Tripitaka
in Manchu
Translation inscribed by the Ch'ien-lung Emperor,
Ch'ing dynasty
Vermilion Manchu court imprint, dated the
55th year of the Ch'ien-lung reign (1790),
Ch'ing dynasty
25 x 74 x 25 cm
Tripitaka, also known as the Kanjur
Tripitaka, means a general compendium
of the Buddha's sayings. The full name of the
Tripitaka in Manchu is
Imperial Production in the Ch'ing Language of
the Translation of the Complete Tripitaka,
indicating that the (Ch'ien-lung) emperor headed
this project himself. According to the preface
contents, the Ch'ien-lung Emperor noted that
Sanskrit scriptures had already been translated
into Chinese, Tibetan, and Mongolian, there
lacking only a version in Manchu. The emperor
felt that the need for the Tripitaka
in Manchu translation lie in allowing
people to practice Manchu and to know about
Buddhism personally and learn right from wrong,
even if they could not understand the true significance
of the Buddhist sayings.
In the biography
of the Lcang skya lama (Ye shes bstan pavi sgron
me; also known in Chinese as Chang-chia) is
a detailed description of the translation project.
First, to oversee the project, the Ch'ien-lung
Emperor put in charge Lcang skya, who then selected
students with exceptional grades from prefecture
schools and then lamas in the capital versed
in language, allowing the students to translate
alongside them. After each box of translation
was finished, it was proofread in detail by
Lcang skya and then submitted to the emperor
for inspection. The emperor would usually revise
some areas deemed questionable or inappropriate,
and then the translation record would be done.
This lasted for 17 years before the project
was finally completed. The time and energy that
the Ch'ien-lung Emperor put into the project
gained even further respect from Lcang skya.
This set of the Tripitaka in Manchu
is bound in meticulous fashion. Done in sutra
leaf mounting, each set contains 108 boxes with
an upper and lower sutra plank in each box.
The outer layers are all decorated with designs
of the Eight Auspicious Symbols done in gold
ink on red lacquer. The interior is mounted
with yellow embroidered silk lining. The backs
of the planks are covered with three sutra blinds
in red, golden yellow, and vermilion yellow,
and below the sutra blinds are Buddhist images
painted in many colors. The upper tier consists
of the Buddha and bodhisattvas along with protective
deities in the lower one. In the middle of the
protective sutra plank is the sutra text itself.
When stored, it was bound and fastened with
colored sutra cord and then finally wrapped
in three layers for a solemn yet opulent effect.
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