Customer Reviews

The Life and Teaching of Naropa: Translated from the Original Tibetan with Philosophical Commentary Based on Oral Transmission

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This biography narrates the spiritual development of Naropa, the Indian Buddhist master from whom Mapra the Translator of Tibet, received instruction and started the Tibetan Kagyu lineage of Tantric Mahayana Buddhism.

It's not a biography in the traditional sense - it only provides sketchy details about Naropa's early life. But it delves into great detail on the teachings of Tilopa to Naropa during Naropa's 12 year apprenticeship with his guru, Tilopa.

Specifically, it covers the twelve major trails and twelve minor ones, each of which represents a turning point in Naropa's journey to spiritual perfection and also on the recommended path for any Buddhist.

This is however, not a book that you can soak up without reflection and any understanding at first reading will not capture everything in essence. The prose is difficult, abstruse and at places deeply symbolic.

Guenther's translation is primarily written for Western rather than Eastern readers and explains Tantric philosophy in western philosophical terminology to compare and contrast it with Western philosophy. This makes it eminently suitable for Western readers steeped in Western philosophy, although Geunther's use of terminology borrowed from twentieth century existentialism, pragmatism, phenomenology etc. to describe eleventh century Buddhist thought makes me distrust the translation to some extent.

As a reader from the East, I did not feel the directness with which an Easterner grasps Eastern philosophy while reading this translation. Eastern readers may also find it difficult to understand Guenther's references to Western philosophy and use of similar terminology.

Nevertheless, the effort is highly commendable because Guenther makes extensive commentary based on other sources to elucidate difficult passages and also to throw more light on the twelve trials and their significance. Guenther also takes special pains to explain the essence of the teachings, against possible misinterpretations.

This is an advanced philosophically-oriented book on Mahamudra (MM) & is, therefore, appropriate only for those who have already extensively studied it. The author elucidates many subtle & esoteric points of knowledge, making this a rare & valuable work. It is also unusual in that he correctly criticizes prior translations of Tibetan texts, esp. regarding Western interpretations, literal word-for-word mappings, & translators' lack of appropriate philosophical & experiential knowledge. Examples include: nothingness vs. emptiness, king vs. administrator, contemplation vs. prayer, channels & other completion stage terms which do not map directly to the physical body, & body/speech/mind. He says "Linguistic specialists very often produce translations which are philosophically irrelevant, if not wrong & misleading." & "The practice itself remains unintelligible & meaningless if its theoretical background is not grasped." This parallels his view of MM where, "Only when the individual frees himself from all bias & removes himself to a point whence he can apprehend reality as it is without internal warping." He also points out that "Tibetan calligraphies abound in orthographic mistakes. Moreover, the letters n & d are, even in print, easily mistaken for each other."

However, while this critique is necessary in order to comprehend his many deviations from standard (though IMHO nonsensical) terms, the bulk of the book is a translation of an old Buddhist "biography" (with embedded teachings) & a separate, structured (but not mapped to the text) commentary on Naropa's teachings including the six exercises & MM. The text is, of course, not Western literal/objective biography but rather a symbolic rendition mostly of Naropa's enlightenment under the guidance of his teacher Tilopa. This story is well known. What is not common, however, is Guenther's extraordinarily erudite, psychological & philosophical analysis--esp. explaining Tibetan symbolic teachings in Western parlance. Still, this teaching is extremely profound-not for the faint of heart. Guenther also pays proper attention to mysticism, both Eastern & Western. As he says, "To experience one's being-in-the world as a god or goddess in a mansion has the character of a magic spell. It is the magic that is important, not the spell or its content." Thus he elucidates & demystifies Tantric love, Being-in-itself vs. being-oneself, & gives the Karnatantravajrapada's pithy definition of MM: "acquisition of non-dual knowledge...bliss...authentic being, free in itself & being the shining lamp of coincidence." He also provides an extensive apologetic for both development & completion stages & the 4 initiations. Unfortunately, he equates Kagyu with Vajrayana, overlooks the mythological nature of Tantric models, & is too philosophical vs. scientific. But, this is one of few relatively advanced English language MM books vs.many introductory & some mid-level ones. It's a pleasure to slowly study & absorb the book--it's hardly a fast read. It's value far outweighs its few flaws. For a fine, less esoteric, but easier text: Mind at Ease: Self-Liberation through Mahamudra Meditation.

I enjoyed reading the biography of the great Buddhist teacher, Naropa. I found it very moving in places, and a few times Naropa's determination, his love for his Guru (Tilopa), and his challenges even brought a few tears.

However, I found the non-biographical parts -- the parts that were oriented more around Tilopa's teachings to Naropa -- to be "jargony" in the extreme. Sometimes the footnotes explaining the text on a given page were longer than the actual text! If I was not a practicing Buddhist with a basic understanding of the concepts that Tilopa was presenting, I definitely wouldn't have understood any of what was being said. I don't know if this was an issue with the way the book was translated or if it would be that difficult regardless of how it was translated, but I found parts of it nearly unreadable.

So as a biography: Awesome, five stars. But as a book about Vajrayana teachings...? I would instead recommend Geshe Kelsang's book Tantric Grounds and Paths, or, for something simpler, Mahamudra Tantra.

Ultimately, the task of expressing the way of Tibetan Mahayana in terms that are derived from Western Philosophy is one that's bound to lead to failure. In fact, a good book for the western reader would be one that approaches the nature of that failure and introduces language and 'concepts' to deal with a reality that is meta-linguistic and anti-conceptual.
From my limited understanding of the original material (I've only read in translation) it seems that Guenther has done a sensitive and sensible job. The text remains extremely difficult and the 'problems in translation' to which he alludes are barely dealt with.
However, this is a good start, a reading that may loosen a few cords and enable the student to get a bit closer.

Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG

only the first few chapters are about naropa and the rest of the book is no more than mumbo jumbo. the author mentions another writer or translator who tried to translate the book but had a mental illness and could not write it properly. he called what he wrote "word salad" which is just mumbo jumbo. i think he has the same illness as what he wrote is no more than a bunch of big words strung together with periods randomly thrown in to fool you into thinking they are actual sentences...they make no sense what so ever.

maybe he's trying to impress the reader with his use of big words...he failed. i don't believe having a spirtual experience is as complicated as he makes it out to be. he seems to come across as saying you need a degree and be highly educated in order to have some sort of buddhist experience.

have you ever listened to two intellectual know it alls try to tell the other "how it is"? anyway i would not recommend this book to read or even wrap fish in. an infant would have more to say than this guy. money wasted.

The great Indian Mahasiddha Naropa is one of the founding fathers of tantric Buddhism and in this book you can read his remarkable life story. The book narrates the story of how Naropa met with his guru Tilopa and the hardships he had to go through to finally understand the teachings and become enlightened.

Some of this may seem far fetched to the average reader but I can assure you that these teachings - and to some extent their method of transmission - are still very much alive in Tibetan Buddhism today.

Sadly the book has some shortcomings. I believe the translation is poor. There are a few sections describing what in the tantric tradition is know as the Six Yogas of Naropa but the names given to these are disastrous and not in line with common usage among the Tibetan Buddhist lineages that still employ these practices.

There are many parts of the translation that are also frankly wrong. This is unfortunate because the story is fascinating in itself - but as a book of Dharma it is not of much use and I must warn against it because it can result in a lot of confusion for readers trying to understand what tantric Buddhism is about.

this man attained because he followed no convention except for the indweeling truth, which is God, known by other names, that always leads to the light, but only if it is listened to....