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Using the notion of "Confucianism to cultivate the country, Buddhism to cultivate the heart", all the early Ch'ing emperors were spiritual followers of Buddhism, and they particularly venerated Tibetan Buddhism. Not only did they have many lamaseries constructed in the capital and surroundings, Buddhist ceremonies were often also held in the palace. Furthermore, during more than a century of the three reigns of the K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng, and Ch'ien-lung Emperors, the Tripitaka collection of Buddhist scriptures was translated and engraved in the Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian, and Tibetan languages, with many of these projects organized by the inner court. Presently, the National Palace Museum has in its collection a handwritten gold ink edition of the Kanjur in Tibetan from the K'ang-hsi era, the Boxed Collection of Twenty-eight Sutras in Chinese printed in the Yung-cheng era, the Tripitaka in Manchu printed in the Ch'ien-lung era, and a few other Buddhist classics as well as notes by high monks of the Ch'ing dynasty. The writing and engraving of all of these are refined and sumptuous in binding, being on a par with other works of art.
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Tripitakas in Manchu
Signed as imperially translated by the Ch'ien-lung Emperor, Ch'ing Dynasty
1790 handwritten red ink edition for the imperial court, Ch'ing dynasty
故藏000123-000154
The sutra-fold binding is in 108 cases, each consisting of sutra leaves, protective sutra boards, sutra cloth, sutra thongs, and sutra wrapping.
This is the only Tripitaka in history done in the Manchu language. The sutra text itself was done in woodblock print, while the Buddhist images were painted. It originally was offered for use by the imperial family, but now it is an important cultural object for the study of the Manchu language and Buddhist imagery.
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