View source for Translator’s homage

'''Translator’s homage''' (Tib. འགྱུར་ཕྱག, ''gyur chak'', [[Wyl.]] ''gyur phyag'') ― the homage that is inserted by the translator of a Sanskrit text into the Tibetan language is called the ‘salutation imposed by royal command’ or the ‘salutation indicating the section of the [[Three pitakas|Tripitaka]] to which the text belongs’.

In the period of the [[Three ancestral religious kings|ancestral dharma kings]], the translators had the habit of paying homage to the [[yidam]] deity to whom they were personally devoted. There was no general practice established by law. But it happened that [[king Tri Ralpachen]], having invited many panditas and translators, decreed that every revised translation, the text of which was established as final, was to contain a translator’s homage that reflected the section of the Tripitaka to which it belonged, so that there would be no confusion as to its scriptural affiliation.

Accordingly, in the case of the [[vinaya]]-pitaka, since the subtle and precise teachings about the [[Karma|karmic law of cause and effect]] contained therein are the province of the [[Buddha]] alone, the homage is made to the ‘[[Omniscience|Omniscient One]]’. Since the teachings of the [[sutra]]-pitaka are present in the form of questions and answers between the Buddha and the [[bodhisattva]]s, homage is made to ‘all buddhas and bodhisattvas’. Finally, since the teachings contained in the [[abhidharma]]-pitaka concerning such things as the [[Five skandhas|aggregates]], [[Eighteen dhatus|elements]] and [[Twelve ayatanas|sense fields]] are to be realized by means of profound [[wisdom]], the homage is made to the ‘noble and ever-youthful [[Manjushri]]’.<ref>[[Khenpo Kunpal]], ''[[Drops of Nectar|The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech]]'', a detailed commentary on [[Shantideva]]’s ''[[Bodhicharyavatara|Way of the Bodhisattva]]'', page 33. Translated by Padmakara Translation Group. Published by Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-59030-439-6, ISBN 978-1-59030-699-4</ref> 

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[[Category: Three Pitakas]]
[[Category: Texts]]
[[Category: Canon]]