Wrapping the Kangyur and Tengyur

A generous donor from the Boston area has offered a complete set of the Kangyur and Tengyur—the Tibetan Buddhist Cannon—for the Drikung Forest Hermitage. As these texts come without any binding, there is a traditional way to wrap them in cloth.
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​In the coming days, we will wrap these sacred texts! ​
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The “Kangyur” is “the translated words (of the Buddha)”. It is the entire collection of texts regarded as buddhavacana or “Buddha-word”, translated into Tibetan. While the “Tengyur” is “the translated treatises”. It is comprised of the Tibetan translations of works written by Indian Buddhist masters, explaining and elaborating on the words of the Buddha. Depending upon the edition, the Kangyur comprises 101-120 volumes (1169 texts, 70,000 pages) and the Tengyur 220-250 volumes (4083 texts, 161,800 pages).
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In the Tibetan/Himalayan Buddhism, all monasteries, nunneries, and temples aim to have a complete set of the Kangyur and Tengyur as they represent the entirety of the Buddhadharma – the vast collection of teachings that lead to liberation from suffering of both self and other. Thus great reverence is shown to these physical representations of the Dharma.
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When we wrap these sacred texts, we should think of the act as an offering to the Dharma. We wrap the texts with the following thought: “Just as I am protecting the physical representation of the liberating Dharma with this cloth, may I and all beings be protected by the Dharma from the hordes of afflictive emotions.”
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Please join us in this offering to the Dharma tonight at Open Sangha, from 7:30-9:00. After the usual 30 minutes of meditation, we'll follow with text wrapping.
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We will also gather this Sunday from 12pm-2pm to continue wrapping. See the Facebook event for that here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1136786753977396.
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(Photos from last night’s Drikung Dharmakirti International Sangha meeting)

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