A Brief Report on the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs: Some Textual-Critical Observations Focusing on the Tibetan Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

Abstract

The Tibetan Kanjur has long been recognized as both a symbolic embodiment of the Buddhist canonical literature and as a ritual object, resulting in the production of various versions that differ in content, arrangement, and specific textual formulation. Since the late 1970s, the provenance, lineage affiliations, and historical development of these Kanjurs have attracted significant scholarly attention. In this paper, I present the findings of textual-critical research on the Tibetan translation of the Gaganaganjapariprccha (Ggn), focusing particularly on two manuscript collections preserved at Nesar Monastery in Dolpo, namely the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs. Both Kanjurs, possibly dated as early as the thirteenth century, lie outside the two main lineages, Tshal pa and Them spangs ma, and demonstrate strong connections with Local or Independent Kanjurs, notably those of Phug brag and Namgyal. By undertaking a close comparison of selected passages from the Ggn across twenty-one canonical witnesses, this study finds that, for the Ggn: (a) the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs possess a group of unique textual variants which distinguish them from all other known Kanjur and Proto-Kanjur editions; (b) the Lang Kanjur appears to have been based chiefly on the Nesar Kanjur or an exemplar closely related to it; and (c) the compilers of the Lang Kanjur also relied on at least one other manuscript, which seems to have preserved readings of greater accuracy. These findings highlight the importance of the Nesar and Lang Kanjurs for textual-critical investigation and for understanding the transmission history of the Tibetan Buddhist canon. Ongoing research into these Kanjurs will yield crucial evidence for constructing a more nuanced and historically informed account of the formation, adaptation, and regional diffusion of the Tibetan Buddhist canon.