Study, Introduction, Translation, and Tibetan Critical Edition
Presented here in English for the first time is a set of three of Saraha's "Adamantine Songs" (Skt. vajragiti; Tib. rdo rje'i glu), poetic works that play a central role in the Great Seal (mahamudra) tantric tradition of both India and Tibet. The tantric adept (siddha) Saraha was among the most notable figures from India's late first millennium, a time of rich religious and literary activity. His influence on Buddhist practice and poetry extended beyond the Indian subcontinent into Tibet, where his influence continues to impact every tradition that engages the practice and philosophy of the esoteric Great Seal.
In these songs, Saraha's views on the nature of mind are presented as both evocative poetry and theoretical exegesis. These songs offer a new perspective on the religious life of Buddhist India and the figure of one of its most famous adepts.
Braitstein opens the door to this important set of texts by Saraha through her elegant translation, critical edition of the Tibetan texts, and in-depth analysis of the three poems. She situates Saraha and his work both in the Tibetan Buddhist sphere and in a broader South Asian literary and religious context, closely treating the central themes in Saraha's poems, highlighting the specific siddha worldview espoused in his oeuvre, and at the same time unpacking the cryptic references contained in the songs' individual verses. With this book, Braitstein substantially increases the amount of Saraha's poetry available to an English-speaking audience, and contributes to the ever-increasing movement to explore the culture of the tantric adepts.
Published by American Institute of Buddhist Studies (AIBS)
Adamantine Songs, Saraha, Trans: Lara Braitstein, AIBS, Wisdom Publications, Hardcover, 2015, 256 Pages, $49.95
Saraha is one of the Indian mahasiddhas, and an important figure in the development of Vajrayana and the Mahamudra tradition in particular.
Lara Braitstein is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at McGill University.
Series Editor Preface |
ix |
| Author's Preface |
xiii |
Part One: Introduction |
|
|
|
Introduction |
3 |
|
|
Saraha: Pasts and Presence |
4 |
Defining Siddhas |
22 |
| Non-Buddhist South Asian Siddha Traditions |
37 |
Literary Context: South Asia |
45 |
Doha
Caryagiti
Vajragiti: Adamantine songs
|
|
Tibetan Poetic Genres: An Introduction |
53 |
Methodology: Translating Saraha |
59 |
Sources |
66 |
| Saraha's Adamantine Songs |
66 |
Analysis of the Adamantine Songs |
69 |
Body, Speech, and Mind
|
69 |
The Body Treasury
|
70 |
The Speech Treasury |
71 |
The Mind Treasury |
72 |
The Treasury of Adamantine Songs |
73 |
Key Theme 1: The Great Seal
|
77 |
The Great Seal as the Highest View or Result
The Great Seal: Three and Four Seals System
Saraha and the Great Seal
|
|
Key Theme 2: The Innate
|
91 |
Key Theme 3: Symbolic Terms
|
92 |
Overview of Symbolic Terms
Recognition and Decognition
Unborn and Beyond the Intellect
Explanations in Commentaries on the Doha Trilogy
Application in the Adamantine Songs
|
|
Conclusions |
120 |
Introduction to the Translation and Critical Edition |
121 |
| Part Two: Annotated English Translation |
|
A Body Treasury Called the Immortal Adamantine Song |
125 |
A Speech Treasury Called the Gentle Voiced Adamantine Song |
150 |
Unborn Treasury of Mind Adamantine Song |
161 |
| Part Three: Tibetan Edition |
|
| Body Treasury (sku'i mdzod 'chi med rdo rje'i glu) |
169 |
| Speech Treasury (gsung gi mdzod 'jam dbyangs rdo rje'i glu) |
193 |
| Mind Treasury (thugs kyi mdzod skye med rdo rje'i glu) |
204 |
| Bibliographies |
211 |
| Indexes |
229 |
|
