Book Reviews

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Page 39

REVIEWS 225 I would like to propose the following translation: (46) With regard to the fact that rGyal-ba Tshans-dbyans, Pad-dkar 'dzin-pa and Gyal-ba bsKal-bzan rgya-mtsho all three lived at the same time, some made speculations and talked all kinds of nonsense. However, there is nothing wrong with it. (47) One who resides in the first stage has twelve hundred qualities: in a single moment he sees a hundred Buddhas, makes appear a hundred bodies and makes appear with each body one hundred groups of followers, etc. (48) One who resides in the second stage (read: sa gnis pa pas] (sees) a thousand (Buddhas). (49) One who resides in the third stage has such qualities as a hundred thousand transformations, etc. How much more (does) Arya Avalokitesvara (have these qualities)? (50) Therefore it is not at all contradictory when there are not only three manifestations of the Great Al-Knowing and Seeing Gyal-dban, but even when there are a hundred thousand (manifestations), etc. The text of Section 55 is: spyir na rgyal ba'i dban po sku 'phren sna phyi mnams dan/khyad par gsum pa nas drug pa'i bar gyi skyabs mgon rnam pa bai ni ran cag sog po'i 'gro ba la bka' drin gzal du med pa me tog phog pa'i lha skal Ita bu yin pas tshul de ses nas gsol ba 'debs dgos pa yin no/. Klafkowski translates: "In general, all the former and later incarnations of Gyalwa Rinpoche, and particularly the Four Guardians from the Third to the Sixth, each of them, were of unimaginable kindness to all our sentient beings of Sog. We place the offering flowers with that part of the gods (note 108 - Meaning: We offer flowers to Avalokitesvara as symbolized by these four of his manifestations.). We must understand it (clearly) about them (i.e. their importance) and why it is so necessary to pray (to them)." Klafkowski's translation of me tog phog pa'i lha skal is nothing more than a wild guess. It is clearly stated in the text that the kindness (bka' 'drin) of the four Dalai Lamas was like me tog phog pa'i lha skal. The exact meaning of this expression is unknown to me. Probably it means something like "the divine blessing of the falling (?) flowers". It is to be hoped that Klafkowski will carefully examine his translation of Dharmatala's work before publishing it. It is by far the best to indicate each time a translation of a passage is only tentative, and not be tempted into creating the impression that the text is everywhere obvious to the translator. Australian National University J. W. DE JONG NOTES 1 Cf. L. Petech, China and Tibet in the Early XVIIth Century. Second Edition, Leiden, 1972, p. 17: 2 Ngawang Gelek Demo (ed.), The Secret Biography of the Sixth Dalai Lama (Gedan Sungrab Minyam Gyunphel Series, Vol. XVII). New Delhi, 1970. 3 Cf. Ho-Ching Yang, The Annals of Kokonor (Indiana University Publications. Uralic and Altaic Series, Volume 106). Bloomington, 1969, pp. 22 and 45.