clicking this: link.
Then, of course, one must remember that Padmasambhava also inhabited Pemakod, and wrote of it as follows:
'In this hidden land, all mountains are like blooming flowers. All rivers spontaneously recite mantras and flow with nectar; rainbows are arched on trees and bushes. All the oath-bound protectors watch closely and protect true practitioners and punish those who merely pretend to be. Those who practice sincerely will attain enlightenment in this lifetime. Pure samadhi will spontaneously arise just by being in this land. One session of practice in this blessed land is equal to a year of practice in other places. Those who make three prostrations here will never take lower rebirth. Those who die after seven steps taken with the intention of arriving here will definitely be reborn in this land. Those who build stupas and temples, and perform other works of virtue in this land are my messengers. Therefore, my fortunate sons and daughters, keep devotion to this land. You will soon realize its significance.'
So, you see, we have a rather substantial obligation to support this place. There are of course so many worthwhile projects around the globe, and so many groups have their hand out, asking for help. However, here we have a clear historical imperative, and we have a project administered by legitimate practitioners with impeccable records of achievement: as foretold, they are indeed Guru Rinpoche's messengers. I therefore urge you in the strongest possible terms to visit the Pemakod Project web site, read the background material that you find there, and try to arrange a donation -- whether through the purchase of the calendar or otherwise.
Now that the year of the Earth Cow is really, truly here, you can go ahead and invest $20.00 in a Tibetan wall calendar... and at the same time, support the Pemakod Project, which I encourage you to investigate.Pemakod is one of those interesting places that hold great promise for the future. H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche was born in Pemakod in 1904, and thereafter relocated to Indian-controlled Pemakod in 1959. You can find the story by clicking this: link.
Then, of course, one must remember that Padmasambhava also inhabited Pemakod, and wrote of it as follows:
'In this hidden land, all mountains are like blooming flowers. All rivers spontaneously recite mantras and flow with nectar; rainbows are arched on trees and bushes. All the oath-bound protectors watch closely and protect true practitioners and punish those who merely pretend to be. Those who practice sincerely will attain enlightenment in this lifetime. Pure samadhi will spontaneously arise just by being in this land. One session of practice in this blessed land is equal to a year of practice in other places. Those who make three prostrations here will never take lower rebirth. Those who die after seven steps taken with the intention of arriving here will definitely be reborn in this land. Those who build stupas and temples, and perform other works of virtue in this land are my messengers. Therefore, my fortunate sons and daughters, keep devotion to this land. You will soon realize its significance.'
So, you see, we have a rather substantial obligation to support this place. There are of course so many worthwhile projects around the globe, and so many groups have their hand out, asking for help. However, here we have a clear historical imperative, and we have a project administered by legitimate practitioners with impeccable records of achievement: as foretold, they are indeed Guru Rinpoche's messengers. I therefore urge you in the strongest possible terms to visit the Pemakod Project web site, read the background material that you find there, and try to arrange a donation -- whether through the purchase of the calendar or otherwise.
Write to rinpoche2006@gmail.com
"
Dharma Translation Conference: News Release
Dharma Translation Conference: News Release: "
Note: There will be live blogging from the event, via this: link.
Here is the text of the Khyentse Foundation's news release:
Landmark Translation Conference
Draws World’s Leading Translators
to Remote Himalayan Region
Draws World’s Leading Translators
to Remote Himalayan Region
Many of the world’s leading Tibetan-English translators are gathering March 15-20, 2009 in the tiny Indian village of Bir in northern India to map out the future of Dharma translation for generations to come. What they decide could help make Buddha Shakyamuni's core teachings available to millions worldwide.
The Translating the Words of the Buddha Conference will be hosted by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and the Khyentse Foundation at Deer Park Insitute, a centre for study of classical Indian wisdom traditions. Leaders of all four Tibetan Buddhist lineages, including the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa, and Sakya Trizin have offered their blessing and support to this landmark initiative.
