Project

A critical edition and a Russian translation of Sum pa Mkhan po Ye shes dpal 'byor's Mtsho sngon gyi lo rgyus (History of Kokonor)

Program

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Grants for Critical Editions and Scholarly Translations

Abstract

The project focuses on the “History of Kokonor” (Mtsho sngon gyi lo rgyus) by famous Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhist scholar Sum pa Mkhan po Ye shes dpal ‘byor (1704-1788). The author, being a contemporary witness of many events described, gives a valuable account of secular and religious history of the Mongols and the Tibetans at a turning point of their history when they fell under the hegemony of the Qing dynasty. We propose to provide a book-length manuscript, which will consist of a critical edition of the text, its Russian translation, detailed commentaries, and a comprehensive analysis of Sum pa Mkhan po’s biography and the text’s historical background in relation and comparison with Chinese and Mongolian sources.