Resources for Translators, Scholars & Practitioners
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This list of online resources was last updated on 2 June 2024.
If you have questions, email gforgues@tsadra.org at any time.
Buddhist Texts: Searches & Repositories
Buddhist Texts (Tibetan)
- Buddhist Digital Resource Center: The largest archive of scanned PDFs of Tibetan texts. Useful to have an overview of an author's work or to prepare an extensive bibliography on a given topic.
- Buda: Buddhist Digital Resource Center's new online library.
- Resources for Kanjur & Tanjur Studies: The most complete online database of Tibetan canonical texts (Kangyur & Tengyur).
- Asian Classics Input Project
- The Buddhist Canons Research Database: Kangyur and Tengyur search with links to available recensions in ACIP, TBRC and others.
- Adarsha Online: Kangyur, Tengyur, and Sungbum repository of e-texts and scans.
- The Tibetan & Himalayan Library: Tibetan Canon Catalogs at UVa’s Tibetan & Himalayan Library.
- Asian Classics Input Project: ACIP Tibetan Digital Text for Kangyur and Tengyur.
- Munchener DigitalisierungsZentrum Digitale Bibliothek: Scans of Tibetan Texts in Munich.
- Dharma Downloads Karma Leksheyling
- Sakya Research Center- Tibetan texts
- Buddhanexus: Intertextuality in the Tibetan canonical literature.
- Tibetan Text Repository at Otani University
- Tibetan Texts (Kern Institute) - University of Leiden
- Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project (Tibetan texts)
- Ngor's Textual Treasures
- A Comparative Database of the Rin chen gter mdzod
Buddhist Texts (Old Tibetan)
- Old Tibetan Documents Online: Old Tibetan texts (VIIth to XIIth centuries) including Dunhuang manuscripts, inscriptions and related materials.
- The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online: Manuscripts, paintings, textiles and artefacts from Dunhuang and archaeological sites of the Eastern Silk Road.
Buddhist Texts (Chinese)
- WWW Database of Chinese Buddhist texts
- SAT Daizōkyō Text Database
- CBETA digital Chinese canon
- Digital Comparative Edition of the Bieyi za ahan jing 別譯雜阿含經 (BZA) at Dharma Drum College
- A Digital Comparative Catalog of Āgama Literature
Buddhist Texts (Sanskrit)
- Digital Buddhist Sanskrit Canon: Repository of Buddhist Sanskrit digitized texts.
- GRETIL Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon
- KWIC Index to the Sanskrit Texts of Dharmakīrti
- Sarit - Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts
- Pandit: Prosographical Database for Indic texts
- Thesaurus Indogermanischer Text- und Sprachmaterialien
- Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project (Indic texts)
- DCS - Digital Corpus of Sanskrit
Buddhist Texts (Pali)
Buddhist Texts (Gāndhārī)
Buddhist Texts (Multilingual)
- Open Philology (University of Leiden): Digital environment for the study of Buddhist sūtra literature.
- Materials in Tibetan and Sanskrit - Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia (Vienna, Austria)
- Bibliotheca Polyglotta: A multilingual text alignment project of Buddhist literature.
- The Tibetan-Mongolian Rare Books and Manuscripts (TMRBM) project
- Buddhanet (Theravada and Mahayana eBooks)
- Digital Database of Buddhist Tripitaka Catalogue
- Publications of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology (IRIAB)
Dictionaries and Glossaries
Dictionaries and Glossaries (Tibetan)
- Rangjung Yeshe Dharma Dictionary and Lotsawa Workbench: Tibetan-English dictionary, dharma glossaries, and resources.
- Wörterbuch der tibetischen Schriftsprache: Tibetan-German Dictionary (Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities)
- Comprehensive list of Tibetan print dictionaries (Columbia University Library)
- Dictionaries& encyclopedias (Columbia University)
- Steinert Online Tibetan Dictionary and App: Allows search of most available dictionaries in a pleasing online format.
- GoldenDict: Online and offline Tibetan dictionaries combined.
