Finding the Proper Register

“One of the major challenges facing a translator today is to find the proper register in English, neither too formal and stylized nor too breezy and colloquial—language that is fresh and urgent and passionate, and at the same time dignified.”

From Chana Bloch & Ariel Bloch, The Song of Songs

Sanskrit Resources

Over at Flammschild’s jālasthāna there is a useful update on some Sanskrit resources available online, including a database of dictionaries being put together by the Gāndhārī Dictionary Project. It is also good to see that Whitney’s Sanskrit Grammar is being made available in Wiki format on Wikisource.

Three Essential Lexicons

Here’s one for fellow Tibeto-bibliophiles. Gene Smith of TBRC was recently asked for his pick of the ‘must have’  Tibetan dictionaries. These, I am told, were his ‘top three’:

1) brda dkrol gser gyi me long / btsan lha ngag dbang tshul khrims kyis rtsom sgrig byas pa. — pe cin : mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1997.   isbn 71050223377.  1063 p.

2) mdo sngags kyi gzhung chen mo’i tshig mdzod ris med mkhas pa’i zhal lung / rtsom sgrig pa sgom sde lha rams pa dge bshes thub bstan bsam grub. — delhi : shes rig par khang, 2005.  785 p. (W00EGS1016962)

3) chos rnam kun btus (gangs can rig brgya’i chos kyi rnam grangs mthong tshad kun las btus pa ngo mtshar ‘phrul gyi lde mig chen mo) / nor brang o rgyan gyis bsgrigs. — pe cin : krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2008. 3 v. 9787802530454.

Returning to the Source: Report on Translating the Words of the Buddha Conference

For five days in March, several lamas and many of the world’s leading Tibetan Buddhist translators came together at the splendid Deer Park Institute in the Himalayan foothills of Northern India for Translating the Words of the Buddha, an impeccably organized conference that was several years in the planning. The aim was to discuss the current state and future direction of Tibetan Buddhist translation, but as we arrived few of us had any idea what to expect.

From the very beginning however, it was clear that this would be an extraordinary event. For one thing, there was our spontaneous audience with the Gyalwang Karmapa while en route to Bir. Then, there was the unprecedented gathering of illustrious lamas and translators, including Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Doboom Tulku Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Ven. Matthieu Ricard, Robert Thurman and Gene Smith—so many luminaries, in fact, that some of us worried that an act of sabotage or a stray missile might set back the transmission of the Dharma to the West by several decades.

But, above all, there was Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s defining and momentous keynote speech. Standing before the Institute’s magical Manjushri statue, modelled on one of the most sacred images in Tibet, he announced: “The stakes are high. It’s our generation who will shoulder the responsibility for ensuring that the Buddhadharma continues to flourish in the world. We need to make a thorough and effective plan for the future, and we must put it into action.”

Both Khyentse Rinpoche and the conference chairman, Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoche, wasted no time in revealing what that plan would be. Rather than focus on the works of Tibetan masters—as we had all largely been doing up to that point—they suggested we must turn our collective attention and resources to the vast Tibetan Buddhist canon, comprised of the Kangyur, the ‘Words of the Buddha’, and the Tengyur, the commentaries (śāstra in Sanskrit) of the great Indian masters.

Khyentse Rinpoche told us frankly: “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.”

“Painful as it is for me to admit,” he continued, “Tibetans often promote the teachings of their own teachers far more than those of the Buddha… 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 them into translating the teachings of individual lineage gurus, their biographies, their long-life prayers, and prayers for the propagation of the teachings of individual schools.”

Dzogchen Pönlop Rinpoche, in his speech, told us: “It would be quite ironic to claim to be a Buddhist but have no idea what the Buddha taught.” It is therefore crucial, he said, that western Buddhists have access to the words of the Buddha.

Later in the week, His Holiness the Dalai Lama also spoke to us of the importance of a return to the Buddha’s own words and especially the classical Indian commentaries. Candid as ever, he explained that the writings of the Indian masters contained in the Tengyur are indispensable aids to understanding the words of the Buddha, and more applicable to the modern world than the works of later Tibetan teachers. “Tibetan authors,” he said, “often took it for granted that their writings would be read by Buddhists, whereas the Indian masters never took that for granted, leading to a big difference in how their teachings were presented… Indian masters, like Nagarjuna, Dignaga and Dharmakirti, presented the Buddha’s teaching through reasoning and logic, which is why they are so relevant to today’s world, in which many people are sceptical about religion.”

