PREFACE

This study attempts to set up an introduction to several aspects of the Buddhist Chant of Tibet. In order to show the stylistic frontiers of the differently interpreted songs I have confined myself to the description of musical features of only two Tibetan religious sects which, when compared, exhibit more stylistic differences than the liturgical songs of all other sects.

An investigation into the musical aspects of Tibetan chant, always a complex undertaking, has become practically impossible in recent years because, under the new rulers of the land, the religious practices of the Tibetan Buddhists, the monasteries, libraries, and the chant itself, have ceased to exist. Therefore, this book is not much more than an attempt to rescue some parts of a musical art that is about to disappear.

I have to beg the reader’s indulgence of my many shortcomings, my limited knowledge of the Tibetan language, and the mistakes and errors that are bound to occur. At best, I hope that this study may open the doors toward a remarkable and fascinating religious art and thus lead to further research.

My first acknowledgement is due to my friend Professor Thubten Jigme Norbu, the former abbot of Kum-bum Monastery, brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He translated the sometimes almost indecipherable Tibetan texts into English. In transliterating the Tibetan words, Professor Norbu chose the system employed by Sarat Chandra Das in the Tibetan-EnglishDictionary (Calcutta, 1902,1960). The presentation of numerous lines of Tibetan texts, particularly the distinguishing of the main syllables from the meaningless ones, would not have been possible without the generous help of the venerable dge-bces Skal-ldan, formerly of Kum-bum, to whom I wish to express my sincere gratitude.

Professor Norbu remarks that the writing of the Tibetan texts is far from perfect. The manuscript was written for practical use in performance and shows numerous calligraphic and orthographic errors that have purposely been preserved in the transliterations and translations.

I am especially grateful to Professors Alex Wayman (Columbia University, New York), Helmut Hoffmann and Friedrich Bischoff (Indiana University) for their very kind and valuable advice.

My gratitude is also extended to Mr. Jigdal D. Sakyapa, formerly of Sakya (Sa-skya) Tibet, who chanted the songs for me in the style of his sect. He also made accessible to me a second Tibetan manuscript which will be discussed in Part IV. I am further obliged to Mr. Terence Bech, a former student of Indiana University, now residing in Katmandu, Nepal. Upon my request he contacted the late Lama Senge Norbu (not related to Professor Thubten J. Norbu), who wrote down the songbook (Part II) from memory and chanted the material on tapes.

Last but not least I wish to express my indebtedness to the Office of Research and Advanced Studies of Indiana University.

Walter Kaufmann

Indiana University

Bloomington, Indiana