Tibetan Manuscript and
Xylograph Traditions
The Written Word and Its
Media within the Tibetan Culture Sphere
Edited by
Orna Almogi
nd
I
Tib
Hamburg
INDIAN AND TIBETAN STUDIES 4
Hamburg • 2016
Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Universität Hamburg
Tibetan Manuscript and
Xylograph Traditions
nd
I
Tib
Hamburg
INDIAN AND TIBETAN STUDIES
Edited by Harunaga Isaacson and Dorji Wangchuk
__________________________________________________
Volume 4
Hamburg • 2016
Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Universität Hamburg
Tibetan Manuscript and
Xylograph Traditions
The Written Word and Its
Media within the Tibetan Culture Sphere
Edited by
Orna Almogi
nd
I
Tib
Hamburg
INDIAN AND TIBETAN STUDIES 4
Hamburg • 2016
Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Universität Hamburg
Published by the Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Asien-AfrikaInstitut, Universität Hamburg, Alsterterrasse 1, D-20354 Hamburg, Germany
Email: indologie@uni-hamburg.de
© Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Universität Hamburg, 2016
ISBN: 978-3-945151-03-7
Almogi, Orna: Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
First published 2016
All rights reserved.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism
or review, no part of the book may be reproduced or translated in any form, by
print, photoprint, microform or any other means without written permission.
Enquiry should be made to the publishers.
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Email: contact@adityaprakashan.com
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Digitally printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt. Ltd.
This publication has been supported by the Khyentse Center for Tibetan
Buddhist Textual Scholarship (KC-TBTS), Universität Hamburg.
To the Tibetan scholars, scribes, and carvers
of the past, present, and future
Contents
Preface
3
ORNA ALMOGI & DORJI WANGCHUK
Prologue: Tibetan Textual Culture between Tradition and
Modernity
5
ORNA ALMOGI
The rNying ma rgyud ’bum Set at the National Archives
Kathmandu: The History of Its Production and Transmission
31
MICHELA CLEMENTE
Different Facets of Mang yul Gung thang Xylographs
67
HILDEGARD DIEMBERGER
Early Tibetan Printing in Southern La stod: Remarks on a
1407 Print Produced at Shel dkar
105
FRANZ-KARL EHRHARD
Buddhist Hagiographies from the Borderlands: Further Prints
from Mang yul Gung thang
127
AGNIESZKA HELMAN-WAżNY
Overview of Tibetan Paper and Papermaking: History, Raw
Materials, Techniques and Fibre Analysis
171
MATTHEW KAPSTEIN
A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios including Four
Illustrated Pages from a rNying ma Tantra in statu nascendi
197
SAM VAN SCHAIK
The Uses of Implements are Different: Reflections on the
Functions of Tibetan Manuscripts
221
PETER SCHWIEGER
Some Palaeographic
Documents
243
Observations
on
Tibetan
Legal
MARTA SERNESI
Reprinting the Buddhist Classics: On the Production and
Circulation of Blockprints
267
TSUGUHITO TAKEUCHI & MAHO IUCHI
Varieties of Tibetan Texts from Khara-khoto and Etsin-gol:
An Introductory Remark
321
VESNA WALLACE
Remarks on the Tibetan Language Manuscripts and
Xylographs in Mongolia and on the Technology of Their
Production
347
DORJI WANGCHUK
Sacred Words, Precious Materials: On Tibetan Deluxe
Editions of Buddhist Scriptures and Treatises
371
2
Preface
Textual scholarship, including text and book cultures, has a long and
rich history throughout the Tibetan cultural sphere. Since the
development of the Tibetan script—according to traditional sources
sometime in the 7th century—tens (or perhaps hundreds) of thousands
of texts, be they of Indic origin or autochthonous Tibetan, have been
written down on Tibetan soil. Consequently, a much greater number
of books, be they in the form of manuscripts or xylographs, were
produced, transmitted, and further reproduced throughout the
centuries. Tibetan textual scholarship thus becomes highly interesting
and relevant for all of us who strive to gain a nuanced and wellfounded knowledge of Tibetan intellectual culture, intellectual
history, religion, philosophy, textual criticism, literature, or language.
