Buddhist Classics AI Translation Series Vol.6: Jonang Collected Works (Tibetan-Chinese-English, 觉囊法汇 v2.1)

This is **Volume 6** of the comprehensive *Buddhist Classics AI Translation Series*, featuring the **Jonang Collected Works** (*Jo nang pa'i gsung 'bum*, 觉囊法汇), a compilation of texts from the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism.

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## Important Notice: Copyright Restrictions

**This volume excludes one collection due to copyright limitations:**

- **Excluded**: *Collected Works of Ngawang Yonten Zangpo* (阿旺云登桑布全集, 1928-2002)
  - **Reason**: Copyright valid until 2052 (50 years post-mortem)
  - **Availability**: Private distribution upon request via project forum (http://www.xinwenwuzhe.com/)
  - **Status**: Translated but not publicly released

**Included in this volume**: 82 volumes, ~1,560 texts, ~15 million Chinese characters (excluding Ngawang Yonten Zangpo: ~8 volumes, ~1 million characters)

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## About the Jonang School

The **Jonang** (Jo nang pa, 觉囊派) is a distinctive school of Tibetan Buddhism, founded in the **Song Dynasty** (11th century) by **Yumo Mikyo Dorje** (裕莫·弥觉多杰). The name derives from the Jomonang valley (觉摩囊) in Lhatse County, Shigatse, Tibet.

**Historical Context**:
- **Geographic location**: Near India-Tibet trade routes, facilitating continuous access to Indian Buddhist texts
- **Economic support**: Border tribes, occasionally central Tibetan governments
- **Social context**: Region with ancient matrilineal tribal traditions
- **Doctrinal uniqueness**: Preserved rare Indian Buddhist lineages, especially Kālacakra and *zhentong* (Other-Emptiness) view

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### **Core Teachings**

**1. Tathāgatagarbha (如来藏, Buddha-Nature)**:
- **All phenomena inherently pure**: Even afflictions mask underlying buddha-nature
- **Universal potential**: Every sentient being possesses latent enlightenment
- **Inspirational doctrine**: Provides hope and motivation for practitioners

**2. Zhentong (他空见, Other-Emptiness)**:
- **Contrast with Rangtong** (自空见, Self-Emptiness, Gelug/Sakya view):
  - Rangtong: All phenomena empty of inherent existence
  - **Zhentong**: Ultimate reality (buddha-nature) is NOT empty of its own qualities, only "empty of other" (defilements)
- **Philosophical synthesis**: Integrates Yogācāra (唯识) and Madhyamaka (中观)
- **Controversial history**: Led to disputes  in 17th century

**3. Kālacakra System** (时轮金刚):
- **Six-Branch Yoga** (*ṣaḍaṅgayoga*, 六支瑜伽): Advanced completion-stage practices
- **Astronomy and astrology**: Integrated into ritual and meditation
- **Prophetic literature**: *Kālacakra Tantra*'s predictions about future ages

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### **Historical Development**

**Early Period (11th-14th centuries)**:
- **Yumo Mikyo Dorje** (裕莫·弥觉多杰, 11th century): Founder, systematized Six-Branch Yoga
- **Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen** (笃布巴·喜饶坚赞, 1292-1361): Codified *zhentong* view, built Jonang Great Stupa

**Golden Age (14th-17th centuries)**:
- **Jetsün Tāranātha** (杰尊·多罗那他, 1575-1634): Prolific author, historian, last major Jonang master in Central Tibet
- **Ming Dynasty connections**: Jonang Monastery fundraised from Sakya's Chinese teachers for stupa construction
- **Intellectual peak**: Preserved late Indian Buddhist tantras (10th-13th century materials)

**Suppression and Survival (17th-18th centuries)**:
- **1650s**: forcibly converted Jonang monasteries 

**Modern Revival (20th-21st centuries)**:
- **1980s**: Post-Cultural Revolution religious freedom; Jonang re-emerges in Amdo
- **1990s**: Jonang texts published; Dzamthang Monastery (扎唐寺) becomes center
- **21st century**: Original Jonang Monastery (Shigatse) reclaimed by Jonang lineage
- **Global interest**: Zhentong philosophy resonates with Chinese Buddhism (Tathāgatagarbha already mainstream)

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## Dataset Scope and Structure

