Chapter 1 - The beginning of the new translations

[Full title: The beginning of the new translations (gsar ma’i ‘gyur mgo’i skabs. Chandra 184; Chengdu 255; Roerich 204).]

Notwithstanding the fact that some of the Tantric Precepts were to be found in dbus, gtsang and mnga' ris, Tantric practices became defiled. Meditation on the Ultimate Reality was abandoned, and many coarse practices made their appearance, such as sexual practices, ritual killing (sbyor sgrol), the gtad ser^[1] , and others. (This situation) was noticed by the kings of mnga' ris, and though they did not voice their objection openly, they sent invitations to numerous learned paṇḍitas (in India), who were able to remove these obstacles by placing living beings on the Path of Purity. Said Lord Atīśa: "The Initiation into the gsang dbang rite and the shes rab (Prajñā) was not to be taken up by one of chaste practice, since this was strictly prohibited in the great Tantra of the Ādi Buddha."^{[2] [3]} (This passage) also prohibited indirectly the coarse practices of lay Tantrics.

Though it is generally said that Lord Smṛti had inaugurated the translation of the "New" Tantras^[4] , he did not translate them in dbus and gtsang. At a later date, he prepared in Khams numerous translations of the Mañjuśrināma sangīti^[5] , according to the method of the Saint Līlāvajra (sgeg pa rdo rje), the Śrīcatuḥpīṭha-mahāyoginītantrarāja-nāma ^[6] , the Cycle of the Guhyasamāja (gsang 'dus) and other texts. Thus it seems that these (translations) were earlier than the translations of Tantric texts made by the great lo tsā ba rin chen zhang po, for it is said that when 'brom ston pa attended on jo bo se btsun, he learnt the work of a translator from Smṛti. Soon after that, when 'brom came to mnga' ris, the great lo tsā ba reached the age of 85. The great lo tsā ba had translated for the most part the "Father"Class (pha rgyud) of the Anuttara-yoga-tantra, including the Tattvasamgraha^[7] , the Guhyasamāja^[8] and other texts. The Tantras belonging to the Yoginī class such as the Saṃvara, Hevajra and others were translated by bla chen 'brog mi, when the great lo tsā ba was nearing his fiftieth year. Then also the Yoginī Tantras became widely propagated. The paragraph on the beginning of the translations of the "New"Tantras.