In recent years we have been witnessing a growing interest in
Tibetan textual scholarship—including Tibetan text and book
cultures—that goes beyond the mere textual and contentual matters.
Issues concerning material and visual aspects of Tibetan book
culture—including writing materials, economical and logistical
aspects of production, patronage, codicology, palaeography,
technology, craftsmanship, artistry, and art—and such concerning
Tibetan text culture—including traditional textual scholarship in
general and compilatory processes and editorial policies in
particular—have come to the forefront of Tibetan Studies. Religious
and sociological aspects of Tibetan book culture have likewise been
increasingly addressed—particularly those focusing on the book as
being a ritual or reverential object, an artefact possessing magical
powers, a prestigious item to be owned, a merit-accruing object, or a
piece of art.
With the conviction that a better understanding of these aspects
will advance and enhance Tibetan textual studies as a whole, a
conference on “Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions within the
Tibetan Cultural Sphere: Regional and Periodical Characteristics”
was held at the Universität Hamburg in May 15–18, 2013. As the title
suggests, the conference aimed at discussing and identifying regional
and periodical characteristics of various manuscript and xylograph
traditions within the Tibetan cultural sphere. The present volume
contains twelve of the papers presented at the conference along with
an introductory essay, which all together cover many of the abovementioned issues regarding Tibetan manuscripts, xylographs, and
legal handwritten documents, stemming from different periods of
Tibetan history and from various regions within the Tibetan cultural
sphere, including such that had been under its influence in the past.
Although the volume is far from addressing neither all traditions of
text and book cultures within the Tibetan cultural sphere nor all
issues concerning them, it is hoped that it nonetheless will be a
modest contribution to the advancement of research in this field
along with several other recent publications with a similar or related
focus.
I would like to particularly thank Dorji Wangchuk for his
cooperation and assistance in organising the conference and in
making it possible through the financial support of the Khyentse
Center for Tibetan Buddhist Textual Scholarship (KC-TBTS), and
likewise for his support in various ways during the editing of the
present volume. Special thanks are also due to the Khyentse
Foundation whose financial support of the KC-TBTS enabled both
the conference and the publication of the present volume. And last
but not least thanks are also due to Eric Werner for his help in
solving some last-minute technical problems during the preparation
of the final version of the volume.
Orna Almogi
Hamburg, July 30, 2016
4
A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
including Four Illustrated Pages from a rNying ma
Tantra in statu nascendi
Matthew T. Kapstein
1. Introduction to the Collection
Shortly after a talk on Tibetan manuscripts that I gave in Berkeley in
early 2012, Ms. Vicki Shiba, a California-based collector of Asian
Art who had attended, kindly sent to me the photographs of several
hundred Tibetan manuscript pages that she had acquired as a single
lot. 1 The majority of these are Kanjur folios evidently culled from
several different sets of the canon dating from as early as the 11th or
12th century and as late as perhaps the 16th. With the prominent
exception of a large number of pages from a single copy of the
brGyad stong pa (the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, though not the
same ms. as in fig. 1), the pages are illustrated, which no doubt
explains why they were bundled together for sale. Many are very
severely damaged and may have been found among trash left after
the destruction wrought by the Cultural Revolution.
Fig. 1: folio from an Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā manuscript. 12th cent. (?)
1
I thank Ms. Vicki Shiba for graciously making available the documents
studied in the present article and Dr. Bruce Gordon for his attention to the
photographic images. With the exception of fig. 11, rights to all illustrations
in the present article belong to the Vicki Shiba Collection. I am grateful, too,
to Amy Heller for thoughtful comments on points of iconography and their
implications for dating, helping to improve this essay throughout.
Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
Fig. 2: illustrated fragment of the Buddhāvataṃsaka. 12th cent. (?)
Figs. 3–5: Three fragments of about the 13th cent. The elaborate throne (top) merits
comparison with several of the Nesar (Dolpo) manuscripts studied in Heller 2009
(cf. figs. 81 & 84), though in the present case the realisation is notably less refined.
The sheet is also of interest for the dbu med annotations in the last three lines, which
record the results of an inventory of the collection of which it was part. The threequarter profiles of the arhat (lower left) and teacher (right) perhaps reflect Pāla
influence, as does the architectural structure surrounding the arhat.
