Research On The Performance Of Great Translator Cha Qu Jiebe

It is the great kindness of the past translators(lo tsa+a ba)that we have the three hundred volumes known as Kangyur and Tangyur;the collection of Buddha's teachings translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan.It needs not to be mentioned that the mark left by these translators on Buddhist thought and tradition irrespective of the poor conditions related to place,time,and historical epoch is something that can never be erased.I believe it is the responsibility of our new generation to engage in research on their life stories and translations,taking delight and paying respect to the courage of these translators who were “able to read the Tibetan in Sanskrit manuscripts and the Sanskrit behind Tibetan manuscripts.” While there generally are already researchers on the life story(rnam thar)and pilgrimage guides(lam yig)of Chag lo tsa+a ba,they are largely confined to the realm of literary research.Conversely,I have conducted valuable research in the manner of biographical research by means of comparative literary analysis as well as field work,all the while taking into account the historical and social backgrounds of that period.Chag lo tsa+a ba was born in 1197 as the son of Dar ma chos 'byung and Chos 'bum in the north of Lhun rtse county in modern day Lho kha,T.A.R.From a young age,he learned grammar and Buddhism from his uncle Chag lo dgra bcom.Gradually,as he traveled throughout India,Nepal,and Tibet,he studied Buddhist curriculums under four Tibetan translators,twelve Indian pa??itas,and over twenty other scholars.In 1237,he returned to Tibet and established monastic seats at Gung thang gang dog,Gnyal lte'u ra,and Yar klung thang po che and looked after a great many disciples before passing away in 1264 at Lte'u ra.Chag lo tsa+a ba's dates of birth and death are stated differently in the Blue Annals,History of the Kalachakra,and other old textual collections as well as by different scholars.I have refuted some and proven others,thereby establishing him to have been born in 1197 and died in 1264.The way he traveled through India,Tibet,and Nepal are stated differently in his life story written by his direct disciple 'Ju ston pa chos dpal dar byang and the History of the Kalachakra written by Chag lo rin chen chos rgyal.For instance,the former states that Chag lo tsa+a ba arrived at Bodhgaya at the age of thirty-nine whereas the latter claims it to be twenty-six.This is a significant issue and I have thus compared in detail Tibetan literary collections and the assertions of Dge 'dun chos phel to prove that what 'Ju bas ton pa writes to the in accordance with actual history.There are different numberings of the titles of his translated works recorded throughout various catalogues.The comparatives editions of the Bka' 'gyur and Bstan 'gyur clearly attribute twenty-eight translations to him.Yet,there are over six titles not found in the catalogues of Bcom ldan rig ral that must be attributed to him and thus there can be said to be thirty-five distinct translations that belong to him throughout the various literary collections.There are an additional fifteen compositions of which three I have taken into account here.In sum,Chag lo tsa+a ba bears many similarities in common with other Tibetan translators in terms of the manner in which he became a great translator through study and how he translated and worked toward the spread of Buddhism.Nevertheless,it is important that he distinguished from other translators throughout Tibetan Buddhist history on account of circumstances during that time period related to society and family lineage.First,he composed a refutation of improper tantric practice.Second,from the time of Chag lo tsa+a ba onward,there are said to have been three cycles of “Chag traditions”(Chag lugs gsum)throughout Tibet.In particular,since the life story composed by his direct disciple 'Ju ba ston pa was written in the style of a pilgrimage guide,there are not many details related to how many teachers he had,who were his students,or how many texts he translated or composed.I have thus remedied this to the best of my ability based on religious histories(chos 'byung),life stories,and transmission records(gsang yig).It is for this reason that I believe this unprecedented study to be complement past research while aiding future researchers.