Buddhist classic Tibetan Tripitaka published in China

BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Tibetan Tripitaka, a massive collection of 232 volumes of classic Buddhist scripture, has been published here in Tibetan characters after more than 20 years of collation by experts.

With the aim to protect and promote the ancient culture, the project launched in 1986 with a government investment of 41 million yuan (6 million U.S. dollars), Zhou Hua, head of the Chinese Tibetology Press, the publisher, said on Thursday.

I guess the first thought that went through my mind was, $6mil for a twenty year long cultural project? Must not be that big of deal to them. A little more research into the work regardless details how incredible intense this work is - and how important.

The next thought that went into my addled mind is, I wonder if they changed anything while working on the texts? What a great opportunity to alter history. Just a thougt.

news.xinhuanet.com...

ColoradoJens

[edit on 17-10-2008 by ColoradoJens]

[edit on 17-10-2008 by ColoradoJens]

This keeps returning to me...I believe there is a movie in here somewhere where the "regime" runs a "cultural project" that alters all religious content to better serve them. Possible with Ancient text I suppose when you control both the original and the translation.

Aside, I wish someone who knew more about this would give their perspective on the importance to the Buddhist religion. Adios!

ColoradoJens

In your badly brainwashed mind, everything China did, must be evil behavior, right?





Mod Edit: Please Review the Following Link: Courtesy Is Mandatory

[edit on 18/10/08 by Jbird]

In your badly brainwashed mind, everything China did, must be evil behavior, right?

Post like these are more than confusing. Nothing to add to the story whatsoever, commenting on something that was never said (where o where once was China mentioned in a negative light?) and one line. You have been on this site for two years and this is your contribution? Thanks.
Edit to add: I post a stroy about ancient texts being translated on ATS, the largest CONSPIRACY site in the world. I mention, hey, beside the importance of the translation itself, what if there was a CONSPIRACY to ALTER info - then I go further, not ever once mentioning China, saying this could be a movie idea...And this person throws out this? I have an idea - you work for the Chinese Government snooping around on sites to see if China is mentioned anywhere, then in your haste to get back to your porn, you fire off a quasi-intelligible post that has absolutely nothing to do with the story. Mission accomplished!

ColoradoJens

[edit on 18-10-2008 by ColoradoJens]

Any Buddhist scholar will be happy about this news.

It should be pointed out though, that there are other editions of these texts available. The head (at the time) of the Karma Kagyud sect, H.H. Karmapa Rigpe Dorje, brought out an edition of the Derge Tanjur in the 1970's I believe, and another edition of the same texts was brought out by the Nyingma incarnate lama, Tarthang Tulku in the 1980's, I believe.

The Karma Kagyud edition was made from actual wooden blocks brought out of Tibet when the 16th Karmapa fled Tibet on foot with followers of his, in a heroic journey that included traversing a 19,000 ft. mountain pass into Nepal without benefit of oxygen tanks or any such assistance.

Tarthang Tulku's edition of the Tanjur is a reprint of a block print edition of the Derge Tanjur, but in western style books. Real Tibetan block print books look like big submarine sandwiches, with the covers as the "bread."

Zhou expected the scripture's publishing to help further promote the protection and academic research of Tibetan Buddhism and culture.

A digital version of the Tripitaka is also in preparation, he said.

I think the publication will do just as Mr. Zhou expects, particularly if a digital version becomes available. I wish the news release had had a little more information in it, particularly the names of the academics involved. I have no doubt that China has academics more than capable of doing the job, both within Tibet itself, in the monastic community, and in China.

It would be nice if the whole subject of religion in China were to become more relaxed. Can this in fact be happening? I sincerely hope so.



[edit on 28-10-2008 by ipsedixit]

I'm ery glad to see it happening.

Hopefully they will eventually be transalted into English and other foreign languages.

There are cases in the history of Christianity where texts are thought to have been altered for religio-political purposes, so the OP's thought's on a possibility like that are not really far fetched.

I highly doubt that this project in particular would be used to alter cultural history, since other versions of the text are so well known. More than that, I am sure that China will have been at great pains to carry out this task with a scrupulous attention to exactitude.

China is now putting a wonderful new face into the world in many areas of endeavour. These developments should be warmly welcomed, hopefully as a promise of more to come.

The world really needs to relax and do more of the wonderful things that people are capable of and less of the crushing and dominating and destroying.