English
Deutsch Español Français Italiano Nederlands Português 中文 བོད་ཡིག
Explore Projects Updates About Donate
The Home of Tibetan Buddhist Texts in Translation
ISSN 2753-4812
ISSN 2753-4812

Kangyur

Kangyur

English (26) | Deutsch (5) | Español (10) | Français (17) | Português (7) | Italiano (2) | 中文 (2) | བོད་ཡིག (25)

Texts from and related to the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur), the Tibetan canonical collection of the Buddha's Word (bka') in translation ('gyur):

Introduction

by Lowell Cook
A brief overview of the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur), the Tibetan canonical collection of the Buddha's Word (bka') in translation ('gyur).

Dhāraṇī

from the Words of the Buddha
Mahāśvāsa means “great breath” and refers both to the protective mantra itself and to the malevolent spirit named Mahāśvāsa, who harms beings with his breath. The following incantation (dhāraṇī), included in the Kangyur (Tōh. 773), serves as protection specifically against the evil spirit’s influence.
Dhāraṇī 15 May 2025
from the Words of the Buddha
In this incantation (dhāraṇī), preserved in the Kangyur (Tōh. 708), Avalokiteśvara reveals his heart mantra (hṛdaya) in the form of the deity Aparājita. Renowned for granting fearlessness (abhayaprada), the mantra reflects the fearless nature (abhaya) of Avalokiteśvara, his bodhisattva interlocutor, and the mantra itself.
Avalokiteśvara Dhāraṇī 17 Jun 2025
from the Words of the Buddha
This popular incantation (dhāraṇī), included in the Kangyur (Tōh. 696), offers a concise visualization of Avalokiteśvara in his four-armed form (caturbhuja) and praises the merits of reciting his mantra. While it may have served as a source for the well-known maṇi mantra, it appears that no Sanskrit or Chinese witnesses of the text have survived.
Avalokiteśvara Dhāraṇī 7 May 2025
from the Words of the Buddha
This popular canonical work (Tōh. 662) teaches the incantation (dhāraṇī) and rituals associated with the goddess Vasudhārā. According to the text, the dhāraṇī grants prosperity and wealth and averts spirits, demons and disease.
Dhāraṇī Vasudhārā Ten Royal Sūtras 22 Dec 2019
from the Words of the Buddha
This version (Toh 683) of the Amoghapāśa dhāraṇī originates from the sūtra of the same name (Toh 682) but diverges in certain ways from its source. Not only does it abbreviate the introductory verses of homage, it also concludes with its own instruction on how to perform the dhāraṇī.
Dhāraṇī 6 Sep 2023
from the Words of the Buddha
So popular and influential is Samantabhadra’s “Aspiration to Good Actions” (bzang spyod smon lam) from the Gaṇḍavyūha chapter of the vast Avataṃsaka Sūtra, it is known as the king of all aspiration prayers. It is included in the Dhāraṇī section of the Kangyur (Toh 1095) and the Miscellaneous section of the Tengyur (Toh 4377).
Aspiration Prayers Tengyur Compendium of Sādhanas Nyingma Mönlam Ten Royal Sūtras 2 Jun 2008
from the Words of the Buddha
This popular canonical work, which is included in the Kangyur (Tōh. 591), teaches the incantation (dhāraṇī) and rituals associated with the goddess Sitātapatrā, who is renowned for her power to avert or repel all types of spirits, demons, obstacles, misfortune and disease and is thus invoked by many Tibetan Buddhists on a daily basis.
Sitātapatrā Dhāraṇī Ten Royal Sūtras Nyingma Kama 3 Jan 2020
from the Words of the Buddha
This short text, which appears twice in the Derge Kangyur (Toh 521 & 981), includes the formula of dependent origination, the so-called ye dharma, said to have been told to Śāriputra as an encapsulation of Buddha Śākyamuni's teachings.
Dependent Origination Dhāraṇī 2 Dec 2021
from the Words of the Buddha
A popular text (Tōh. 748) teaching the incantation (dhāraṇī) and rituals associated with the Blue-Clad (nīlāmbaradhara) form of the deity Vajrapāṇi. According to Karmavajra’s commentary (Tōh. 2676), the dhāraṇī is at once a powerful protection against, and remedy for, spirits, demons and disease.
Dhāraṇī Vajrapāṇi Ten Royal Sūtras Compendium of Sādhanas 20 Oct 2019
revealed by Guru Chökyi Wangchuk
A collection of brief ḍhāraṇīs that are said to encapsulate the essence of the entire Kangyur (bka' 'gyur), or Collected Words of the Buddha, and serve as a powerful means of purification when recited.
Dhāraṇī Termas Prajñāpāramitā Rinchen Terdzö 21 Jun 2020

