Tibetan Ebook
Stephaine Zitzow
You can install additional Tibetan truetype fonts on your Kindle. Simply connect your Kindle using an USB cable and put Tibetan font files into the fonts folder of your Kindle.The font then can be selected while viewing your Tibetan ebook.
Interestingly, if you have a very old Kindle, Tibetan might work just fine. It seems that firmware version 5.9.x is able to display Tibetan for all ebooks, including the ability to display Tibetan titles in overview. So Tibetan support of those very old devices (older than about 2016) was actually better than even the most recent Kindle firmware.
Older Kindle models do not show the name of the Kindle model in the info-screen. You can use this overview to figure out your Kindle model using the model number (small print on the back) or the serial number (from info screen).
I was lately reading the Holy Text of the Saḍḍharma-Puṇdarīka(the Aphorisms of the White Lotus of theWonderful or True Law) in a Samskṛṭ manuscript undera Boḍhi-tree near Mṛga-Ḍāva (Sāranāṭh), Benares. Hereour Blessed Lord Buḍḍha Shākya-Muni taught His HolyḌharma just after the accomplishment of His Buḍḍhahoodat Buḍḍhagayā. Whilst doing so, I was remindedof the time, eighteen years ago, when I had read the sametext in Chinese at a great Monastery named Ohbakusangat Kyoto in Japan, a reading which determined me toundertake a visit to Tibet.
It was in March, 1891, that I gave up the Rectorship ofthe Monastery of Gohyakurakan in Tokyo, and left forKyoto, where I remained living as a hermit for about threeyears, totally absorbed in the study of a large collection ofBuḍḍhist books in the Chinese language. My objectin doing so was to fulfil a long-felt desire to translate thetexts into Japanese in an easy style from the difficult andunintelligible Chinese.
But I afterwards found that it was not a wise thingto rely upon the Chinese texts alone, without comparingthem with Tibetan translations as well as with the originalSamskṛṭ texts which are contained in Mahāyāna Buḍḍhism.The Buḍḍhist Samskṛṭ texts were to be found in Tibetand Nepāl. Of course, many of them had been discoveredby European Orientalists in Nepāl and a few in otherparts of India and Japan. But those texts had not yetbeen found which included the most important manuscriptsof which Buḍḍhist scholars were in great want.Then again, the Tibetan texts were famous for being[vi]more accurate translations than the Chinese. NowI do not say that the Tibetan translations are superiorto the Chinese. As literal translations, I think thatthey are superior; but, for their general meaning, theChinese are far better than the Tibetan. Anyhow, itwas my idea that I should study the Tibetan language andTibetan Buḍḍhism, and should try to discover Samskṛṭmanuscripts in Tibet, if any were there available.
With these objects in view, I made up my mind to go toTibet, though the country was closed not only by the LocalGovernment but also by the surrounding lofty mountains.After making my preparations for some time, I left Japanfor Tibet in June, 1897, and returned to my country inMay, 1903. Then in October, 1904, I again left Japan forIndia and Nepāl, with the object of studying Samskṛṭ,hoping, if possible, again to penetrate into Tibet, in searchof more manuscripts.
On my return to Japan, my countrymen received mewith great enthusiasm, as the first explorer of Tibet fromJapan. The Jiji, a daily newspaper in Tokyo, the mostwell-known, influential and widely read paper in Japan, andalso a famous paper in Ōsaka, called the Maimichi, publishedmy articles every day during 156 issues. After this, Icollected all these articles and gave them for publication intwo volumes to Hakubunkwan, a famous publisher inTokyo. Afterwards some well-known gentlemen in Japan,Mr. Sutejiro Fukuzawa, Mr. Sensuke Hayakawa andMr. Eiji Asabuki, proposed to me to get them translatedinto English. They also helped me substantially in thistranslation, and I take this opportunity of expressing mygrateful thanks to them for the favor thus conferredupon me.
When my translation was finished, the British expeditionto Tibet had been successful, and reports regarding itwere soon afterwards published. I therefore stopped the[vii]publication of my English translation, for I thought thatmy book would not be of any use to the English-readingpublic.
Recently, the President of the Theosophical Society, myesteemed friend Mrs. Annie Besant, asked me to show herthe translation. On reading it she advised me to publishit quickly. I then told her that it would be useless forme to publish such a book, as there were already Governmentreports of the Tibetan expedition, and as Dr. SvenHedin of Sweden would soon publish an excellent book ofhis travels in Tibet. But she was of opinion that suchbooks would treat of the country from a western point ofview, whilst my book would prove interesting to thereader from the point of view of an Asiatic, intimatelyacquainted with the manners, the customs, and the innerlife of the people. She also pointed out to me that thebook would prove attractive to the general reader for itsstirring incidents and adventures, and the dangers I hadhad to pass through during my travels.
