In a converted hotel ballroom turned shrine hall, the monks sits on a dais before an altar adorned with Buddha and Bodhisattva murals. They are conducting a ceremony where every single text of the Kangyur is read from morning until night by monks who are fed, housed, and expenses paid by a sponsor.

Completing the Kangyur, or Tripitaka, is a form of prayer for peace for all sentient beings. For the next 15 days, more than two dozen monks from around the region will read for eight hours a day, aloud and simultaneously, seated cross-legged.



The Kangyur, meaning “the translated words (of the Buddha),” is the entire collection of texts regarded as buddhavacana or “Buddha-word,” translated into Tibetan. These texts include not only the Buddha’s own discourses but also teachings and explanations given by others, often his close disciples with his approval, or by other enlightened beings. They also contain systematic compilations of the Buddha’s pronouncements on particular topics, such as the rules of monastic discipline in the Vinaya texts.

The genres or categories of texts contained within the Kangyur include:

- Vinaya (dealing mainly with monastic discipline)
- Prajñaparamita (texts on the “transcendent perfection of wisdom”)
- Avatamsaka (the “Flower-Ornament” collection of related sutras)
- Ratnakuta (the “Heap of Jewels” class of sutras)
- Other sutras
- Tantra (texts of the Vajrayana or “adamantine vehicle”)
- Nyingma Tantra (tantras from the early translation period)
- Dharani (short texts based on formulae for recitation)
- Kalachakra (tantras belonging to the “Wheel of Time” class).



These texts were brought to Tibet from India and translated into Tibetan over a long period, starting in the 7th century and reaching a high point in the 8th and early 9th centuries under royal patronage. There was a break during political upheavals in the mid-9th century, with the “later period” starting in the late 10th century.

During the recitals, the monks also play musical instruments. The accompanying music in a Kangyur recital by Gelug monks is a significant aspect of the ceremony as the recitation is considered a highly meritorious practice.

Gelug is one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, known for its emphasis on scholastic study and logic. The use of musical instruments during Kangyur recitals serves several purposes:

1. Creating an auspicious atmosphere.
2. Maintaining rhythm and focus.
3. Offering to the Buddha.
4. Invoking blessings.
5. Marking sections of the text.
6. Following cultural tradition.

Common instruments used by the monks include horns, cymbals, rgya-gling (oboe), gandi (wooden gong), and dung dkar (conch trumpet). Individual schools and monasteries maintain their own chant traditions. Tibetan monks are also noted for their skill in throat-singing or overtone singing, a specialized form of singing where the singer produces separate notes simultaneously.

During the musical performance, the monks don their yellow hats, a tradition initiated by Tsongkhapa during his reforming period, which developed into the Gelug tradition, also known as the Yellow Hat Tradition. He told his monk disciples to wear yellow hats as an auspicious sign to bring back pure ethical discipline to Tibetan monasteries.

The Malaysia Grand Tripitaka Recitation begins today and will continue daily until 27 July 2024 at Level 14, Manhattan V room, Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

For inquiries and registration, please contact +6017 8228 633 or email: my.tripitaka@gmail.com.