Overview
This prosopographical database contains data collected by the TibSchol project team in its exploration of the formative phase of the Tibetan Buddhist scholastic tradition. Beyond the focus on scholastic works and related activities of composition and learning in the 11th to 13th c., data has been included that concerns later developments of individual textual traditions, non-scholastic texts, as well as scholars that were not involved in scholastic activities but operate as links enabling to put on the maps lesser-known figures. Beginning with the survey of manuscripts from the recently published bKa’ gdams gsung ’bum series, the database has expanded to incorporate further corpora and sources, including also records of lost works, to offer a more nuanced understanding of scholars’ endeavors in all their many facets. We strove to provide support for all relations between entities, which are documented in the database via textual excerpts from original sources (stored in our TEI repository) as well as secondary literature (listed in TibSchol Zotero group library).
Not all entries in the database have received the same amount of attention. Information in the database will keep being enhanced in the future and is supplemented by links to other databases in the field of Tibetan and Buddhist studies. Provided in particular are links the rich resources of the Buddhist Digital Archives (BUDA) of the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC); for epistemological works and their authors to EAST — “Epistemology and Argumentation in South Asia and Tibet”; and more generally for all Indian Buddhist canonical works, to the Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies (rKTs) database.
Entities and Relations
Entities
Instance
Entity
An "instance" is a specimen of a work, instantiated in particular in writing on a physical support (manuscript, blockprint, book, etc.). In addition to the work, the instance may freature paratextual and extra-textual elements. Multiple exemplars of the same edition of a printed book or multiple blockprints from the same carving blocks are not counted as distinct instances. Photocopies, scans, digital images and etexts are not recorded separately from the instance. Instances are not recorded for Indian works.
Person
Entity
The notion of "person" includes human beings, as well as Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and deities. The focus here is on scholars who lived in the 10th to the 15th century, who were involved in scholarly-related activities (teachers, students, scribes, donors, mansucript owners, etc.), or are linked the former in some capacity.
Place
Entity
A "place" consists in any kind of location in the human realm, with a focus on Tibetan regions, localities, and monasteries.
Work
Entity
A "work" is the abstract notion of an intellectual textual creation by one (or several) persons, irrespective of the version, language, form, etc. in which it is transmitted.
Relations
active at
arrows_outward
place of activity of
Relation
A person's activity at a place include teaching or studying, the composition of a work, the copy of a manuscript, as well as being abbot of a monastery. The location can also be a place of birth, death, or residency.
addressee of
arrows_outward
addressed to
Relation
The addressee is the explicit intended recipient of the work, for instance when the work is a letter, a set of questions to someone, or is composed for the sake of a specific person.
biographed in
arrows_outward
biography of
Relation
The notion of "biography" include life stories, hagiographies, etc. existing as individual works.
biographer of
arrows_outward
biographed by
Relation
Person who authored a biography of another person, or their own auto-biography.
commentary on
arrows_outward
has as a commentary
Relation
The notion of "commentary" encompasses several Tibetan genra, including topical outlines (the Tibetan genre known as "bsdus don" or "don bsdus"), concise guides, commentaries on the difficult points, etc.
composed at
arrows_outward
place of composition for
Relation
The location where a work was composed by the author. (Not to be confused with the place the instance of this work was first written down).
contains citations of
arrows_outward
is cited in
Relation
Records textual re-use in a work, which may consist in citation, paraphrase, or silent re-use.
copied at
arrows_outward
place of copy for
Relation
This relation applies exclusively to manuscript instances. It records where a text was copied from another source, or the place where a work was first committed to writing. (Not to be confused with the relation "work composed at place").
has as an instance
arrows_outward
instance of
Relation
The work is embodied into a particular textual specimen, for instance a manuscript.
has other relation with
arrows_outward
has other relation with
Relation
Persons who have a relation with an instance apart from being scribe/copyist or owners. This includes persons who did the folio numbering, annotators, and carvers of the blocks in the case of xylographs.
has source
arrows_outward
is source for
Relation
Relation between two instances, such that the latter instance is based on the former, notably, in this database: a manuscript copied from another manuscript, a modern printed edition based on a manuscript.
lineage predecessor of
arrows_outward
lineage successor of
Relation
Relation between two successive figures of a teaching lineage.
located within
arrows_outward
contains
Relation
Expresses the inclusion of a given location within a larger place or area.
ordinator of
arrows_outward
ordained by
Relation
Person who was active in some official capacity in the novice or final ordination of another person (e.g., "teacher" [slob dpon], "preceptor" [mkhan po], "secret preceptor" [gsang ston]).
other relation to
arrows_outward
other relation to
Relation
Other relation between two persons involving a shared space and timeline.
owner of
arrows_outward
owned by
Relation
Historical owner of the instance.
parent of
arrows_outward
child of
Relation
Father or mother of a person.
prompter of
arrows_outward
prompted by
Relation
Person who requests from a master the composition of a work. (See also Person "requests" Person)
quotes with name
arrows_outward
is quoted with name by
Relation
Intellectual relation attested by the reference, by the author of a work, to the views of another person whose name is explicitly mentioned.
quotes without name
arrows_outward
is quoted without name by
Relation
Intellectual relation attested by the reference, by the author of a work, to the views of another person whose name is not explicitly mentioned.
records the teaching of
arrows_outward
has their teaching recorded in
Relation
This relation pertains to works that claim to report the oral teachings of a person. This relation does not apply to works that merely claim to rely on the teaching of someone else.
