An address at the launch of the Monlam Dictionary
In the morning of 27 May 2022, after the address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at the front courtyard of the Tsuklagkhang Temple, Dharamshala, at the launch of Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary (22 Vols) and the online dictionary, His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche gave a talk.
Other speakers were His Eminence Ling Chogtrul Rinpoche, His Eminence Menri Trizin, His Eminence 43rd Sakya Trizin Jnana Vajra Rinpoche, the Honourable speaker of the Tibetan parliament, and the Honourable Sikyong.
After expressing appreciation to all who worked on the dictionary, His Eminence Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche pointed out that the fields of knowledge are infinite, and so the number of terms and names would be infinite. And, until one reaches the realisation of the perfect knowledge, there would be no arriving at the end of using words and terms. At a sudden glance, perhaps it may appear that such a number of volumes of the dictionary, consisting of several hundred thousand entries and of over 22 volumes, may appear to be very large, yet in the context of the countless fields of knowledge, it is not so, nor to be amazed about. The reason in saying so is, such a work, launched today, does not become a task completed; such a work has to be continued still, from a generation to another generation, and for so long our language prevails, for that long the younger generation has to continue it.
His Eminence Rinpoche wondered the reason why such a work is being referred to as “Tsig-zod” (Words Treasury), not as “Ming-zod {miṅ-mdzod}(Treasury of Names), although the term has come from India, from “śabd-koś”. Continuing on, His Eminence gave the insight that such a large work of many volumes, involving many editorial teams of adepts, and produced in a short time, has become feasible so due to the richness of the Tibetan language.
Thereafter, His Eminence Rinpoche reiterated the outstanding translation works and native literature in the Tibetan language surpassing that of any other nation, in terms of both quantity and quality, in the context of the population and the duration of the time they were produced.
Speaking of dictionaries in general and of those in Tibetan, His Eminence Rinpoche enumerated the various Tibetan historical dictionaries, and of recent times, and the types of dictionaries.
His Eminence Rinpoche said it is only in Buddhism that names and words have no independent meaning, they are dependent on being designated so by label and conceptual thought. The word referring to a thing would not refer so because of the thing, rather the thing depends on the word and conceptual thought designating the thing. That it is a unique feature of Buddhism. And if modern science takes interest in this, the understanding of it could be beneficial for many.
The video-recording, in Tibetan, of this address is at this link: