Different types of text studied in the Shedra, and their purpose
What is a Shedra? See the previous article for basic information on the Shedra.
The Texts Studied in the Shedra
Main Text or ‘root text’ is a central text studied by scholars and practitioners. A commentary gives comments and clarifications to a main text. That is because the main texts are very difficult and impossible to understand without the commentary.
Summary text (Tib: dom jang) is like the root text, but it is not highly regarded as the root text. It may or may not be composed by the author. It is a summary text or summary notes of all things mentioned in the Root Text.
Annotated Commentary (Tib: chen drel) builds on the main text. It is a text mainly composed of the root text in larger font, with ideas and sentences added across the main text, in smaller font, serving as the commentary. The smaller font are more like annotations and notes.
Self-commentary (Tib: rang drel) is a commentary text written by the author of the root text. Longer than the root text. It closely accompanies the root text.
Extensive Commentary (Tib: drel chen) gives long comments and clarifications to a main text. It is a text on its own. Usually written by the students of the author. When we open a commentary, the main basis is the commentary, with a lot of short quotes from the main text.
The Purpose of Commentaries
Written commentaries exist in the Buddhist tradition, to explain the root texts, such as the Buddha’s Sutras or a root text written by a master.
Even with written commentaries, one will still not understand the root text. One needs a teacher, one needs to learn from a well-studied and experienced teacher, who also learned from his own teacher, and so on.
Translation: Lost Meanings
Translating the Dharma is not simple or difficult. It is more than difficult, beyond difficult.
There are so many Dharma words in Tibetan that have no equivalent in the English language. This is really something crucial to mention here.
Simple Words With Heavy Meanings
For example, we talk about parchin jinpa in Tibetan. In English, the closest translation for this is “Transcendental Generosity”. When we check parchin jinpa in Loppon Chandrakirti’s text, Entering the Middle Way (Uma jugpa), this root text mentions 4 stanzas about it. Then, in his self-commentary of Entering the Middle Way, he explains those 4 stanzas in 300-400 words.
Why does this happen?
Accuracy and Hidden Meanings
For example, let’s look at these four English words – electric, electrical, electronic, electricity. These four words are very similar in English. But, they have very different meanings, or they say, “connotations”.
Is ‘electronic engineering‘ and ‘electrical engineering‘ the same? What is the difference between ‘electrical system‘ and ‘electronic system‘? Now, we can see that each word carries a very subtle meaning that is different from the others.
Another example are legal terms, or terms used in the courts (judicial courts). We know they are English terms, but most of us ordinary people know that these terms contain heavy meanings. They are important terms, which lawyers and judges slowly understand through years of learning, training and experience. They are essential for proper communication between lawyers and judges.
Dharma Is Not Easy To Understand
This is quite similar to Dharma terms in the Sutras and Shastras. The meanings cannot be learned through self-study. They have to be learned slowly across many years from a proper teacher.
Therefore, in my experience, when English-speaking Buddhist students read a translated English Buddhist text, they say, “O ok, I got the meaning already.” They feel that, after reading the English translation.
But, when a proficient native Tibetan speaker, who has studied Tibetan grammar for decades, reads the same ancient commentary in the Tibetan language, he will keep pausing. He will still find it hard to understand. Because each of those words in the Tibetan verses are loaded with meaning,
You can ask the Chinese speakers, because they have the same experience when reading the Sutras in the Da Zang Jing (Kangyur or collection of Sutras in Chinese). Even a well-educated Chinese will say that those terms they are reading are ‘ancient Chinese‘ or ‘ancient Chinese Dharma terms‘. So, he cannot understand.
So, for the English reader, he understood something, but it is very shallow meaning. Compare that to the experiences of the Chinese and Tibetan readers.
Lineage of Master to Student
That is why, a proper Dharma teacher is not just someone who has read a lot of books or attended many teachings here and there, but someone who has learned extensively and tested rigorously by a qualified teacher, who was also a student of a master, and so on.
That is the kind of training happening in the Shedra, while studying and debating these ancient texts. This is something really really precious.
That is the importance of lineage. Ok? Because that is Buddhism. Buddha also learned Buddhism from past Buddhas. (READ: The Precious Buddhism)
For the final article (part 3), click here.