The Kanjur contains Buddha's teachings; the Tanjur holds commentaries. Both were organized from Sanskrit texts translated into Tibetan starting in the 7th century.
The Tibetan Buddhist Canon divides into two main collections. The Kanjur (pronounced "kahn-joor") means "Translation of the Word" and contains teachings attributed directly to the Buddha. The Tanjur (pronounced "tahn-joor") means "Translation of Teachings" and comprises commentaries, philosophical treatises, and instructional texts written by Indian Buddhist masters and Tibetan scholars.
Together they form the most comprehensive Buddhist scriptural collection in any single language tradition. The Kanjur typically runs to 108 volumes, while the Tanjur extends to around 213 volumes, though exact numbers vary between different editions and printings.
The Tibetan Canon grew from a massive translation project spanning roughly seven centuries. Beginning in the 7th century during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo, Buddhist texts arrived in Tibet from India written in Sanskrit. Early translators like Thonmi Sambhota developed a Tibetan script specifically to render these texts accurately.
The translation movement intensified during the reign of King Trisong Detsen in the 8th century, when both Indian masters and Tibetan scholars systematically converted Sanskrit Buddhist literature into Tibetan. This "earlier translation period" (snga dar) continued through the 10th century, then resumed more vigorously in the 11th century as the "later translation period" (phyi dar). By the 14th century, enough material existed that formal canonization became necessary.
The Canon's formal organization occurred gradually. Tibetan Buddhist traditions maintained different versions based on which texts they considered authoritative, but the project gained coherence under Tibetan patronage. The most influential standardized edition, the Jangchub Sempa edition, emerged in 14th-century Tibet.
The first complete printed Tibetan Canon was the Jebtsundamba edition, commissioned in Beijing in 1684-1707. The Narthang edition (1730s) and the Derge edition (1730s) followed, each becoming canonical for different Tibetan regions and schools. These printed versions established the Kanjur-Tanjur division as standard, though some variations persist. The Peking edition, printed in the 18th century, represents another major version used internationally.
The Kanjur contains several categories of the Buddha's teachings. The Vinaya Pitaka covers monastic discipline across multiple texts. The Sutras (discourses) occupy the largest section, organized by length rather than chronology. These include the Pali canon equivalents rendered into Tibetan, plus Mahayana sutras emphasizing bodhisattva ideals, such as the Lotus Sutra and Heart Sutra.
The Kanjur also includes the Abhidharma (Buddhist philosophy and psychology), tantric texts central to Tibetan Buddhism, and additional ritual materials. Notably, the Kanjur incorporates more Mahayana and tantric material than earlier Buddhist canons, reflecting the specific branch of Buddhism that developed in Tibet.
The Tanjur preserves Indian Buddhist scholarship that would otherwise be lost. It contains philosophical commentaries on sutras by major Indian masters like Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, and Dharmakīrti. These texts explain doctrine, defend Buddhist positions against rival schools, and develop sophisticated logical and epistemological arguments.
Beyond philosophical works, the Tanjur includes practical guides on meditation, ethics, and ritual. It contains grammatical treatises, scientific texts on medicine and mathematics translated from Sanskrit, and instructions specific to tantric practice. The Tanjur thus preserves not only Buddhist philosophy but broader Indian intellectual traditions that were translated into Tibetan.
The Kanjur-Tanjur division created a usable framework distinguishing authoritative Buddha-word from subsequent interpretation, though this distinction sometimes blurs in practice. Tibetan schools—Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Sakya—all recognize the Canon's authority, though they emphasize different texts and interpret them through their own philosophical traditions.
The Nyingma school maintains its own separate Canon including older texts excluded from later editions. Modern scholarship increasingly recognizes these Tibetan translations as invaluable historical sources for understanding Indian Buddhism, since many original Sanskrit texts survived only in Tibetan form. Today, the Kanjur and Tanjur remain the foundation of Tibetan Buddhist study and practice.