The Mongolian translation of Blavatsky’s The Voice of the Silence

Matri Books of Mongolia, in cooperation with Quest Books and the Theosophical Society in America, has published a Mongolian/English edition of H. P. Blavatsky’s Voice of the Silence. In the Foreword to this edition, Glenn Mullin writes:

Blavatsky was the first Westerner to present Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhism in an authentic and sympathetic light. Earlier Western writings had largely been done by Christian missionaries, who looked at the tradition through glasses distorted by Christian prejudices of 18th and 19th century Europe. Blavatsky had the advantage of a naturally open spirit, that could look at all world traditions with an appreciative intellect. Moreover, she encountered the teachings of Mongolian lamas in her childhood in Russia, and visited Mongolian temples in Kalmukia. She traveled widely in India and Tibet, and even claims to have visited Mongolia itself. Later in life she adopted two mystics from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Tibet as her two deepest sources of spiritual inspiration.

The English in this edition has been updated by David Reigle, mainly in the changing of “thus,” “thou” and “thine” to “you” and “your,” and the addition of Sanskrit and Tibetan spellings after terms used in the book. In an Endnote Mr. Reigle suggests that the methods outlined in the First Fragment of the Voice of the Silence “clearly corresponds primarily to the Raja-yoga system of Patanjali.” Some of Reigle’s other conclsuions are gone over in a May 11 post at the site Everything Related to Mongols and Mongolia.

A Foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama to Raghavan Iyer’s 1989 edition of Voice of the Silence had been added. Doss McDavid in his Introductory Note tells of the work of the Roerichs and hopes that “the people of Mongolia find inspiration in the works transcribed by this ‘fiery messenger of the White Brotherhood’.” At 121 pages, the book sells for $12.95 U.S., 5000 tögrög in Mongolia.