Participants include six rinpoches (incarnate lamas), luminaries such as Matthieu Ricard and Bob Thurman, and top translators from all four Tibetan Buddhist lineages, representatives from the major Tibetan-English translation houses around the world, and a number of publishers and patrons. The agenda includes topics such as initiating the full translation of the entire Buddhist canon, including the 108-volume Kangyur—the Buddha’s direct teachings that include many sutras never before translated into English. Translating those teachings from Sanskrit to Tibetan 1,000 years ago took nearly 100 years under Tibetan royal patronage. This gathering is intended to generate the collaboration among translators required to realize this vision in the west.
According to the conference chair, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche:
“I have arrived at the conviction that we cannot have a goal to make ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ a Western institution. For the Buddha’s teachings to truly thrive in our cultures and take root in our hearts, we must have a genuine Western Buddhism. For this genuine tradition to flourish and become fully integrated in the West, we must, in my view, have the words of the Buddha in English. A comprehensive English compilation of the Buddha’s words will serve as an authoritative bedrock for a living tradition.”
The conference host and convenor, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche says:
My main reason for convening this conference is that I believe it's entirely possible that the survival of the Buddhadharma could depend on it being translated into other languages. I also believe that by translating and making available the Tibetan Buddhist texts to modern people, a vast swathe of Buddhist civilization and culture may be saved from global annihilation. It's clear we need to act quickly, and I believe the only way we can accomplish this monumental endeavour is by working together—pooling our skills, resources, experience and energy and coming up with a plan for translating the Buddhadharma. We must decide where we want this process to be in 10 years, 25 years, 50 years and 100 years.
For more information, please contact Pawo Dorji at choyning.dorji@gmail.com or by phone at 91 (India)-9816-677-878
Please Note: Attendance is strictly Invitation Only.
The Translating the Words of the Buddha Conference will be hosted by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and the Khyentse Foundation at Deer Park Insitute, a centre for study of classical Indian wisdom traditions. Leaders of all four Tibetan Buddhist lineages, including the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa, and Sakya Trizin have offered their blessing and support to this landmark initiative.
Participants include six rinpoches (incarnate lamas), luminaries such as Matthieu Ricard and Bob Thurman, and top translators from all four Tibetan Buddhist lineages, representatives from the major Tibetan-English translation houses around the world, and a number of publishers and patrons. The agenda includes topics such as initiating the full translation of the entire Buddhist canon, including the 108-volume Kangyur—the Buddha’s direct teachings that include many sutras never before translated into English. Translating those teachings from Sanskrit to Tibetan 1,000 years ago took nearly 100 years under Tibetan royal patronage. This gathering is intended to generate the collaboration among translators required to realize this vision in the west.
According to the conference chair, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche:
“I have arrived at the conviction that we cannot have a goal to make ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ a Western institution. For the Buddha’s teachings to truly thrive in our cultures and take root in our hearts, we must have a genuine Western Buddhism. For this genuine tradition to flourish and become fully integrated in the West, we must, in my view, have the words of the Buddha in English. A comprehensive English compilation of the Buddha’s words will serve as an authoritative bedrock for a living tradition.”
The conference host and convenor, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche says:
My main reason for convening this conference is that I believe it's entirely possible that the survival of the Buddhadharma could depend on it being translated into other languages. I also believe that by translating and making available the Tibetan Buddhist texts to modern people, a vast swathe of Buddhist civilization and culture may be saved from global annihilation. It's clear we need to act quickly, and I believe the only way we can accomplish this monumental endeavour is by working together—pooling our skills, resources, experience and energy and coming up with a plan for translating the Buddhadharma. We must decide where we want this process to be in 10 years, 25 years, 50 years and 100 years.
For more information, please contact Pawo Dorji at choyning.dorji@gmail.com or by phone at 91 (India)-9816-677-878
Please Note: Attendance is strictly Invitation Only.
