Question: Why do some Buddhist masters suggest that a student learns Tibetan language? Can we just study Tibetan Buddhism in English?
by Khenpo Tashi
We can study Tibetan Buddhism in English. There are many English books already available! We can read many good translations of Buddhist teachings in English. We can make good progress there.
As for Tibetan language, in general, there are two kinds of Dharma: The Dharma of Transmission and the Dharma of Realization. The first, Dharma of Transmission (Tib: lung pe choe), is the one which is written in books and taught by master to student. It is the one ‘transmitting’ something. That is why it is called ‘Dharma of Transmission’.
The second, Dharma of Realization (Tib: tok pe choe), is the one realized or understood by the student through listening and practice. The second one, Dharma of Realization, is the real benefit for a person.
So, the Tibetan language is involved in the first kind – the Dharma of Transmission.
Tibetan Language as Carrier
If there is something sacred or important, we protect it. For example, a Buddha statue and the glass protecting the statue. Is the glass that protects the Buddha statue important? Yes, because it protects something important. That glass is not ordinary glass now.
Tibetan language is like the glass. It is like the container, carrier, for the Dharma of Realization to happen. That is surely a precious language. Because not all languages can carry the Buddhadharma.
Here, the language is important due to its use. It carries the Buddhadharma, so it can benefit an individual – you, me, this or that person. Ancient Chinese language is the same. It preserves most of the Kangyur and Tengyur in Chinese. That is also very, very precious. Unthinkable value!
Tibetans also greatly revered the Sanskrit language long time ago. You know, historically, the Dharma was preserved in Sanskrit up to around 1,200 AD, while the Tibetan language started carrying Buddhadharma in 700 AD onwards. From Sanskrit, the Tibetan language carried the Buddhadharma for another 1,000 years in Tibet, before it reached us now. So, we must also revere Sanskrit.
So there are a few precious languages that have kept the Buddhadharma intact.
How to realize the Dharma of Realization without the Dharma of Transmission carrying and transporting the Dharma? Impossible. We need some language. So, that language, the carrier, is blessed and we must respect it very much!
The Tibetan Language
This language is not just ordinary. Like, for example, Sang gye, the Tibetan word for Buddha. Sang means completely purified, Gye meaning developing further and further. “Buddha” actually means completely purified and is blossoming further and further.
So, the Tibetan already gives the complete meaning of Buddha in just those two words. There are many other examples of how Tibetan words carry the meaning in very short forms.
There are many, many sharp and accurate words in Tibetan language that past masters created, due to their deep realization and high meditative experience. They formulated the Tibetan language to be sharp and accurate to carry the meanings of the Dharma. It is not any other worldly, ordinary language.
High Standard
The Kangyur (Tibetan: the written words of the Buddha translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan) is a compilation of the Buddha’s direct teachings, which has 200 or so volumes, mostly still untranslated into English. Are the current English books on Buddhism enough for us?
The hundreds of Indian and Tibetan scholars, editors and translators in Samye Monastery (first Monastery in Tibet), they worked almost 500 years to translate the Kangyur and Tengyur from Sanskrit into Tibetan.
Did they just do the easy way? Just pick one or two Buddha’s teachings? And forget all the Buddha’s other teachings and advice?
I don’t know, because nowadays, we are busy with worldly work. We may think a little spiritual progress is better than no progress. So, we may say that these English Dharma books are enough for myself.
Remember the life sacrifices of the masters and panditas. How much they sacrificed and gave up, to preserve all of the Buddha’s many teachings. By translating the Kangyur and Tengyur across hundreds of years.
Now, almost 2,500, 2,600 years later, we can still hear some original Dharma, some authentic transmission. Due to these few special, precious languages. And due to the hardwork of those masters who invented these languages to preserve and pass on the Dharma.
Also, for the increasing problems of the societies now, we can learn a lot from the Kangyur and Tengyur, their advice and teachings inside, since Buddha gave lots of teachings for different situations.
Final Points
It is great to make a stronger positive connection with the Buddha’s great variety of teachings and advice. That can only happen if we understand the Tibetan language. The language is very important in this way.
So to be able to read and understand some of the Kangyur and Tengyur, by knowing Tibetan language, this is really good!