It has always been a central part of Wisdom’s mission to preserve and publish the rich and profound source texts of Buddhism. Many of the most important of these source texts can be found in our Classics of Indian Buddhism and Library of Tibetan Classics series. These series have been created by some of the most prominent and knowledgeable scholars in the field, and each represents a significant contribution not only to Buddhist scholarship, but to the cultural and literary histories of India and Tibet. The Classics of Indian Buddhism and Library of Tibetan Classics series contain a rich collection of essays, stories, and teachings brimming with timeless human experience and wisdom that transcends the centuries and forms a vital part of the human story.
We hope you will consider becoming part of Wisdom’s story, and part of the story of humanity’s spiritual and literary heritage, by becoming a sponsor of these important works. Your support helps sustain the creativity, wisdom, and intelligence of centuries past, so that it may help illuminate the world for centuries to come.
Below you’ll find more information about each series.
Library of Tibetan Classics
When the Dalai Lama’s translator Thupten Jinpa first approached Wisdom Publications to collaborate with him and his Institute of Tibetan Classics in Montreal, Canada on the monumental Library of Tibetan Classics, we were honored to accept. The thirty-two-volume series will span nearly a millennium and a half, and will cover the entire expanse of Tibet’s classical literary heritage, from religion and folklore to art and poetry, philosophy and psychology to medicine and much more. The texts have been selected in close consultation with preeminent lineage holders and with senior Tibetan scholars, especially His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In every way, the series has been designed with a broad audience in mind—while being “…of great value to scholars, the translations are accessible to nonspecialists as well, and thus should allow a wide audience to gain access to the treasures of the Tibetan tradition” (Georges Dreyfus, Williams College). The series includes the works of many great Tibetan teachers, philosophers, scholars, and practitioners, representing all major Tibetan school and traditions. It is our privilege to play a part in the preservation and sharing of their invaluable writings, with their ability to teach, enrich, and inspire. With eight volumes published and several in the works, we are in the midst of an extraordinary journey, and we would like to invite you to join us.
“I have no doubt that, when combined with the methods and insights of modern science, the Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage and knowledge will help foster a more enlightened and compassionate human society, a humanity that is at peace with itself, with fellow sentient beings, and with the natural world at large.”
—His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
We welcome donations of any size. With a donation of $2,000 or more, you will become a Subscribing Benefactor, and your name will be listed in future volumes of the series. You will receive a gift copy of each future volume, and will be able to purchase published volumes at a 50% discount. We have funded much of the Library from our general operating revenues, and are also immensely grateful to all the generous supporters who have helped make the series possible, helping us to advance this mission-oriented work.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to become a supporter of Tibet’s cultural legacy. The remarkable depth and breadth of that legacy finds the expression it deserves in this series—and while it may be contained in thirty-two volumes, its potential for good in the world is boundless.
Classics of Indian Buddhism
Wisdom’s Classics of Indian Buddhism is a landmark translation series devoted to making the wealth of classical Indian Buddhism accessible to modern readers. Each title is vetted by leading scholars with the assistance of an active editorial board. Carefully reviewed to meet the highest standards of reliability and readability, these classic works explore the full extent of the human condition and the limits of language and reason, and have the power to edify and intrigue a wide variety of readers.
To date, Wisdom has published two volumes in the Classics of Indian Buddhism series: Andy Rotman’s translation of part I of the Divyāvadāna, the Divine Stories, and Mark Siderits and Shoryu Katsura’s Nagarjuna’s Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā). The Divine Stories “…are to the Buddhist tradition what the Arabian Nights is to the Arabic, an ocean of stories from which Buddhist storytellers and artists throughout Asia drew their inspiration. The translation—precise, elegant, vernacular—flows clear as water in a mountain stream” (Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago).
“At last! At last we have a translation of the Madhyamakakarikas that can be enthusiastically recommended to students! This translation is sensitive to text-critical issues, felicitous, academically rigorous, and it incorporates a useful introduction with an admirable and philosophically sensitive summary of Nagarjuna’s intellectual background and method. This translation has the authentic flavour of Nagarjuna. It should certainly become the first translation of choice for all English language work on the Madhyamakakarikas in the foreseeable future.”
—Paul Williams, Emeritus Professor of Indian and Tibetan Philosophy, University of Bristol, author of Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition
We welcome donations of any size, and thank you for considering this opportunity to help preserve and share the treasures of India’s literary heritage. The stories and teachings contained in the Classics of Indian Buddhism series offer a wealth of inspiration and wisdom as vibrant in today’s world as they were two and a half millennia ago in the land of the Buddha.