Speaker Series – Sainbileg Byambadorj: Changkya Qutuγtu Rol-pa’i-rdo-rje: the Source of Lexical Sage and its influence to Mongolian scriptural translation
October 17, 2017 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
This year, 2017 marks the 300th birth anniversary of ChangkyaQutuγtu Rol-pa’i-rdo-rje (1717-1786). He will present in honoring his memory. Rolpai-dorje was an eminent scholar-monk who standardized Mongolian translation of Buddhist scriptures and was the chief editor of the translation project of the Mongolian Tangyur. In order to implement this translation project Changkya composed a bilingual orthography (guideline)entitled “The Source Lexical Sage” (Dag yig mkhas pa’i ‘byung gnas [Tib],Merged γarqu-yin oron [Mon]). Besides being a great scholar, Rolpai-dorje was a political activist who was the State Preceptor of the Qing Dynasty. He served for the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) and involved in various religio-political activities. The Rolpai-dorje’s supportive attitude towards Manchu Emperors yielded development of the Mongolian Buddhism and establishment of the Mongolian Canon.
In this presentation, Sainbileg will discuss two points; firstly, Rolpai-dorje’s title “Changkya Qutuγtu”. Some researchers write Rol-pa’i-rdo-rje was second reincarnation, yet some claim that he was the third reincarnation. He will shed light on whether Rol-pa’i-rdo-rje was the second or the third reincarnation of Changkya Qutuγtu, and what is the underlying meaning of the “title”.
Secondly, he will introduce the Dag-Yig and its influence to Mongolian scriptural translation. The Dag-Yig is a well-known work, yet it has the dubious distinction of being the least studied work. Hence, it is necessary to investigate Dag-Yig’s terminology system, structure and translation instructions in order to illuminate why it has been genially accepted by Tibetan and Mongolian scholars as a comprehensive guidebook for Buddhist translation. The study of the Dag-Yig provides a proper understanding of Mongolian Buddhist scriptures and helps further study of the vast scriptural resource of the Mongolian Canon.
Co-Sponsored by the American Cultural and Information Center, Ulaanbaatar
