Lo Jong Text - ZHEN PA BZHI BRAL, Part 2
In the Sakya tradition, the text actually starts with the simple statement:
bu,
bu means son. bu mo means daugher. In Tibetan there could be different words for the same thing, depending if you are talking 'upwards' or 'downwards'. Upwards means that you are talking to a higher level being, your parents, teacher, HH Dalai Lama, bodhisattva, enlightened being. Downwards means that a higher level person is talking to you about the word. bu and bu mo are when a higher level person is addressing a lower one. The opposite is if a lower level person is addressing a higher one, then the words are sras and sras mo.
For example, rgyal sras means spiritual heir, or Buddha-son, this is a synonym for Bodhisattva, as Buddhas are born from Bodhisattvas. In Sanskrit this is jinaputra, jina means Buddha or The Victiorious One, an putra means son (ex Shariputra).
Going back to why this blo sbyong starts with bu: Sachen Kunga Nyingpo as a 12-year old son was told by his teacher that as a heir to a great spiritual father he should also start doing practices. As one of the practices Sachen Kunga Nyingpo undertook was a long retreat on Manjushri. And actually Manjushri manifested for the boy, and first stated bu (as Manjushri is on a higher level than Sachen Kunga Nyingpo).
After this Manjushri stated the famous four lines of blo sbyong. And we will start tackling through the words and grammar, starting with the first ... zhen pa brel!
Homework: If not sure, do research on Manjushri. Find out the Tibetan name for Manjushri. (Maybe you know a monk, nun, or teacher by that name, already?)
bu,
bu means son. bu mo means daugher. In Tibetan there could be different words for the same thing, depending if you are talking 'upwards' or 'downwards'. Upwards means that you are talking to a higher level being, your parents, teacher, HH Dalai Lama, bodhisattva, enlightened being. Downwards means that a higher level person is talking to you about the word. bu and bu mo are when a higher level person is addressing a lower one. The opposite is if a lower level person is addressing a higher one, then the words are sras and sras mo.
For example, rgyal sras means spiritual heir, or Buddha-son, this is a synonym for Bodhisattva, as Buddhas are born from Bodhisattvas. In Sanskrit this is jinaputra, jina means Buddha or The Victiorious One, an putra means son (ex Shariputra).
Going back to why this blo sbyong starts with bu: Sachen Kunga Nyingpo as a 12-year old son was told by his teacher that as a heir to a great spiritual father he should also start doing practices. As one of the practices Sachen Kunga Nyingpo undertook was a long retreat on Manjushri. And actually Manjushri manifested for the boy, and first stated bu (as Manjushri is on a higher level than Sachen Kunga Nyingpo).
After this Manjushri stated the famous four lines of blo sbyong. And we will start tackling through the words and grammar, starting with the first ... zhen pa brel!
Homework: If not sure, do research on Manjushri. Find out the Tibetan name for Manjushri. (Maybe you know a monk, nun, or teacher by that name, already?)