- THL Tibetan to English Translation Tool
- Informative link about Tibetan dictionaries from THL
- Glossaries for Buddhist Studies
- THL Tibetan Historical Dictionary at the University of Virginia
- Index for Spices in Tibetan Script
- Tibetan Translation Tool
- Rangjung Yeshe, Tshig mdzod chen mo, and Monlam dictionaries at Nitartha
- Tibetan medical terms (Katherina Sabernig)
- Dzogchen Wiki (French)
- Lexicography in Motion: A History of the Tibetan Verb
- Sakya Research Center - Specialized glossaries
- Goldstein Tibetan to English Dictionary
- Goldstein English-Tibetan Dictionary
- Study Buddhism - Glossary
- Dan Martin's Tibetan Vocabulary
- Sambhota Dictionary Search - A collection of searchable online dictionaries
- Dharmapedia - Dictionnaire encyclopédique du Bouddhisme indien et tibétain (French)
- Old Tibetan Dictionary
- Tsikzoe.net - A collection of searchable online dictionaries
- Lotus King Lotus King Padma online dictionaries
Dictionaries and Glossaries (Sanskrit)
- Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries
- Digital Dictionaries of South Asia – Sanskrit Dictionary
- Digital Dictionaries of South Asia
- Edgerton's Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary
- Oguibénine's Materials for the Lexicography of Buddhist Sanskrit
- Indo-Tibetan Lexical Resource (Hamburg University)
- Wisdom Library
Dictionaries and Glossaries (Gāndhārī)
Dictionaries and Glossaries (Pali)
Dictionaries and Glossaries (Chinese)
- Digital Dictionary of Buddhism
- CJKV English Dictionary of Confucian, Daoist, and Intellectual Historical Terms
- SmartHanzi - Chinese Dictionaries
- Introduction to Chinese Buddhist Reference Books
Dictionaries and Glossaries (Multilingual)
Specialized Dictionaries and Glossaries
- Clans and Families in the Blue Annals
- Personal Names Cited in the Blue Annals
- Rangjung Yeshe Glossary of Buddhist People, Places, and Things
- A General Dharma Glossary from Matthieu Ricard on Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
- Geographical Glossary from Matthieu Ricard on Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
- Glossaries of Sanskrit terms and their meaning in various Indian spiritual traditions (incl. Buddhism)
- Catalog of Glossaries (DRL)
Encyclopedias & Knowledge Bases
Buddhism
- UVa Tibet Center
- Tibetan Studies WWW Virtual Library
- The Treasury of Lives: Biographies of Tibetan Masters.
- Masters of Buddhism: Biographies and lives of Buddhist Masters
- Rigpa Shedra: An online encyclopedia of Tibetan Buddhism.
- Study Buddhism - Alexander Berzin
- Classical Tibetan Knowledge: Archive and Study Resource from Central University of Tibetan Studies.
- Resources for Tibetan Calligraphy and Reading Mantras
- Sakya Research Center - Database of images, texts, people, deities, and places
- Database of inscriptions in Western Tibet, Ladakh, Zanskar. ahul, Spiti, and Kinnaur
- Database of early Tibetan scholastic materials
- Tibetan Buddhist Wall Paintings of Mustang
- Digital Museum of Buddhism in Taiwan
- The Stupa - Posts About the Buddhadharma
- Kālacakra - A knowledge base about topics related to the Kālacakra Tantra
History, Society and Culture
- The World of Xuanzang and the Silk Road
- Susan Whitfield's blog on the Silk Road
- Digital Silk Road: Digital archives of cultural heritage.
- Burial Mounds of Central Tibet and TAR Toponym Search: The site search currently holds around 45,000 entries.
- Resources for Tibetan historical research (Columbia University)
- Tibetan Newspapers from Anna Sawerthal's Research: An Overview of Historical Tibetan-language Newspapers.
- Tibet Heritage Fund
- Mandala - Knowledge maps about Tibetan and Bhutanese sources, people, and places
- Photographic & archival images (Columbia University)
- Digital Himalaya (University of Cambridge)
- TibArmy: History of the Tibetan army under the Ganden Phodrang government (1642-1959)
- Tibetosophy - Tibetan Proper Name Index (Dan Martin)
- Prosopography of the Tibetan Empire according to Old Tibetan sources
- Tibetan Inscriptions in the Western Himalaya (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
- Orient Foundation for Arts and Culture (Multimedia documentation of Classical Indian and Tibetan Knowledge Resources)
Tibetan Astrology
- Tibetan calendar - An overview
- Tibetan Phugpa Calendar Calculator
- Tibetan to Gregorian Calendar Converter
- The Kālacakra Calendar
- Phugpa and Tsurphu calendars
- Tibetan calendar tables 1027-2046
- Tibetan calendar software
- Tibetan calendar software - Sherab Ling monastery
Maps of Tibet
Tibetan Art
- Early Paintings from Central Tibet
- Himalayan Art Resources: Largest educational resource for Himalayan Art and Iconography.