198
Matthew T. Kapstein: A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
Figs. 6 & 7: Fragment of an
Abhisamayālaṃkāra commentary by an
unidentified disciple of Nyang ’Jam
dbyangs (perhaps Nyang stod ’Jam dbyangs
mgon po, early 13th cent. 2). The calligraphy
is notably similar to that found in many of
the
early
scholastic
manuscripts,
presumably originating at gSang phu, that
have been published in the bKa’ gdams
phyogs bsgrigs series. 3 The miniature,
depicting a so-far unidentified mkhan po
(one reads khan po ba phyog…), closely
resembles 13th century portraits of teachers
known above all from the central Tibetan
bKa’ gdams and bKa’ brgyud lineages. 4
The miniatures adorning many of the items in the collection display
considerable variation in terms of style, quality of execution, and
probable dating, as the examples shown here will suffice to make
clear. The collection includes, moreover, a number of sheets that do
2
bSod nams rgya mtsho & Nor bu sgrol dkar 2000: 201, gives the birth of
this figure in the Fire Dragon year (= 1196), but the Blue Annals, p. 676,
gives Earth Dragon (= 1208). Though primarily affiliated with the
Lower ’Brug pa (smad ’brug) Tantric tradition, Nyang stod ’Jam dbyangs
mgon po seems also to have had some scholastic background, including
studies with scholars connected with gSang phu (Blue Annals, p. 678), so it
is not implausible that he might be the figure mentioned as “Nyang ’Jam
dbyangs” in our fragment.
3
This is most evident in the treatment of the ya-btags and the considerable
elongation of the final stroke of ga, na, sha, etc. An example of the
calligraphic style to which I refer is seen in the manuscript of the Grub mtha’
chen mo of Bya ’Chad kha ba Ye shes rdo rje (1101–1175), given in bKa’
gdams phyogs bsgrigs, vol. 11, and studied briefly in Kapstein 2009, though
there are many other instances throughout that collection.
4
For pertinent examples, refer to Jackson et al. 2011.
199
Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
not derive from Kanjur volumes at all, such as the four folios that
will be my major topic later in this essay. Among these
heterogeneous sheets, we also find a 15th century (?) illustrated
xylographic page that I have described at length elsewhere, 5 a
charred fragment of what appears to have been a very beautiful copy
of
an
otherwise
unknown
commentary
on
the
Abhisamayālaṃkāraśāstra, and an annotated page from the
Hevajratantra. The provenance of these materials is of course
unknown. Although many of the canonical folios in the collection
likely stem from West Tibet or adjacent regions of Nepal, the printed
page is almost certainly Central Tibetan, and so too the burnt page of
commentary.
Among the leaves in the collection that seem most pleasing
aesthetically are the several derived from a single manuscript on
blue-black tinted paper, with alternating lines in gold and silver and
finely drawn miniatures accentuated by the use of flashy red
pigments contrasting sharply with the dark ground. The text appears
to be an anthology of dhāraṇīsūtras and other short, possibly
apotropaic scriptures, genres often seen in gold-on-black
manuscripts. Of particular interest in the present case is the
sometimes asymmetrical placement of miniatures on the page, a
feature that perhaps suggests close collaboration between artist and
scribe. The unusual, almost playful depiction of the standing Buddha
attended by a disciple—perhaps the “Śākya youth” bZhin rab gsal
(*Prasannamukha or *Prasannavadana), mentioned in the text—is
particularly suggestive of the Newari style that characterises the
painting of all of the surviving folios of this manuscript, which may
be assigned to about the 14th century. Given the strongly Newariinfluenced stylistic register, the question of provenance is somewhat
clouded. West Tibet or western Nepal are, of course, among the
possibilities, but, given the broad diffusion of the Newari style from
the Yuan-period on, other regions should perhaps not be excluded.6
5
Kapstein 2013. Although I was somewhat hesitant in my estimation of the
dating of the printed sheet studied there, the materials reproduced in dPal
brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib ’jug khang 2013 and its accompanying
DVD convince me that it is indeed a Central Tibetan print of the 15th century,
though the exact provenance remains uncertain. In any case, the letterforms
appear to merit close comparison with those of the mChing ru gnam mdun
edition of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, dated 1422 (dPal brtsegs 2013: 12–14).
