Resources for Translators, Scholars & Practitioners
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This list of online resources was last updated on 3 December 2024.
This list is updated regularly but is necessarily incomplete as new content is created all the time. Websites on this list are not endorsed by Tsadra Foundation. The views, authors, or contributors to these websites are not endorsed by Tsadra Foundation. This is simply a list created in good faith for educational purposes and archival.
If you have questions, email research@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 (Dr. Joanna Bialek - Zentralasien-Seminar Institut für Asien- und Afrika Wissenschaften Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
- 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)
- Tibet Archeology (John Vincent Bellezza)
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
- 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)
- The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (JRAS)
- International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture (IJBTC)
- Journal of Gandhāran Buddhist Texts
- Ars Orientalis
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
- Sarnath International Nyingma Institute
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
Digital Tools (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
- Ketaka - Tibetan Digital Tool Kit (Wylie converters, texts comparison tools)
- 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