Write to rinpoche2006@gmail.com
"
By Request: Demons and Mental Illness
By Request: Demons and Mental Illness: "
The following is by special request, excerpted from a larger work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Magic.
This, too, is medicine.
Do you understand?
------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 by Tulku Urgyan Tenpa Rinpoche. all rights reserved. Used by permission.
'With the rope of continuous mindfulness,
If you bind the elephant of mind,
All fears will become nonexistent,
And all virtues will come into your hands.'
If you bind the elephant of mind,
All fears will become nonexistent,
And all virtues will come into your hands.'
The following is by special request, excerpted from a larger work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I now want to explore the most delicate aspect of mental illness. Some otherwise sympathetic commentators attempt to tip-toe their way around this aspect as if it were quaint superstition, but I want to approach it head on. This is the aspect of mental illness that arises from demonic possession or the malevolence of others.
Malevolence is a shared feature of temporal existence. In this context, demons and evil spirits do exist and black magic is possible. Demons and evil spirits exist in both this and other dimensions, and can travel between them. The effects of their malevolence can manifest as mental illness. While karmic cause and karmic ground are present, and definitely give rise to such conditions, we are here discussing an externally submitted case as distinct from an internally submitted case.
A celebrated psychiatrist of my acquaintance once asked me if, in the sense that the anxiety is the insanity, is the insanity the demon. This simple question deserves a simple answer. The answer is yes and no. The insanity may appear demonic, but not caused by demons. Conversely, the insanity may appear conventionally grounded yet it is in fact caused by demons.
Elsewhere, I have quoted my teacher’s remark that everything can be assigned either a divine or a demonic quality. In this context, demons or evil spirits are harmful and destructive actors in the play of life. Black magic involves harnessing these actors and directing their energies to a particular end.
Sometimes people ask if demons are fearsome creatures with terrible appearances. They can be, and then again, they can be quite attractive and seductive. They can manifest as both seen and unseen, rarely as the former and regularly as the latter.
People also ask if demons are germs or microbes. It would be convenient to say that they are, but I cannot truthfully answer that this is so in all or even any cases.
People ask if demons take human form, and if Hitler, or Stalin, or Mao, were demons. Demons can inhabit or assume human form. I do not know that any of these historical figures were so inhabited and I do not know they were not. I did not know any of these individuals personally. Regardless of whether they were or were not inhabited, demons and evil spirits are demons and evil spirits, and thus nonhuman.
Some people ask if demons and evil spirits are primordial evil. My answer is that while demons and evil spirits are an embodiment of evil, there is no primordial evil to spawn them. Demons and evil spirits are spawned in ignorance. The only primordial energy in this or any other dimension is primordial wisdom.
Finally, people sometimes ask me if I have ever actually seen an evil spirit. On a few occasions, I have seen what I thought were evil spirits but I cannot be certain this was in fact the case. I may have been looking at myself.
People of Christian background often question if demons exist because Buddhas exist, as if one were a necessary reflex of the other. The answer to that question is no. The question is frequently extended to ask why, if Buddhas exist, they do not simply subdue or otherwise eradicate demons. The answer is that they do, but just as Buddhas are continuously manifesting, so too are demons and evil spirits.
To the question of what manifests Buddhas and demons, the answer is almost surely that Buddhas are uncreated and self-manifesting, whereas demons are persistent illusions created by collection.
The question then becomes, if they are illusions, why do they persist. The answer is they are raw, evolving illusions, connected to us by the force of karma.
The question then becomes, if they are created by collection why are they not subject to dispersal, i.e. why do they endure? The answer is they endure through the power of collective intention and ignorance.
The question then becomes, if they are thus an aggregate in a field of non-dualistic purity, are they not also fundamentally pure? The answer is that they are fundamentally pure evil.
The question then becomes, if, in a field of non-dualistic purity, distinctions between good and evil are erased, how is fundamentally pure evil still possible? The answer is that it is not. The definition of evil is ignorance and ignorance is the nonrealization of purity, or appropriately, the obstacle to purity. An even simpler definition is that evil is a limited perspective that acknowledges only its own possibilities.
