Catalogue of Indian (Buddhist) Texts in Tibetan Translation- Kanjur & Tanjur (Alphabetically Rearranged) – Vol-1 Texts (Indian Titles) in Tanjur (An Old and Rare Book)

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The present work is intended to be a reference book of the Indian texts and their authors surviving in the great Tibetan collections called the bKa-gyur (Kanjur) and bsTan-gyur (Tanjur) and it is specially designed to serve the purpose of those students of Buddhism that do not know the Tibetan language. It is planned in three volumes, of which the first is now being published. The proposed volumes are:

Vol1: Texts (Indian Titles) in bsTan-'gyur.

Vol II: Authors (Indian Titles) with the list of their works in bsTan-gyur.

Vol III: Texts (Indian Titles) in bKa'-gyur.

It was originally planned to put in the form of an introduction to the first volume the history of the formation of the bKa-gyur and bsTan-gyur great collections, along with a descriptive account of their different editions and the biographical data of the great Tibetan translators (lo-tsa-ba-s) as well as of the Indian pandita-s under whom they worked. While working on it, however, it is realised that to do justice to the subject such an account inevitably assumes the form of a considerably long work covering practically the whole history of the spread of Buddhism in Tibet. This, again, cannot be satisfactorily discussed without its relation particularly to the later forms of the Mahayana in India. In view of the bulk already acquired by the bare catalogue of the bsTan-gyur titles, the idea of adding to it a very long introduction had eventually to be dropped. It is decided instead that this history should preferably be brought out as a supplement to the three volumes of the main catalogue.

Here are only a few words on the present volume.

This alphabetically rearranged catalogue of the Indian titles in bsTan-gyur is nothing but an attempt to rearrange the essential information contained in P. Cordier's monumental work Catalogue du fonds tibetain de la Bibliotheque Nationale, II eme et III eme parties: Index du bsTan-gyur, Paris 1909-15, which will be subsequently referred to as the Catalogue.

Obviously enough, a catalogue of the Tibetan great collections should first cover the bla'-'gyur. Cordier himself intended to make it the first part of his Catalogue, releasing in the meanwhile the Index du bs Tan-gyur as the second and third parts of his project.