Tibetan Studies Resources

On-line Indexes & Journals for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies

Archived Indexes for Tibetan Studies

These journals have been indexed (in varying degrees of completeness) by the online Bibliography of Asian Studies (maintained by the Association for Asian Studies) and can be browsed by following the links below. The journals and numerous Tibet related titles are fully searchable by using the search link on the BAS page. Note: access to the BAS database requires library subscription.

The Tibet Journal (Dharamsala)

Tibet Society Bulletin (Bloomington, IN)

Tibet Society Newsletter (Bloomington, IN)

Tibet Studies (Lhasa)

Tibetan Review (New Delhi)

Tibeto-Burman Studies (Tokyo)

On-line Journals

International Journal of Tantric Studies (Politecnico di Milano,Italy)
"Since August 1, 1995 we promote the scholalry study of Tantrism in Sanskrit, Tibetan, Japanese, etc. This includes ions, editions, papers on medicine, chemistry, astronomy, history of Tantrism, and so on."

Journal of Buddhist Ethics

The Tibet Journal (U.Virginia)
This page provides the table of contents for issues from 1995-2000

Tibet Review

Tibet Bulletin (Dharamsala)
The official journal of the Central Tibetan Administration of H.H. the Dalai Lama

return to index

Libraries, Databases, and Bibliographies

Libraries and collections with significant Tibetan Holdings

Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC) (Cambridge)
"The Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center is a not-for-profit venture dedicated to creating and maintaining a digital archive of Tibetan literature, sharing that archive with as large an audience as possible, and coordinating efforts with other Tibetan archiving projects." The flagship project of E. Gene Smith.

N epal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (NGMPP) (Hamburg & Kathmandu)
"The Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (NGMPP) was founded in 1970 under an agreement between His Majesty's Government of Nepal and the German Oriental Society, and is financed by the German Research Council (DFG). The Project was established to preserve Nepal's extraordinary wealth of old manuscripts and historical documents on microfilm. The text material encompasses the various branches of Hindu and Buddhist literature, and is thus of significance far beyond the boundaries of Nepal. A number of the manuscripts filmed represent the oldest, or even the only preserved copy of a work."

Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (Dharamsala)
"The primary objective of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives is to provide a comprehensive cultural resource centre and to promote an environment fostering research and an exchange of knowledge between scholars and students."

Columbia University

Harvard University

Library of Congress

Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library
"The Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library is creating an international information community based on the geographical, cultural and linguistic regions associated with Tibetan and Himalayan culture." Maintained through the University of Virginia

Bonpo Textual Collection (Rice University)
"The Bönpo Textual Collection is an electronic and collaborative project aiming at the reproduction, analysis, interpretation, and translation (as appropriate) of Tibetan literature in the indigenous Bönpo tradition." Being developed in collaboration with the Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library.

On-line databases relevent to Tibetan and Buddhist Studies

ACIP-Asian Classics Input Project
"The mission of the Asian Classics Input Project is to save the disappearing books containing the great ideas of the Eastern half of humanity and then make these books and ideas accessible to the world at large."

Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library

Nitartha International
"Nitartha international, the home for digital Tibetan, is dedicated to preserving the ancient educational heritage of Tibet with modern personal computer technologies and educational facilities."

Tibetan Studies WWW Virtual Library

SARAI-South Asia Resource Access on the Internet

Digital South Asia Library (U. Chicago)

Bibliographies for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies

Annotated Bibliography of Articles and Books about Bon (Jeruselam)
Articles and Books about Bon in English, French and German, but also including some recent articles from Tibetan-language periodicals. Compiled by Dan Martin

Proceedings of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (PIATS)

Zhang Zhung-English Dictionary: on-line version, or PDF file
Compiled by Dan Martin.

Bibliography of Asian Studies (Ann Arbor)
Maintained by the Association for Asian Studies, this bibliography contains references from over 100 Asian Studies journals.

return to index

Tibetan Book Publishers and Distributors

Amnye Machen Institute Publications (Dharamsala)
This Center for Advanced Tibetan Studies is one of the leading institutions for the study of Tibetan language, history and culture, with an emphasis on non-Buddhist traditions. Publications include the World Literature Translation Series, the Tibetan Literature Series, the Occupied Tibet Series, as well as numerous journals in English and Tibetan and several excellent maps of Tibet.

Dharma Publications (Berkeley, CA)

Motilal Banarsidass (New Delhi)

Namse Bangdzo Bookstore (Woodstock, NY)
The bookstore of Karma Triyana Dharmacakra, seat the H. H. the Karmapa in North America

Rangjung Yeshe Publications

Saujanya Books (New Delhi)
A leading distributor of Tibetan works published in South Asia, many of which are now out of print.