The question then becomes, why do we frequently read of discourse or interaction between Buddhas and demons, or of cases where supernormal beings or exorcists subdue demons. The answer is because demons: (1) are the embodied manifestations of persistent illusions, (2) are born of restricted perspective, (3) exist in this and other realms, i.e. they arise in collective unconsciousness and manifest in individual consciousness, (4) cause harm and afflictions, (5) are actually projections of our own mental processes, and (6) are thus fit candidates for intervention.
Mental illness caused by demonic possession or external malevolence is distinctive. Once you have seen it, you unmistakably recognize it. The condition is characterized by sudden onset, and is observable in both the patient’s urine and pulse.
An evil spirit pulse is fluctuating, uncertain, and unpredictable. It is subject to sudden changes not otherwise explainable by circumstances. This is also known as gdon rtsa [ghost pulse], felt as grossly irregular, or without pattern.
Diagnosis by urinalysis is predicated on observation of a particular type of bubble in the urine known as a fish eye. The bubble is so called because it looks precisely thus. A nine-chambered framework is imposed over the container of urine. Diagnosis is made based on the chamber in which the fish eye appears.
The manifestations of madness or the overt symptoms of mental illness are secondary criteria. There are two important reasons for this. First, a mentally ill person may howl at the moon regardless of whether or not he or she is possessed or targeted by black magic. Second, and more to the point, assessing these cases represents an enormous cross-cultural challenge. You have to become familiar with the variegated ghost pantheons of the world, pick one that works for you, and then relate your pantheon to the operative pantheon of your patient’s culture. Therefore, I recommend the defining diagnostic criteria be observed in the urine and the pulse.
If, despite the above advice, you simply cannot resist the temptation to play with spirits, I offer a few samples from the Indo-Tibetan pantheon together with selected, illustrative diagnostic criteria. These samples are from the eighteen ‘byung-po’i gdon, or elemental spirits that create mental disorder, which are the familiar devas, asuras, gandharvas, nagas, yakshas, rakshas, and Brahma of Indian tradition. I also include a few indigenous Tibetan furies.
1. Lha’i gdon: God Demons. Typically male spirits, white in color, who usually do not care to trouble humans. In Indian practice these are known as devas. People afflicted by God Demons suffer from insomnia; they obsessively clean themselves, display good natures, and speak sweetly.
2. kLu’i gdon: Serpent-spirit Demons. Extremely powerful residents of water and trees, manifesting as serpent bodies with human heads, green in color, who guard subterranean treasures, and who control the waters of lakes and springs. If a person suffers from insanity because of possession he or she will occasionally slither on the ground, lick the corners of the mouth very rapidly, become very irritable, and will like candy, honey, and milk. The face will be glowing and the eyes will be bloodshot, with piercing stares. kLu are known as nagas in Indian practice. They are usually associated with skin diseases, such as leprosy.
3. gNod sbyin: Harm-giver Demons. Typically male spirits, red in color, who also guard treasure. They typically haunt mountain passes. Their king is Kubera, the god of wealth and guardian of the north, who is usually depicted with his left hand holding a mongoose disgorging jewels. If a person suffers from insanity as a result of possession, his or her eyes will become copper colored, the body will present a pleasant appearance, red clothing will be favored, there will be a serious demeanor, he or she will move very fast and speak very infrequently, he or she will be tolerant and display a radiant complexion, and will constantly think of giving things to people. He or she will also occasionally display hatred toward doctors and priests, chatter thoughtlessly, and will crave fish. gNod byin are known as Yakshas in Indian practice.
4. bDud. Male spirits, black in color, who are extremely wicked. They eat human flesh and require blood sacrifices. There are four, which are known as the demonic forces of the afflictions, aggregates, death, and the heavenly son. The latter is similar to a demonic Cupid.
