Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Discussion of meditation in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
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Losang Rabjor
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Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by Losang Rabjor »

Hello,

I am about to enter into my first retreat and although I can read Tibetan and do my short sadhana in Tibetan, the long version is a bit difficult to follow.
Would it be smart to do the long sadhana in English or try to push through with the Tibetan version?
I was told by a friend that doing the long practice in Tibetan would be of better use because doing the sadhana four times a day would greatly speed up my familiarity with the long practice. Any ideas? What about starting the retreat in English and slowly transitioning to the Tibetan version?

Thanks ahead of time for your input.
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Ambrosius80
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Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by Ambrosius80 »

Losang Rabjor wrote:Hello,

I am about to enter into my first retreat and although I can read Tibetan and do my short sadhana in Tibetan, the long version is a bit difficult to follow.
Would it be smart to do the long sadhana in English or try to push through with the Tibetan version?
I was told by a friend that doing the long practice in Tibetan would be of better use because doing the sadhana four times a day would greatly speed up my familiarity with the long practice. Any ideas? What about starting the retreat in English and slowly transitioning to the Tibetan version?

Thanks ahead of time for your input.
First of all, welcome to this forum! :cheers:

As for your question, I would personally do as you suggested: slowly transitioning to Tibetan from English. IMO, it is so much better to actually understand what you say/read, rather than doing everything simply because of tradition says you have to read something in this or that language. Otherwise you are just scratching the surface, and the deeper meaning of the text eludes you.
The whole purpose is to develop yourself mentally towards enlightenment, and I think it is not really efficient if you have to guess every other word you read.

:namaste:
"What we have now is the best. He who can never be satisfied is a poor man, no matter how much he owns.

What you have results from karmic causes that you created, and what you'll gain hinges on karmic causes that you're creating."
-Master Sheng Yen
Malcolm
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Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by Malcolm »

Losang Rabjor wrote:Hello,

I am about to enter into my first retreat and although I can read Tibetan and do my short sadhana in Tibetan, the long version is a bit difficult to follow.
Would it be smart to do the long sadhana in English or try to push through with the Tibetan version?
I was told by a friend that doing the long practice in Tibetan would be of better use because doing the sadhana four times a day would greatly speed up my familiarity with the long practice. Any ideas? What about starting the retreat in English and slowly transitioning to the Tibetan version?

Thanks ahead of time for your input.

If you understand the visualizations, then do it in Tibetan. Even better, before your retreat, translate it into English, then do it in Tibetan.

M
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gad rgyangs
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Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by gad rgyangs »

didnt the tibetans translate the sadhanas in the sadhanamala and other sources from sanskrit into tibetan? why would it be better for a native english speaker to do them in tibetan?
Thoroughly tame your own mind.
This is (possibly) the teaching of Buddha.

"I must finally conclude that this proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind."
- Descartes, 2nd Meditation 25
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dzogchungpa
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Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by dzogchungpa »

One thing that is lost in the translations of sadhanas that I have seen is meter, and I think this is actually quite important for practices involving recitation.
There is not only nothingness because there is always, and always can manifest. - Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Malcolm
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Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by Malcolm »

gad rgyangs wrote:didnt the tibetans translate the sadhanas in the sadhanamala and other sources from sanskrit into tibetan? why would it be better for a native english speaker to do them in tibetan?

If one is interested to improve one's Tibetan, recite it in Tibetan. If you don't care about improving your Tibetan, recite it in English.

Aesthetics are a secondary concern.
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lorem
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Location: Fresno, California

Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by lorem »

dzogchungpa wrote:One thing that is lost in the translations of sadhanas that I have seen is meter, and I think this is actually quite important for practices involving recitation.
The meter, the repetition, the breath. EDIT it's a yana.
I should be meditating.
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lorem
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Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by lorem »

Malcolm wrote:
gad rgyangs wrote:didnt the tibetans translate the sadhanas in the sadhanamala and other sources from sanskrit into tibetan? why would it be better for a native english speaker to do them in tibetan?

If one is interested to improve one's Tibetan, recite it in Tibetan. If you don't care about improving your Tibetan, recite it in English.

Aesthetics are a secondary concern.
Yeah this is why I practice in English except for mantra. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche said if the translation is good no prob (paraphrased)
I should be meditating.
Losang Rabjor
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Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by Losang Rabjor »

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think what I will do is use the English to study and get all of the visualizations down as Malcom suggested. I have already memorized the outline of the long sadhana so another thing I will try is make small marks in the Tibetan text corresponding to the outline, just so I know where I am at as I read through the text.
My lama friend who is helping me with this retreat recorded himself reciting the long text, but it is much too fast for me to keep up with. He does the whole text (110 pages) in about 45 minutes. It takes me at least twice that but I am sure that my speed will increase as the treat progresses doing 4 sessions a day.


Again thanks for your help and the welcome. :thanks:
Losang Rabjor
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Re: Retreat: English or Tibetan?

Post by Losang Rabjor »

Oh, just for some clarification: I am doing this retreat on my own but I also wish to engage in a group retreat in the future.The monastery I am connected with regularly does these group retreats (all in Tibetan). So it is important for me to improve my Tibetan as well as increase my reading spee :oops: d if I ever wish to participate in these group retreats in the future.

Thanks.
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