Kangyur

Kangyur, meaning “Translated Words,” is the Tibetan Buddhist canon consisting of scriptures that are regarded as the Buddha’s own words, translated into Tibetan from Indian and other sources. It forms the first part of the Tibetan Buddhist canon, with the Tengyur, the second part, containing commentaries, treatises, and Indian scholastic works.

The Kangyur is traditionally structured to include texts from three broad categories: sutras (discourses of the Buddha), the vinaya (monastic disciplinary rules), and tantras (esoteric scriptures used in Vajrayana practice). A typical edition arranges these works into a large collection of individual texts, distributed across numerous volumes. The exact number of volumes varies by edition, but the Kangyur is commonly treated as a substantial, multi-volume corpus within the Tibetan canon.

Historically, the translations that comprise the Kangyur were produced in Tibet between the 7th and several centuries thereafter, as Indian and Central Asian Buddhist teachings were rendered into Tibetan by a lineage of scholars and translators working under royal and monastic auspices. Over time, several major traditional editions were compiled and preserved by different schools and monasteries, and these editions continue to be used and replicated in modern times.

In present-day practice, the Kangyur serves as a primary source for doctrinal study, liturgy, and ritual in Tibetan Buddhism. It is studied across schools, including Gelug, Kagyu, Sakya, and Nyingma, and it is read alongside the Tengyur, which contains the scholarly and philosophical writings that comment on and expand upon the sutras and tantras. Modern editions and digital versions help preserve and disseminate these foundational texts.