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The Risks and Dangers of Translating Tantra in the Modern World

From Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia
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Many tantric texts seem to be unintelligible, because of their very high psychological and mystical level and complexity. Tantra is a method, extremely complicated and hard to grasp for some, so the path may be considered dangerous. Traditional teachers will attempt to guide their students by having personal talks and so forth, while attempting to offer psychological guidance during this hazardous undertaking.

One must understand that the text refers to the problems of the day, during the times of the tantra itself. The mysterious texts and archetypal deities often become a source of misunderstanding etc., if they are not properly explained. For example, one might see a wrathful protector and assume it has the authorization to hurt everyone in its path. Unfortunately, such misunderstandings are quite frequent.

As guidance is often only scarcely provided from handbooks, the given deity's different personality is not fully developed to reveal their true individual character and total faculties. In order to avoid mental problems one requires translations that are more elaborate. It is a common fault to consider the Tibetan lama as an omnipotent person who can convey everything by his own like through his blessing, but in reality, what is required is the hard work of translation as in the Tibetan tradition.

Generally, the Sadhana is an art form of literature and actually of the "art of meditation" of the Buddhist tradition. Studying thoroughly the extreme diversity and beauty of these texts and Materials of Tibetan and Indian Buddhism becomes obvious. It is an art form similar to the arts in Europe. Aspects like architecture are included and it is interesting to wonder if the Greek temple traditions do derive from the influence of the visualized temples of the Mandalas.

Unfortunately, these texts are in the west mainly because of the exoticness of the culture and because of many unknown techniques of meditation with visual imagination hardly known to the public. These ideas with archetypal deities and skillfully arranged divers visualization-techniques partly joined with Yoga and breathing exercises make up an aspect of the depth psychological/religious advanced civilization of the secret charmed-path of Buddhism. Regrettably, as they are like many aspects in Buddhism that are arranged on a subtle and supersensory level, they appear to be strange and become unintelligible to the western coarse.

A major example for such an attitude is the reverence of Thangkas as a pure work of art and not as a pictorial pattern of imagination with the image of a deity designed by invitation during a meditative state. Studies of metaphysics for the understanding of such a condition may be flawed due to a lack of texts readily available. Notwithstanding, one may now ask what purpose does the ritual have?

Each archetype or each deity has a character adequate to the deposition of the practitioner. This relationship may develop from the profession of the person. A doctor might consider meditation for healing, or the scholar will practice Manjushri (the deity of learning), and so forth.

The written part of the ritual typically contains first, the ritual texts, explanations and special rituals for empowerment (a kind of introductory showing of the meditation) and then explanations of mystical and historical origination. Then comes the ritual. Sadly, many rituals that are translated at the moment are abbreviated, so that only learned specialists have the insights required to experience the actual presence and beauty of the practice. This illustrates why we need to fund translations of the ritual in full, by those properly studied and who have themselves performed the practices necessary to understand them.

Those who feel the art and culture of this religio-mystical and psychological tradition is especially adored and profound, might give thought to becoming a Tibetan Mongolian Museum Society "Patron of the Arts" and offer their generous financial support, so that practitioners, scholars, translators and art experts may all collaborate with unified benefit.

Source

http://www.tibetan-museum-society.org/java/arts-culture-translating-tantra.jsp