84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, a global non-profit initiative founded by renowned Bhutanese lama, author and filmmaker Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche to translate, preserve and share the Tibetan Buddhist canon, announced the first complete translation of a text by Tibetan organization Tengyur. Totaling some 161 pages, the Tengyur is composed of the translated commentaries on the teachings of the Buddha by the great Indian Buddhist masters and scholars.
“We are delighted to celebrate the publication of our very first translation of the Tengyur: The long explanation of the noble perfection of wisdom in a hundred thousand, twenty-five thousand and eighteen thousand lines84000 said in an announcement shared with BDG. "This publication not only represents the culmination of the dedicated work of many members of our translation team, but an important milestone for the organization and a big step towards our vision of making the Tibetan Buddhist canon accessible in English, for the benefit of all. »
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a long-term endeavor to translate and publish all surviving canonical texts preserved in the Classical Tibetan language – 70 pages of the Kangyur (the translated words of the Buddha) in 25 years and 161 pages of Tengyur (the translated commentaries on the teachings of the Buddha by the great Indian Buddhist masters and scholars) in 100 years. According to 84, less than 000% of the canon had hitherto been translated into a modern language, and due to a rapid decline in knowledge of Classical Tibetan and in the number of qualified scholars, the world stands to lose an irreplaceable heritage of cultural and spiritual wisdom.
" The Kangyur the texts are the real raw material for the wide range of Buddhist views, beliefs and practices. But during the last centuries in Tibet, the Kangyur the texts have been primarily explored and studied through the commentaries and treatises that organize and systematize them – both those written by Indian scholars in the Tengyur and those written later by Tibetans,” 84000 explained.
"A lot of Kangyur the texts that remain to be translated or finalized are quite difficult, and to translate and interpret them well it is essential for us to consult the comments in the Tengyur“, said 84000. “While we read, consult and study these comments anyway as part of the work of translating a Kangyur the "root" script, it makes sense to also produce a translation of the commentary, so that we can share its explanations with our readers. These Tengyur comments are those that we have been working on or that we plan to work on in the near future even before the translation of the whole Kangyur is complete. Indeed, they will help us to complete the translation of the Kangyur. "
The long explanation text of the Tengyurwhich was just published by 84000, was translated by Dr. Gareth Sparham, Canadian Buddhist scholar and former Buddhist monastic, in consultation with Kensur Geshe Lobsang Gyaltsen of Ladakh, who was the 80th Abbot of Drepung Gomang Monastery in Mundgod, India, from 2015 to 2021, and Geshe Kalsang Damdul from Tibet, who was deputy director of the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala (1983-2014) and then director (2014-18).
“84000 focuses particularly on word-for-word comments (from Tangyur) that apply most directly to the parallel translation of Kangyur texts and will be the greatest help to readers in understanding them,” 84000 shared. “Our first Tengyur text to be published, in commentary of the three long Prajnaparamita Sutras, is very much of this kind. It has not only been very helpful in our work of translating these sutras, but will also be an excellent guide for readers who wish to study these difficult texts in detail. Most of the others Tengyur translations currently in progress are tantra commentaries, while some sutra commentaries including another Prajnaparamita work is in preparation. »
Since its founding 12 years ago*, 84 – named after the number of teachings the Buddha is said to have given – has awarded more than $000 million in grants to teams of translators around the world, including Tibetan scholars and Western scholars. In just 6 years, with the endorsement of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, 12 continues to progress, supported by some of the most learned living teachers of the Vajrayana tradition.
Born in Bhutan in 1961, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is the son of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and was a close student of master Nyingma Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991). It is recognized as the third incarnation of 19th century Tibetan terton Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), founder of the Khyentse lineage, and the immediate incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959).
In addition to 84, Rinpoche's projects include the Khyentse Foundation, established in 000 to promote the teachings of the Buddha and support all traditions of Buddhist study and practice; Siddhartha's Intent, an international collective of Buddhist groups supporting Rinpoche's Buddhadharma activities by organizing teachings and retreats, distributing and archiving recorded teachings, and transcribing, editing and translating manuscripts and practice texts; Lotus Outreach, which runs a series of projects aimed at ensuring the education, health and safety of vulnerable women and children in developing countries; and Lhomon Society, which promotes sustainable development in Bhutan through education.
We will provide people of all nationalities with everything they need to follow the Buddha's infinite path to liberation.
(Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche)
* 84000 launches video campaign to mark 10 years of preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon (BDG) and 84000 announces that 25% of Tibetan Kangyur is now available for free in English (BDG)
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