84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

What 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha does

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a US 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Federal Tax ID 45-430223) founded following a 2009 conference in Bir, India, and formally incorporated in 2013 after three years of incubation by the Khyentse Foundation. Its mission is to translate the entire Tibetan Buddhist canon — the Kangyur (~70,000 pages, 1,169 texts) and Tengyur (~161,800 pages, 4,093 texts), totaling approximately 231,800 pages — into English and publish it for free online; the 25-year Kangyur project (2010–2035) is 50% complete and the Tengyur project targets completion in 2110.

The organization's core products are three digital publishing platforms. The Reading Room (84000.co, rebranded in 2025 as 'The 84000 Collection') is a cloud-based library built on Next.js, hosted on Vercel with Supabase as primary database, offering texts in HTML, PDF, and ePub without account requirements and including a bilingual Tibetan/English synchronized view. The Scholar's Room (scholar.84000.co) is an authenticated academic platform providing translation comparison, textual variant analysis, and specialized search. The 84000 Reading Room iOS mobile app, launched in 2021, provides full offline access. Editorial operations are led by 12 dedicated staff supported by a distributed team across 22 cities and partnerships with translation groups including Padmakara, Dharmachakra, Drikung Kagyu's Ratnaśrī and Vikramashila teams.

The business model is entirely donation-funded. Recurring giving is structured through the Give Each Month (GEM) program with tiers at $5 (Jade), $25 (Turquoise), $100 (Agate), and $250 (Diamond) per month, doubled via the Anāthapiṇḍada Matching Funds. One-time sponsorship of specific translations is offered through Sponsor a Sūtra at $20,000 (50 pages), $40,000 (100 pages), $60,000 (150 pages), and $80,000 (200 pages), with custom pricing for longer texts and Tengyur translations. Additional revenue comes from planned Legacy Gifts (wills, trusts, retirement beneficiary designations) and general donations. The organization serves two primary segments — Buddhist practitioners (laypeople, monastics, Dharma students) seeking authoritative English translations, and academic scholars and researchers — alongside a tertiary institutional base of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and study groups; the go-to-market is community-led via Sutra Resounding events, referrals through prominent Buddhist teachers, digital channels (newsletter, social, YouTube), and donor community programs.

Name

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

Legal name

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

Website

https://84000.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

84000 is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit translating the entire Tibetan Buddhist canon (Kangyur and Tengyur, ~232,000 pages) into English and publishing it free online via the Reading Room, Scholar's Room, and iOS app, serving Buddhist practitioners, scholars, and monastic communities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Text Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sacred Texts & Scripture Publishing (Bibles, Qur’ans, Vedas, Torah, Sutras) (MPAJAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL), Language Content Libraries & Digital Readers (Leveled Readers, Graded Content) (EDAFAOAM)

Keywords

• Buddhist text translation
• Religious content publishing
• Digital text library
• Tibetan canon translation
• Nonprofit publishing platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Monthly Giving (GEM) Program: Recurring monthly donations from supporters worldwide through the Give Each Month (GEM) program. Donations are processed through Stripe via Keela, with monthly amounts starting at $5 (Jade tier), $25 (Turquoise), $100 (Agate), to $250 (Diamond). The Anathapindada Matching Funds program matches monthly donations dollar-for-dollar.
2. Sponsor a Sutra Program: One-time sponsorship of specific sutra translations based on page count. Tiers range from $20,000 (50 pages) to $80,000 (200 pages), with custom options for texts over 200 pages or Tengyur texts. Sponsors' names appear in translation acknowledgments and are recognized at biannual prayer ceremonies at Bodhgaya.
3. Legacy Gifts: Planned giving program allowing donors to include 84000 in wills, trusts, retirement plan beneficiary designations, insurance policies, or bank accounts. Donors become Legacy Circle members and receive recognition in annual reports.
4. General Donations: One-time donations from individuals supporting the mission, processed through the website. 84000 is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal Tax ID: 45-430223).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

84000 translates the Tibetan Buddhist canon (the Kangyur and Tengyur) from classical Tibetan into English through a global network of PhD-level translators and editorial staff. The translated texts are published and made freely available worldwide through three digital platforms: the Reading Room (a public cloud library), the Scholar's Room (an authenticated academic research environment), and an iOS mobile application that supports offline reading. The organization's revenue is generated entirely from donations and sponsorship programs supporting the translation mission.

Product overview

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate the Tibetan Buddhist canon (the Kangyur and Tengyur) into English and make it freely available to everyone. The core product portfolio consists of three primary digital platforms: the Reading Room (雲端藏經閣, also known as The 84000 Collection) serving as the public-facing cloud library for free access to thousands of translated texts in HTML, PDF, and ePub; the Scholar's Room providing authenticated, advanced tools for academic research including multilingual resources, translation comparison, and textual variant analysis; and the 84000 Mobile App (available on the Apple App Store) enabling full offline access to translated texts. Supporting these platforms are donor programs including the Give Each Month (GEM) recurring donation program with dollar-for-dollar matching via the Anāthapiṇḍada Matching Funds program, the Sponsor a Sūtra tiered sponsorship model, and a Legacy Gifts planned giving program. The organization also runs the Sūtra Resounding outreach program, a global community recitation initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reading Room: The main reading room (reading-room.84000.co) providing access to thousands of translated Buddhist texts in HTML, PDF, and ePub formats, freely available to readers.
• Scholar's Room
• Give Each Month (GEM)
• Sponsor a Sūtra

