The first collection, the Kanjur, contains a total of 103 volumes including
one index volume (dkar-chag). All the texts of the Kanjur are printed
in red. The Kanjur (lit. "Translation of the Buddha-Word") comprises
translations of the basic Buddhist texts, containing the teaching and sermons
of the Lord Buddha, as well as texts on the discipline (Vinaya), and so
forth.
The second collection, the Tanjur, contains 213 volumes including the separate
index-volume. The whole of the Tanjur is printed in black except for the first
volume which is printed in red. The Tanjur collection consists of the texts
relating to "inner meaning" of Buddhism. The most extensive part (78 volumes)
is represented by Tantric texts, while other volumes are dedicated to the
Prajnápáramitá, Madnhyamaka, Abhidharma and Sútra
literature. Other works concern logic, medicine, játaka stories, and various
miscellanies. The original blocks of the Derge Kanjur and Tanjur were
completed in the first half of the 18th century. The printing of the Prague
exemplar took place during the summer of 1958. The Prague copies of the Kanjur
and the Tanjur are provided with two card catalogues: one basic, filed as
subject catalogue within the sections traditionally observed in the canon, the
other auxiliary, giving Tibetan and Sanskrit titles in alphabetical order.
Title leaves
Another collection of our Tibetica, perhaps unique in Europe, is represented
by the title leaves (cover prints) of numerous xylopgraphed works turned out
by the two monastic printing houses in Derge, viz. Dgon-chen and Dpal-spungs.
This collection consisting of 5,615 separate title-leaves was purchased in
Derge with the assistance of Prof. Yü Tao-ch'üan in 1958 during the
time Dr. Kolmas spent in China . The cost of acquiring the complete texts of
these works was then prohibitive. Nevertheless, the collection represents a
useful bibliographical guide to the study of Tibetan literature. The
collections offer a glimpse into a number of works representative of Tibetan
Lamaist literature, such as teachings and practices of the Rning-ma-pa
tradition, the teaching of the Path and the Fruit, and so on. It also contains
the Collected Works (gsung-'bum) of several prominent Lamaist authors, such
as "Five Great Masters" of the Sa-skya-pa school, Tsongkhapa, Mi-pham-rgya-
mtsho, Kong-sprul Blo-gros-mtha'-yas, and others. Dr. Kolmas prepared this
collection for publication by photo-mechanical reproduction. An index of
titles to this collection is being prepared.
Apart from these two large parts of our Tibetica, the Oriental Institute
Library also houses the collection of Tibetan manuscripts and blockprints
obtained from Tibet, China, India, Nepal, Mongolia, and Buryatia.
The pioneer of Czech Tibetology Dr. J. Kolmas completed and elaborated the
Tibetan fund by dint of his unstinting efforts and enthusiasm. In 1969 he
prepared a Catalogue of Tibetan Manuscripts and Blockprints in the Library
of the Oriental Institute Prague (65 items altogether, of which 41 are
manuscripts and 24 are xylographs) The majority of these texts were donated
to the library by the Náprstek Museum of Ethnology, Prague, in 1960-1961. The museum, in its turn, received most of its Tibetica as gift presented
by Prof. B. Rinchen of Ulan-Bator in 1958. Several Tibetan texts are part of
the private collection of Dr. Kolmas.
This collection of Tibetan MSS. and xylographs is relatively small but rich
in content. The majority of texts represent the canonical literature, Tantric
and ritual works, philosophical treatises, literary texts (e.g. novel about
Prince Vishvantara, story of Nangsa Öbum, fairy tales of Vetala, love songs
of the Sixth Dalai Lama etc.). Special attention should be drawn to
biographies of prominent Indian and Tibetan teachers including Padmasambhava,
Tilopa, Náropa, Marpa, Milarepa and others.
The new Tibetan xylographs obtained during the last couple of decades, of
which there are more than one hundred, are still awaiting description.
Chinese collection
The fourth division of Tibetan texts (the so-called Chinese collection)
represents the Tibetan books printed in movable types and bound in the
European way, as well as a small number of cyclostyled editions. This is the
private collection of Dr. Kolmas stored temporarily at the library. This
collection consists of books published in China between 1952 and 1959, 191
titles in total which represent unique linguistic material for the study of
modern spoken and written Tibetan. 52 items are textbook and conversational
manuals of four, main, Tibetan dialects, different kinds of dictionaries,
grammars, etc. 22 units represent re-editions of various literary texts, some
of which are furnished with a Chinese translation. A small number of them
comprise examples of classical Tibetan literature (e.g. aphorisms of Sakya-pandita, the Chronicles of Tibet by the 5th Dalai Lama, and so on).
However, the majority of the publications (112 items) are Tibetan translations
of Chinese originals, including political literature, official party and
government documents, speeches by leading statesmen. A special group of
Tibetan and Tibetan-Chinese daily newspapers of the 1950s is appended to the
collection.
Oriental Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic
Pod vodárenskou vzí 4
182 08 Praha 8
Czech Republic
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