ding Tantras. The second is composed of exegetical
literature and also of many treatises on such subjects as medicine,
astronomy and grammar.[974] The two together correspond roughly
speaking to the Chinese Tripitaka, but are more bulky. The canonical
part is smaller but the commentaries and miscellaneous writings more
numerous. There are also other differences due to the fact that the
great literary epoch of Tibet was in the ninth century, whereas nearly
three-quarters of the Chinese Tripitaka had been translated before
that date. Thus the Kanjur appears to contain none[975] of the
Abhidhamma works of the Hinayana and none of the great Nikayas as
such, though single sutras are entered in the catalogues as separate
books. Further there is only one version of the Vinaya whereas the
Chinese Tripitaka has five, but there are several important
Tantras which are wanting in Chinese. The Tibetan scriptures reflect
the late Buddhism of Magadha when the great books of the Hinayanist
Canon were neglected, though not wholly unknown, and a new tantric
literature was flourishing exuberantly.

The contents of the Kanjur and Tanjur are chiefly known by analyses
and indices,[976] although several editions and translations of short
treatises have been published.[977] The information obtained may be
briefly summarized as follows.

The Kanjur in its different editions consists of one hundred or one
hundred and eight volumes, most of which contain several treatises,
although sometimes one work, for instance the Vinaya, may fill many
volumes. The whole collection is commonly divided into seven
parts.[978]

I. The Dulva,[979] equivalent to the Vinaya. It is stated to be the
Mula-sarvastivada Vinaya, and so far as any opinion can be formed from
the small portions available for comparison, it agrees with the
Chinese translation of Kumarajiva and also (though with some
difference in the order of paragraphs) with the Sanskrit Pratimoksha
found at Kucha.[980] It is longer and more mixed with narrative than
the corresponding Pali code.

II. The second division is known as Ser-chin,[981]
corresponding to the Prajna-paramita and in the estimation of the
Tibetans to the Abhidharma. It is said to have been first collected by
Kasyapa and to represent the teaching delivered by the Buddha in
his fifty-first year. This section appears to contain nothing but
versions, longer or shorter, of the Prajnaparamita, the limit of
concentration being reached