For the Further Development of the Dharma

Volumes of the Kangyur in the Mongolian language have arrived as a gift to the khurul library. This is the result of a meeting and negotiations held last September, when a delegation visited Kalmykia consisting of representatives of the International Center for Cultural Studies — Dr. Ashish Bhave and Mr. Suresh Soni — and Sonam Wangchuk, deputy Secretary General of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace. The delegation’s visit was carried out within the framework of a previously signed memorandum of cooperation in the sphere of education and culture. During their visit to the Central Khurul of Kalmykia “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”, the members of the delegation presented the first volume of the Mongolian Kangyur as a gift to the khurul. And during the meeting with the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia, the Honorary Representative of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia, and the CIS countries, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, questions of further cooperation were discussed. Today all 108 volumes arrived at the khurul library. The translation of the sutras from Sanskrit into Mongolian was initiated by Emperor Kublai Khan. The translation of the sutras began in the 14th century and continued until the beginning of the 18th century. After four centuries the Kangyur was finally xylographed in 1720 on wooden blocks. The best calligraphers made a master copy of the carving on the wooden plates. The present facsimile edition was reproduced from the woodcut made in the 1720s, that is, 300 years ago. It was xylographed on handmade paper with the visible veins of the original materials. Over time, black dots appeared, imprints on the uneven paper darkened some words, and at times the uneven hand-applied paint spoiled the legibility of the text. In 1970 special lenses were manufactured in Germany to photograph the faded red ink of the original woodblock prints in order to obtain optimal clarity. This megaproject — the facsimile edition of the Sacred Canon of the Mongols — symbolizes their devotion to the Buddhist teaching and will contribute to the further development of the Dharma in the world and to the friendly relations of India, Mongolia, and Russia.