As Jackson 2010 shows, the Newari style (bal ris) embraces a widely
diffused and highly varied family of stylistic registers. Be this as it may, the
6
200
Matthew T. Kapstein: A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
Figs. 8–10: Three leaves from a collection of dhāraṇīs and short canonical texts
(from top to bottom): a part of the Uṣṇīṣavijayadhāraṇī illustrated with the goddess
Uṣṇīṣavijayā; the conclusion of the Ekagāthādhāraṇī and the beginning of the
Gāthādvayadhāraṇī, marked by the smaller Buddha image to the lower left; a folio
from the Ārya-daśadigandhakāravidhvaṃsana-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra
2. Four Folios from the Dri med bshags rgyud
In an article published a few years ago, I sought to show that one of
the prominent ritual cycles belonging to the rNying ma bka’ ma
traditions, the Na rak dong sprugs, or Churner of the Depths of Hell,
was beginning to develop during the 10th century, as was
figures of the standing Buddha and his disciple in the last folio strike me as
exemplary: cf. the 1367 Prajñāpāramitā from Nepal, now in the Indian
Museum, Kolkata, illustrated in Pal & Meech-Pekarik 1988: 107.
201
Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
demonstrated by Dunhuang documents either clearly belonging to
that cycle or bearing an evident affinity to it. 7 The surest indication of
this was found in a document from the Stein collection in London,
IOL Tib J 584, which could be firmly identified with certain passages
from the main tantra of the Na rak cycle, the Dri med bshags rgyud,
the Tantra of Taintless Contrition. My hypothesis was that, although
this tantra was probably not yet in existence in anything closely
resembling its present form, the confessional liturgies that would
later be incorporated within it had certainly begun to take shape, as
was proven by the Dunhuang manuscript in question. Moreover, as
the editors’ colophons of both the Dri med bshags rgyud and one of
the major rites of the Na rak cycle plainly state, the relevant texts that
were available to them were in a state of disorder, so that we can
conclude that the Na rak cycle as known at present is at least in part
the product of editorial interventions, some as recent as the 18th
century. 8
7
Kapstein 2010.
The colophon of Lo chen Dharmaśrī’s edition of the Khrom dkrugs cho ga
is given with translation in Kapstein 2010: 171–172, n. 7. The colophon of
the Dri med bshags rgyud is also given there, p. 206, but as that transcription
contains one small but significant typographical error and was left
untranslated, I take the opportunity to provide a corrected version with
translation here:
8
The Indian upādhyāya Vimalamitra and the Tibetan translator gNyags
Jñānakumāra translated, corrected, and definitely established [the text]. At a
later time, because the transmission of the text was corrupted, the bhikṣu
mTsho skyes bzhad pa—who had compared the errors with ancient, reliable
exemplars, and had examined, without personal contrivance, the oral
transmissions of the forebears and the meaning of the text—thoroughly
corrected word and convention and so has promulgated a reliable model.
May it be virtuous and auspicious!
Thereafter, because the textual transmission that had earlier been
distributed in the regions of Khams and Tibet had omissions or
interpolations of some words or syllables, the venerable dGe [rtse] Paṇ[ḍita],
on the occasion of the printing of the rNying ma rgyud ’bum, carefully
corrected it, made it fit to be relied upon, and then had it copied. Siddhir
astu!
rgya gar gyi mkhan po bi ma la mi tra dang| bod kyi lo tsā ba gnyags jñā na
ku mā ras bsgyur cing zhus te gtan la phab pa’o||
|| dus phyis yi ge
rgyun ’phyugs pas ma dag rnams sngar gyi dpe rnying khungs thub dag la
gtugs shing gong ma’i gsung rgyun dang| gzhung don la dpyad de rang bzos
ma bslad par dge slong mtsho skyes bzhad pas brda tshig gnyis ka dpyis
202
Matthew T. Kapstein: A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
It is with this background in mind that four leaves found among
the collection introduced here are of particular interest, for, like IOL
Tib J 584, they are distinctly related to the text of the Dri med bshags
rgyud, but, although they represent a much fuller version of the work
than we find in Dunhuang, they are not quite identical to the tantra in
its current form either. Very likely, they may be taken as
exemplifying the sort of manuscript that may have troubled the
tantra’s editors, the otherwise unknown and undated dGe slong
mTsho skyes bzhad pa, and the famous master of Kaḥ thog
monastery, dGe rtse Paṇḍita ’Gyur med tshe dbang mchog grub
(1761–1829). 9 Before considering the text’s contents, however,
several of the formal features of the manuscript merit comment.