### **Source Editions**

**Primary**: **Adarsha Digital Library** (古文新映, https://adarsha.org)
- **Editorial quality**: 1990s critical edition supervised by Ngawang Yonten Zangpo (云登桑布, Jonang throne-holder)
- **Textual scholarship**: Cross-referenced all available woodblock editions
- **Status**: "Electronic rare edition" (电子善本)

**Supplementary** (Version 2.0):
- **Shentong Writings Foundation** (胜义图书馆): Provided by two Beijing contributors
- **Ghalung Monastery edition** (噶隆寺版): Recommended by Dr. Li Jianing (Rinchen Gonpo, 李佳宁/仁青贡布), renowned Tibetan-Chinese translator

**Cross-Referenced in Other Volumes**:
- **Volume 11 (Nyingma-Kagyu)**: Contains scattered Tāranātha texts (alternative editions)
- **Four versions of Tāranātha's works** total (including this volume)

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### **Structural Organization**

**82 volumes, ~1,560 texts** (excluding Ngawang Yonten Zangpo):

1. **Yumo Mikyo Dorje** (裕莫·弥觉多杰): Kālacakra, Six-Branch Yoga
2. **Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen** (笃布巴·喜饶坚赞): *Mountain Dharma* (*ri chos*), zhentong treatises
3. **Jetsün Tāranātha** (多罗那他): Histories (*Seven Instruction Lineages*, *History of Buddhism in India*), tantric commentaries
4. **Minor masters**: Lodrö Chökyi Gyaltsen, Künga Drolchok, etc.
5. **Polemical works**: Debates with Gelug, Sakya on zhentong
6. **Practice manuals**: Kālacakra sādhanas, Mahāmudrā instructions
7. **Historical chronicles**: Lineage transmissions, monastery histories

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### **Version 2.0 Enhancements**

**Major Upgrade from Version 1.0**:
- **Complete C3.7 (Claude 3.7) translations**: Chinese only
- **Complete G2.0 (Gemini 2.0) translations**: Chinese-English parallel
- **Multiple source editions**: Adarsha + Shentong Writings + Ghalung cross-referenced
- **Gap-filling**: Missing sections in original Tāranātha C3.5 translation completed with C3.7

**Translation Model Distribution**:
- **Dolpopa**: Adarsha (C3.7 + G2.0), Shentong Writings (G2.0), Ghalung (G2.0)
- **Tāranātha**: Adarsha (C3.5 + C3.7 + G2.0), Shentong Writings (G2.0), Ghalung (G2.0), plus excerpts in Vol.11
- **Other masters**: Adarsha (C3.7 + G2.0)

**Rationale for Multiple Versions**:
> "The solution to mistranslations and skipped segments is to retranslate completely using different AI models. When readers encounter questionable passages or untranslated sections, alternative versions provide cross-reference and interpretive channels. While some G2.0 translations show regression in precision, and new C3.7 versions show progress in expression, this comparative arrangement enables effective user-participated upgrades."

### **Tāranātha's Legacy**

**As Historian**:
- ***History of Buddhism in India*** (印度佛教史): **Only detailed account** of post-7th century Indian Buddhism
- **Comparable to Xuanzang's *Great Tang Records***: Primary source for lost Indian Buddhist history
- **Modern scholarship**: Essential reference for Pāla dynasty Buddhism (8th-12th century)

**As Last Tengyur Translator**:
- **Tāranātha is the final non-grammatical author in Tengyur** (see Volume 5)
- **Systematic review**: Commented on all Anuttarayoga tantras in New Translation tradition
- **Linguistic analysis**: Attempted comprehensive synthesis of Sanskrit-Tibetan-Chinese Buddhist terminology (see Vol.6, Tāranātha's linguistic treatises)

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## Translation Methodology

### **AI Models and Quality Tiers**

**Version 1.0 (February 2025)**:
- **Claude 3.5 Sonnet**: Tāranātha's works
- **Workflow issue**: High API rejection rate (discontinued mid-project)
- **Emergency pivot**: Switched to Gemini 2.0 Flash (February 6, 2025)

**Unexpected Feature**:
- **Bilingual output**: G2.0F spontaneously generated Chinese-English parallel translations
- **Timing**: Coincided with Google AI system upgrade (February 6, 2025)
- **Decision**: Retained bilingual format (beneficial for international Jonang community)

