The Sheja Dzö or "Treasury of Knowledge" () is a voluminous work by
Jamgon Kongtrul
Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé (, 1813–1899), also known as Jamgön Kongtrül the Great, was a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, poet, artist, physician, tertön and polymath. He is credited as one of the founders of the Rimé movement (non-sectarian ...
(1813–1899). It is constituted by a root text in verse "The Encompassment of All Knowledge" () and an autocommentary in prose, 'The Infinite Ocean of Knowledge' (). ''The Treasury of Knowledge'' is widely considered Jamgon Kongtrul's magnus opus, covering the full spectrum of
Buddhist history according to the knowledge then current in the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
; the
Abhidharma
The Abhidharma are a collection of Buddhist texts dating from the 3rd century BCE onwards, which contain detailed scholastic presentations of doctrinal material appearing in the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries. It also refers t ...
through the lens of
Vasubandhu
Vasubandhu (; Tibetan: དབྱིག་གཉེན་ ; floruit, fl. 4th to 5th century CE) was an influential Indian bhikkhu, Buddhist monk and scholar. He was a philosopher who wrote commentary on the Abhidharma, from the perspectives of th ...
(i.e. the ''
Abhidharma-kosa'' and its commentaries and secondary literatures); the
Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy is the ancient Indian Indian philosophy, philosophical system that developed within the religio-philosophical tradition of Buddhism. It comprises all the Philosophy, philosophical investigations and Buddhist logico-episte ...
preserved, categorized and developed in the Himalayas; and the many streams of Buddhist
sādhanā
''Sādhanā'' (; ; ) is an ego-transcending spiritual practice in Indian religions. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.
...
both exoteric (
sutrayana) and
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
(
vajrayana
''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhis ...
), transmitted to, maintained and developed by the many trans-Himalayan
lineages, such as
Mahamudra
Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit: महामुद्रा, , contraction of ) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". Mahāmud ...
and
Dzogchen
Dzogchen ( 'Great Completion' or 'Great Perfection'), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Bön aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. The goal ...
. The breadth of the ''Sheja Dzö'' is encyclopedic and its approach ecumenical. The root text in verse is terse and ostensibly glib approaching telegraphic. Whereas, the tone and
register
Register or registration may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc.
* ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller
* Registration (organ), ...
of the commentary is non-sectarian in regards to the many systems of Buddhadharma it enshrines. The ''Sheja Dzö'' is the central reference and general auspice work in
Rimé movement
The Rimé movement (Tibetan Wylie: ''ris med''; approximate pronunciation "reemay") also written in some English sources as Rime, Ri-me, Rimay) is a movement or tendency in Tibetan Buddhism which promotes non-sectarianism and universalism.Sam ...
literature.
Jamgön wrote the root text and its commentary when he was fifty years old in the
Tibetan calendar
The Tibetan calendar (), or the Phukpa calendar, known as the ''Tibetan lunar calendar'', is a lunisolar calendar composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three y ...
years of Dog and Pig, 1862-1863 CE.
[Ringu Tulku (author, compiler) & Ann Helm (editor) (2006). ''The Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great: A Study of the Buddhist Lineages of Tibet.'' Shambhala. (hardcover: alk. paper), p.33]
As
Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (2nd Dudjom Rinpoche) (1904–1987), ''et.al.'' (1991: p. 861) of the principally
Nyingma
Nyingma (, ), also referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma school was founded by PadmasambhavaClaude Arpi, ''A Glimpse of the History of Tibet'', Dharamsala: Tibet Museum, 2013. ...
view hold in respect to the expansive '
vase
A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non- rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree specie ...
' () and
flow of Jamgon's
mind ">treamwhich is evident as an
aureola
An aureola or aureole (diminutive of Latin ''aurea'', "golden") is the radiance of luminous cloud which, in paintings of sacred personages, surrounds the whole figure.
In Romance languages, the noun Aureola is usually more related to the d ...
in his hagiographic iconography:
English
All ten books of the masterwork of the ''Sheja Dzö'' are now available in English and the project was given the initial impetus and direction by
Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu Rinpoche (1905 – May 10, 1989) was a Tibetan Buddhist lama, meditation master, scholar and teacher. He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West.
Early life and teachers
Kalu Rinpoche was born in 1905 during the Fema ...
(1905–1989).
Translation methodology
Kalu advised the translation team of three principles to guide the rendering of the Tibetan into the English:
*translating the text without interpretation or commentary, that is 'translating the words' () rather than interpreting the text or 'translating the meaning' ();
[Kongtrul Lodro Taye (author, compiler); Kalu Rinpoche Translation Group (translators) (1995, 2003). ''The Treasury of Knowledge, Book One; Myriad Worlds: Buddhist Cosmology in Abhidharma, Kãlacakra, Dzog-chen''. , p.11]
*"...he
aluwas more interested in an accurate translation than one that sacrificed accuracy for elegance...";
*"...he
aluencouraged us to use a vocabulary that would be accessible to the average educated reader rather than a highly technical vocabulary that depended on prior training in Buddhist or East Asian studies...".