The four folios at our disposal are numbered 29 (nyre [= nyer] rgu
[= dgu]), 32 (so gnyis), 33 (so gsuṃ), and 42 (zhe gnyis). Although
there are some apparent section breaks (at fols. 29a4; 32a1; 33b1;
42b3), as indicated by the repetition of the nyis shad (double shad)
with an intervening space, there are no chapter titles in these pages,
nor do we have a title page or final colophon. 10 Despite the evident
congruence with the Dri med bshags rgyud, therefore, we cannot say
whether the manuscript bore any such title. However, the frequent
use of the expression na rak dong sprugs, and, indeed, an explicit
reference (at 33a1) to the main ritual of that cycle, the Na rak dong
sprugs spyi khrus, the General Cleansing to Churn the Depths of
Hell, 11 confirms beyond reasonable doubt that the work belonged to a
version of the Na rak dong sprugs cycle, as does the Dri med bshags
phyin par zhus dag par bgyis te yid brtan du rung ba’i phyi mor bsngags pa
dge zhing bkra shis par gyur cig|| ||
slar yang khams dang bod phyogs su sngar nas yig rgyun so sor gyes pas
tshig ’bru ’ga’ re chad lhag ’dug pa rnams dge paṇ zhabs nas rnying rgyud
spar gyi skabs zhib par bcos te yid brtan du rung bar mdzad pa las zhal
bshus pa siddhi ra stu||
It should be emphasised that other versions of the Dri med bshags rgyud
are preserved as well. The Rig ’dzin Tshe dbang nor bu manuscript of the
rNying ma rgyud ’bum preserved in the British Library, for instance,
conserves two versions in vol. dza, one of which was corrected by the Fifth
Dalai Lama.
9
10
None of the chapter breaks of the present edition of the Dri med bshags
rgyud fall within the parts of the text preserved in the manuscript; the
contents of all four folios of the latter are found in the tantra’s third chapter,
titled Nyams chag dang rtog sgrib sbyong ba’i bshags pa.
11
Refer to Kapstein 2010: 175, n. 14.
203
Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
rgyud today. The fact that the text contained at least 43 folios
suggests that it was not less than about half the length of the current
edition of the Dri med bshags rgyud as given in the rNying ma bka’
ma rgyas pa, where it covers 61 folios. 12
The text is written in neat, well-proportioned dbu can characters,
with very few departures from standard forms. The most notable
exception to this occurs in the stacked consonant clusters rts and sts,
where the cluster resembles the form it takes in some 10th century
Dunhuang manuscripts written in what we might term a ‘semicursive’ script (figs. 11 & 12).
Figs. 11 & 12: left: the syllable stsogs, from the 10th century Dunhuang manuscript
IOL J Tib 318, from folio 1b3; right: the syllable stsald, from folio 32b2 of the Na
rak dong sprugs manuscript
The ductus of the cluster in these cases is remarkably similar, with
the key difference being that in the Na rak manuscript the dbu can
form of the sa is retained. Though it is not yet quite certain that the
manner of writing these particular clusters can be taken to be an
archaicism, I suspect that indeed it is. For the modern forms in both
dbu can and dbu med scripts are altogether distinct in their treatment
of the element -tsa, which here appears almost as the ‘Arabic’
numeral 6 written with a single clockwise stroke beginning from
centre left.
Orthographically, the text is remarkable for its close adherence to
the norms of what we now think of as Classical Tibetan. The notable
variants are, as is common in West Tibetan canonical manuscripts,
the retention of the da drag (e.g., ’dzind, ’byord, stsald, stond,
bstand) and the addition of the ya btags to ma when the vowels used
are i or e (myi, myed). On a small number of occasions the ’a is used
as a final in syllables ending with a vowel, for example, dpe’ (33b3).
