Mission

Nepal has been a center for culture and learning for centuries; today, Nepal holds a rich tradition of ancient manuscripts that offer unique insights into early Buddhist teachings and practices. The Asian Legacy Library (ALL) collaborates with the Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies (NIBS) in Kathmandu, Nepal, to protect this invaluable cultural heritage. Working with scholars, ALL and NIBS identify and locate significant manuscripts from key archives in Nepal and around the world for digital preservation. The team is trained to digitally input rare scripts using the ALL transliteration system; these transliterations are then made available for the benefit of translators and researchers in Nepal and worldwide. This project aims to digitally preserve significant and vulnerable manuscripts in Nepal and beyond.

History

Geographically positioned between the Indian sub-continent and the Tibetan plateau, Nepal has served as a vital crossroads for migration, trade, and cultural exchange for nearly two millennia of recorded history. Untouched by invasions beginning in the 12th century that disrupted Hindu culture and virtually eliminated Buddhism from the sub-continent, Nepal’s surviving manuscript culture and collections provide unique windows to the otherwise lost to the antiquity of South Asia. It is no exaggeration to say that much of what is known of the original Sanskrit Buddhist texts is thanks to the preservation efforts in Nepal, and that much of what remains to be discovered about the histories of both Vedic Hinduism and Indian Buddhism depends upon Nepal’s cultural inheritance.

The Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies, established in the early 1990s in Lalitpur, Nepal, is dedicated to the study and promotion of Buddhist philosophy and teachings. Named after the renowned Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna, the institute focuses on both Newar and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, offering academic programs and fostering scholarly research. It aims to preserve and disseminate Buddhist knowledge, making it a key institution in Nepal for those pursuing deep understanding of Buddhism. ALL and NIBS initiated a framework for partnership focused on digitally inputting significant materials in XXX year.