- Tibetan art & material culture (Columbia university)
- Tibetan music & performing arts (Columbia University)
- The Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Asian Art - Photographic documentation of art and architecture throughout Asia
- The Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Asian Art - List of links
Theravada, Indian and Chinese Buddhism
- The origins of Buddhist Schools by Bhikkhu Sujato
- Theravadin Dhamma Wiki-Encyclopedia
- Maps of Ancient Buddhist India
- List of online resources for the study of Buddhism in China
- Jātaka Stories (University of Edinburgh): A free online searchable database of jātakas in Indian texts and art.
Tibetan Language Resources
- Esukhia: Tibetan Language Learning, Translation, and Research.
- Amdo Dialects: A list of Amdo dialect instructional books
- Learn Amdo pronunciation and basic spoken dialect: An excellent resource with sound bites and detailed comparison for Lhasa dialect speakers.
- Language resources (Columbia University)
Sanskrit Language Resources
Libraries
- Michael Kicey's Buddhism: A Guide to Research (University at Buffalo)
- Library catalogs (Columbia University)
- Tibetan Studies - Survey articles, journals, dissertations, blogs (C.V. Starr Library - Columbia University)
- South/Southeast Asia Library (UC Berkeley)
- The Tibetan Studies Collection of the C. V. Starr East Asian Library (Columbia University)
- Library of the Department of South Asian, Tibetan, and Buddhist Studies (University of Vienna)
- Library of the Department of South Asian and Tibetan (University of Hamburg)
- Andover-Harvard Theological Library
- Digital Buddhist Library and Museum at National Taiwan University Library
- Chinook (University of Colorado)
- Bibliotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica
- Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
- NTU Digital Library of Buddhist Studies
- Buddhist Publication Society Online Library
- The Buddhist Society Library
- Buddhanet Buddhist eLibrary Project
- Clay Sanskrit Library (CSL)
- The Myanmar Manuscript Digital Library (MMDL)
Bibliographies and Catalogues
- Michael Kicey's Buddhism: A Guide to Research: Contains bibliographies focusing on Buddhist traditions as well as on various themes and issues related to Buddhism.
- General Bibliographies (Columbia University)
- H-Buddhism Bibliography Project: H-Buddhism’s truly massive bibliography project.
- Bibliographies on Buddhism in Western Languages: Professor Bingenheimer’s work.
- Karma dgon Tibetan Bibliography Database
- Tsadra Digital Research Library Bibliographies
- Kham Research Bibliography
- Bibliothèque Dhagpo Kagyu: Bibliography
- Buddhist Epistemology and Ontology: Bibliography
- Dan Martin's Tibskrit: Bibliography
- Dan Martin's Bon Bibliography
- Tibskrit: introductory essay and comprehensive bibliographical index on Indian and Tibetan Buddhist topics, emphasis on literary.
- Bibliography of Buddhist Studies Bibliographies in Western Languages
- Buddhist studies monographs published in German, Austrian and Swiss series
- Catalogue of the Kangyur and Tengyur with English translations
- Bibliography of Indian Philosophies
- A Descriptive Bibliography of The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature, Vol. III: Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, Buddhist epistemology and logic
- Bibliography of Gāndhārī Studies
- Gāndhārī studies bilbiography (Stefan Baums and Andrew Glass)
- Epistemology and Argumentation in South Asia and Tibet
- Online Library of Digitized Sanskrit and Prakrit Manuscript Catalogues
- Bibliography of Translations from the Chinese Buddhist Canon into Western Languages
- Bibliographical sources (Buddhist Studies) - Yasuhiro Sueki
- The Digital Catalogue of Chinese Buddhism 中國佛教數字目錄
- Indian and Buddhist Studies Treatise Database
Dissertations
- University sites
- Regional searches
- Other sites
Journals
- Databases of academic articles
- Journals for Tibetan Buddhist Studies
- Études mongoles & sibériennes, centrasiatiques & tibétaines (EMSCAT)
- Waxing Moon: Tibetan and Himalayan Studies (Columbia University)
- Periodicals (Columbia University)
- Journals of Himalayan Studies (University of Cambridge)
- Tibet Journal
- The Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies
- Journals of Himalayan Studies
- Bulletin of Tibetology
- Shezoed - Rigzhung Research Journal: Bhutanese studies (Buddhism, literaure, history, anthropology, arts, language)
- Kailash - Journal of Himalayan Studies
- Journal of the Tibet Society
- Journal of Newar Studies
- Journal of the International Association for Bon Research
- Journal of Bhutan Studies
- European Bulletin of Himalayan Research
- Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines
- Journals publishing articles on Buddhism
- Journal of Buddhist Philosophy
- The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies
- Journals of Buddhist Studies (Indica et Buddhica)
- The Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies
- Journal of Buddhist Ethics
- Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies
- ARIRIAB
- The Buddhist Forum
- Annual Report of The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University (ARIRIAB)
- Buddhist Studies Review
- Buddhist-Christian Studies
- Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies
- Contemporary Buddhism
- Eastern Buddhist
- Higashi ajia bukkyō kenkyū
- Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies
- International Journal for the Study of Humanistic Buddhism
- Journal of Buddhist Ethics
- Journal of Buddhist Philosophy
- Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies
- Journal of Global Buddhism
- Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Journal of Indological Studies
- Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies
- Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies
- Journal of the Pali Text Society
- Pacific World
- The Pacific World: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies
- Bulletin of the International Institute for Buddhist Studies (Tokyo)
- Journal of the Pali Text Society
- Asian Philosophy
- Comparative Philosophy
- Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy
- History of Religions
- International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
- Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
- Japanese Religions
- Journal of Chinese Philosophy
- Journal of Continental and Comparative Philosophy
- Journal of Indological Studies
- Journal of Japanese Philosophy
- Journal of Japanese Studies
- Journal of Religion in Japan
- Monumenta Nipponica
- Religious Studies in Japan
- Udaya: Journal of Khmer Studies
- Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies
- Buddhism, Law, & Society
- International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
- Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies: E-journal
- Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies
- Sungkyun Journal of East Asian Studies (SJEAS)
- Critical Review for Buddhist Studies (Geumgang University, Korea)
- Journal of the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies 国際仏教学大学院大学研究紀要 (Tokyo)
- International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture (IJBTC)
- Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies (Bulgyohak Yŏngu 佛敎學硏究)
- Journal of Korean Religions
- Journal of Chinese Religions
- Journal of Chan Buddhism
- Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society
- The Eastern Buddhist
- Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies (Indogaku Bukkyogaku Kenkyu)
Buddhist Translation projects
- From Tibetan
- 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha: Translations of texts from the Tibetan Kangyur.
- Lotsawa House: Free Translations with Digital Tibetan Texts.
- Translating the Core Texts of the Longchen Nyingtik
- Zang Thal: Karen Liljenberg's personal website
- Tibshelf: Translations by Ryan Jacobson, Tenzin Choephel, Tom Greensmith
- From Chinese
- From Pali
Translation Projects
- Padmakara Translation Group
- Institute of Tibetan Classics
- Dharmachakra Translation Committee
- Drikung Kagyu Translation Group
- Nalanda Translation Committee
- Nitartha Translation Network
- American Institute of Buddhist Studies
- UMA Institute for Tibetan Studies
- The International Buddhist Academy’s Chödung Karmo Translation Group
- Light of Berotsana Translation Group
- Berzin Archives and Translations
- Padma Karpo Translation Committee
- Chödung Karmo Translation Group
- Garchen Stiftung
- Tibetan Classics Translators' Guild of New York
- Lhasey Lotsawa Translations
- Chökyi Gyatso Translation Committee
- Dharmashri Translation Group
- The Ka-Ter Translation Project
- Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee
- Marpa Translation Committee
- Yeshe De Text Preservation Project
- Translating the Karmapas’ Works
- Memorial Dharma Translation House - Translation of the collected works written by H.H. Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok
- Lotus King Translation group
- The Ka Ter Translation Project (Dzogchen Community)
- A project to translate the collected works of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
Dharma Publishers
- Publishers
- Shambhala Publications
- Wisdom Publications
- Parallax Press
- Padmakara, France
- The American Institute of Buddhist Studies
- Rangjung Yeshe Publications: Oral teachings of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and his spiritual sons.
- IITBS Gmbh
- Institute of Tibetan Classics
- Library of Tibetan Works & Archives
- Light of Berotsana
- Vajra Publications, Nepal
- Tibetan e-Books
- Dharma e-Books from Gyalwang Karmapa
- Dharma e-Books from Tsadra Foundation and partners
- Institut d'Études Bouddhiques
- Bodhicharya Publications
- Blazing Wisdom Institute
- Rangdröl Publications
- Padma Publishing
- Dharma Publishing
- Pariyatti
- Dharma Drum Publications
- Windhorse Publications
- Éditions Yogi Ling
- E-texts publishers
- Sera Jey Rigzod Chenmo
- Dharma Downloads: Library of Free Digital Tibetan Texts.