Here, one must take into account that, in the rNying ma bka’ ma rgyas pa,
there are about 180 syllables per folio side, whereas the manuscript has not
more than 120 syllables per folio side.
12
204
Matthew T. Kapstein: A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
Where Classical Tibetan uses la sogs pa (“et cetera”), we find instead
las stsogs pa (33b4), as we do throughout the Dunhuang manuscripts.
There is also at least one clear instance of the reversed gi gu (kyI, at
33b3). For the ‘genitive’ and ‘ergative’ particles, gi(s) may be used
following all final consonants; kyi and gyi seldom occur, though gyis
is sometimes given as the ‘ergative’ following final -l and -m, and
once erroneously after -s (33b5). None of these features seems
clearly indicative of the dating of the manuscript, though they cohere
well with the archaic features of handwriting noted earlier. On one
occasion (29a5) skras is given where the reading should clearly be
sras, together with a small number of other errors or orthographical
peculiarities: ljag for ljang (29a2), ’tshul for tshul (29a5, 29b1), sta
for rta (29b5), etc.
A relatively early date is suggested, too, by the illustrations
decorating each folio. On folio 29 this is placed on the recto, but in
the remaining three instances it is on the verso. It is peculiar, too, that
in text surrounding the miniatures syllables have been sometimes
split, rather than leaving a space between syllables, in order to
accommodate the paintings. Thus, on 32b3–4 we find ’gyu__r and
rig__s, on 33b4 gzung__s, and on 42b3 bsha__gs.
The four miniatures depict four deities presumably associated
with the zhi khro maṇḍala of the Na rak dong sprugs cycle, though
their exact identification in all but one case remains uncertain. 13 Folio
29a is adorned with one of the twenty-eight theriomorphic goddesses
of the zhi khro pantheon, possibly Doghead (khyi mgo can), who
would have been mentioned on the preceding page. 14 (She should,
however, be holding a child’s corpse (byis bam) in her right hand,
instead of the vajra that appears here.) The reverse side of folio 32
depicts a red yakṣa-like figure offering a skull-cup, and so is perhaps
representative of the gying pa (= ging; kiṃkara) mentioned on the
recto of the same folio (32a2). On 33b we have, in close connection
with the content of the text at this point, an iconographically
unambiguous representation of the “lord of the clan” (rigs bdag) of
the zhi khro maṇḍala, Vajrasattva (rDo rje sems dpa’), surrounded by
a rainbow aureole typical of West Tibetan manuscript illuminations
13
The pantheon of the Na rak dong sprugs maṇḍala is summarised in
Kapstein 2010: 178.
14
In the edition of the tantra I am consulting, she is honoured at folio 22b2,
just four lines before the beginning of the fragment represented by folio 29
of the manuscript.
205
Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
of about the 12th–13th centuries. (Fig. 1 above offers a less colourful
example.) Finally, our last available folio is graced by a notably
voluptuous goddess. Although, on first glance, she might be thought
to resemble some images of Tārā, the fact that she is sitting upon a
corpse is suggestive, rather, of Vajrayoginī. Perhaps, in the present
context, she may be identified with Vajradhātvīśvarī, the consort of
Vajrasattva. As such, she would at the same time be identified with
the yoginīs among the votaries of the maṇḍala, who are referred to
repeatedly throughout the texts of the Na rak dong sprugs cycle. Her
features, in any case, offer some points of comparison with West
Tibetan representations of goddesses dating to as early as the 11th
century. 15
In the light of the palaeographic, orthographic and artistic features
noted, it is plausible to assign the manuscript to a period not later
than the 12th century, though some caution about this is necessary.
Given the tendencies of small, regional traditions sometimes to
conserve apparently archaic elements, whether of script, spelling, or
artwork, the possibility that it dates to a century or so later than
estimated cannot be categorically excluded.