5. Tsan. Male spirits, red in color, who are regarded as the restless spirits of ill-tempered monks.
6. Gyal po’i gdon. Male spirits, white in color, who wear shining armor and are regarded as the spirits of deceased kings and lamas who failed to reach liberation. These are also known as King Evil Spirits and are known for their mischievous and violent nature.
7. Mamo. Female spirits, black in color, who require blood sacrifices. They are generally evil but are sometimes employed in a protective capacity.
8. gZaa yi gdon. A class of male planetary spirits, usually black in color, who assume various forms, such as a black dog, a monster with a dragon’s tail, a phoenix, or a man on horseback. They are regarded as extremely malevolent, and are associated with epilepsy, sudden paralysis, and strokes.
Black Magic.
Black magic, sorcery, or witchcraft represents a particular form of malevolence quite separate and apart from demons and evil spirits. Although demons and evil spirits may be employed by the black practitioner as instruments of affliction—these are called Byad stems, or curse ghosts—this is not always the case. A sorcerer can tinker with causal conditions and wreak the same if not more damage.
The first question people always ask is whether black magic is effective. I assure you that it is. I know people who practice black magic, and I have seen them achieve results. I have no doubt that black magic is not only effective, but also efficient. The thing, of course, is to separate real black magic from folk belief, autosuggestion, superstitious mumbo-jumbo, and fraud.
In some respects, explaining black magic earns the same karma as practicing black magic, so I do not want to delve into the subject too deeply. Suffice to say that directed malevolence is technically possible for the same reason that directed benevolence is possible.
The practice of black magic is a grievous offense that earns the most severe karmic results. A life-long practitioner may enter a pact with a demon and literally volunteer for hell, promising to serve the demon as a hell being in all future lifetimes. This forges a powerful bond and unleashes puissant energy. Conversely, a person may practice black magic, repent their deeds and, by achieving enlightenment, escape the result of their actions. Tibet’s famous yogi Milarepa provides us with an example. To avenge an offense to his family, the young Milarepa cultivated black magic and caused considerable damage to his enemies. Repenting this deed, he assiduously practiced Vajrayana and thereafter provided benefit to all sentient beings.
The presence of black magic is detected by palpation of what is known as the enemy pulse. The enemy pulse is employed individually, to predict if an enemy may be overcome by attack. If the lung and kidney pulses are strong, the attack will be successful. If the spleen pulse is strong, the enemy will prevail. Conversely, if the enemy attacks, the opposite holds true. Therefore, in the case of a female patient, the physician would take her right wrist, and using the upper half of his left index finger would assess the lung. The upper half of his left ring finger would assess her right kidney. He would next take her left wrist, and using the upper half of his right ring finger, assess her left kidney. Finally, the upper half of his right middle fingertip would assess the spleen. By noting anomalies, he would be able to determine if black magic afflicted her.
There are numerous forms of black magic around the world, with the most virulent found in Central and South East Asian cultures. Cambodian black magic is particularly strong.
Counteracting true black magic is no easy task, and absolute relief from its effects is often elusive. On some occasions, it may become necessary to locate the sorcerer involved, and negotiate with him directly.
Some of you may read the above account of demons, sorcerers, and think, “This author is ridiculous! Such things do not exist!” I am neither credulous, nor superstitious, nor am I prone to unquestioned belief in anything. In professional terms, this is not a possibility finding. This is a probability finding. This is not a “more likely true than untrue” determination. This is an absolute certainty.
Having said this let me now agree with you. Demons and black magic do not exist for you. The thing is, they do exist for some people. They exist for me because I allow them to exist; because, I admit their existence and deal with them as such. This is not as simple as thinking they are produced by belief; rather, this is a perspective that admits their probability. One often hears, “If you believe in ghosts you see ghosts. If you do not believe in ghosts you do not see them.” That is ridiculous. By believing in the existence or nonexistence of ghosts you have already erected a ghost framework, so naturally they exist. You have given a label to a proposition, so naturally that proposition is going to manifest itself at one time or another.