Excitement was generated on the second day of the conference when we received a letter from Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche announcing that his Dharmachakra Translation Committee would appoint fifteen full-time translators to the project of translating the Tibetan canon. Then, in a second message, this time on video, he went on to say that his group would commit to translate the entire Tantra section of the Kangyur. This precipitated a unique wave of ‘bidding’, as other lamas made similar commitments on behalf of their groups and individual translators volunteered to work on particular texts. Buoyed and emboldened by all these pledges, which made the plan seem that much more realistic and achievable, we somehow set a goal of translating the entire Kangyur, and a substantial portion of the Tengyur and related Tibetan commentaries—amounting to perhaps as many as two hundred large volumes in total—within the next twenty-five years.

Outside the plenary sessions there were group discussions on issues like translator training, resources, funding and peer review. Many of these topics were also addressed informally, during mealtimes and especially on the long bus rides to and from Himachal Pradesh. There was obviously much to talk about and far too little time to cover it all adequately, but steps were taken towards establishing what Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche called “an ongoing conference… that never closes because all the attendees continue to consult and work together.”

As the days unfolded, there was a growing sense that we were witnessing history in the making, an impression that had little to do with the reporters and photographers, the team of bloggers offering instant updates on our progress via the internet, or the slightly incongruous Bhutanese television crew clad in their traditional robes and knee-length socks. By the close of proceedings, we had created something provisionally called the Buddhist Literary Heritage Project, with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, after repeated requests, agreeing to be its leader. We had finalized goals for the next five, twenty-five and one hundred years, and drawn up a long list of pledges from the various translators and groups involved. Messages of support had come from the president of Taiwan and the prime minister of Bhutan, and more than eleven thousand people had signed an online petition expressing their gratitude for our work. At the precise moment that we completed our conference resolutions, a clap of thunder resounded loudly overhead.

From start to finish, everything had gone auspiciously, and there were indications of greater collaboration among translators than ever before. In his closing remarks, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche told us that the conference had made the importance of translating the Kangyur and Tengyur more vivid and obvious. This itself, he said, had been a genuine accomplishment. In a manner befitting the heirs of the Rimé movement, the lamas had argued for a shifting of priorities, and we had all been convinced. The decision to host the conference in India now made perfect sense: we were, in every way, returning to the source of the Dharma.

This article was first published in View: The Rigpa Journal Summer 2009 edition, available here (in the US) and here (in Europe). Photos courtesy of the Deer Park Institute and Matthieu Ricard.

The Devotion of Matthieu Ricard: Trailer

Here’s a trailer for the new documentary about lotsawa, photographer, humanitarian, monk, and happiest man alive, Matthieu Ricard. The film recently had its UK premiere in London, at the International Buddhist Film Festival.

Translating the Words of the Buddha: Participants and Links

I have just returned to Nepal from the Translating the Words of the Buddha conference in Bir, India. The proceedings were well documented and posted on the conference’s Facebook page and here. There was also a report in the Bhutanese media, here on Kuensel Online.

In the coming days and weeks, I will be posting some links and bits & pieces here on this site, especially those falling in the category of ‘tools and resources’, but let’s begin the process by adding the list of participants, with links to their affiliated sites and homepages:

Alexander Berzin: Berzin Archives

John Canti: Padmakara Translation Group

Ane Kunga Chodron: George Washington University / Tsechen Kunchab Ling

Joshua W.C. Cutler: Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center

Cortland J. Dahl: Rime Foundation / Tergar Institute / Dharmachakra Translation

Catherine Dalton: Rangjung Yeshe Institute / Dharmachakra Translation

Jake Dalton: University of California, Berkeley / International Dunhuang Project

Tyler Dewar: Nalandabodhi / Nitartha

Lama Doboom Tulku: Tibet House (India)

