The Khyentse Foundation, founded by the renowned Bhutanese lama, filmmaker, and author Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, recently announced the official online publication of a Chinese-language translation the Sutra of the Questions of Brahma, representing the first Tibetan-to-Chinese translation of a Buddhist text completed by the Kumarajiva Project.*

“This sutra has often been cited by the great masters of Tibetan Buddhism, such as Gampopa of the Kagyu School in his Jewel Ornament of Liberation, Sheja Kunrig of the Sakya School, Longchenpa of the Nyingma school, and Gungthang Tenpe Dronme of the Gelug school,” the Khyentse Foundation said in its announcement. (Khyentse Foundation)

The Chinese translation of the Sutra of the Questions of Brahma is presented in two online versions: “A modern version and one that emulates the traditional Buddhist scriptural style. The modern version is available in both traditional and simplified Chinese. We also provide a Tibetan and Chinese aligned version. You can download your preferred version from the Kumarajiva Project website.” (Khyentse Foundation)

Launched by the Khyentse Foundation in the summer of 2019, the Kumarajiva Project (圓滿法藏-佛典漢譯計畫) is an ambitious initiative to translate canonical Buddhist texts from Tibetan into Chinese, aiming to complete the translation of the Tibetan Buddhist canon—both the Kangyur (the translated words of the Buddha) and the Tengyur (the translated commentaries on the teachings)—into Chinese within 60 years.

The foundation estimates that nine per cent of the sutras in the Kangyur (4,472 pages) and 65 per cent (10,460 pages) of the tantras do not yet have Chinese translations. In the Tengyur, it is estimated that 86 per cent (69,266 pages) of important scriptural commentaries and 36 per cent (45,540 pages) of tantric commentaries have not yet been translated into Chinese.