Turning now to the content of the text, with few variants all of the
present fragments may be identified with passages in the published
edition of the Dri med bshags rgyud to which I refer here, where they
occur in precisely the same order. It may appear, at first glance, that
there is somewhat more intervening space between the fragmentary
passages of the manuscript and the corresponding passages of the
tantra. This, however, may be explained not by supposing the
manuscript to have contained substantial additional text, but by
considering, as mentioned earlier (n. 12), that there are many more
syllables per folio in the published edition of the tantra than there are
in the manuscript. Assuming, too, that some of the missing leaves of
the manuscript were also illustrated, the resulting differences in the
amount of text given on any page would be sufficient to account for
the disparities in foliation. In short, our manuscript fragments may be
taken to be none other than part of the Dri med bshags rgyud,
whether or not the entire content of the present edition of that work
was included, and whether or not that title had yet been assigned.
15
Amy Heller comments: “The purely oval facial shape—with no
delineation of cheekbones—is also found in W. Tibetan sculptures
influenced by earlier Kashmiri statues.” Correspondence, 13 June 2014.
206
Matthew T. Kapstein: A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
In the detailed presentation that follows, I treat separately each of
the three continuous portions of the text available in the manuscript,
labelling them as fragments 1–3. Under the heading of each
fragment, the pages in question are reproduced, with a line-by-line
transcription followed by the transcription of the same passage from
the Dri med bshags rgyud as given in the rNying ma bka’ ma rgyas pa
and observations (referring to the manuscript by folio and line
number) regarding important differences between the two. 16 I have
not generally commented on small matters of orthography or other
minor differences, which will be evident to all readers on comparison
of the texts. Many of the minor changes involving the addition or
subtraction of one or two syllables, it may be noted, are clearly due to
the effort on the part of the editors of the tantra to achieve metrical
regularity, for example, by removing the syllable rtsa from the
number nyi shu rtsa brgyad in order to reduce the line within which it
occurs from eight syllables to the seven required by the meter.
In Fragment 3, square brackets in the corresponding passage from
the Dri med bshags rgyud enclose text that is not at all represented in
the manuscript. It is of some interest that all of these enlargements of
the text serve to add greater specificity to the description of the
misdeeds—mostly violations of dam tshig (samaya), the Tantric
vows—in connection with which contrition is required. If it is indeed
the case that our manuscript leaves represent, as I think they do, a
relatively early phase in the history of the Dri med bshags rgyud, then
the tendency of the tantra to become increasingly precise in the
course of its development conforms well with the observations of
Sam van Schaik in regard to the relatively unstable formulations of
I must emphasise that, as the Dri med bshags rgyud has not yet been
critically edited, and given that prints and manuscripts of this work are
plentiful, the present exercise cannot pretend to shed more than a small ray
of light on the history of this interesting tantra. Because the text as found in
the rNying ma bka’ ma rgyas pa may be taken to be a more or less standard
edition of the tantra in current circulation, it provides just a first point of
departure for comparison. But as this is the sole comparandum consulted so
far, one must remain circumspect in regard to conclusions. The particular
difficulties involved in critically editing rNying ma Tantric literature, as
well as the promise of such investigations, have been very richly explored in
the contributions of Cantwell and Mayer (2007, 2008, 2012) to the study of
Vajrakīla tantras and the Mahāyoga Thabs kyi zhags pa (which, it may be
noted in passing, is closely contiguous to the Dri med bshags rgyud in
several rNying ma rgyud ’bums, and is similarly attributed to the translation
activity of Vimalamitra and gNyags Jñānakumāra as well).
16
207
Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
the Mahāyoga samayas as known in the Dunhuang documents.17 It
appears that the Tantric vows were at first strictly connected with the
specificities of initiation into a given ritual tradition, and only
gradually generalised to create an overarching set of Tantric vows.
(And, indeed, the precise tie between vows and specific initiations
was never altogether forgotten.)
Figs. 13 & 14: Vajrasattva and consort (?).
17
See van Schaik 2010.
