Asta-Doha-Kosa (The Eight Doha Treasures)

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The book titled "Asta-Doha-Kosa (The Eight Treasures of Doha)" is a work containing the compilation of eight short texts in Tibetan language and their English translations. The works are ascribed to both the Indian and Tibetan siddhas, namely Saraha, Virupa, Naropa, Maitripa and others. The term 'Doha' is rendered into English as 'Couplets' or 'Spiritual Songs', consist the natural and humanistic simile and metaphor indicating the nature of Mahamudra and the method of attaining it. It's every stanza is related to the taste of siddhas' realization.

Bom in a middle class family in West Bengal, Dr. Sanjib Kumar Das was educated at Chandpara Nimna Buniyadi Vidyalaya (Amtala) and then in Gobardanga Khantura High School Meanwhile, due to some of his personal problems, he fled away from home and worked as a waiter in several hotels and sweet shops for about two years in Kolkata. Later, he went to Darjeeling and took shelter in a Buddhist Monastery where he also worked as a helper of mason for about a year. There, an auspicious co-incidence came upon in his life that also totally changed his life as well. On account of the kindness of the Thupten Sanga Choling Monastery, he was admitted in its branch school named 'Drukpa Kagyu Destitute Home' where he studied upto standard VIII. Subsequently, he was sent to Varanasi in 1989 in order to get admission in the then Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (present CUTS). Sarnath for higher studies. Getting admission, he obtained M.A., pursuing upon Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan Language and other prescribed subjects. In 1998, he was awarded with the Kashi Naresh Gold Medal for being the best student of 1998. After completing M.A, he started doing his Ph.D. which he completed in 2002. In 1999, he was invited as a Translator from Tibetan into English to Taiwan where he stayed for about five months. In 2002, he got a temporary job in the Translation Department in the CIHTS, Sarnath and simultaneously a permanent job in Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh where he worked for about six years. In 2008, he got a new job in Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan where he has been working on the post of Associate Professor in the Department of Indo- Tibetan Studies since he joined. Apart from his academic works, Dr. Das was also carried out the responsibility of HOD [Head of the Department]. Department of Indo-Tibetan Studies, Visva-Bharati for about seven years as well as the I/C Director, Centre for Buddhist Studies, Visva-Bharati for three years. Dr. Das has also composed, translated, edited, restored and compiled several books which have been published by different universities, institutions and publishers in India. Apart from translation, compilation, restoration and editing work, Dr. Das attended number of Local, National and International seminars, and presented papers.

The appearance of Sakyamuni Buddha in this Pradipakalpa (Kalpa of Light) was only to bring welfare to the miserable sentient beings of samsara. It is because after attaining Buddhahood he turned the Three Wheels of Doctrine in which he delivered teachings on many subjects according to the mental capacities and aspirations of beings. While turning the Second Wheel of Doctrine at Grdrakūta, Buddha simultaneously turned the Wheel of Doctrine on Tantra at Sri Dhanyaküta. His entire teachings are preserved in the Three Baskets of Teachings and four classes of tantra which are grouped into two systems, namely Mahayana and Theravada.

Mahāyāna itself is sub-classified into two: Pāramitāyāna (Perfection Vehicle) or Bodhisattvayana and Vajrayana (Vajra Vehicle or Vehicle of Indestructible Reality). According to Mahayana tradition, especially the Tibetan Mahāyāna tradition, instead of the system of taking refuge in the Triple Jewel 'Trisaranagamana', the system of taking refuge in the fourfold Jewel 'Catuḥsaranagamana' is implemented and of course the four are subsumed into three. It is because prior to taking refuge in the Buddha, one takes refuge in the Guru. Probably the purpose there be in behind of it is just to remind as well as to prove that the great Siddha Saraha, who is the cornerstone of the siddha tradition and is the leading siddha ascribed to the composition of Doha, is the founder of this tradition. He sang in one of his dohās- "Seek for sahaja (spontaneously born or co-emergence) nowhere but on the lips of the Guru." He is found emphasizing repeatedly on this thing in his Doha. On account of it the Guru's words are regarded more important than that of the Buddhas because Guru is the one who acts as his representative for showing the right path to liberation in his absence. It causes every Guru getting the higher status and more respect than the Buddhas. Nevertheless, whatsoever there may be, whether there are three or two yanas (vehicle) as mentioned above are just the means basically to control, to tame one's distracting and uncontrolled mind.

The term 'Doha' is rendered into English as Couplets, Poetic Couplet, Rhyming Couplet or sometime as Spiritual Songs. It refers to the collection of stanzas consisting the natural and humanistic simile and metaphor indicating the nature of Mahamudra and the method of attaining it. Its every stanza is related to the taste of siddhas realization. However, as the taste of ginger cannot actually be explained in words but through examples, in the same way, since its every stanza is related to the taste of siddhas' experience and realization, its actual meaning cannot be understood through words and the method of philosophical vehicle. For this reason, the experience and realization are beyond expression.

In fact poetic verse written in Sanskrit, Apabhraniša, Prakrit and other related languages in India, employ various kinds of verse and meter. Unlike Tibetan, it only counts the number of letters in per line. Sanskrit uses a meter based on patterns of long and short letters. The verse of Doha is a form, based on two lines, a couplet; its most famous example being the poetry of Kabir in which each Doha was an independent separate work. This is a form of verse associated with the later centuries of the first millennium, and is used in the late middle Indic and early late Indic languages that have Vedic Sanskrit as their ancestor.

The term 'Doha' is a combination of two words-Do+Ha. Do means two and is derived from the Sanskrit term dva. Tibetan pronunciation of Sanskrit reflects north Indian dialects from the beginning of the second millennium. The word dva is a mantra would be pronounced do. Indian languages were written in a form that reflected the phonetics.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages