New Delhi [India], October 1 (ANI): Tibet has played a central role in preserving and sustaining the teachings of the Buddha through a defined collection of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, comprising the Kangyur and the Tengyur. The Kangyur, or Kanjur, contains Buddha’s recorded teachings (the “Translation of the Word”), while the Tengyur, or Tanjur, comprises commentaries by great masters on Buddha’s teachings (the “Translation of Treatises”).
The Mongolian Kangyur, a revered collection of texts believed to contain the direct teachings of the Buddha, was translated from Tibetan into classical Mongolian. The translation began in the 14th century and was completed in the 17th century under the rule of Ligdan Khan (1588-1634), the khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty. This version became the basis for a 108-volume edition produced from printed woodblocks between 1717 and 1720.
At the Third International Buddhist Forum held in Elista from September 25–28, India underscored its role as a bridge-maker in transnational Buddhist culture by formally presenting the full 108-volume set of the Mongolian Kangyur to ten leading monasteries and institutions across Russia. These Kangyurs, handed over by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) on September 28 by IBC representative Chandan Kumar, were prepared by the Gyan Bharatam Mission under the Ministry of Culture, India.
Some parts of the Kangyurs were transported in large trunks shipped to Kalmykia recently, while the remaining portions are yet to be transported along with the holy relic when they travel to Kalmykia. This gesture will enable a large number of practicing Buddhists in Russia to engage more deeply with Buddha’s teachings. Buddhist institutions across Russia had been striving to obtain the Kangyurs, with representatives visiting India to make the request. Through sustained efforts, the Ministry of Culture’s Gyan Bharatam Mission has now produced this classic work in sufficient quantities to meet the immediate demands of these institutions.
The institutions and monasteries that received the Kangyurs are spread across Russia in cities such as Moscow, Kalmykia, Buryatia, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, St. Petersburg, and Altai. Representatives from these institutions expressed deep gratitude through letters, emphasizing how the freshly printed volumes will support liturgies, study, chanting, and reflection on the Buddha Dharma in both monastic and lay life.
India’s efforts to preserve and promote the Mongolian Kangyur trace back to the 1950s, when monasteries in Mongolia lost many sacred volumes and xylographs during the socialist era. Between 1956 and 1958, Indian scholar Raghu Vira secured microfilm copies of rare Kangyur manuscripts from Mongolia, bringing them to India to rescue them from irretrievable loss. In 1973, the full 108-volume Mongolian Kangyur edition was republished and distributed to libraries worldwide, with several copies gifted to Buddhist communities in Russia, including those in Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Zabaikalye. This foundational effort preserved a textual lineage and laid the groundwork for later revival work.
Decades later, the Ministry of Culture established a project under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), launched in 2003, to ensure that the entire 108 volumes would again be reprinted. Under this initiative, the first set of five reprinted 108 volumes was ceremonially presented to President Ram Nath Kovind on Guru Purnima (Dhamma Chakra Day) on July 4, 2020. On the same occasion, a set was handed over to the Ambassador of Mongolia to India.
The IBC’s handing over of the 108-volume Mongolian Kangyur is the latest in a long succession of efforts to preserve, share, and strengthen the Buddha Dhamma through sacred texts. Earlier, in September 2021, IBC was part of an official Indian delegation that presented the Mongolian Kangyur, published by India’s Ministry of Culture, in different parts of Russia. The delegation traveled to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chita, Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva, offering the first copy of the sacred canon to Lama Jampa Donyed at Datsan Gunzechoinei in St. Petersburg.
In Kalmykia, they visited the Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha and presented the first volume of the Kanjur, along with consecrated water from the Ganges River and a statue of Green Tara, to the then Shadjin Lama of Kalmykia. The delegation included representatives from the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, the International Centre for Cultural Studies, and the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace.
Disclaimer: Shalini Chauhan is a Research Consultant at IBC. The views expressed in this article are her own. (ANI)
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