As part of its ongoing mission to translate and publish all surviving texts preserved in the Tibetan Buddhist canon, the global non-profit initiative 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, founded by the renowned Bhutanese lama, author, and filmmaker Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, has announced the imminent official launch later this month of a new app for iOS and Android that will offer interactive tools for accessing original Buddhist texts from the convenience of your smartphone.
By placing the sacred Buddhist texts at the fingertips of Buddhists all over the world, 84000 said it aims to help practitioners and scholars more easily find resilience in the Buddha’s teachings on the nature of reality, to share inspiring passages and quotes with friends and loved ones, and to make offline learning, studying, and practicing more convenient.
The forthcoming app includes:
• A dynamic collection of Buddhist sūtras encompassing teachings on everything from meditation techniques to epic and inspirational journeys and narratives; from profound presentations of philosophical logic to short stories illustrating the workings of karma.
• Access to sūtra-specific introductions that articulate its key concepts, its narrative frameworks, and its socio-historical context.
• Interactive reading tools such as pop-up definitions of key terms like “samsara” or “non-duality” in a comprehensive trilingual glossary.
• Search function that allow you to look for characters, places, or philosophical concepts such as ‘Mañjuśrī’ ‘Vārāṇasī’ or ‘Bodhicitta’.
• Ability to read bilingually or to compare translations with source Tibetan e-Kangyur folios integrated throughout the publications.
(84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha)
A launch event with 84000 founding chair Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche will be live-streamed on 27 October at 8pm EDT. Click here to register.
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a long-term undertaking that aims to translate and publish all surviving canonical texts preserved in the Classical Tibetan language—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 Buddha’s teachings) in 100 years. According to 84000, less than 5 per cent of the canon had hitherto been translated into a modern language, and due to the rapid decline in the knowledge of Classical Tibetan and in the number of qualified scholars, the world is in danger of losing an irreplaceable cultural and spiritual wisdom legacy.
“I feel most happy, blessed, and fortunate to have the chance to use the new 84000 app. It’s something I can read sitting somewhere in the forest and fill my heart with the meaning of the sutra, or find a quote when I need to do research. It’s so useful and convenient, so well done,” 84000 quoted the revered French monk Ven. Matthieu Ricard as saying. “The whole teaching of the Buddha can be more present in every moment of my life, so I’m immensely grateful to the team at 84000 for all their work and for making this app available in particular.” (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha)
Since its founding some 10 years ago,* 84000—named for the number of teachings the Buddha is said to have given—has awarded more than US$6 million in grants to teams of translators around the world, including Tibetan scholars and Western academics—from UCSB, Oxford, and the University of Vienna, to Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal. In just 10 years, with the endorsement of all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, 84000 has already translated more than 30 per cent of the sutras, and continues to strive forward, supported by some of the most learned living teachers of the Vajrayana tradition.
“With almost 200 sutras already available, the dynamic collection on your app will continue to grow for the next 90 years,” 84000 said. “All of our interactive tools are designed to aid your practice and to help you study, these remain fully functional even when you’re switching off in a meditation retreat or working toward a digital detox.” (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha)
Born in Bhutan in 1961, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is the son of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and was a close student of the Nyingma master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–91). He is recognized as the third incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, founder of the Khyentse lineage, and the immediate incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959).
In addition to 84000, Rinpoche’s projects include Khyentse Foundation, established in 2001 to promote the Buddha’s teaching and support all traditions of Buddhist study and practice; Siddhartha’s Intent, which organizes, distributes, and archives his teachings; Lotus Outreach, which directs a wide range of projects to help refugees; and more recently The Lhomon Society, which promotes sustainable development in Bhutan through education.
* 84000 Launches Video Campaign to Mark 10 Years of Preserving the Tibetan Buddhist Canon (Buddhistdoor Global)
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84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
Get the words of the Buddha, for iOS and Android (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha)
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