[Buddha-l] RE: Re: H.H. The Dalai Lama vs Geshe Michael Roach

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Blumenthal, James schreef:

> I don't have the bibliographic info handy, but there was a book 
> published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives that was a 
> translation of the short biographies of the 84 mahasiddhis.  That 
> might an interesting place to start.  If memory serves me, I think it 
> is simply called, "The Eighty-Four Mahasiddhis". 
> Jim Blumenthal
>
>
Well, James if you find anything, please let us know. I just searched 
the database and I only found the lifestory of Tilopa. I know the 
original book you mention, it has been translated into Hindi and it has 
been around for many years combined with the Tibetan text. There is a 
translation of the songs of the mahaasiddhas by Per Kvearne called 'An 
anthology of Buddhist Tantric Songs'.
What still puzzles me is the relation between the tantras as ritual 
systems with strong brahmanic influences and the mahaasiddhas, which 
were mainly errant yogis who were not so much into rituals and mainly 
practised asanas and breathing techniques. Some of them didn't even care 
whether they were to be called hindu or buddhist. The Tibetans merged 
all the different tantras into a more or less unified ritual system. The 
songs of the mahaasiddhas and those of their present successors, the 
Bauls, show a strong indifference to rituals and theory. Rituals and 
formal initiations are more a hobby of monks. But somehow the Tibetan 
tradition has developed the ideal of combining the career of a monk and 
a mahaasiddha.

Erik


www.xs4all.nl/~jehms
weblog http://www.volkskrantblog.nl/pub/blogs/blog.php?uid=2950