By Kurtis Schaeffer (University of Virginia, 2009)
The structure of the Degé (sde dge) Tengyur (bstan ’gyur) may perhaps be thought of as a mirror image of the Degé Kangyur; the basic arrangement is tantra (rgyud), sūtra (mdo), and vinaya (’dul ba) as opposed to the Kangyur’s vinaya, sūtra, and tantra. The principle editor of the collection, Zhuchen Tsültrim Rinchen (zhu chen tshul khrims rin chen), notes this difference by referring to the arrangement of the Kangyur as a “low-to-high” structure (conceived presumably in terms of soteriological authority), and the arrangement of his Tengyur as a high-to-low structure. Zhuchen’s discussion (contained in his catalog of the Degé Tengyur, about which more will be said later) of the various structures illustrates that traditional bibliographers were actively involved in debates about the ordering of canonical literature: “In general,” he writes, “the order in which the scriptures are placed may be as follows. In accord with how they are studied by those who wish to enter the sanctuary of thinking people and scholars, the treatises may be arranged with the plastic arts first, then medicine, grammar, logic, and the inner arts [of Buddhism].” But there are other options as well: “Alternatively,” he continues, “they may be arranged in accord with how they are taken into one’s experience: monastic conduct, sūtra, and higher dharma (abhidharma, chos mngon pa). Or they may be arranged from low to high: worldly treatises, external arts, internal arts, the lesser way, and the common and uncommon greater ways.” “None of these are wrong,” Zhuchen relates, “but here [in the Tengyur] they will be arranged from high to low.” He thus lays out the basic structure of his Tengyur: uncommon great way (that is, works relating to tantra); common great way (that is, works relating to sūtra); treatises of the lesser way; and then logic, grammar, medicine, and finally arts and crafts. Yet even within this basic difference between the low-to-high arrangement of the Degé Kangyur and the high-to-low arrangement of the Degé Tengyur there are significant differences that stem principally from the immense variety of types of literature included under what is, it must be admitted, the rather vague title of “Treatises in Translation,” or “Tengyur.”
D.#### = THL Text Number
| Section Title (according to Ui, et al.) | # Works | # Vols | Running #s. D | Organizational Schemes and/or Subdivisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collected Hymns (bstod tshogs, stotra-gaṇa) | 71 | 1 | D.1119-D.1189 | Author chronology (Nāgārjuna, etc.), then translator, then late translations, that is, Zhalu Lotsawa (zhwa lu lo tsā ba, D.1188-D.1189). |
| Tantric Commentary (rgyud, tantra) | 2623 | 78 | D.1190-D.3812 | Class of Tantra (same as Kangyur): 4. Supreme Yoga (bla med rnal ’byor, anuttarayoga, D.1190-D.2517), 3. Yoga Tantra (rnal ’byor rgyud, Yoga Tantra, D.2518-D.2548), 2. Behavioral Practice (spyod pa’i rgyud, caryā-tantra, D.2682-D.2690); 1. Ritual action (bya ba’i rgyud, kriyā-tantra, D.2691-D.3162); General and Miscellaneous (D.3163-D.3782). Within that: author chronology, genre (commentary [line-by-line, commentary on difficult points, commentary on the “intention”], ritual instruction, poetry, minor canons [Advayavajra’s collected works, Padampa’s poetry anthologies]); then the late works at the end. |
| Perfection of Wisdom Commentary (shes phyin, prajñāpāramitā) | 38 | 16 | D.3813-D.3850 | Size, translator. |
| Central Way Philosophy (dbu ma, madhyamaka) | 158 | 17 | D.3851-D.4008 | Author chronology/importance (Nāgārjuna, Candrakīrti, Śāntideva, Atiśa, etc.), topic (tenets, ethics, meditation), translator. |
| Sūtra Commentary (mdo ’grel, sūtra) | 40 | 10 | D.4009-D.4048 | Author chronology, topic, translator, source language. |
| Mind Only Philosophy (sems tsam, cittamātra) | 66 | 16 | D.4049-D.4114 | Author chronology, topic, translator. |
| Higher Learning Commentary (chos mngon pa, abhidharma) | 18 | 11 | D.4115-D.4132 | Author chronology, topic, translator. |
| Monastic Conduct Commentary (’dul ba, vinaya) | 46 | 18 | D.4133-D.4178 | Author chronology, topic, translator. |
| Rebirth Tales (skyes rabs, jātaka) | 8 | 5 | D.4179-D.4186 | Author chronology, genre (rebirth tale anthology, drama, poetry) |
| Letters (spring yig, Lekha) | 45 | 1 | D.4187-D.4231 | Author chronology, topic, translator. |
| Logic and Epistemology (tshad ma, pramāṇa) | 66 | 20 | D.4232-D.4297 | Author chronology, topic, translator, Zhalu Lotsawa at end (fifteenth/sixteenth century). |
| Language Arts (sgra mdo, śabda-vidyā) | 36 | 4 | D.4298-D.4333 | Topic (grammar, poetics/aesthetics, metrics), translator, author chronology. Eighteenth translations at end. |
| Medicine (gso rig pa, cikitsā-vidyā) | 7 | 5 | D.4334-D.4340 | Author, topic. |
| Arts and Crafts (bzo rig pa) | 15 | 1/2 | D.4341-D.4355 | Topic (alchemy, iconometry, incense, astrology, and divination). |
| Secular Treatises (thun mong ba lugs kyi bstan bcos) | 18 | 1/2 | D.4356-D.4373 | Topic (secular ethics, narrative, horse medicine). |
| Miscellaneous (sna tshogs) | 122 | 9 | D.4374-D.4495 | Tibetan works (grammar, catalogs, philosophy), seventeenth-century translations and works (grammar D.4450-D.4464, medicine D.4465-D.4474), late misc. works. |
| Catalog of the Kangyur and Tengyur (dkar chag) | 2 | 2 | D.4568, D.4569 | Composed by the editors (Situ on Kangyur; Zhuchen on Tengyur). |
| Tengyur Total | 3377 | 212 | D.1119-D.4495 |