**Version 2.0 (September 2025)**:
- **Claude 3.7 Sonnet**: Complete Chinese-only translations (all texts)
- **Gemini 2.0**: Complete Chinese-English parallel translations (all texts)
- **Cross-edition validation**: Multiple Tibetan sources for Dolpopa and Tāranātha

**Translation Quality Issues**:
- **G2.0 occasional skips**: Entire paragraphs sometimes untranslated
- **User responsibility**: Readers must use AI to fill gaps themselves
- **No editorial corrections**: Project scope precludes manual fixes

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### **Recommended Reading Sequence**

**For Beginners**:
1. **Bodong Chöklé Namgyal** (博东·却勒南杰):
   - *Profound Path Initial Guidance* (choglenamgyal0603_深道初善引导文.c3.7s.txt)
   - **Content**: Basic distinctions for newcomers to zhentong view

2. **Künga Yeshe Gyatso** (贡噶耶喜嘉措):
   - *Commentary on the Great Madhyamaka of the Highest Vehicle* (yeshegyatsho0101_无上大乘广大中观决择释注疏)
   - **Content**: Explains "Great Madhyamaka" (大中观) terminology (origin of modern usage)

3. **Zhentong-Tathāgatagarbha Core Texts**:
   - *Sugatagarbha* (善逝藏性, this volume)
   - *Commentary on the *Guhyagarbha* Tantra* (经幻心注疏, Volume 11)
   - **Purpose**: Understand Jonang interpretation of Tathāgatagarbha doctrine

**For Advanced Study**:
- **Tāranātha on linguistics** (taranatha0505 and related texts):
  - **Content**: Retrospective analysis of Buddhist language systems
  - **Challenge**: Applying Sanskrit-Tibetan models to Chinese context requires extensive research
  - **Caution**: "Previous explorations cannot be directly transplanted to Chinese contexts; requires collaborative efforts"

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## Critical Content and Editorial Policy

### **Philosophical Complexity**

**Zhentong as "Third Way"**:
- **Not nihilism** : Ultimate reality is positively existent
- **Not eternalism** (non-Buddhist views): Buddha-nature is empty of defilements
- **Synthesis**: Combines Yogācāra (consciousness analysis) + Madhyamaka (emptiness logic)

**Chinese Buddhist Resonance**:
- **Huayan-Tathāgatagarbha**: Jonang view parallels Chinese *Awakening of Faith* (*Dasheng qixin lun*)
- **Chan-Zhentong**: "Original enlightenment" (*benjue*) doctrine similar to zhentong
- **Modern interest**: Jonang texts increasingly studied in Chinese academia

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### **Historical Limitations**

**From Volume 1 Preface Principles**:
> "Whether ancient texts or modern translations, all have historical limitations. Readers should maintain integrity (*shengshou benxin*, 慎守本心), modesty without flattery (*qianyi wuchan*, 谦抑无谄), and natural transcendence (*ziran chaotuo*, 自然超脱)."

**Applied to Jonang Texts**:

- **Tantric secrecy claims**: Modern AI translation era requires reassessment of "oral-only" instructions
- **Historical figures**: Use internal text accounts, not hagiography, for biographical accuracy

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### **Quality and Limitations**

**What This Translation Is**:
- ✅ **First complete Jonang corpus in any modern language**
- ✅ **Multiple editions cross-referenced**: Enables textual criticism
- ✅ **Bilingual access**: Chinese-English parallel (most texts)

**What This Translation Is Not**:
- ❌ **Polished literary edition**: AI errors, skipped segments
- ❌ **Authoritative doctrinal guide**: Requires qualified teacher interpretation
- ❌ **Complete collection**: Ngawang Yonten Zangpo excluded (copyright)

**User Advisory**:
- **Scholarly work**: Verify against Tibetan sources
- **Practice guidance**: Consult Jonang lamas for empowerments and instructions
- **Personal study**: Compare C3.7 vs. G2.0 versions for clarity
- **Copyright respect**: Contact project for private access to Ngawang Yonten Zangpo texts

