Tibetan text availablility

[Jonathan Silk]

Colleagues,

I apologize that some of you may have already received this
information on another list, but its importance seems to me to
justify its repetition. In addition, Gene Smith, whom many of you
know from his long years in the Delhi office of the Library of
Congress and his tireless work to make available to us the fruits of
the Tibetan literary tradition, tells me that the response to this
publication has been disappointing, and I would like to emphasize to
all of you that the future success of the entire publication mission
depends on the ability to recoup initial investments. Please,
consider purchasing a set of this material for yourself, and even
more importantly, urge your library to do so.

News from Gene Smith and the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center

TBRC announces the release of a digital version of the Derge Kangyur
(Parpu). This release marks the completion of a year long project of
scanning, quality control and production. The digital set comprises
103 volumes in Adobe Acrobat PDF format on 10 CD-ROMs. The first
release special edition price for individuals only of $195 covers the
cost of the materials, duplication, processing and shipment anywhere
in the world, and supports TBRC's charitable mission. To order, or
for more information on this and other materials, go to

http://www.tbrc.org.

The price for libraries is a still very reasonable $1030, including
shipping (if you are ordering for a library, please don't cheat and
use the individual price! The small amount being asked directly
supports the scanning of further materials!!)

One may, in theory, order using the online Charity Wave website,
accessible from
the TBRC website, and pay by creditcard, but in my own experience
there may be some problems with this method. It may be easier to pay
by wire transfer or by sending a personal check in US dollars (to
order the Derge Kanjur on the website, use TBRC Work Number W22084
and put this in any text box on the secure web site of Charity Wave)

The TBRC has also scanned and is now doing quality control on the
Derge Tanjur, which they expect will be available soon, and they are
beginning work on the Narthang Tanjur. A large number of other works
of Tibetan masters are also available; for details see the website,
where you will also find a detailed announcment of the publication of
this Kanjur.

I may mention that I have purchased this Derge Kanjur CDROM set, and
find the quality of the scans to be perfect, and the files entirely
easy to use. (I should perhaps also state emphatically that I have no
connection to the TBRC other than that of offering moral support, and
I have absolutely no stake, financial or otherwise, in the sale of
these materials, other than my desire to promote the study of
Buddhist literature.)

--
Jonathan Silk
Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures
Center for Buddhist Studies
UCLA
290 Royce Hall
Box 951540
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1540
phone: (310)206-8235
fax:  (310)825-8808
silk at humnet.ucla.edu