Let us take this discussion apart using other terms. I had a dear friend who absolutely believed that grains of sand grow into mountains. I discovered this when we walked along a beach, and she paused to remark, “Isn’t it mysterious? All this life is coming from the sea. All these little grains of sand will grow up to be mountains.” I protested that it was the other way around. I argued all the geological evidence that mountains eventually weather away to become grains of sand. No matter how I argued, I could not shake her belief.
The thing is, we both were right. If you think about it, grains of sand do grow to become mountains. I was imposing my limited perspective on her perspective. I was arguing a theory of destruction, while she was presenting a theory of creation. I was the destructive demon in her evolutionary garden.
How, then, do we treat a person with mental illness caused by such external forces? We cannot use the transactional methods described (elsewhere in the original text). They simply will not work. In most cases, we have to call in specialists such as exorcists, or highly realized lamas.
I am not particularly skilled as an exorcist because I lack sufficient knowledge and any accomplishment. I have no supernormal powers and my inner practice is incompetent. Nevertheless, I know people who are exorcists, who enjoy wide knowledge and accomplishment, and have a highly developed inner practice. I have seen them work and I have seen the results of their work.
There are numerous exorcising rituals in the Tibetan tradition—far more numerous than many suppose—but they all fall into either one of two classes: peaceful or wrathful. The peaceful methods involve appeasement by means of offerings, use of effigies, and substitution methods, where the spirit is drawn to magical structures, such as thread crosses or traps. Wrathful methods involve trapping the spirit in a container that is buried, fire rituals, and trapping the spirits in offerings, which are then thrown.
There are also other, highly sophisticated forms, which are the province of advanced tantric practitioners. On one occasion, in Nepal, I observed an exorcist work with a legitimate case of possession involving a young Englishwoman. This woman was quite haggard, mad, and unkempt. She was unable to care for herself, and babbled constantly, speaking incoherent nonsense in a language that only she understood. She would have fits of crying, and singing, and could neither form nor answer normal conversation. On occasion, she would fall to the ground and start eating grass. She urinated and moved her bowels in her clothes, and was afflicted with open sores. She had been this way for about three months, and everyone feared for her life.
The setting was a meadow and the time was noonday. The sky was clear and cloudless, and the weather was uncomfortably warm. I witnessed the ensuing scene together with several other people, all of whom saw what I saw.
The exorcist directed the young woman to sit in the center of the meadow. At precisely twelve o’clock, he took up his position at the edge of the meadow, in the shade of a tree. We observers occupied a position some twenty-five feet away from him. He began reciting mantras, and used a damaru drum. After an interval of some fifteen minutes, a black cloud suddenly began to take form over the young woman’s head. This cloud was about five feet in diameter, and appeared at a height of about twelve feet from ground level. As we watched this remarkable sight, the cloud began to emit small bolts of lightening, and then rain, which fell only upon the young woman.
Once the rain began to fall, she slumped to the earth and lay motionless. The exorcist ceased his mantras and the cloud disappeared. He collected his belongings and simply walked away.
We ran to the young woman, who raised herself from the ground as if she were awakening from sleep. She asked us, “What is going on? How did I get here?” We asked her how she felt, and she replied, “I feel fine. Now, tell me what is going on!”
We ran to the young woman, who raised herself from the ground as if she were awakening from sleep. She asked us, “What is going on? How did I get here?” We asked her how she felt, and she replied, “I feel fine. Now, tell me what is going on!”
We took her to the village, cleaned her up, and explained the situation to her. Upon hearing our explanation, she exhibited disbelief. She thought someone had drugged her and played a malicious prank, covering her in excrement. She wanted to call the police to investigate the matter and arrest the culprit. When we finally convinced her what had happened, she could only express astonishment. I saw her on numerous occasions after her experience, and although she remembered nothing, she was otherwise perfectly normal. She was quite personable and attractive. She was a gentle-spirited student of literature from Cambridge.
