Full translations
The following thesis presents the first annotated English translation of the Ritual for Generating the Mind According to the Madhyamaka Tradition (dbu ma lugs kyi sems bskyed kyi cho ga). It is one of over one hundred texts of Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyaltsen (sa skya paṇḍita kun dga' rgyal mtshan, 1079-1153) in the Collected Works of The Founding Masters of the Sakya (sa skya bka’ ’bum). Through his role as one of the five founders of the Sakya school and his polemic works, A Clear Differentiation of the Three Codes (sdom gsum rab dbye), Sakya Paṇḍita’s perspectives on the bodhicitta vow have had a profound and long-lasting impact in Tibetan Buddhism. This text provides a window to further understand his thoughts on the ritual related aspects of the bodhicitta vow.
There are two main parts: an introduction and an annotated translation. Part One consists of contextualization of the text and textual analysis. It begins with an introduction to ritual manuals for conferring or taking the bodhicitta vow. This is followed by an introduction of the author, including exploration of the text in relationship to other texts in the author’s literary corpus. Then the thesis delves into an in-depth analysis of the text. This includes identification of its target readership, structure of the text, and two key messages presented in the text: advocacy of a clear differentiation of two ritual traditions, which are termed as the Cittamātra tradition and the Madhyamaka tradition by the author, and key elements of the ritual of the bodhicitta vow prescribed in the text. The final section of Part One presents the historical context of the author’s position of calling for recognition of the two ritual traditions and a strict adherence to either of the traditions.
Part Two begins with an introduction listing textual witnesses for the translation. It then discusses translation choices in terms of the presence of footnotes, the selected way to render the key term sems bskyed in English, and treatment of citations. The main section of Part Two consists in an annotated translation of the Ritual for Generating the Mind According to the Madhyamaka Tradition. The translation is accompanied by a topical outline created by the translator for ease of reference.
This thesis contributes to the overall understanding of bodhicittopāda ritual manuals, and specifically Sakya Paṇḍita’s views on the two Indian ritual traditions and what constitutes a Madhyamaka-tradition ritual.
