The Library of Tibetan Classics

THE LIBRARY OF TIBETAN CLASSICS is a special series being developed by the Institute of Tibetan Classics to make key classical Tibetan texts part of the global literary and intellectual heritage. Spanning nearly a millennium and a half, this thirty-two volume series covers the vast expanse of classical Tibetan knowledge – from the core teachings of the specific Tibetan Buddhist schools to such diverse fields as ethics, philosophy, logic, psychology, spiritual practices, civic and social responsibilities, linguistics, poetry, art, medicine, astronomy and astrology, folklore, and historiography. The series, comprising thirty-two large volumes, will contain a careful selection of over two hundred distinct texts by more than a hundred of Tibet’s best-known authors, thus providing for the first time a comprehensive reference library of classical Tibetan texts within a manageable collection.

Since the primary objective of the series is to create a body of texts that Tibetans themselves recognize as the best of their heritage, the texts, especially the core teachings of individual schools, has been selected in close consultation with the preeminent lineage holders and with senior Tibetan scholars, especially His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The volumes are organized thematically and cover the broad categories of classical Tibetan knowledge, from specific teachings of the Tibetan schools, to philosophy, psychology and ethics, to treatises on the arts, social responsibilities, science, history, and Tibetan opera. A complete catalog is now available online and can be downloaded here.

Each translated volume of THE LIBRARY OF TIBETAN CLASSICS is accompanied by an introductory essay, annotation, and a glossary to help provide the modern reader a contemporary context to the texts. The English text of the Classics series is clear, accurate and reader-friendly. While maintaining a high standard of accuracy, the main body of the text will be largely free of scholarly apparatus so that the actual text flows naturally. To help specialists and students of classical Tibetan who wish to compare the translations against their original Tibetan, direct page references the original Tibetan texts are provided in the main body of the English volume. These page numbers refer to critical editions of the Classics series volumes being published in India by the Institute. Electronic versions of the Tibetan editions will be made available online as they appear.

THE LIBRARY OF TIBETAN CLASSICS will make available to libraries, educational and cultural institutions, and interested individuals throughout the world, a comprehensive reference library of key classical Tibetan texts, covering the entire gamut of classical Tibetan knowledge, within a manageable collection.