From 84000.co
The global non-profit initiative 84000, founded by Bhutanese lama, filmmaker, and writer Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, which has undertaken to translate and publish the surviving canonical Tibetan texts, has announced the launch of its newly updated online Reading Room. Marking the launch, 84000 also said that 10 newly translated Tibetan Buddhist texts have been released, marking significant progress in the organization’s ambitious mission.
In 2010, 84000—named for the number of teachings the Buddha is said to have given—began translating the words and teachings of the Buddha into modern languages with the aim of preserving the teachings and making them available to all, free of charge. According to 84000, only 5 per cent of the Buddha’s teachings had hitherto been translated into modern languages, and due to the rapid decline in knowledge of classical Tibetan and in the number of qualified scholars, the world is in danger of losing this unique cultural and spiritual legacy.
The virtual Reading Room, which to date has published 29 texts and received close to 8 million views and visits from more than 138,000 people in 238 countries, has been upgraded to feature a responsive and mobile-friendly interface with easy-to-navigate content. “This new Reading Room ensures that these translations will be easily accessible and will enable practitioners and scholars alike to remember and study the words of the Buddha,” said 84000 executive director Huang Jing Rui, (84000)
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. Photo by Ng Wee Keat. From 84000.co
The newly translated texts comprise six sutras: The Question of Maitreya, The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities, The Illusory Absorption, The Absorption That Encapsulates All Merit, The Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation that is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers, The Sutra of the Inquiry of Jayamati, and four tantras: The Tantra of Candamaharosana, The Tantra of Siddhaikavira, Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm, and Upholding the Great Secret Mantra.
“Since 84000 started its work just six years ago, the combined effort of translators, scholars, sponsors, editors, and technical staff worldwide has finished translating 80 core Kangyur texts amounting to 6,080 pages,” said Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in a message dated 16 September. “And they are still working hard on 120 more texts (nearly 18,000 pages). When they finish those, we’ll actually have translated one-third of the entire Kangyur—a task we originally thought might take a lifetime! I can only consider this immense ongoing effort from everyone involved in the 84000 endeavor as a compassionate manifestation of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.” (84000)
“And among the 138,000 people from 238 countries and regions who have visited our 84000 Reading Room to read the 29 translated texts published online to date, we know that this half page of Sutra has been read by somebody somewhere in the world,” Rinpoche said. “It has quenched one person’s thirst and soothed another’s burning heart. And if those words of the Buddha have created solace for just one being in this stressed world even for a few hours, then that sacrificed cup of coffee is more than worth it! I can only offer my humble gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to every one of the dedicated supporters on whom 84000 completely depends to bring the Buddha’s priceless words into this world.” (84000)
84000 is a long-term undertaking—aiming to translate 70,000 pages of the Kangyur (the translated words of the Buddha) in 25 years and 161,800 pages of the Tengyur (the translated commentaries on the teachings) in 100 years. The organization supports 38 teams of 201 translators from around the world, including Tibetan scholars and Western academics. “By translating and making available the Tibetan Buddhist texts to modern people, a vast swath of Buddhist civilization and culture may be saved from annihilation,” said Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. (84000)