Andreas Doctor: Rangjung Yeshe Institute / Dharmachakra Translation

Gyurme Dorje

John Dunne: Emory University / Mind & Life Institute

Wulstan Fletcher: Padmakara Translation Group

Jessie Friedman: Light of Bertosana

Steven Goodman: California Institute of Integral Studies

Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen: Tsechen Kunchab Ling

Ani Jinba Palmo (Eugenie De Jong): Shechen Monastery / Khampagar Monastery

Gavin Kilty: Institute of Tibetan Classics

David Kittelstrom: Wisdom Publications

Anne Carolyn Klein: Rice University / Dawn Mountain

Derek Kolleeny: TBRC / Nalanda Translation Committee

Gwenola Le Serrec: Padmakara Translation Group

Jakob Leschly: Siddhartha’s Intent / Khyentse Foundation

Jules Levinson: Light of Berotsana

David Lunsford: Bodhi Foundation

John McRae: Numata Center

Larry Mermelstein: Nalanda Translation Committee / Shambhala Publications

Michele Martin: TBRC / Shambhala Publications

Elizabeth Napper: Tibetan Nuns Project

Joan Nicell: FPMT

Paldor: Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center

Ani Lodro Palmo: Yeshe Nyingpo East

Adam Pearcey: Rigpa Shedra / Lotsawa House

Matthieu Ricard: Shechen Monastery / Padmakara / Homepage

Marcia B. Schmidt: Rangjung Yeshe Publications

Peter Skilling: Fragile Palm Leaves Foundation

Gene Smith: Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center

D. Phillip Stanley: Naropa University / Nitartha Institute / Tibetan and Himalayan Library /  The Tibetan Buddhist Canonical Collections Catalog Project

Robert Thurman: Tibet House / Columbia University / American Institute of Buddhist Studies / Homepage

Martijn van Beek: University of Aarhus

Jeff Watt: Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation / Sakya Resource Guide

Christian K. Wedemeyer: University of Chicago Divinity School / Homepage

Scott Wellenbach: Nalanda Translation Committee / Nitartha Institute

Thomas Yarnall: Columbia University / American Institute of Buddhist Studies

Blessings / Inspiration

Via Pensum (aka Michael Tweed) over at Blazing Splendor, here is a link to Alexander Berzin’s  interesting and rather long article on the term byin rlabs and how to translate it.

New Tibet Center at University of Virginia

Via Rev. Danny Fisher, comes the news that the University of Virginia has formally launched their new Tibet Center, which according to the press release, “consolidates, integrates and significantly expands the University’s world-renowned Tibet-related resources and programs.” As Danny points out, the release has also  a brief history of Tibetan Studies at UVA, beginning with the mighty Jeffrey Hopkins. The Center’s new website features an rss feed, so you can keep up-to-date with all the goings-on at this thriving hub of Tibetan studies. The first guest speaker, following the  launch, was Lodi Gyari Rinpoche.

Methodology Guidelines from Padmakara Translation Group

In this season of lotsawa conferences (Light of Berotsana’s last September, Khyentse Foundation’s coming up in March), there is a lot of reflection and discussion about how lotsawas do their thing, all of it tying in quite neatly with the purpose of this site. In the spirit of this atmosphere of introspection, here is a set of guidelines laid out by the excellent Padmakara Translation Group here on their burgeoning new site:

• Starting by receiving transmission and explanation of the text from a qualified teacher
• Careful, painstaking translation of the meaning, with extensive research and study where necessary
• Submission of difficult points and doubts to competent teachers with a good knowledge of the text
• Double-checking of the draft translation by at least one other translator
• Careful editing and rewriting to produce a clear, readable style
• Final text proof-read and approved by a person who knows the subject and has a good command of the final language

This is clearly the methodology of a group of translators–and highlights the advantages of working together, as well as the central role of the teacher(s). What also comes through from reading these points is the group’s well-known emphasis on the importance of fluent, readable translations, requiring translators and editors alike to have, as they put it, “a good command of the final language.” This latter point is worth reiterating because there seems to be a common misconception these days that anyone is capable of becoming a translator, and that little or no literary training in the target language is required, as if everyone is somehow gifted with fluency in their native tongue and the automatic ability to produce lucid prose.

TBRC Has New Blog

I don’t know how this escaped our attention for a full six days, but here is a link to the new blog from the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC) and E. Gene Smith. Get over there and add it to your feed readers this very instant. And if you are on Facebook, here is the TBRC page and here the page for Digital Dharma, the upcoming documentary that people are calling “Gene Smith: The Movie”.