This is the second translation of the text known as the Bodhicittavivaraṇa, commonly attributed to Nāgārjuna. This appears in the Tibetan canon directly after the common text taught and translated in the Tibetan tradition. This is Derge edition text D1801 translated by Jayānanda (a Kashmiri paṇḍita) and Khu Mdo sde 'bar. This is not the text usually used to translate from, so you will notice that the scholarly work and translations and teachings are all found on the other text page here: Bodhicittavivaraṇanāma (RKTST 664), (D1800). Here is some more interesting context: The Tibetan canon preserves two distinct translations of the Bodhicittavivaraṇa at Derge 1800 and 1801, both classified within the Tantra Commentary section (rgyud 'grel). Derge 1801 represents a separate translation effort by the Kashmiri paṇḍita Jayānanda working with the Tibetan translator Khu Mdo sde 'bar (also known as Khu Lotsāwa Dödebar). Historical evidence reveals that Tibetan scholars were aware of multiple translation versions—Rongtön Sheja Kunrik consulted six different translations in the fifteenth century, Śākya Chokden mentioned thirteen extant versions, and the Fourth Shamarpa referenced four major translations including specifically "Khu Lotsāwa Dödebar's prose translation." While the exact relationship and textual differences between D1800 and D1801 remain subjects for detailed philological study, their parallel existence reflects the common Tibetan practice of commissioning multiple translations of important Indian Buddhist texts to provide alternative renderings of technical terminology and to preserve different interpretive traditions. Scholars working with the Bodhicittavivaraṇa have taken various approaches to this plurality—some like Rongtön collating multiple versions, others like Śākya Chokden selecting Patsab Lotsāwa’s authoritative translation exclusively, and still others like the Fourth Shamarpa using Smṛtijñānakīrti’s Indian commentary as the primary reference point.
| Citation | Nāgārjuna (byang chub sems kyi 'grel pa slob dpon klu sgrub). bodhicittavivaraṇa. byang chub sems kyi 'grel pa [བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་ཀྱི་འགྲེལ་པ]. [A Commentary on Bodhicitta (84000)]. Tengyur, RKTST 665 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=665&typ=2. |
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| Author | Nāgārjuna |