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## Technical Specifications

- **Total size**: ~15 million characters (Chinese, excluding Ngawang Yonten Zangpo)
- **English parallel**: ~8 million words (G2.0 versions)
- **Text count**: ~1,560 treatises (82 volumes)
- **File formats**: Plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md), compressed archives (.7z)
- **Encoding**: UTF-8
- **Metadata**: Tibetan source, author, volume/text numbers, translation model

**File Naming Convention**:
- Format: `[Author_ID][Text_Number]_[Title].[Model].txt`
- Example: `taranatha0505_印度佛教史.c3.5s.txt` (Tāranātha, text 505, Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
- Models: `c3.5s` (Claude 3.5), `c3.7s` (Claude 3.7), `g2.0` (Gemini 2.0)

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## Ngawang Yonten Zangpo: The Excluded Collection

### **Why Excluded**

**Legal Status**:
- **Lifespan**: 1928-2002 (died 22 years ago)
- **Copyright expires**: 2052 (50 years post-mortem, PRC law)
- **Unclear public domain status**: Adarsha source attribution ambiguous
- **Cannot obtain permission**: Copyright holder contact unknown

**Editorial Decision**:
> "I possess the red hardcover printed edition of Throne-Holder Yondên's works. Given his immense contributions during his lifetime, I could not bear to leave his writings untranslated. They were indeed processed by AI, but temporarily removed from the Jonang Collected Works public release."

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### **How to Access**

**Private Distribution**:
1. Visit project forum: http://www.xinwenwuzhe.com/
2. Leave email address in designated thread
3. Receive files as "personal reference materials" (私人参考)

**Legal Disclaimer**:
- **Not commercial distribution**: Free provision for academic/practice use
- **Recipient responsibility**: Users assume legal liability for use
- **Future resolution**: May be publicly released in 2052 or if heirs grant permission

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### **About Ngawang Yonten Zangpo**

**Life and Work**:
- **Jonang throne-holder** (觉囊总法台): Supreme authority of modern Jonang school
- **1990s critical edition**: Supervised woodblock printing at Dzamthang Tsangwa Monastery (藏哇寺清净法佛学院)
- **Scholarly rigor**: Cross-referenced all available Jonang manuscripts
- **Legacy**: Revived Jonang scholarship after Cultural Revolution

**Works (8 volumes, ~100 texts)**:
- Kālacakra commentaries
- Zhentong philosophical treatises
- Liturgical manuals
- Historical supplements to Tāranātha

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## Historical Significance

### **First Complete Jonang Corpus in Modern Language**

**Previous Accessibility**:
- **English**: ~5-10 texts (e.g., Cyrus Stearns' *Mountain Doctrine* translation)
- **Chinese**: Tāranātha's *History of Buddhism in India* + *Praise Recitation Collection* (多氏念诵集)
- **Coverage**: <5% of total Jonang literature

**This Volume's Contribution**:
- **~95% previously untranslated** into any modern language
- **Enables comparative study**: Jonang vs. Gelug, Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma
- **Rescues marginalized tradition**: Jonang was nearly lost to history

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### **Relevance to Global Buddhism**

**Chinese Buddhism**:
- **Tathāgatagarbha mainstream**: Jonang view aligns with *Awakening of Faith*, *Śrīmālā Sūtra*
- **Huayan resonance**: "Buddha-nature as positive reality" parallels Fazang's philosophy
- **Modern revival**: Post-1980s interest in  Tibetan schools

**Western Buddhism**:

- **Practice applications**: Kālacakra and Six-Branch Yoga increasingly taught
- **Interfaith dialogue**: Jonang view bridges Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna divide

**Tibetan Buddhism**:
- **Nyingma parallels**: Dzogchen and zhentong share "luminous awareness" emphasis
- **Kagyu connections**: Mahāmudrā and Kālacakra cross-fertilization

In the G2.0 translation edition (volumes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, etc.) produced between July and November 2025, approximately 1% (a very small proportion) of the text contains entire paragraphs that were accidentally omitted in translation.To address this issue, we have written a dedicated program to perform electronic collation and supplementary translation. As of November 26, 2025, this remedial work has not yet been fully completed.Under normal circumstances, the upgraded complete volumes will first be released at:
https://huggingface.co/datasets/ospx1u/buddhist-classics-vol1-12/tree/main  and subsequently published on zenodo.org.
Other data repositories will be updated on a case-by-case basis or may not be updated at all.