- Tibetan e Books
- Nitartha Digital Library
- A Sakya Digital Library: Khenchen Appey Rinpoche, Khenpo Ngawang Jorden, and the International Buddhist Academy in Kathmandu have created a great resource of Tibetan texts available for free.
- Buddhist Publication Society
- Lotsawa House
- Buddhasasana - A Buddhist Page
Buddhist Organizations
- Institut d’Etudes Bouddhiques Centre francophone d'étude et d'enseignement sur le bouddhisme - Paris
- Institut Dhagpo (France)
- Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
- Institute of Buddhist Studies (Berkeley)
- Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies (CHIBS)
- Maitripa College (Portland)
- The Buddhist Society
- Glorisun Global Buddhist Network
- Atiyoga Foundation - Preserving the cultural heritage of professor Namkhai Norbu
Academic Publishers
- International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies, Tokyo (=International Institute for Buddhist Studies)
- indica-et-buddhica
- WSTB, Vienna
- Academic articles - Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia (Vienna, Austria)
- Biblia Impex (Indian and Tibetan Studies Series): Free download.
- Books in open access - Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia (Vienna, Austria)
- Brill's Tibetan Studies Library
- Cambridge University Press
- Princeton University Press
- Routledge
- University of Hawai'i Press
- MIT Press
- Oneworld
- Oxford University Press
- The Murty Classical Library of India
- The Pali Text Society
- Nagarjuna Institute
- Digital Library of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
- World Scholastic Publishers - Hualin Series on Buddhist Studies
Academic Institutions
- Asia
- Dharma Drum College - Buddhism Department
- Buddhist Studies (Mahidol University)
- Dongguk University
- International Buddhist University (IBU) - Shitennoji University
- International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies (Japan)
- Center of Buddhist Studies (University of Hong Kong)
- Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies (NIBS)
- Australia
- North America
- University of the West
- Naropa University
- Dharma Realm Buddhist University
- UCLA Center of Buddhist Studies
- Buddhist Studies (Berkeley University)
- The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies (University of Toronto)
- Committee on the Study of Religion (Harvard University)
- The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Center for Buddhist Studies at Stanford University (HCBSS)
- Europe
- The International Institute for Asian Studies at Leiden University
- Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg
- The SOAS Centre of Buddhist Studies (CBS)
- Dharma Gate Buddhist College (Hungary)
- Oxford Center for Buddhist Studies
- Buddhist Studies at Oxford University
- The Centre for Buddhist Studies (University of Bristol)
- Institute for South Asian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies (University of Vienna)
Magazines
Booksellers
- Tibetan Bookstore: Get Tibetan Texts from Asia.
- Vimala
- Biblia Impex
Networks, Blogs, and Forums
- H-Buddhism
- Lotsawa Forum: A useful email listserv for translators.
- Official forum from IATS
- Dan Martin’s blog
- Sam van Schaik’s blog on Tibet's “early” period (7th-10th c.)
- Sam van Schaik’s blog on Old Tibetan manuscripts
- Dzogchen Wiki: Collection of encyclopedic entries on Dzogchen topics (in French).
- Publications from Dr. Achard: Jean-Luc Achard Blog.
- Philologia-Tibetica - Dorji Wangchuk's blog
- The Lost Yak - Geoffrey Barstow's blog
Computer Reference (Tibetan, Sanskrit, Chinese)
- Tools
- Digital Tibetan: An extensive online resource for Tibetan Dharma technology.
- THL’s Online Tibetan Transliteration Converter: Convert Wylie to Unicode Tibetan.
- THL’s Online Tibetan Phonetics Converter: Tibetan or Wylie to Phonetics Converter.
- Digital Tibetan Wiki - help with setting up your computer to work with Tibetan
- Fonts (Tibetan)
- Online Phonetics Converter at THL
- Extended Wylie conversion to Tibetan Script at THL
- Tibetan Font Converters
- Sambhota Fonts
- THDL Unicode Fonts
- THDL Diacritic fonts
- The Tibetan and Himalayan Library: Information on Tibetan fonts
- Qomolangma Tibetan Unicode Fonts
- Nitartha International Sambhota Tibetan Fonts
- Open etexts
- Github Repositories
- Machine Translation