Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 8h

We at 84000 are deeply grateful for the opportunity to offer our English translations and for the trust placed in our work.

As 84000 marks fifteen years of translating the Buddha’s words, this gathering allows those words to come alive—echoing once more across the land where the Buddha was born.

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 8h

Taking place from November 11–17, 2025, and beginning on Lhabab Düchen, this weeklong recitation will be held to celebrate the inaugural anniversary of the Thousand Buddha Temple, bringing together the worldwide sangha in a shared offering of the Buddha’s words.

1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 8h

For the first time, the full collection of 84000’s translated sūtras will be recited in English—joining voices in Pali, Chinese, and Tibetan—at the Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini.

🔗 Register now: shedrub.org/events/recitation-2025

1 1 1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 3d

“Be humble like the grass, but stand firm like a mountain.”

To celebrate 15 years of 84000, our founding chair, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, shares reflections on some of the most-loved #RealBuddhaQuotes — starting with this reminder on balancing humility and truth.

7

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 5d

🎉 From digital access to communal practice, 2012 marked a turning point in how the Buddha’s words could be shared, celebrated, and lived.

3

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 5d

That same year, under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya, the first English sūtra resounding was held — a memorable occasion that soon grew into one of 84000’s flagship activities, bringing communities together in the collective recitation of the Buddha’s words.

1 3

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 5d

2012 was a year of opening doors. We launched the online Reading Room, the first immersive digital platform for exploring the Kangyur, making the Buddha’s words freely available to everyone around the world.

1 3 7

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 10d

#RealBuddhaQuotes Each day is a chance to set our aspiration.
May today be guided by patience, effort, clarity, and freedom.

3 7

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 12d

—a series of reflections from Buddhist teachers who have supported and inspired 84000 over the years.
Stay tuned for more.

1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 12d

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, our founding chair, shares his words of appreciation for 84000’s fifteenth year.
As we celebrate 15 years of translating the words of the Buddha, we are honored to present #CrystalVoices

1 1 6

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 17d

#RealBuddhaQuotes A hymn once offered to the Buddha.
May our eyes learn to see with such purity,
and our minds rest in such freedom.

Share this verse with someone whose presence feels pure and kind.

1 7

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 19d

And in 2010, it was officially renamed 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha — marking the start of the journey we are celebrating today.

🎉 Fifteen years on, the spirit of that first conference continues to guide us as we work to preserve and share the Buddha’s words for generations to come.

2

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 19d

The response was overwhelming — 11,351 signatures and messages of support were collected in just one week and offered to the translators in Bir, a powerful reminder of how deeply this work matters.

From these beginnings, the Buddhist Literary Heritage Project was established.

1 1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 19d

less than 5% of the Tibetan Buddhist canon had been translated, and a vast treasury of wisdom was at risk of being lost.

In the lead-up to the conference, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche called for “signatures of appreciation” for Dharma translators worldwide.

1 1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 19d

In March 2009, Khyentse Foundation convened the historic Translating the Words of the Buddha Conference at Deer Park Institute, Bir. Attended by seven Rinpoches and more than fifty translators and scholars, the gathering was a turning point: at the time,

1 1 5

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 24d

#RealBuddhaQuotes When the ground is love and compassion, what grows can only be extraordinary. 💛

1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 26d

Edited by Shao Hu
Post-production by Nurostar Film Company (Sun Lu Yue, Wang Si Xiao, Zhu Yi Ying)
English voiceover by Nathan Rich
Special thanks to Queena Li

2

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 26d

🎥 Watch this video to look back on this extraordinary journey and join us as we begin our 15th anniversary celebrations.

This is more than translation.
It’s preservation
It’s connection
It’s awakening

Stay tuned for special teachings, activities, and ways to celebrate with us in the months ahead.

1 2

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 26d

One year later, the initiative took its official name—84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Now, fifteen years on, we celebrate a milestone: half of the Kangyur is translated and freely accessible to all.

1 1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · 26d

Fifteen Years: Wisdom for a Changing World

The story began in 2009, when a historic conference in Bir, India—organized by Khyentse Foundation and hosted by Deer Park Institute—sparked the creation of a working group to preserve the Buddha’s words.

1 3 7

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · Sep 14

#RealBuddhaQuotes Let’s take a moment to value what we already hold. In that contentment lies the richest kind of wealth.
Double-tap if you feel the same.

2

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · Sep 12

📺 Full talk hosted by 84000 & University of Toronto: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVD6...

Supporting Resilience and Mental Health in the Age of AI by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche explores the intersection of contemplative wisdom, mental health, and technological change in this public talk, moderated by Dr. Rory Lindsay, Assistant Professor in the…

www.youtube.com

1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · Sep 12

What do Gen Z, AI, and Dolly Parton have to do with the Buddha’s words?
Turns out, more than you’d think.

In this #ReelWisdom, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche shows how fresh perspectives and new technologies can keep the Buddha’s words authentic — and meaningful for new generations.

1 2

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · Sep 7

#RealBuddhaQuotes An aspiration for today 👆
If this feels true for you too, take a moment to recite it and share it forward. 💙

2

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha @translate84000.bsky.social · Sep 5

This is only the beginning of the conversation. Stay tuned as we explore more ways Buddhist wisdom meets AI in the weeks ahead.

1