Products and services

• Reading Room (雲端藏經閣) Public-facing cloud-based digital library hosting thousands of translated Buddhist texts spanning the entire range of the Kangyur and Tengyur. Texts are organized by traditional Buddhist categories, support keyword and topic-based search, and are offered in HTML, PDF, and ePub formats. Free access with no account required; bilingual viewing synchronizes the classical Tibetan source with the English translation.
• Scholar's Room Specialized authenticated academic research platform built for serious students, scholars, and researchers. Provides multilingual resources, translation comparison tools, textual variant examination, and specialized search functions to support academic inquiry and cross-reference work. Requires authentication for library synchronization.
• 84000 Reading Room Mobile App iOS mobile application providing full offline access to translated Buddhist texts for focused reading, practice, and study. Includes widgets that allow users to select and share passages from translated texts. Available on the Apple App Store under its own terms of use.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of Kangyur translated and published by 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• KeelacoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 2026Donor management and subscriber information processing and storage. Keela is used to manage donor and subscriber data, synchronized with MailChimp for newsletter distribution. Privacy policy describes data handling practices.
• StripecoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 2026Payment processing for donations. Used by Keela to process recurring monthly donations (GEM program) and one-time donations. Data Processing Agreement in place with Stripe, Inc., with account located in North America.
• MailChimpcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 2026Newsletter subscriber management. MailChimp handles subscription list for email communications about news and events. Data Processing Addendum available for GDPR compliance.
• WebflowcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 2026Website platform hosting. Forms on the 84000 website store user submissions on Webflow's servers. Data Processing Agreement in place. Public website (84000.co) built using Webflow.
• PosthogcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 2026Website analytics and traffic measurement. Used to understand site usage patterns, visitor trends, user locations, preferred languages, and device types. Both US and EU Data Processing Agreements available.
• VercelcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 2026Web hosting for Reading Room and Scholar's Room applications. Vercel processes request data (IP addresses, browser information) when delivering web applications. Privacy policy governs data handling.
• SupabasecoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 2026Primary database infrastructure for storing and serving data across platforms. DPA with Supabase in place for March 2026. Core technology infrastructure for the Reading Room and Scholar's Room.
• Siddhartha's IntentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Co-organized the 2017 Global Sutra Resounding event with 84000. Buddhist organization led by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. Partnership enabled participation from 72 countries and 37 cities via Zoom.
• Drikung Kagyu (Ratnaśrī Translation Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChetsang Rinpoche, the 37th Drikung Kagyudma lineage holder, leads two 84000 translation teams: Ratnaśrī Translation Group and Vikramashila Translation House. Represents commitment of major Buddhist lineage to the translation project.
• Drikung Kagyu (Vikramashila Translation House)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond translation team under Chetsang Rinpoche's leadership. Chetsang Rinpoche has committed to sharing 84000 translations during his worldwide teachings.
• Sakya Phuntsog Ling FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the Hevajra Tantra English translation launch ceremony at Bodhgaya in December 2024. Awarded 84000 a 'Distinguished Award' and presented a White Tara painting blessed by the 41st Sakya Trichen. Long-term supporter of translation efforts.
• Dharmachakra Translation CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal translation group contributing to 84000 translations. Several in-house translators were originally members of this committee before joining 84000 directly.
• Padmakara Translation GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Canti is a founding member of this translation group, which contributed to 84000's early editorial work. Represents historical connection to established Buddhist translation networks.
• Deer Park Institute (Bir)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner monastery in India. Linda Griffin helped organize the 2009 founding conference at Deer Park Institute, which launched the 84000 initiative.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wisdom Publications: Premier English-language publisher of Buddhist texts, including translations of Tibetan, Theravada, and Zen works. Directly comparable as a publisher specializing in Buddhist canonical and scholarly content.
• Shambhala Publications: Independent publisher of Buddhist, meditation, and contemplative works, including translations and teachings from Tibetan and Zen lineages. Comparable as a mission-driven Buddhist publishing organization.
• Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS): Translates the Chinese Buddhist canon (Tripitaka) into English with a volunteer translator model. Most directly comparable organization given its similar mission of translating a complete Buddhist canon into English.
• Dharmachakra Translation Committee: Translators of Tibetan Buddhist texts into English, with whom 84000 has an ongoing partnership and shared translator pool. Directly comparable in scope of canonical Tibetan translation work.
• Padmakara Translation Group: French-based Tibetan Buddhist translation group that has contributed to 84000's early editorial work. Comparable as a peer specialized in translating Tibetan Buddhist canonical works into Western languages.

Broad incumbents

• Khyentse Foundation: Non-profit foundation supporting Buddhist study and translation globally; incubated 84000 from 2010–2013 and remains a key supporter. Comparable as a Buddhist scholarship and translation funding organization, though broader in scope.
• Penguin Random House: Largest trade book publisher in the English-speaking world, with religion and spirituality imprints. Broadly comparable as a publishing infrastructure counterpart with distribution scale far exceeding 84000's.

Others

• Internet Archive: Non-profit digital library providing open access to books, manuscripts, and cultural materials. Comparable as a free-access digital publishing platform serving cultural preservation and educational missions.
• British Library: National library undertaking large-scale digitization of historical and religious manuscripts including Tibetan collections. Comparable as an institution digitizing and providing scholarly access to Buddhist heritage materials.

Regional players

• Sakya Phuntsog Ling Foundation: Sakya-lineage Buddhist foundation co-hosting translation launch ceremonies with 84000 and providing long-term translation support. Comparable as a peer Buddhist institution involved in supporting canonical English translation efforts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@translate84000
• Facebookfacebook.com/Translate84000
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/84000-translating-the-words-of-the-buddha
• Instagraminstagram.com/translate84000
• Xx.com/Translate84000

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha