Tsongkhapa’s Perpetually Weeping Bodhisattva

Description

The story of Perpetually Weeping - from the Sanskrit Sadaprarudita, in Tibetan rtag tu ngu – first occurs in the famous scripture the Perfection of Wisdom. (In Sanskrit the Perfection of Wisdom is Prajñaparamita Sutra and in Tibetan shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i mdo). This sutra, also referred to in English as 'Transcendental Wisdom', is most widely known by Tibetans simply as the brgyad stong 'Eight Thousand', being the condensed form of the Prajñaparamita Sutra in eight thousand verses. Edward Conze (1973) brought this text to prominence in the English-speaking world with his translation, The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary. As is typical of the sutra form, the Perfection of Wisdom is a question-and-answer dialogue between Buddha Shakyamuni and one of his disciples. In this sutra, the Buddha and his renowned disciple, Subhuti (rab ‘byor), engage in a discourse about the Perfection of Wisdom. In chapters thirty and thirty one, the story of the disciple Perpetually Weeping is recorded. He is praised as the epitome of the self-sacrificing and devoted disciple. Perpetually Weeping, a great saint of a previous age, exhibited an unparalleled perseverance in his quest for the Perfection of Wisdom and total devotion to his great teacher, Sublime Wisdom (from the Sanskrit Dharmodgata, in Tibetan chos ‘phags). The Buddha urges Subhuti to be as earnest in his search for the Perfection of Wisdom as Perpetually Weeping was. Tsongkhapa, building on the foundation of what had been previously recorded about Perpetually Weeping, gives further praise to the deeds of this bodhisattva. Tsongkhapa embellishes Perpetually Weeping's story with his own additional 'narrator comments', often in the form of poetic verse. Indeed, his account of Perpetually Weeping's life could be loosely compared to the poetic style known as the English ode. Tsongkhapa lavishes praise upon Perpetually Weeping and exhorts the reader to follow his example. His mastery of the Tibetan language is compelling and his use of poetic motifs clearly demonstrates his thorough knowledge of Indian poetry (snyan ngag).