Translations in Transmission
In this panel a diverse group of experienced practitioner/scholar/translators discuss the idea of transmission and the use of translations in the transmission process. Sarah Harding discusses the many complications of language that have entered into our understanding of “transmission,” and suggests that we make clearer what we mean when we talk about transmission and limit ourselves to things we can actually talk about. Ringu Tulku presents the meaning of “transmission,” in the context of this conference, as being about the whole system of study and practice. He highlights the importance of khrid over and above dbang and lung. He says that translation itself is transmission and translators are transmitters and makes note of a quote he remembered reading: “*Translation at its best is like the other side of the brocade, all the thread, but no design*.” Yeshe Gyamtso (Peter O’Hearn) shared his feelings and eloquent thoughts on transmission and translation having been primarily an oral translator and shifting over to being focused on written translation. He makes important note of Wittgenstein’s idea about meaning coming from usefulness, and the importance of choosing terms that touch the heart of the reader. He says that what translators need is not only competence, but love: Love of the language(s), love of the meaning, and love of the reader. Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo presents a series of questions and some of the visual tools and teaching techniques that she uses when teaching to different kinds of students in schools around the world. She asks: What is the relevance of transmitting ancient Buddhist texts in our current age? How can we transmit the dharma in appealing and relevant, yet authentic and educational ways? What are our responsibilities as individuals and organizations in this transmission process? How can we be sure that authentic Buddhadharma will survive in the modern world?
Event: TT Conference 2017 – Plenary Session
Date: June 3, 2017 – 11:00 am
Speakers: Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Ringu Tulku, Sarah Harding, Yeshe Gyamtso
Topics: Love, Translation, Transmission
Karma Lekshe Tsomo
University of California, San Diego
Karma Lekshe Tsomo is a professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. She received novice precepts from the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa in France in 1977 and full ordination in Korea in 1982. She studied Buddhism in Dharamsala for fifteen years and received a doctorate in Comparative Asian Philosophy from the University of Hawai`i in 2000. She is a founder and past president of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women (www.sakyadhita.org) and director of Jamyang Foundation (www.jamyang.org), an innovative education project for women in developing countries. She has edited a number of books on women in Buddhism.
Yeshe Gyamtso (Peter O'Hearn)
Kunzang Palchen Ling, NY
Yeshe Gyamtso completed two three-year retreats in the 1980s at Kagyu Thubten Chöling in Wappingers Falls, NY. Since then he has taught, interpreted for several Tibetan Buddhist teachers, translated a number of biographies of Buddhist historical figures, and written two books on Buddhist practice. Recent translations include Luminous Clarity (2016), Shower of Blessings (2015), and Siddhas of Ga (2013).
Sarah Harding
Tsadra Foundation Fellow; Naropa University
Sarah Harding has been a Buddhist practitioner since 1974 and has been teaching and translating since completing a three-year retreat in 1980 under the guidance of Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche. Her publications include Creation and Completion, The Life and Revelations of Pema Lingpa, Treasury of Knowledge: Esoteric Instructions, Machig’s Complete Explanation, and Niguma, Lady of Illusion. She is an associate professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where she has been teaching since 1992, and has been a fellow of the Tsadra Foundation since 2000. Currently she is working on translating the zhi byed and gcod sections of the gdams ngag rin po che’i mdzod.
Ringu Tulku
Bodhicharya International
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist Master of the Kagyu Order. He was trained in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism under many great masters including H.H. the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa and H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He took his formal education at Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Sikkim and Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi, India. He served as Tibetan Textbook Writer and Professor of Tibetan Studies in Sikkim for twenty-five years. Since 1990, he has been traveling and teaching Buddhism and meditation in Europe, America, Canada, Australia, and Asia. He participates in various interfaith and ‘Science and Buddhism’ dialogues and is the author of a number of books on Buddhist topics. These include Path to Buddhahood, Daring Steps, The Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great, Confusion Arises as Wisdom, the Lazy Lama series and the Heart Wisdom series, as well as several children’s books, available in Tibetan and European languages.
