Tibet’s Great Sakya Library Houses 84,000 Scrolls Untouched for Centuries and Has the Heaviest Scripture in the World

A recent viral post on social media claimed that the library contains records dating back 10,000 years. While that statement isn’t accurate, the historical significance of the tens of thousands of ancient scrolls preserved here is unquestionable.

If you are a book lover and a fan of Tibetan culture, you will definitely find the ancient library the Sakya Monastery in Tibet fascinating. This library is one of the largest and oldest in the world, housing a collection of 84,000 books on traditional stacks 60 meters (200 ft) long and 10 meters (33 ft) high.

Sakya Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Sa’gya County, Tibet, China. It is the main monastery of the Sakyapa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1073 by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, who built a white palace on a grey hill near the Chun Qu River. The monastery has a large collection of Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, murals and thangkas. It is also known as Pel Sakya, which means “White Earth” or “Pale Earth”.

The majority of the volumes are Buddhist scriptures, but they also cover a wide range of other topics, from astronomy to mathematics, from history to art, from literature to philosophy. Some of the books are rare and precious, such as a scripture that weighs more than 500 kilograms (1,100 lb), the heaviest in the world. An expansive manuscript showcased at the end of the library hall is written in gold and dates back 800 years – it is the largest and longest scripture in Tibet. The library also contains some of the oldest manuscripts in Tibet, dating back to the 13th century.

As the Indian scholar of Tibetan language and culture, Das Sharat Chandra (1849 – 1917) writes,

As to the great library of Sakya, it is on shelves along the walls of the great hall of the Lhakhang chen-po. There are preserved here many volumes written in gold letters; the pages are six feet long by eighteen inches in breadth. In the margin of each page are illuminations, and the first four volumes have in them pictures of the thousand Buddhas. These books are bound in iron. They were prepared under orders of the Emperor Kublai Khan, and presented to the Phagpa lama on his second visit to Beijing.

There is also preserved in this temple a conch shell with whorls turning from left to right [in Tibetan, Ya chyü dungkar ], a present from Kublai to Phagpa. It is only blown by the lamas when the request is accompanied by a present of seven ounces of silver; but to blow it, or have it blown, is held to be an act of great merit.”

The Sakya Monastery library is not only a treasure trove of knowledge, but also a testimony of the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Tibet. The books were collected and preserved by generations of monks and scholars who devoted their lives to studying and teaching the wisdom of Buddhism and other fields of knowledge. The library reflects the spirit of openness and curiosity that characterized the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, which was founded in 1073 by Khon Konchog Gyalpo. The Sakya school was known for its emphasis on logic, debate, and scholarship, as well as its political influence and diplomatic relations with other countries, such as China and Mongolia.

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The Sakya Monastery library is not open to the public, but only to members and visiting scholars who have permission from the monastery authorities. However, some of the books are being digitized and will be made available online by the monastery. In the meantime, you can find a selection of digitized Tibetan texts from other sources online, for example by the Padma Karpo Translation Committee here.

The Sakya Monastery library is a remarkable example of how books can preserve and transmit knowledge across time and space. It is also a reminder of how important it is to protect and respect the cultural diversity and heritage of different peoples. If you ever have a chance to visit this library, you will surely be amazed by its size, beauty, and significance.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4