Serindia Publications

Shambhala Publications (Boston)

Snowlion Publications (Ithica)

Wisdom Publications (Boston)

return to index

Tibet Cultural Studies

Amnye Machen Institute (AMI) (Dharamsala)
This Center for Advanced Tibetan Studies is one of the leading institutions for the study of Tibetan language, history and culture, with an emphasis on non-Buddhist traditions.

China Exploration & Research Society (CERS) and Kham Aid Foundation
Programs working to preserve art and architecture in Eastern Tibet

The Himalayan Art Project
An excellent collection of Himalayan paintings (as well as some photographs). Flash interactive and fully searchable

Institute for Tibetan Classics
"The Institute is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of classical Tibetan thought and culture."

Joshua Project 2000-Christian Missionary Activities in Tibet
Information on the goals, activities, strategies and documentation of missionary organizations in Tibet

Maps and Images of Tibet (Australian National University)
Part of the Tibetan Studies WWW Virtual Library

Norbulingka Institute (Dharamsala)
Institute founded in 1988 by the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration in an effort to promote and preserve Tibetan culture in exile

The Shalu Association
"The Shalu Association is a not-for-profit organisation, founded in 1994. Our aim is to help protect the Cultural Heritage of Tibet and restore important sites, especially those in urgent need of conservation. During the first three years (1994-1996) we have concentrated on structural restoration in order to save fine buildings, such as the Namseling Manor or Rithang Monastery, or to save important early wall paintings and stucco images, as in the five monasteries of Drongkhar, Shalu, Gongkar, Drathang, and Yemar. Our projects in Rithang, Drongkhar and Yemar have been successfully completed

Shang Shung Institute (Conway,MA)
"The purpose of the Shang Shung Institute is to foster the knowledge and development of Tibetan cultural traditions, encouraging cooperation among interested groups and individuals, thus keeping alive the essential values of these traditions."

Tibet Heritage Fund & The Lhasa Archive Project
The Tibet Heritage Fund (THF) has worked to preserve and renovate historic buildings in the heart of old Lhasa. THF is dedicated to 1) Protection of the inner city as a living historic area (halting the ongoing demolition of old houses); 2) Preserving knowledge of traditional architecture, organising training programmes for traditional construction and restoration, enhancing local knowledge by introduction of international technical experience; 3) Protection of Tibetan art by running a wall- painting restoration training programme; 4) Upgrading the living conditions in the historic inner city; 5) Running an environmental health programme that includes safe water supply, solutions for sewage and solid waste disposal, and a hygiene education project; 6) Local community involvement in rehabilitation and maintenance projects

Tibet Information Network
One of the best sources for up-to-date information about the contemporaru situation inside Tibet, mostly gathered by recent visitors

Tibet Map Institute
A collection of 32 maps covering Central and Southern Tibet

Tibet University (Lhasa)
Tibet University in Lhasa offers courses in Tibetan language and culture to foreign students throughout the year and during the summer.

The Government of Tibet in Exile (London)
The official site of the Tibetan Government in Exile, maintained by the Office of Tibet in London. For a directory of offices in the Tibetan Administration and non-governmental organizations, click here

World Tibet News (Toronto)
Published by the Canada Tibet Committe, World Tibet News (WTN) culls Tibet-related news from sources around the world. They provide a daily email service by subscription and they maintain an archive of more than 1200 articles dating back to 1992. To Subscribe: Send email to listserv@lists.mcgill.ca with the message: SUB WTN-L <your name>

return to index

Tibetan Language Tools and Fonts

Tibetan Computer Company

Tibetan Language Institute (Los Angeles)
Established by David Curtis, the TLI offers Tibetan language courses as well as study materials.

Software & Fonts for Tibetan and Dzongkha

Yamada Language Center Tibetan WWW Guide (U. of Oregon)

Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (U.C. Berkeley)
"STEDT is the Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus, a research project at the University of California at Berkeley. It is directed by Professor James Matisoff of Berkeley's Linguistics Department, and administered through the International and Area Studies division. Our goal is the publication of an etymological dictionary of Proto-Sino-Tibetan (PST), the ancestor language of the large Sino-Tibetan language family."

Himalayan Language Project (Leiden University)
The Himalayan Languages Project of Leiden University is a programme of ongoing linguistic research on hitherto undescribed and little known languages indigenous to the Himalayan region.

Tibetan-English Dictionary On-line (Rangjung Yeshe Publ.)

return to index

Buddhist Studies Resources

Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library
One of the most complete listing of on-line resources for Buddhist studies

Resources for the Study of East Asian Language and Thought
Maintained by Charles Muller, this site containts a multitide of resorces including an extensive dictionary of East Asian Buddhist terminology.

BuddhaNet Buddhist Information Network

Vajrayana Buddhist Links
A list of links to Vajrayana Buddhist sites organized by order affiliation

Quiet Mountain Tibetan Buddhist Resource Guide
A comprehensive listing of Tibetan Buddhist dharma centers around the world

return to index