5. Scholarly Debate and the Revelation

The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) organized a seminar on Tibetan History in November 2006 in Dharamshala, with the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, wherein eminent Tibetan scholars participated and the outcomes of the proceedings were compiled in a book titled "Bod kyi lo rgyus gleng ba"^[1]. Here the participants discussed that Manjushrimulkalpa, which was translated into Tibetan by Indian Saint Kumar Kailash and

Tibetan 'Brog mi Sha kya Lo dro under the instruction of King Byang chub 'Od (984-1078) in 11th century and preserved in the 36th chapter (rGyud Na pa) of sDe dge edition bKa''gyur, and in section Da pa of sNarthang bKa' 'gyur^[2]. Scholars at the conference unanimously agreed that the above three stanzas as quoted by Kunkhyen Padma Karpo and Desrid Sangay Gyatso were not found in the two original Tibetan translations preserved in the two editions of bKa'-'gyur.

It came out that the nearest wording to the above stanzas was:

I will pass into Nirvana on this earth.
In the land of snow, sal-trees shall abound,
Along the golden river, with perfect people around,
In the forest of sal-trees, I shall enter Nirvana,
sDig pa can shall be the name of the town,."^[3]

Here it was more of prediction on where and how Buddha was going to leave the earth, and no reference to Tibet is found. Kunkhyen Padma Karpo may have manipulated the first three stanzas to direct the reference to Tibet, with a view to establish origin of Tibet and Tibetans to the person of Buddha. Scholars at the debate unanimously agreed that neither the original Tibetan translation nor the Chinese translation of Manjushrimulkalpa has made any reference to the origin of Tibet and the Tibetans. So, this theory of Tibet and Tibetans coming one hundred years after Buddha is not valid. It was a scriptural misinterpretation and historical faux pas.

The only original Sanskrit text available of Manjushrimulkalpa is said to be at Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library of Thiruvananthapuram in south India^[4], where it can be verified.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Bod kyi lo rgyus bgro gleng, p-2, Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, India, 2006

[2]:

Jo Sras Tashi Tsering, Bod kyi lo rgyus bgro gleng, p-2, Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, India, 2006

[3]:

"Nga ni sa-sten mya-ngan 'da', kha-ba can gyi nang-dag du, sa-la'i nags ni yang dag 'byung, gser dang lden-pa'i chu-bo dang, gyad rnmas kyi ni nye khor du, sa-la zung gi nags nang du, nga ni mya-ngan 'da' bar 'gyur, drongkhyer ming ni sdig-pa can". Jampa Samten, Bod kyi lo-rgyus gleng-ba, pa-122

[4]:

Sudha Gopalakrishnan, The Hindu, Sunday Magazine, 27/01/2008 edition