Thus then I lay this book before the English-knowingpublic. I take this opportunity of expressing my gratefulthanks to Mrs. Besant for her continued kindness to mein looking over the translation, and for rendering me helpin the publication. Were it not for her, this book wouldnot have seen the light of day.
Here also I must not fail to express my sincere thanksto my intimate friend Professor Jamshedji N. Unwalla, M.A.,of the Central Hinḍū College, Benares; for he composedall the verses of the book from my free English prosetranslation, and looked over all the proof-sheets carefullywith me with heartiest kindness.
I must equally thank those people who helped me inmy travels in a substantial manner, as well as those whorendered me useful assistance in my studies; nay, eventhose who threw obstacles in my way, for they, after all,[viii]unconsciously rewarded me with the gift of the power toaccomplish the objects I had in view, by surmounting allthe difficulties I had to go through during my travels.
With reference to this publication, whilst reading theAphorisms of the White Lotus of the Wonderful Lawthis day, I cannot but feel extremely sorry in my heartwhen I am reminded of those people who suffered a greatdeal for my sake, some being even imprisoned for theirconnexion with me when I was in Tibet. But on theother hand, it is really gratifying to me, as well asto them, to know that, after all, their sufferings formy sake will be amply compensated by the goodkarma they have certainly acquired for themselvesthrough their acts of charity and benevolence, thathave enabled me to read and carefully study with greaterknowledge, accuracy and enthusiasm, the most sacredtexts of our Holy Religion, than was possible for mebefore my travels in Tibet. I assert this with implicitfaith in the fact that good deeds, according to the SacredCanon, have indubitably the power to purify Humanity,sunk in the illusions of this world, often compared in ourHoly Scriptures to a muddy and dirty pond; at the sametime I believe that that power to purify rests with theGlorious Lotus of the Awe-inspiring Law, suffusing allwith its brilliant effulgence; and with sweet odor, itself,amidst its muddy surroundings, remaining for everstainless and unsullied.
Farewell visits over, I was ready to start, but forsome money. I had had a small sum of one hundredyen of my own savings; but this amount was swelledto 530 yen, by the generosity of Messrs. Watanabe,Harukawa, and Kitamura of Osaka, Hige, Ito, Noda, andYamanaka of Sakai, and others. Of this total, I spentabout one hundred in fitting myself out for a peculiarlyproblematical journey, and the very modest sum of halfa thousand was all I had with me on my departure.
I stayed a week in Fusokwan, and it was on thelast day but one before leaving it that I narrowlyescaped a serious, even mortal, accident. As a priest,I made it, as I make it now, my practice to do preachingwhenever and wherever an opportunity presented itself,and my rigid adherence to this practice greatly pleased theproprietor of that Singapore establishment. In consequenceof this, I was treated with special regard while there,and every day, when the bath was ready, I was the firstto be asked to have the warm water ablution, which isalways so welcome to a Japanese. On the 18th, the usualinvitation was extended to me, but I was just at thatmoment engaged in reading the Text, and could notcomply with it at once. The invitation was repeateda second time, but, somehow or other, I was not readyto take my bath, and remained in my room. Meanwhile, Iheard a great noise, with a thud that shook the wholebuilding. A few moments later, I ascertained that thesound and quaking were caused by the collapse andfall of the bath-room from the second floor, where ithad been situated, to the ground below, with its bath,basin, and all the other contents, among which themost important and unfortunate was a Japanese lady,who, as I had been neglectful in accepting the invitation,was asked to have her bath first. The lady was, asI afterward learned, very dangerously hurt, buried, asshe was, under dbris of falling stones, bricks andtimber, and she was taken to a local hospital, where she[9]lay with very little hope of recovery. I often shudderto think of what would have become of me and of myTibetan adventure, had I been more prompt, as I hadalways been till then, in responding to all invitationsof the kind. I felt exceedingly sorry for the lady, whomet the awful accident practically in my stead; withalI look back to the incident as one that augured well formy Tibetan undertaking, which, indeed, ended in success.
I spent the twelve months following in closelydevoting myself to the study, and in efforts at the practicalmastery, of the Tibetan tongue, with the result that,toward the close of the year, I had become fairlyconfident of my own proficiency in the use of thelanguage both in its literary and vernacular forms;and I made up my mind to start for my destinationwith the coming of the year 1899. Then, it became amomentous question for me to decide upon the routeto take in entering Tibet.
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