E. Gene Smith Library

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CREATING A DIGITAL PATH TO TIBETAN LITERATUREThe Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center is dedicated to the preservation, organization and dis-semination of Tibetan literature. Using the latest digital technologies, TBRC is ensuring that the treasures of this incredible body of literature will never be lost.

A VITAL CULTURE IS DISPERSED

In the middle of the 20th century, in response to turmoil in their homeland, the Tibetan people began a painstak-ing passage from Tibet, a Himalayan region in China. They traveled far and wide, set up makeshift communities, and began the process of rebuilding their lives.What was a tragedy for one people, however, has been a magnificent gift to the world. For when the Tibetans left their homeland they carried with them more than Old World customs. They carried dynamic, living traditions that have touched the lives of people all over the world. This vitality is captured in the great literature of the Tibetan peo-ple, but as those people scatter across the globe, the treasures contained in that literature are in danger of being lost forever.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO PRESERVE TIBET'S LITERATURE

In 1999, Gene Smith founded the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC) to preserve and

make available Tibetan literature. TBRC specializes in digital preservation that is based on the internet, so that Tibetan masters, scholars, translators, and all interested readers, wherever they are located, have access to the full range of Tibetan literature. In order to realize this vision, TBRC: -Digitally preserves literature so that it can never be lost. -Catalogs and organizes texts into a modern digital library so that they are easy to find. -Actively seeks out rare and undiscovered literature. Disseminates the library online and to remote locations so that anyone can read, print, or share texts.

Maitreya - Rubin Museum of Art

Through the generous patronage of our supporters, we at TBRC have made tremendous progress. We have greatly expanded our original collection and developed cutting-edge technology that preserves and distributes it. With Gene's insight and stewardship, TBRC is now a modern Tibetan library unlike any that has existed before.

"It's like someone has surprised me with the greatest treasure trove, real treasure. My grandfather taught me and I've felt myself [...] that if we could just save the books we would have what we needed [...] Now we have them and I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Z. Altangerel, Head of Khamar Monastery, Mongolia

OPENING THE VAST TIBETAN TRADITION

The Tibetan literary heritage stretches back more than 1,300 years. Its influence is seen throughout the Himalayan region from Nepal, Bhutan, India, China, and Mongolia to as far west as modern-day Iran. While general knowledge about Tibetan cultural and religious life is common today, few have plumbed the depths of the literature, and much remains to be discovered.

Tibetan monks at the banks of Lake Yilung Lhatso - Matthieu Ricard

The heart of TBRC's mission is to seek out texts and gather them in a single place. The Tibetan literary heritage is immense and includes traditional medicine, astrology, astronomy, alchemy, art, history, geography, biography, grammar, folk culture, poetics, and extensive philosophical and religious treatises.

However, while TBRC estimates that it holds 80 percent of the best-known texts, this is perhaps only 25 percent of the total writings by Tibetan masters. As lost libraries are unearthed, TBRC receives and preserves them, in an effort to make whole an immense body of literature that has been broken apart.

"It was the books that first drew people closer to trying to find out what Tibetan culture is really all about, what Tibetan Buddhism is really all about, but, of course, there are many more books."Leonard van der Kuijp, Harvard University

BUILDING A DIGITAL HOME

Digital preservation is the basis of TBRC. We now scan more than one million pages a year at our two scanning centers in New York and New Delhi and have scanned more than six million pages since the founding of TBRC.

The preservation process is labor intensive. To create a digital text, TBRC scans the ink-print copy one page at a time. Each page is then reviewed to ensure that it is legible. As pages are scanned and checked, they are published into a digital library.

The result is a library that is secure, error-free, and accessible. At the current rate, the original TBRC collection and a majority of our acquired texts will be scanned in 10 year's time. After that, ongoing work will be required to capture newly discovered literature, develop and deepen access to our library, and upgrade systems to keep pace with the latest technology.

Lhasa, Tibet - Lois Conner MAPPING THE TIBETAN MIND

The literary heritage of Tibet is a living oral tradition based on the transmission of texts from one generation to the next. Throughout Tibetan history, kings and great lamas sustained these tradi-tions by assembling woodblock texts and manuscripts in monastic and institutional libraries. To-day, these libraries continue to support the oral and textual traditions and, in turn, protect their continuity.

TBRC faithfully captures the richness of the literary traditions. As standard library practices can not adequately classify Tibetan texts, TBRC developed new methods to address their unique con-figuration. These methods create a map of the structure, intent, and historical context of the litera-ture. Scholars continually update and improve these maps, add detailed information, and in the process create a vital and enduring Tibetan library.

Procession to Khamar Monastery, Mongolia. Restoring the Khamar Monastery Library from digital scans provided by TBRC. - Photo by David Lunsford

ENSURING GLOBAL ACCESS

TBRC preserves literature, but ultimately it is a community that sustains a tradition. In order for that to be possible, people must have access to the literature. TBRC estimates that there are rough-ly 1,000 monasteries and more than 250,000 monks, nuns, lamas, lay practitioners and interested readers who could benefit from direct access to the TBRC Library. This interest will increase over time as more individuals discover the literature.

Toward this goal, TBRC is building a library that provides:

-Password access through a public website.-A special subscription program for university scholars and academics that provides access within institutional settings.-Hard drive installations for monasteries in areas where internet connections are not available.-Access for holders of Tibet's wisdom traditions wherever they may be.

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