Collated Edition of the Tripitaka: Tibetan Tanjur

This edition of the Tibetan Tanjur was put together by the Tripitika Collated Bureau at the Chinese Center for Tibetan Studies. The product of more than 20 years of careful compilation by erudite Tibetan scholars and over 100 specialists, these works incorporate the different editions of the Tibetan Tanjur including the Beijing, Narthang and Dzoni editions. Based upon the Derge edition, variants in terminology, phrases, semantics, and sentence order are noted in the annotations and lists appended to each volume.

Contents and layout of this collated edition of the Tanjur (btsan ‘gyur) include:

• Detailed Catalogue: consists of classified captions, case numbers, unified article numbers, titles of articles, names of authors and translators, appended notes.
• Text: includes addition of the unified article numbers, top margins, top page annotations, notes on collation.
• Notes on Collation: the result of the collation of the four editions and the noted compilation at the end of each article.
• Table of Collation: indexed table in which the classified titles, case numbers, article numbers, chapters, page numbers, lines, and syllabic word number of each articles are listed.
• Decorative patterns on the front and back covers as well as spine; unicorn and Wheel of Dharma, crocodile-like sea-monster, lotus throne, and double vajra pestle, gilded respectively.
• Front and Back Title Pages: printed on a right-spiraled conch-shell with yellow and brown lines, and golden thick line patterns with book title, classified caption, case number, volume number, names of compilers and publishers.

   

• Insert: a colored image of Buddha Sakyamuni which is printed in the front of each volume.
• Colored Illustrations: placed after the catalogue and in front of the second classified insert.
• Classified Insert: each volume includes two cases of the original book, and in front of each case there is one classified insert; on the upper part of the insert, there are two images of Buddha from the original book and a tribute to the Buddha; on the lower part are classified titles, the original serial numbers and the unified article number.
• Stupa: Bodhi Stupa is printed at the end of each volume.
• Cover of Book: jacket is printed with the image of Shakyamuni Buddha and the spine is printed with each book title, article number, and Tibetan-style decorative pattern. The back cover of each book jacket contains the eight auspicious symbols.

Hardcover, 18.50cm x 26cm. 1.2 million to 1.5 million characters per volume. The complete set has 124 volumes, weight at about 420kg, mailed in 21 packages.