Toh 4568-4Chapter 4: Main Catalogue and Index
Pāli / Sanskrit:bzhi pa/ bzhugs byang dkar chag dngos legs par bshad pa'i yal 'dab/
Summary Toh 4568 ch. 1-5: More than a mere table of contents, the Degé Kangyur Catalogue is a detailed introduction to the Kangyur as a whole and this particular edition itself. It constitutes the entirety of the 103rd and final volume of the Kangyur and was written by the 8th Tai Situ, Chökyi Jungné (1700-1774 CE), who presided over the publication of the Degé Kangyur as its chief editor. The first three chapters of the catalog give a detailed history of Indian Buddhism and its arrival in Tibet while the final two give an account of all the texts included in the canon and an explanation of the merits of producing a Kangyur edition.
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Explanation of Chapter 4: Catalogue and Index of the Degé Kangyur
Background
This fourth chapter is the final part of the Catalogue of the Degé Kangyur (Toh 4568), a vast work that occupies the entirety of volume 103, the final volume of the Degé Kangyur. It is not merely a simple table of contents, but a comprehensive and deeply historical introduction to the entire Tibetan Buddhist Kangyur.
This work was compiled under the direction of the Eighth Tai Situ, Chökyi Jungné (1700-1774 CE), a leader learned in the Buddha’s Dharma and the chief editor of the Degé Kangyur printing project. This was an extraordinary effort to preserve and disseminate all the teachings of the Buddha in the Northern Tibetan tradition. The presence of this catalogue demonstrates the seriousness and methodical character of this undertaking.
Main Contents
Chapter 4 serves as the conclusion of the catalogue volume and includes the following principal components: First, it provides a comprehensive list of all the sūtras, śāstras, and other teachings included in the Degé Kangyur. Each text is clearly named and classified according to Buddhist topic and school.
Second, this chapter presents in detail the merit (punya) of copying, printing, and publishing a complete Kangyur. This is not merely theoretical, but reflects an important practice in the Mahāyāna tradition: the merit of protecting, transmitting, and spreading the Buddha’s Dharma is immeasurable.
Third, this catalogue gathers together the results of the preceding chapters, which presented a detailed history of the development of Buddhism from India to Tibet. Chapter 4 is therefore the logical completion of the entire work: from historical roots to developing branches, finally converging in this single Kangyur.
Practical Significance
For those who practice according to the Northern Tibetan tradition, this chapter has profound meaning.
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