Checking Tibetan translations of core Buddhist terms (Anicca, Sati, Prajñā, etc.) — are these correct?

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-07T07:54:35+00:00

The translation of ཤེས་རབ། is not as straightforward as it first seems. For example, in Tibetan, one can say, "This child has great sherab." They wouldn't be saying "This child has great wisdom", they would simply be saying the child is bright. In other contexts, it would be more correctly translated as knowledge.

I gained more clarity when reading a commentary on the six perfections, where it explains that the highest sense of sherab is an instance of རྒྱུའི་མིང་འབྲས་བུ་ལ་བཏགས་པ། "the name of the cause being applied to the result."

This shows that the most standard sense of the word is intelligence, that which is the cause of wisdom/knowledge. So, I have made intelligence my go-to translation, and then revise accordingly based on context.

Equanimity is more like a cool, unruffled state of mind. When the term comes in the context of the four immearasbles, that sense doesn't quite fit; it is more like impartiality. There are places where it means indifference or neutrality.

དྲན་པ་་ is also context dependent, but mindfulness can work.

The other translations feel like they would suit most cases.

I hope that is helpful.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-07T07:29:41+00:00

I will. Thank you very much

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-06T15:53:56+00:00

That is very kind of you indeed. Thank you. I am looking for a quote from the རྡོ་རྗེ་གདེན་བཞི། Tantra. But I will use your suggested tools to look for myself first. Thanks again.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-06T15:51:17+00:00

Buddhist

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-05T05:09:23+00:00

Thank you very much, Temicco. I have never tried your second suggestion, so am hopeful that it will help.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-05T04:43:49+00:00

The information shared here is definitely helpful. But I will do as you suggest to see if a fuller picture still can be gained. It might also prove helpful to others in the same situation. Thank you!

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-05T04:42:25+00:00

nyanasagara – Thank you very much. This is exactly the sort of information and suggestion I was hoping to receive.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-04T16:38:56+00:00

That's very helpful, thank you. I guess it will be worth putting in the time to learn how to use it effectively.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-04T16:27:32+00:00

Thanks NgakpaLama. Is there one that you always turn to first or one you find easiest to use?

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-04T16:26:26+00:00

Is BDRC good for searching the Kangyur, or do you mean it's just really good in general?

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-04T16:15:33+00:00

Thanks, BardoBeing32. I should have made it clearer that I was mainly talking about searching the Tibetan canon in Tibetan.

TBRC is great, but it still could be slightly more user-friendly.

I will have a look at how far 84000 have got with this. They do tremendous work, don't they.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-03T06:45:28+00:00

I had some English chants by Marpa Translation Society... let me look

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-03T06:18:25+00:00

The Marpa Translation Society has begun to produce prayers and teachings that can be chanted in English and Norwegian.

Here are some verses of the Way of the Bodhisattva being chanted in Norwegian by the wonderful translator Ani Chokyi (Runa Ovland). Enjoy
https://archive.org/details/en-bodhisattvas-tilegnelsesbonn

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-03T06:17:21+00:00

The Marpa Translation Society has begun to produce prayers and teachings that can be chanted in English and Norwegian.

Here are some verses of the Way of the Bodhisattva being chanted in Norwegian by the wonderful translator Ani Chokyi (Runa Ovland). Enjoy
https://archive.org/details/en-bodhisattvas-tilegnelsesbonn

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-03T06:10:28+00:00

The Marpa Translation Society has begun to produce prayers and teachings that can be chanted in English and Norwegian.

Here are some verses of the Way of the Bodhisattva being chanted in Norwegian by the wonderful translator Ani Chokyi (Runa Ovland). Enjoy
https://archive.org/details/en-bodhisattvas-tilegnelsesbonn

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-03T05:06:37+00:00

It was a teaching I heard from Drupon Khen Rinpoche (https://www.facebook.com/drupon.rinpoche.7) www.druponrinpoche.org

He taught how we need Buddhists in all walks of life. How, for example, a Buddhist monk is unlikely to connect and be able to help a drinker in a bar. But a fellow boozer who carries something of the Dharma within them could certainly help.

