Dearest friends and supporters of the Ka-Ter translation project of the Shang Shung Institute Austria,
You have probably already seen and read the latest published product of the Ka-Ter project, The Miraculous Deeds of the Eighty-Four Mahasiddhas. I was so fascinated when I read the excellent introduction of Elio and also the stories of the miraculous deeds of the 84 mahasiddhas. Two parts of this book really touched me deeply and therefore I want to share them with you.
The first one is of DHARMAPA, the teacher who did not meditate.
When he was old and blind a dakini appeared to him in a dream and gave him instructions on transforming thoughts into wisdom:
Imagine all things that exist as a lamp,
All continuing thoughts as the oil, and
meditate that your mind is the wick.Then meditate that the wick
blazes with the fire of wisdom.Pour the oil of continuous thoughts
into the lamp of everything that exists
and lighting the wick of pure presence,
look at the wish-fulfilling jewel of mind essence.
For five years he meditated in accordance with the words of the dakini and at the end he transformed thoughts into wisdom while his body surprisingly transformed into an eight year old child. He guided many students and at the end of his life he left for the pure land of the dakinis. (see pages 231-214)
The second one is about ACHINTA, the wealth-obsessed wood-seller.
He was a poor man who had no other thought then that of becoming rich.
One day the yogin Kambala passed by that place of Achinta and finally taught him how to use his creative imagination:
How can you get rich just by wanting it?
It is like a barren woman’s desire for a son.
You just must let go of such dreams.Imagine that your body is like space
and in it your mind shines like many stars:
that is the god of wealth.
When you accomplish this meditation
all that you desire will come to you.
The wood seller understood and supreme knowledge arose in him. He lived for 300 years and during that time, he guided beings by teaching them how to discover the ultimate state. (see pages 169-170)
These are just two shortened parts of this wonderful book. There is so much more to discover and understand in this book – I hope that you enjoy this book in the same way as I am enjoying it.
You can get this book here.
To be able to read these words of wisdom is actually only possible because our two main translators, Adriano Clemente and Elio Guarisco, have been working in such a concentrated, dedicated and diligent way for the benefit of all people for so many years.
I asked Adriano and Elio for a short update of their recent work and here are their reports:
Adriano wrote:
I have finished the Namkha book and the Necklace of Jewels, and now I am about to start reviewing the Tregchod book.
Recently I had to spend some time for writing down the precise melodies for the Chod and I am thinking to publish a book with all the notations of the melodies we use, as this is also part of my job.
Elio wrote:
When I arrived in Lima, Peru, early this November I began to revise a draft translation of the Drathalgyur that Adriano Clemente and I commissioned Jim Valby a few years ago. If one believes in auspicious circumstances that work that I began in Lima was auspicious: I was told that Chögyal Namkhai Norbu completed his edition of Vimalamitra’s Commentary to the Drathalgyur right there.
At the beginning I spent a few days just to understand the title from more than 200 pages of Vimalamitra’s Commentary that deals with that.
After going on that high mountain pass near Tashigar South in Argentina I descended into the extraordinary and ordinary setting of the Tantra. I started to add orderly notes that probably will go into an introduction. The complexity of translation of this tantra are various, but they do not appear to be impossible to overcome. It just needs a lot of time, concentration, reflection and effort.
Even at the first glance of a few pages the Drathalgyur appears to be something extraordinary.
So just like picking up a intriguing and beautiful novel one does not feel to put it down until you have finished.Drathalgyur is so fascinating that one does not feel to put it down but rather continues to read puzzled by the way it can be rendered in English.
I hope this year I don’t receive many invitation to teach, so that I can delve into this very root of all teachings.
So you see, the translation work is continuously going ahead and soon you will be able to get the next published book based on the Ka-ter translation project.
As you know, the entire funds for the Ka-Ter project come from donations from generous donors of the International Dzogchen Community. Since 2002 the Shang Shung Institute Austria has been able to support the translators over all these years based just on your generosity.
In 2019 we had very high expenses for the various translation activities so that the donations that we received up to now actually did not cover all expenses. It would be wonderful if you could continue to support our activities, so that the continuation of our important work will be guaranteed also in the future.
Please send your donation to our bank account:
Account holder: Shang Shung Institute Austria
IBAN: AT19 3815 1000 0003 0387
BIC: RZSTAT2G151
Address of the bank:
Hauptstr. 39, 8262 Ilz, Austria
or
send your donation via Paypal: just use this link: PAYPAL
Thank you so much for all your support and understanding,
I wish you a very pleasant and relaxed time,
All the best to you,
Oliver Leick
Director of the Shang Shung Institute Austria
Gersdorfberg 19
8212 Pischelsdorf
Austria
Tel.: 0043 664 8866 2660
Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.ssi-austria.at
