Sangye khandro biography

One of the most difficult times was during an interview in Hong Kong. Here was this student, a major jindak [ed. One of my best friends brought her because I had told her how great this lama was, and the whole thing was happening because I had encouraged it. In comes this lady, who is very proper, and she sits down. It was difficult because he had no social skills.

All the money he gets goes to the Dharma. It is only for Dharma. He is really a character, but every single penny he ever gets goes towards building stupas, supporting hundreds of lamas and nuns and poor people. He is really a beautiful, beautiful master and a crazy yogi. But in the West it was a disaster, because he has no social skills and people were so shocked by him.

Lotsawa School : I would like to ask about your choice of terminology, and how you decided on certain terms, because I know some of them come from Thinley Norbu Rinpoche. We spend the winters with Rinpoche and I am continuously learning from him. With the translation group [ed. If there is a chance we run them by Rinpoche.

Sangye khandro biography

When I was translating Chokchu Munsel [ed. In the end it is exaltation that wins out. People were thinking of bliss, but dewa chenpo is really ecstasy. So we are really trying to refine the terms. But if you look it up and see what it really means and compare it with the Tibetan and check the context in which the term is being used, I think it will probably work.

We are trying to decide on our terms in this way and run them by masters like Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Khenpo Namdrol Rinpoche. We ask Khen Rinpoche questions all the time about the inner meaning to determine the correct terms. Lotsawa School : Do you have any advice for people who want to become translators? Sangye Khandro : Always check your motivation and make sure that you have the highest aspiration in mind.

Then you should spend time with Tibetan people, which means you are probably going to have to go to Asia and immerse yourself in the Tibetan culture. You will have to learn colloquial Tibetan if you want to be an oral translator. There can be a career in this and there will be. I feel really happy that I had just a pure intention to learn the Dharma and serve, without expecting to get anything.

In effect, it was much purer than it is now, because now we expect to get things. Basically people just have to surrender to it, watch their motivation and become a real practitioner, not just a togewa [ed. He always says that Patrul Rinpoche praised those who spoke simple words that were genuine, rather than those who spoke the dry, intellectual words of a scholar with no practice.

I have learned a lot from that because when you are learning to be a translator you run into a lot of scholars, who really are smart, and you feel intimidated. You feel like you should use their terms because they are more accurate, but that may not necessarily be the case. If you are working with a lama, then you need to ask the lama what a word really means, and then also if you have some practice you can kind of figure it out and understand on your own, without having to follow others.

You must be logged in to post a comment. Lotsawa School : How did you learn Tibetan? Subscribe Subscribed. Sangye Khandro Average rating: 4. Samten Lingpa ,. Janet Gyatso Introduction ,. Lama Chonam Translation. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Completing six months of study at the library, and recognizing her deep commitment to the Buddhist teachings, Sangye took the vows and lay precepts signifying the formal entrance to the Buddhist path.

Throughout the next seven years, Sangye traveled to India and Nepal annually to continue her studies of the Buddhist teachings and Tibetan language. Throughout this period, she joined others in bringing many renowned teachers to the Hawaiian Islands. These highly respected and learned lamas included H. In , Sangye met the Ven. Their friendship began in the midst of an illness that nearly took his life.

Sangye became Rinpoche's companion and her relationship with him became central to her work and life. One of her renowned translator colleagues says she might be the Western woman who has received more teachings and transmissions than anybody else. Despite receiving many invitations, she rarely agrees to teach, preferring a reclusive lifestyle focusing on translations and retreats.

Among her many published translations is the biography of Mandarava, the Indian consort of Padmasambhava who is credited with establishing Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet.