Professor Herbert Guenther was a German-born master of languages and great philosopher who taught Buddhism to many people. Click to enlarge.

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Niral)

Professor Herbert Guenther, also known as Professor Herbert Vighnantaka Gunther, was a brilliant translator, philosopher, and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. His impact on Buddhism, especially in the west, was tremendous and his works have shaped the minds of many western Tibetan Buddhist scholar-practitioners today.

Professor Guenther’s depth of Buddhist understanding and practice led him to fearlessly address many modern philosophical issues faced by contemporary man from a transformative Buddhist perspective. While the everyday Buddhist practitioner may not know his name, his legacy is vast; his works are of philosophical importance, and as such, invaluable to the avid Buddhist practitioner today.
 

Early Life and Education

Born March 17, 1917, in the city of Bremen, Germany, Herbert Guenther was the only son of sculptor Reinhold Guenther and his dear wife Dorothea Guenther. From a young age, it was evident that his fascination with the east was overwhelming. He had a distinct yearning to learn more about the cultures of Central and Southeast Asia, to the extent that he could be found wondering through the Asia section of Bremen’s Ethnographic Museum, and spent his time reading books on the history or exploration of these areas that he bought using most of his pocket money.

Bremen’s Ethnographic Museum as it stands today

Having a loving father who encouraged him in his passions, even as child, he began to study Mandarin at the age of nine from a visiting Chinese exchange student. At the age of ten, he was tutoring visiting Russian sailors in German, in exchange for lessons in the Russian language. He had also learnt the Indian Sanskrit language on his own by the time he had completed his secondary schooling in 1936, through books on Sanskrit grammar he had been gifted from a school professor. All of this was alongside the usually languages taught in school at that time: English, Latin, Hebrew, and Greek.

As his proficiency in languages began to grow, his family found it easier to answer the question “What languages does he know?” with the answer “It’s better to ask which languages he doesn’t know!” By the time he enrolled at Munich University, he was already fluent in both Mandarin and Sanskrit, and had even published papers on the Sanskrit language and Indian philosophy. He had also managed to translate some Chinese stories, ready for publication. He had taught himself Persian, Arabic, French, and Swedish during this time as well.

Determined to pursue higher study, Guenther graduated with a Ph.D degree in Munich in 1939. He did so well there that he studied Pali, Prakrit, and Sinhalese under Professor Wilhelm Geiger, in addition to the usual Vedic Sanskrit and Iranian Studies under Professor Walter Wuest. After four years of post-doctoral research in Vienna, Guenther was awarded the Dr. habil degree in 1943. This post-doctorate degree gave Guenther a habilitation teaching qualification, allowing him the title and position of professorship under various European education systems.

Renowned Tutors

Professor Guenther had many tutors from all over Europe that greatly influenced his formative academic career. These included the likes of:

 
Professor Wilhelm Geiger (1856 – 1943)

Professor Wilhelm Geiger was so influential in his work that he appeared on a postal stamp in Sri Lanka

Wilhelm Geiger was a prominent professor during his time, known for his mastery of Indo-Iranian languages, Iranian history, and the history of Sri Lanka. He was adept in the Pali and Sinhala languages, and the Dhivehi language of the Maldives. He first travelled to Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, in 1895 to study language. His impact there was so great, his image even appeared on a postal stamp in 1989. His works were influential, especially his publications of the Sri Lankan chronicles known as Mahavamsa and Culavamsa, which were published with both the original Pali text and his English translations. The famous physicist Hans Geiger, who invented the Geiger counter to measure ionizing radiation, was his son.

 
Professor Walter Wuest (1901 – 1993)

Walter Wuest was a renowned scholar of the Vedas, the earliest known Hindu scriptures written in ancient Sanskrit. He served as both Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Munich in 1935 and later as Rector of the University from 1941 to 1945. Unfortunately, Professor Wuest was drawn to Nazi ideals, and joined the SS (German: Schutzstaffel, literally translated as “protection squadron”) in 1936. This was the major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. It was responsible for some of the most horrendous crimes against humanity during World War II.

Professor Walter Wuest was a genius but succumbed to Nazi ideology. Click to enlarge.

He worked his way up within the organisation due to his knowledge and background in Vedic literature and philosophy, eventually being appointed the President of the Research Institute of Ahnenerbe, set up to research the archaeological and cultural history of the Aryan race. The Nazis believed that the Germanic peoples were the most racially pure, as descendants of the Aryan master race, and that all other peoples were inferior. They used this fact to justify their actions. Unfortunately, Professor Wuest propagated this idea, and even tried to prove it through scientific research methods. He played a key role in this research organisation that tried to justify Nazi hatred towards others. Once World War II ended, he stood trial in 1949, during the denazification process and was officially branded an offender and accordingly punished for his part in the war.

 
Professor Wilhelm Maria Hubert Havers (1879 – 1961)

Professor Havers was a German-Austrian linguist. He graduated in 1903 from the University of Münster, and had devoted himself to the study of philology and linguistics. He received his post-graduate and then his habilitation degree at the University of Strasbourg, earning him the title of professor. He was conscripted as a lieutenant of the reserve for war service, but was wounded towards the beginning of World War II. In 1937 he was appointed professor of General and Indo-European Linguistics, where he tutored Herbert Guenther. Even though he was an appointed professor during the Nazi regime, he did not belong to the Nazi party, somewhat suggestive of his distance to the Nazi party and their ideals.

Academic Career

With his firm grounding in philosophy, language, and learning as his springboard, coupled with his love for the East, Professor Guenther went on to become a Buddhist scholar. Having studied under some of the greatest professors of his time, his genius was sure to have flourished. While in Vienna, he was lucky to have had Professor Havers as his main teacher, and it was under the watchful eye of Professor Havers that his ability for mastering languages blossomed. He studied Pali, Sinhalese, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, English, German, Russian, and Hindi. In addition to this incredible repertoire, he also studied Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Spanish, and Italian simply because he loved learning languages.

His exceptional ability at mastering languages crossed over to his teaching ability. It was at Vienna University that he progressed to teach, from 1943 to 1950. But Guenther left the university in 1950, after the war had ended, as he refused to serve under ex-Nazis. Erich Frauwallner, a Nazi who had been rehabilitated under the denazification process had had his academic chair returned to him, a fact that Herbert Guenther could not condone after seeing the horrors of World War II. He was in fact, opposed to all forms of militarism, had a strong dislike for political manipulation, and was overall a Humanist.

A zeppelin airship over Bremen, Germany. Professor Guenther survived World War II, the horrors of which left an indelible mark on him. He came to despise the military and atrocities based on mistaken ideologies.

Moving to India

Kailas Nath Kaul was a great scholar-herbalist, who was also the uncle of Indira Gandhi. Click to enlarge.

When Professor Guenther left Vienna in 1950, he travelled to India, where he accepted a position teaching Russian at Lucknow University, Uttar Pradesh, until 1958. He and his wife had realised that for Professor Guenther to really understand Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan, he needed a deeper understanding of the philosophical values hidden in the languages. Therefore they relocated to India, where he could engage in his research more thoroughly. While there he developed a close and lasting friendship with the Indian scholar Kailas Nath Kaul, known for his work as a horticulturalist, herbalist, agricultural scientist, botanist, and naturalist. Kailas Nath Kaul was the maternal uncle of Indira Gandhi, who would become India’s first and only female Prime Minister, and instilled in her a deep consciousness of environmental issues.

In Lucknow, Professor Guenther was able to visit Professor Surendranath Dasgupta on a daily basis, aiding him to complete his magnificent five-part work entitled A History of Indian Philosophy. Professor Dasgupta was half blind at the time, so Professor Guenther helped him to recite out aloud various Sanskrit texts, take notes, and aid him in any other way he could. He also aided Acharya Narendra Deo and Pandit Jaganath Upadhyay in authoring an insightful commentary to the great Buddhist master Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakosha.

The great Buddhist master Vasubandhu, who wrote the seminal text Abhidharmakosha, dealing with the Buddhist view of wisdom. Click to enlarge.

Following this, he continued his extensive teaching career as the Head of the Department of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the Sanskrit University in Varanasi from 1958 to 1963. In 1964 he moved to teach at the International School of America. Professor Guenther especially loved the three-month summer vacations, a time when he and his family would get away from the scorching Indian heat by joining one of the many trading caravans that journeyed over the Rothang Pass from Manali to Lahul. His family would stay as the guests of the local ruler or at the Shashur Monastery, belonging to the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. There he was able to indulge himself in his passion, learning from scholars in the surrounding area or burying himself in texts in the library. He would often even meticulously copy the holy texts there by hand, which many years later he had made into microfilms.

While at the Sanskrit University, the government of India invited five learned Tibetan Buddhist masters there as research fellows, and around 30 younger Tibetan Buddhist scholars from Tibet were allowed to both study Sanskrit and assist with research there. This followed the exodus of Tibetans fleeing their homeland and seeking refuge in India. Working together with these monks, Professor Guenther was able to further his understanding even more.

Lucknow University, India, as it stands today

Shashur Monastery in Lahul, India. Professor Guenther stayed at this monastery burying himself in various texts to learn more about the Tibetan language and Buddhism

Sanskrit University in Varanasi where Professor Guenther furthered his knowledge of Buddhism

Encounters with Buddhist Masters

Although Professor Guenther was already quite well versed in Buddhist philosophy, the time he spent in India brought his understanding and practice of the religion to new heights. It left an indelible mark on his mind, especially since he had the great fortune to study under some of the most renowned masters of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, especially from the Nyingma and Gelug lineages. These masters included:

• His Holiness the Dalai Lama
• Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche Lobsang Yeshe
• Kathog-on Tulku
• Tado Tulku
• Thubten Lhundrup Legzang
• Tarthang Tulku

Professor Guenther’s importance in Buddhism’s spread in the west, is just as foundational as other great scholars such as Alexandra David-Neel

It was through his vast learning and experience under such great masters, that Professor Guenther excelled at authoring books related to Buddhist philosophy and practice. These books added to other foundational works laid by earlier Buddhist explorers such as Walter Evans-Wentz, Alexandra David-Neel, and Ekai Kawaguchi. While extremely informative and practical, dealing with some of the most contemporary of issues surrounding Buddhist practice, there are those claim that his works are quite difficult to read due his use of highly specialised language. Those who support his works however, cite the fact that his background in European philosophy which over the centuries built up a rich vocabulary and conceptual systems, meant that any synthesis with eastern thought, would necessarily have been difficult, hence some of his works are dense and tough reading. That being said, the sheer breadth of his publications is evidence of his broad and encompassing understanding of Buddhist philosophy. He has authored over 30 books and 90 articles published in scholarly journals.

Later Life

In 1963, he relocated to Canada, where he became the Chairman of the Department of Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. It was there that he developed the reputation for being a strict but thought-provoking teacher. He would critique any work not based on original sources, and dismissed the ‘self-help’ industry, but was generous in sharing his knowledge with others. The relationships he forged with his students created strong life-long friendships, as they realised what he cherished the most was respecting intellectual accomplishments, even if they differed from his own views or were in other fields of study. He offered his students the correct advice they needed to succeed, either through encouragement or constructive criticism as needed.

“Guenther was a man of principle and integrity. He was not political nor would he succumb to any political persuasions. He was brilliant beyond recognition, forthright in his opinions, and knife-cutting with his honesty. He encouraged me on more than one occasion to speak with the same integrity as he spoke in presenting my own research. This was not always easy for me and on occasion I shied away from his encouragement, as I knew I did not have the same sources of his past experiences from which to draw upon, his intellectual acumen, nor did I have the mastery of the original languages from which to debate my arguments.”

– Jodi Reneé Lang, Ph.D. in Herbert Guenther, The Man

Before retiring, he was still a sought after lecturer, even acting as a visiting professor at the University of Toronto, Yale University, Harvard University, Toronto University, and at the Saybrook Institute in San Francisco. During his retirement, he continued his life’s work by writing more books and articles until his hospitalisation due to diabetes. In 1974, he travelled to Japan, just another country to add to his list of adventures. He not only continued to work, but taught Buddhist philosophy in both Canada and the United States, to both scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.

Family Life

Professor Guenther married Dr. Ilse Rossrucker, a classics scholar, in 1944 while in Vienna, amidst the oppressive Nazi regime’s rule. The loving couple had two daughters, Edith Kimbell and Nora Szederkenyi. Instead of pushing his daughters to follow in his footsteps, he encouraged them to pursue whatever direction they wanted, whatever interests they had, without the slightest disappointment. The eldest daughter, Edith, who later moved to Stockton, California, once received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for her studies and graduated with a Master of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan, while his second daughter, Nora, studied music at Brandon University in Canada. Nora’s love for music was one that the whole family shared. As well as being a renowned linguist, Professor Guenther was also a flautist, and his wife, Ilse, played the piano. Nora herself plays the viola.

Death and Legacy

The great professor of Tibetan Buddhism, Herbert Guenther, passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 11, 2006, from complications caused by diabetes, following a three-month period of physical weakening brought on by old age. Shortly before passing away, he had expressed his happiness that his interest in Tibetan Buddhism would continue at Naropa College of Buddhist Studies, founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974, as the college prepared itself to offer a BA Hons course in Buddhadharma Studies.

Click to enlarge

Professor Guenther left behind a great legacy of published works, still studied today, as well as inspiring many of his students to fulfil their potential. Some of his most prominent works include Dawn of Tantra (1975) co-authored with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Buddhism in Western Perspective (1977), and Teachings of Padmasambhava (1996). His most famous translation works include the Jewel Ornament of Liberation by Gampopa (1959), The Life and Teachings of Naropa (1963) and Mind in Psychology: A Translation of Ye-she rGyal-mtshan’s “The Necklace of Clear Understanding” (1975). His last known work to have been published while he was alive was an article entitled The Homology of Emotionality and Rationality, based on the work of the famous Tibetan Buddhist poet Longchen Rabjampa.

Professor Herbert Guenther’s importance within the sphere of Tibetan Buddhist studies cannot be underestimated. Both his scholarly students and those practicing Buddhism have benefited from his treasure house of knowledge and learning. His unique ability to tackle contemporary issues through the ancient Buddhist perspective greatly influenced the lives of many, and will continue to do so even though he has passed away, for his words, intelligence, and warm-heartedness stand the test of time through his many published works.

Professor Guenther’s Buddhist Items

Thangka of Mahakala Panjaranatha or Mahakala of the Tent. Click on picture to enlarge.	Thangka of Buddha Shakyamuni. Click on picture to enlarge.	Thangka of Lama Tsongkhapa. Click on picture to enlarge.
Statue of Chenrezig. Click on picture to enlarge.	Statue of Manjushri. Click on picture to enlarge.	Statue of Green Tara. Click on picture to enlarge
Small altar to White Tara. Click on picture to enlarge.	Small altar to Buddha Shakyamuni. Click on picture to enlarge.

Selected Publications

The Creative Vision (download PDF)	The Tantric View of Life (download PDF)	The Life and Teaching of Naropa (download PDF)
The Teachings of Padmasambhava (download PDF)	Tibetan Buddhism in Western Perspective (download PDF)	Tibetan Buddhism Without Mistification (download PDF)

The texts above were sourced from legitimate book-hosting services offering these texts for free download. They are made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

Books by Professor Herbert Guenther

Book cover	Book title
	Tantric View of Life, (Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 1952)
	The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, (Shambhala Publications., Inc., 1986)
	The Royal Song of Saraha: a Study in The History of Buddhist Thought, (Shambhala Publications Inc., 1973)
	Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Part 1: Mind, (Dharma Publishing, 1975)
	Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Part 2: Meditation, (Dharma Publishing, 1976)
	Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Part 3: Wonderment, (Dharma Publishing, 1976)
	Tibetan Buddhism In Western Perspective, (Dharma Publishing, 1986)
	The Life and Teachings of Naropa, (Oxford: Clerendon Press, 1963)
	Tibetan Buddhism without Mystification: The Buddhist Way from Original Tibetan Sources, (Brill, 1976)
	Buddhist Philosophy in Theory and Practice, (Penguin, 1971)
	The Dawn of Tantra, with Chogyam Trungpa, (Shambhala Publications., Inc., 1975)
	Philosophy and Psychology in the Abhidharma, (Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1974)
	Mind In Buddhist Psychology: The Necklace of Clear Understanding by Yeshe Gyaltsen, (Dharma Publishing, 1975)
	Looking Deeper: A Swan’s Questions and Answers, (Timeless Books, 1983)
	Matrix of Mystery: Scientific and Humanistic Aspects of rDzog-chen Thought, (Shambhala Publications Inc., 1984)
	Creative Vision: The Symbolic Recreation of the World According to the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition of Tantric Visualization Otherwise Known as The Developing Phase, (Lotsawa, 1987)
	From Reductionism to Creativity: rDzogs-chen and the New Sciences of Mind, (Shambhala Publications Inc., 1989)
	Meditation Differently: Phenomenological-psychological Aspects of Tibetan Buddhist (Mahāmudrā and sNying-thig) Practices from Original Tibetan Sources, (Matilal Banarsidass, 1992)
	Ecstatic Spontaneity: Saraha’s Three Cycles of Doha, (Asian Humanities Press, 1993)
	The Teachings of Padmasambhava, (Brill, 1996)
	Wholeness Lost and Wholeness Regained, (State University of New York Press, 1994)

 
Sources:

• http://herbertguenther.com/
• http://www.interdependentscience.com/resources/guenther.html
• https://shop.dharmapublishing.com/collections/books-great-masters/herbert-guenther
• http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Herbert_V._Guenther
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_V._G%C3%BCnther

 
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