Herbert V Guenther - 1968 - The Royal Song of Saraha - A Study in the History of Buddhist Thought (226p).pdf

Herbert V Guenther - 1968 - The Royal Song of Saraha - A Study in the History of Buddhist Thought (226p).pdf

Paperback: 221 pages
Publisher: Shambhala Publications Inc.,U.S.; New edition edition (September 1973)
ISBN-10: 0877730423
ISBN-13: 978-0877730422

Eloquent translation (I assume - I mean the English reads poetically) of a 10 page or so text wrapped in 200 or more pages of turgid Germanic exegesis. However, the short original text is worth the price of admission alone, and while Guenther never met a simple text he couldn't complicatedly explain, you always have the option of skipping his scholarly explanation. BTW Guenther was a legitimate practitioner, not just a translator/scholar. A must read, only the Mahamudra texts translated by Ven. Chogyam Trungpa in his short book of poems, Mudra, equals it.

Saraha, an arrow maker, was a highly individualistic Indian yogi, one of the "drop outs" from Indian society who provided a poetic rendition of the philosophy of the mind. This book contains the root text and a commentary, as well as Guenther's articulate explanations. Saraha analyses perceptions, and of particular interest to me was what is said about memory. Memory is what comprises most of our thought processes, and what causes most of us much pain and discomfort. Conventional notions of memory assumes a past, present and a future, whose validity Saraha challenges. Each philosophical point is illustrated by a simile, which facilitates the reader's absorption of each point. So this is an excellent account dealing with the status of our thoughts and feelings about our experiences.