Translation team
''Myriad Worlds''
The facilities necessary for the translation team were provided by Lama Gyaltsen Ratak over a number of years. In addition, as the many who collaborated and mentored the work who have not already been mentioned in this article were not given title credit for the work and instead are known as the 'Kalu Rinpoche Translation Team' they have been quoted below:
"The translation of ''Myriad Worlds'' was largely prepared by Elio Guarisco, Könchog Tenzin, Tenpa Kalsang, Peter Roberts, Sarah Harding, Ingrid McLeod, Anthony Chapman, Ngawang Zangpo and Yeshe Wangmo; research of the citations was conducted by Lydia and Oliver Brunet; and the Introduction was written by Elio Guarisco. Grateful acknowledgement is made to several other translators with whom we collaborated: Daniel Boschero, Ken McLeod, Eric Pema Kunzang, Dechen Cronin, Norbu Tsewang, Daniel Perdue, Surya Das, and Samten Zangmo...Susan Kyser, Shawn Woodyard, and Daniel Reid for their careful revision of the final English manuscript, Kristine Paknys and David Patt for their correction of the Sanskrit, Roar Vestre for his technical assistance...".[Kongtrul Lodro Taye (author, compiler); Kalu Rinpoche Translation Group (translators) (1995, 2003). ''The Treasury of Knowledge, Book One; Myriad Worlds: Buddhist Cosmology in Abhidharma, Kãlacakra, Dzog-chen''. , p.14]
"At every stage of the translation of ''Myriad Worlds'', the committee has sought the advice of Tibetan and Western scholars and meditation masters. Our sincere thanks go to Bokar Trulku Rinpoché and Kenpo Lodrö Dönyö, not only for their wisdom and patience in providing answers to our many questions but also for their continued encouragement and support: To Dodrup Chen Rinpoché, Dilgo Kyentsé Rinpoché, and Nyoshul Kenpo Rinpoché for their detailed clarification of the subject of primordial purity; to Sakya Kenpo Rinpoché, Gyaltsap Rinpoché, Zenkar Rinpoché, Tara Trulku, and Kenpo Tsultrim Gyatso for their invaluable assistance in explicating the difficult points in the text; and to Pönlop Rinpoché and Karma Trinlé Rinpoché for their helpful suggestions regarding the translation."
English rendering
In the English rendering, the ''Sheja Dzö'' is divided as follows:
:•Book One: Myriad Worlds (Snow Lion, 2003. )
:•Book Two: The Advent of the Buddha
::Part One: The Teacher's Path to Awakening
::Part Two: The Buddha's Enlightenment
::Part Three: The Buddha's Twelve Deeds
::Part Four: Enlightenment's Bodies and Realms
:•Book Three: The Buddha's Doctrine—The Sacred Teachings
::Part One: What Are the Sacred Teachings?
::Part Two: Cycles of Scriptural Transmission
::Part Three: Compilations of the Buddha's Word
::Part Four: Origins of the Original Translations' Ancient Tradition (Nyingma)
:•Book Four: Buddhism's Spread Throughout the World
::Part One: Buddhism's Spread in India
::Part Two: How Buddhist Monastic Discipline and Philosophy Came to Tibet
::Part Three: Tibet's Eight Vehicles of Tantric Meditation Practice
::Part Four: The Origins of Buddhist Culture
:•Book Five: Buddhist Ethics (Snow Lion, 2003. )
:•Book Six: The Topics for Study
::Part One: A Presentation of the Common Fields of Knowledge and Worldly Paths
::Part Two: The General Topics of Knowledge in the Hinayana and Mahayana
::Part Three: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy (Snow Lion, 2007. )
::Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra (Snow Lion, 2005. )
:•Book Seven: The Training in Higher Wisdom
::Part One: Gaining Certainty about the Keys to Understanding
::Part Two: Gaining Certainty about the Provisional and Definitive Meanings in the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, the Two Truths and Dependent Arising
::Part Three: Gaining Certainty about the View
::Part Four: Gaining Certainty about the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind
:•Book Eight: The Training in Higher Meditative Absorption (Samadhi)
::Part One, Two: Shamatha and Vipashyana; The Stages of Meditation in the Cause-Based Approaches
::Part Three: The Elements of Tantric Practice (Snow Lion, 2008.
::Part Four: Esoteric Instructions, A Detailed Presentation of the Process of Meditation in Vajrayana (Snow Lion, 2008. )
:•Book Nine: An Analysis of the Paths and levels to Be Traversed
::Part One: The Paths and Levels in the Cause-Based Dialectical Approach
::Part Two: The Levels and Paths in the Vajrayana
::Part Three: The Process of Enlightenment
::Part Four: the Levels in the Three Yogas
:•Book Ten: An Analysis of the Consummate Fruition State
::Part One: the Fruition in the Dialectical Approach
::Part Two: The More Common Attainment in the Vajrayana
::Part Three: The Fruition in the Vajrayana
::Part Four: The Fruition State in the Nyingma School
Notes
External links
Rigpa Shedra (2009). 'Treasury of Knowledge'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheja Dzo
Tibetan Buddhist texts