Sūtra

from the Words of the Buddha
In the sūtra The Question of Maitreya (Toh. 85, Maitreya­paripṛcchā, byams pas zhus pa), Buddha Śākyamuni recounts this prayer that Maitreya made as a bodhisattva aspiring to accomplish the six perfections and attain the ten bodhisattva levels. The prayer is also included in the Miscellaneous section of the Tengyur (Toh 4378).
Aspiration Prayers Tengyur Maitreya Six Pāramitās Compendium of Sādhanas Nyingma Mönlam 30 Jan 2021
from the Words of the Buddha
Perhaps the most famous of all Mahāyāna sūtras, the Heart Sūtra is so named because it encapsulates the heart or essence of the transcendent perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā).
Prajñāpāramitā Emptiness Ten Royal Sūtras Nyingma Kama 8 Jan 2019
from the Words of the Buddha
In response to a question from the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, the Buddha explains how a bodhisattva should view the mind at the moment of death. It is important, the Buddha says, to cultivate the perception of insubstantiality, great compassion, referencelessness and non-attachment, and not to seek buddhahood anywhere other than in the mind's own wisdom.
Dying & the Bardos Buddha Nature Ten Royal Sūtras 30 Sep 2018
from the Words of the Buddha
In this sūtra (Toh. 311) the Buddha teaches eleven perceptions to be cultivated at the time of death to the assembled monks as his final testament.
Dying & the Bardos Testament 26 Jan 2021
from the Words of the Buddha
The Sūtra of Recalling the Three Jewels is a popular sūtra in the Tibetan tradition, expressing the qualities of the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha. It has inspired a number of commentaries, from Tāranātha (1575–1643), Könchok Jigme Wangpo (1728–1791), Minyak Kunzang Sonam (1823–1905), Ju Mipham (1846–1912), and others.
Three Jewels 26 May 2015
from the Words of the Buddha
'The Ārya caturdharmanirdeśa nāma mahāyāna sūtra (‘Phags pa chos bzhi bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Toh 249) is the ultimate source for the doctrine of the four powers (stobs bzhi), a popular feature of Tibetan teachings on confession. In this initial, canonical presentation, however, the four are referred to as ''factors'', although two are also called ''powers''. They are: 1) the action of total rejection, 2) the action as remedy, 3) the power of restoration, and 4) the power of support.'
Confession 26 Apr 2013
from the Words of the Buddha
In this (Tōh. 23), the shortest of the Prajñāpāramitā or Perfection of Wisdom sūtras, the Buddha teaches the syllable ‘A’, which encapsulates the transcendent perfection of wisdom and all the literature related to it.
Prajñāpāramitā Ten Royal Sūtras 20 Sep 2019
from the Words of the Buddha
The Aparimitāyurjñāna-nāma mahāyāna-sūtra ('phags pa tshe dang ye shes dpag tu med pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo, Toh 674 & 849) is said to bring extraordinary merit and longevity when written out, read aloud, copied, or venerated with offerings.
Longevity Amitāyus Ten Royal Sūtras Compendium of Sādhanas 15 Feb 2007