requests
arrows_outward
requested by
Relation
Person who requests the composition of a work from a master. (See also Person "prompter of" Work)
scribe of
arrows_outward
copied by
Relation
This relation applies exclusively to manuscript instances. It records the person who copied a text from another source, or first committed a work to writing.
sibling of
arrows_outward
sibling of
Relation
Records any type of relation between persons sharing a parent.
sponsor of
arrows_outward
sponsored by
Relation
Person who supported the production of an instance, for instance by covering the costs of the paper.
student of
arrows_outward
teacher of
Relation
The student/teacher relation includes all types of relations involving transfer of knowledge. Disciples are assimilated to students.
studies
arrows_outward
studied by
Relation
Records a person's engagement with the study of a specific work. Note: only chosen works are being considered.
taught at
arrows_outward
place of teaching of
Relation
Records the location where a particular work was taught. Note: only chosen works are being considered.
teaches
arrows_outward
taught by
Relation
Records a person's engagement with the teaching of a specific work. Note: only chosen works are being considered.
translator of
arrows_outward
translated by
Relation
Person active in the translation of a work, typically from Sanskrit to Tibetan.
uncle of
arrows_outward
nephew of
Relation
Relation between a male figure and the son of his brother or his sister.
Attributes
Alternative Names
Records names, appellations, and nicknames of a person, as well as translations and alternative orthographies, in addition to the name elected for the field "name."
Availability
The instance of a work is - "available if the instance is presently extant and can be accessed. - "lost" if it is mentioned in a source but is not currently attested to be extant; for instance, the exemplar that was the source for a copy. - "non-accessible" if it is reported to be presently extant but no access to it is granted or its accessibility is restricted
Date
Date for "instance": the date the instance was produced; namely, the date a manuscript was copied, or the date a book was published. No date is approximated in the absence of an explicite date. Date for "place": the date a monastery or other institution was founded.
Date Of Composition
The date the work was composed. In the absence of an explicit date, the date is approximated as being at the earliest ten years after the author's birth and at the latest on the year of the author's passing.
Derge Reference
For Indian works whose Tibetan translation is part of the bKa' 'gyur or bsTan 'gyur, the reference to the number in the Tohoku catalogue of the sDe dge edition is provided in the form D# for the sake of convenience.
Drepung Catalogue Number
Number assigned to the item in 'Bras spungs dkar chag.
External Links
URL to an online resource pertaining to the entity. In particular, link to the Buddhist Digital Archives for shared entities. For Indian works, a link to the "Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies" platform is provided in place of instances.
Is Extant
The value of the "extant" field is - "true" if at least one instance is attested to exist presently (even if it is non-accessible). - "false" if no instance is attested to exist presently. - "unknown" in the case of undefined/undetermined works referred to in primary sources, and works whose status has not been assessed yet.
Item Description
For manuscripts, description of the item that may include script, missing folios, particularities of folio numbering, orthography, remarks about legibility, etc.
Life Date End
Date of a person's passing. When not known explicitly, the date can be approximated by estimating a life-span of 80 years, or in consideration of interaction with other persons, estimating 10 years old to be the earliest time to receive/give teachings. Details may be provided in the "comments" field.
Life Date Start
Date of a person's birth. When not known explicitly, the date can be approximated by estimating a life-span of 80 years, or in consideration of interaction with other persons, estimating 10 years old to be the earliest time to receive/give teachings. Details may be provided in the "comments" field.
Name
Name (or one of the names) of a person or place; title (or one of the titles) of a work. For instances, the name is the title on the cover page, or in its absence the name in the incipit or the colophon, or the title in the field "name" of the corresponding work; for non-accessible instances, it is the title in the source that mentions them, or the title in the field "name" of the corresponding work.
Number Ascribed To Item By Tibschol
Internal TibSchol number for some instances
Number Of Folios
For available instance, the number of extant folio-pages (regardless of folio numbering); in the event of missing folios, the (presumed) total number of folio-pages is indicated in parentheses. For non-accessible and lost instances, the reported number of folios.
Page Numbers In Print
For instances reproduced in bKaʼ gdams gsung ʼbum, the page numbers of that publication. Note: Provided are the numbers that stand on the pages, not the number calculated from the beginning of each volume. Blank pages inserted in place of the verso of the last folio when the latter is empty are not counted in the page range, but pages with the reproduction of an empty folio are.
Provenance
Present location of the instance, or successive locations, in given cases together with a catalogue number of the library.
Set
For instances reproduced in bKaʼ gdams gsung ʼbum, set in which it was published.
Short Title
For modern publications, in the format "Author Date of publication". For primary sources, in the format "Short for Author - Short for title". For editions of primary sources, in the format "Short for Author - Short for title Year of publication ed."
Signature Letter (Category)
For instances that were part of the gNas bcu lha khang letter indicating the topic of the text. For instances from other libraries of 'Brasu spungs listed in the 'Bras spungs dkar chag, the indication NANG.
Signature Number
For instances that were part of the gNas bcu lha khang, or other libraries of 'Brasu spungs listed in the 'Bras spungs dkar chag, a number indicating a bundle.
Latitude
Latitude location of a place, as reported in the Buddhist Digital Archives corresponding entry referred to in the field "external link" or another sourcementioned in the field "comments"
Longitude
Longitude location of a place, as reported in the Buddhist Digital Archives corresponding entry referred to in the field "external link" or another sourcementioned in the field "comments"
Original Language
Language in which the work was composed by the author.
Volume
For instances reproduced in bKaʼ gdams gsung ʼbum, the volume in which it was published.