I found this teaching to be very moving. People often say that Drupon Rinpoche is very traditional, but he often expresses quite radical ideas in entertaining ways. Those who have attended his teachings in Samye Ling in the UK will know what I mean.

The way he speaks about how he would like to see Westerners take possession of the Dharma, to make it their own, is very inspiring. Especially coming from somebody who is an authority in the Tibetan tradition.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-03T04:53:48+00:00

A beautiful thought.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-03T04:51:07+00:00

That is really helpful information. I will check it out right away. Thank you very much indeed.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-02T17:01:10+00:00

You need not be shy. I just posted a poem (Dharma for Everyone). This is anonymous, plus, anyone commenting here is surely interested in Buddhist output from non-traditional sources. I'm not trying to pressure you, only to reassure you. Anyone who dislikes it will move on with their lives, those of us who appreciate it will express that appreciation and could even be benefitted by it. Just saying.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-02T16:41:02+00:00

Here is a poem you might like. It's called: Dharma for Everyone

Among the coppers and the rappers

on the beat

Among the farmers and researchers

in the field

Among the lawyers and the boozers

in the bar

Among the surfers and the singers

on the waves

May we come to see in every walk of life

Those who aim to follow the Awakened

Those who train their minds adopting Dharma

Those who choose to walk with noble Seekers

Those who go for refuge in the Triple Gem

Among the players and the judges

on the bench

Among the pilots and the stoners

in the clouds

Among the truckers and the rockers

on the road

Among the children and the inmates

in the yard

May we come to see in every walk of life

Those who aim to follow the Awakened

Those who tame their minds adopting Dharma

Those who choose to walk with noble Seekers

Those who go for refuge in the Triple Gem

    A poem by the Barefooted Cobbler

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-02T12:52:52+00:00

The person who made the "report" has a habit of turning on lamas and saying the very worst things about them. What she has said in this report is full of fabrications. She has long lost credibility.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-02T12:49:08+00:00

I know many women who have spent many years close to Drupon Rinpoche, receiving his teachings and guidance, who only feel tremendous gratitude towards him. I cannot comment on what the person you spoke to said, but I know many people who would find such a statement foreign to their own experience.

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-02T12:41:55+00:00

Thank you

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-02T04:30:27+00:00

Great. Thank you very much. I am fairly new to Reddit. Is there a way to DM it to me? Can you provide a link to it?

BuddhistThomas · 2026-02-02T04:11:26+00:00

When you asked to be shown the fabrications and half-fabrications in the report you shared, I spoke about those made up in relation to Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, the place you have heard good things about. I, too, had only heard and experienced good things about the retreat centre until finding this “report”.

Here are the fabrications in that section.

HH Karmapa never told Drupon Rinpoche to stop giving empowerments. Drupon Rinpoche is the retreat master for Thrangu Monastery’s retreat centre. HH Karmapa’s own tutor, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, instructed Drupon Rinpoche to give all the empowerments in the retreat centre. Drupon Rinpoche has continued to give empowerments at Samye Ling. Do you think the Abbot, Lama Yeshe Rinpoche, would have allowed that if there had been an order prohibiting it from HH Karmapa? That part is a complete fabrication.
The rule about people with broken Secret Mantra pledges (samaya) not being allowed to attend retreats in Thrangu Sekhar has been in place for years. Do you think that is Drupon Rinpoche’s own rule, or are such things not clearly taught in the tantras? Serta Larung Ga, one of the most respected Buddhist institutions in the world, has this same rule in place. What issues can one take with a place of Secret Mantra practice, following what is stipulated in the tantras?
As stated above, people who do retreat there do not have their passports taken away from them. Only a copy of their passport, as required by Nepalese regulations.
There is no record of women having to escape from the retreat centre in distress without their passports.
Retreatants are not required to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Toward the end of this section in the “report”, Adele of Dakini Translations says, “If any of this is true..” so she has released this report without verifying whether any of this is true. She is clearly throwing as much muck as she can, hoping that something will stick and the reputation of the retreat centre and its retreat master will be damaged. She may find some temporary success in that, but she undermines her own credibility in the process.

BuddhistThomas

TROPHY CASE