Before we leave this topic, I want to offer an aside about religious practitioners. Because of the people I see, I always differentiate between ordinary mental illness and cultivated mental illness. The former is ubiquitous, while the latter—if genuine—is rarely encountered. People who practice the higher meditations and the higher yogas occasionally appear to be insane. In some cases, they quite literally go insane on purpose. In other cases, they go insane because of a flaw in their practice. Given enough time—and by diligently following the instructions of a qualified teacher—a skilled practitioner can recover himself, but a less gifted practitioner will be in a wilderness. In either case, the manifestations of illness are full blown because the individual has deliberately engaged them, and is working with them. Inveterate egotists, drug addicts, alcoholics, and other obsessive personalities occasionally exhibit similar, but not identical, characteristics.
Suppose the police discover a woman sitting naked in a grave-yard at midnight, munching on dirty food. Were such a thing encountered in India, law enforcement’s immediate concern would be that the woman not be disturbed. In America, the police would demand an explanation. The person might explain that she is engaged in the non-dualistic contemplation of impermanence, which is a perfectly wholesome and altogether rational activity. Nevertheless, it is probable that she will be hastily covered, taken to the nearest psychiatric assessment unit, and like as not, will thereafter be criminally charged.
If you are practicing higher yogas, it is important to take personal responsibility. If unseemly behavior arises, do not become attached. Just keep meditating.
The issue of social account, while not particularly germane to medical matters, does play a current role in assessing mental illness. Suppose an advanced tantric practitioner becomes intoxicated and decides to beat someone. Whether in India or America, the police may be summoned, and the matter is sure to provoke controversy. While there may be an adequate religious explanation, this may not be sufficient to address legal concerns and the practitioner may be held for psychological evaluation. I also want to mention that governments are clearly not above using psychiatry for political purposes. We find evidence with the French in Viet-Nam and their forced psychiatric detention of the Vietnamese Buddhist prophet Huynh Phu So, and with the current Mainland Chinese persecution of Buddhists.
Another thought, in passing, is that there are some people in this world who are inherently, albeit ignorantly, wicked and who rejoice in their wickedness. Sometimes this makes them appear possessed, demonic, or insane. One of the worst cases I ever encountered involved a practicing psychologist—an otherwise cultured, well educated, and well-spoken Chinese woman—who deliberately, systematically, and efficiently led her patients to absolute ruin. She regularly had sex with her patients, both male and female; would encourage and even procure alcohol for alcoholics and drugs for drug addicts; concocted elaborate lies to have patients arrested and imprisoned, and on one notable occasion provided a homicidal patient with a loaded pistol.
As it happened, she was secretly in therapy for a multiple personality disorder, and there was some speculation she might be possessed. My assessment was that she simply enjoyed ruining people. When confronted with this assessment, she cheerfully admitted that it was accurate. She stated that the only reason she stayed in therapy was to gain an alibi in case she was caught, and she congratulated herself for deceiving her therapist.
Some would say she was mentally ill; a sociopath in the grip of madness who set out to do harm. Actually, she was just a thoroughly unpleasant human being.
Finally, I want to mention that there are also highly evolved beings—Bodhisattvas, in fact—who display unusual or controversial behavior that is beyond our judgment. You can get the flavor of this from Vimalakirti’s verses to the Bodhisattva Sarvarupasamdarsana, wherein Vimalakirti describes the “true bodhisattvas,” saying, in part: “They intentionally become courtesans, in order to win men over; and, having caught them with the hook of desire, they establish them in the buddha-gnosis.” Here, Vimalakirti describes a Bodhisattva adopting the role of a prostitute, and then dancing with passions in order to inculcate the seed of liberation from suffering, or what Vimalakirti elsewhere calls the “transcendence of morality, which is consummated in the moral development of immoral beings.”
This, too, is medicine.
Do you understand?
------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 by Tulku Urgyan Tenpa Rinpoche. all rights reserved. Used by permission.
Learn more at http://www.nyingmapa.us
"
Here We Go Again
Here We Go Again: "
This is the view which greeted me this morning. The mountains are on fire again. It went from 20 acres to 200 acres yesterday afternoon, from 200 acres to 2,000 acres overnight, and from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres this morning.
UPDATE: It went from 4,000 to 18,000 acres in less than one day, it is now the largest wildland fire in the United States, and we have been subjected to mandatory evacuation. Two Buddhist installations are threatened: a Thai Buddhist wat and a Vietnamese Buddhist retreat center. Nevertheless, the Tibetan Buddhist tent and rabbits are just fine.
Somebody sent this to me and it is one of my favorite photographs. You can't see clearly, but underneath the house at lower left there are a pair of ruby slippers peeking out.
'When our illusory bodies are threatened with danger and destruction because of obstacles of the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind;
'Without any doubt or question, I supplicate you, Orgyen, together with the four goddesses of the elements;
'Thus, there is no doubt that the elements will be self-pacified.
'I supplicate Orgyen Padmasambhava. Grant blessings for the spontaneous accomplishment of our wishes!
'OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM.'
This is the view which greeted me this morning. The mountains are on fire again. It went from 20 acres to 200 acres yesterday afternoon, from 200 acres to 2,000 acres overnight, and from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres this morning.UPDATE: It went from 4,000 to 18,000 acres in less than one day, it is now the largest wildland fire in the United States, and we have been subjected to mandatory evacuation. Two Buddhist installations are threatened: a Thai Buddhist wat and a Vietnamese Buddhist retreat center. Nevertheless, the Tibetan Buddhist tent and rabbits are just fine.
Somebody sent this to me and it is one of my favorite photographs. You can't see clearly, but underneath the house at lower left there are a pair of ruby slippers peeking out.'When our illusory bodies are threatened with danger and destruction because of obstacles of the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind;
'Without any doubt or question, I supplicate you, Orgyen, together with the four goddesses of the elements;
'Thus, there is no doubt that the elements will be self-pacified.
'I supplicate Orgyen Padmasambhava. Grant blessings for the spontaneous accomplishment of our wishes!
'OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM.'
Learn more at http://www.nyingmapa.us
"
Excellent Translation Site
Excellent Translation Site: "http://www.unfetteredmind.org/translations/mountain.php
Ken McLeod is one of the early translators of Tibetan texts to achieve the confidence of his teachers. He is particularly noted for his work with Kalu Rinpoche. The above link reaches an excellent collection of his work and I commend this to everyone's attention.
Here is a sample:
Ken McLeod is one of the early translators of Tibetan texts to achieve the confidence of his teachers. He is particularly noted for his work with Kalu Rinpoche. The above link reaches an excellent collection of his work and I commend this to everyone's attention.
Here is a sample:
Six Words of Advice from Tilopa
Don't recall.
Don't imagine.
Don't think.
Don't examine.
Don't control.
Rest.
Learn more at http://www.nyingmapa.us
"
This is America: Give Me the Nyingma T-Shirt
This is America: Give Me the Nyingma T-Shirt: "
The below post notwithstanding, friends do engage in limited enterprise with which to finance the habit of printing images of the deities. Therefore, if you find yourself in the grip of an unendurable urge to purchase products branded with the Great Seal of the Nyingma School, look no further than this online store.
Each and every penny made in profit goes to print images, cast statues, feed monks, rebuild temples, and put shoes on the nuns. Not one penny goes into the black pocket.
The below post notwithstanding, friends do engage in limited enterprise with which to finance the habit of printing images of the deities. Therefore, if you find yourself in the grip of an unendurable urge to purchase products branded with the Great Seal of the Nyingma School, look no further than this online store.Each and every penny made in profit goes to print images, cast statues, feed monks, rebuild temples, and put shoes on the nuns. Not one penny goes into the black pocket.
Learn more at http://www.nyingmapa.us
"
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