Tantra

from the Words of the Buddha
The Vajrakīla Root Tantra Section (or Fragment) (Tōh. 439), the remains of a much larger Vajrakīla tantra, was discovered and translated into Tibetan by Sakya Paṇḍita (1182–1251). According to the text's colophon, it was Guru Padmasambhava who brought the original to Tibet. The tantra contains several famous verses that appear in most Vajrakīlāya sādhanas and is the only Vajrakīlāya text included within the Kangyur. The edition translated here includes a colophon by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and benedictory verse by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.
Vajrakīlaya Nyingma Kama Compendium of Sādhanas Restricted 4 Mar 2021
from the Words of the Buddha
Commonly known as simply the Nāmasaṅgīti, this is one of the most highly revered tantras throughout all lineages and practice systems of Vajrayāna Buddhism. In it, Buddha Śākyamuni teaches Vajrapāṇi and his retinue a list of names for the wisdom body of Mañjuśrī, the heart of all tathāgatas. Expressed in attractive and at times playful verses, these names evoke an extremely vast array of topics and images, from the mundane to the transcendent, and from the quiescent to the ferocious. The Nāmasaṅgīti has occupied a central role in the daily chanting of Buddhist practitioners for centuries and is often the first text to be recited on special occasions.
Mañjuśrī Nyingma Kama Nyingma Mönlam 14 Jun 2022
from the Words of the Buddha
These verses, which appear in the Kangyur, invoke the auspiciousness of the seven successive buddhas (sangs rgyas rabs bdun): 1) Vipaśyin, 2) Śikhin, 3) Viśvabhū, 4) Krakucchandra, 5) Kanakamuni, 6) Kāśyapa, and 7) Śākyamuni. The text is included in the Tantra section of the Derge Kangyur (Toh 821) and the Miscellaneous section of the Tengyur (Toh 4412).
Auspiciousness Tengyur 18 Jul 2018
from the Words of the Buddha
In this canonical work, preserved in the Kangyur (Tōh. 756), Bhurkuṃkūṭa is invoked for the purification of defilements, sickness, and disease—particularly skin disorders. The deity is described as having pockmarks (sme ba can), symbolizing the transmutation of skin ailments and other impurities.
Ucchuṣma Praise 24 Jun 2025
from the Words of the Buddha
This popular canonical work (Tōh. 564) reveals the incantation (dhāraṇī) associated with Mārīcī, goddess of the dawn, and explains how it confers the deity's qualities and guards against adversity, danger and disease.
Mārīcī Dhāraṇī 19 Jun 2020
from the Words of the Buddha
Perhaps the most popular of all prayers to Tārā, this tantra praises her twenty-one forms, both peaceful and wrathful. The first twenty-one verses are at once a series of homages to Tārā and a poetic description of her physical features, postures, qualities, abilities, mantras, and hand gestures. The remaining six verses describe how and when the Praise should be recited, as well as the benefits of its recitation.
Tārā Praise Benefits 2 Aug 2018
from the Words of the Buddha
These verses, taken from the sūtra On Entering the City of Vaiśālī (Toh 312), are commonly recited on their own for the sake of auspiciousness and thus feature as a stand-alone text that is included in both the Kangyur (Toh 816) and Tengyur (Toh 4406). The version translated here appears in the collected writings of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959).
Auspiciousness India Tengyur 29 Jul 2022

Related Topics

Buddha Śākyamuni Ten Royal Sūtras Tengyur

Buddha Śākyamuni

Courtesy of Himalayan Art Resources

Further information:

84000 Reading Room

Download this collection:

EPUB  PDF 

DONATIONS

If you find this site useful, please consider helping us to achieve our goal of translating more classic works from the Buddhist tradition and making them freely available. Please support us on Patreon.

Quick Links

Words of the Buddha | Indian Masters | Tibetan Masters | Topics

Tools

Other Sites

84000 | Rigpa Wiki | Himalayan Art | Buddhist Digital Resource Center | Treasury of Lives

Social

Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

LICENSE

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

ISSN 2753-4812

This website uses cookies to collect anonymous usage statistics and enhance the user experience.
Decline
Accept