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Matthew T. Kapstein: A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
Fragment 1
Figs. 15 & 16, folio 29
Folio 29a
(1) @@| |ra’i ’go la phyag ’tshal lo| |rnal ’byord dmar mo lcags
sgrog ’dzind | spre’u ’i ’go la
(2) phyag ’tshal lo|
|rnal ’byord ljag [= ljang?] nag ____ dril
bu ’dzind | skye ka’i ’go la phyag ’tshal
(3) lo| |dpal gi ’khor tshogs badzra a ra ____ li | mkha’ la shugs ’gro
ma tshogs dbang
(4) phyug ma | rnal ’byord ma dbang phyug ma ____ nyi shu rtsa
brgyad la phyag ’tshal lo|| ||rgyal
(5) ba yab yum gnyis myed thugs kyi skras | zhe sdang ’tshul gyis zhe
sdang rtsa nas bcod | rdo rje gzhon nu’i sku
29b
(1) la phyag ’tshal lo| |rgyal ba’i sku la gnyis myed dgyes par khril
| ’dod chags ’tshul gyis ’dod chags
(2) rtsa nas gcod | ’khor lo rgyas ’debs sku la phyag ’tshal lo| |’dod
pa’i skyon spangs skye ba mnga’ mdzad
(3) pa’i | khro chen hūṃ ka ra phyag ’tshal lo| |ma byin len spangs
yo byad mnga’ mdzad pa’i | khro chen rnam
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Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
(4) par rgyal ba la phyag ’tshal lo| |srog cod spangs te tshe la mnga’
mdzad pa | khro chen gshin rje gshed la
(5) phyag ’tshal lo| |’dod chags skyon spangs sems la mnga’ mdzad
pa | khro chen sta mchog dpal la phyag
Dri med bshags rgyud, 22b6–23a5
ra mgo can la phyag ’tshal lo| |rnal ’byor dmar mo lcags sgrog
(23a) bsnams| seng mgo can la phyag ’tshal lo| |rnal ’byor ljang nag
dril bu ’dzin| |skya ka’i mgo la phyag ’tshal lo| |dpal gi ’khor tshogs
badzra a ra li| |mkha’ la shugs ’gro ma tshogs dbang phyug ma|
|rnal ’byor nyi shu brgyad la phyag ’tshal lo| |zhe sdang ’tshul gyis
zhe sdang ’joms mdzad pa| |rdo rje gzhon nu’i sku la phyag ’tshal lo|
|rgyal ba’i sku la gnyis med dgyes par khril | ’dod chags ’tshul
gyis ’dod chags ’joms mdzad pa| |’khor lo rgyas ’debs yum la
phyag ’tshal lo| |’dod pa’i skyon spangs skye la mnga’ mdzad pa| |
khro chen hūṃ ka ra phyag ’tshal lo| |ma byin len spangs yo byad
dbang mdzad pa| |khro chen rnam par rgyal la phyag ’tshal lo| |srog
gcod skyon spangs tshe la dbang mdzad pa| |khro chen gshin rje’i
gshed la phyag ’tshal lo| |phra ma’i skyon spangs sems la dbang
mdzad pa | khro chen rta mchog dpal la phyag
Observations
29a2–4: The place of yoginī Apehead (spre’u’i ’go) of the manuscript
is taken by Lionhead (seng mgo can) in the tantra.
29a4: rnal ’byord ma dbang phyug ma. Here dbang phyug ma is
perhaps an instance of contextual repetition, given its occurrence just
above. It is omitted in the parallel line from the tantra.
29a4–5: rgyal ba yab yum gnyis myed thugs kyi skras (= sras). This
line is altogether missing from the tantra, though it is an appropriate
description of rDo rje gzhon nu (Vajrakumāra, i.e. Vajrakīla), to
whom it applies in the present context.
29b3: Although Sanskrit usage in the ms. is by no means consistent,
it is of interest to note here the syllable hūṃ, demonstrating that the
conventions for representing Sanskrit long vowels and nasalisation
were known (which was by no means typically the case), even if not
in all instances correctly applied.
One may also note a number of regular differences of wording:
where the ms. uses rtsa nas gcod, the tantra prefers ’joms mdzad pa.
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For mnga’ mdzad pa in the ms., we find dbang mdzad pa in the
tantra.
Fragment 2
Figs. 17–20, fols. 32–33
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Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
Folio 32a
(1) @@| |’tshal lo| |rgyu ’bras byang chub sems dpa’i sprul pa ste |
mkha’ ’gro sum bcu rtsa gnyis la
(2) phyag ’tshal lo| |’gri na pa ti ’i sprul pa ste | gying pa rnams la
phyag ’tshal lo| |lha mo dpal gi sprul pa
(3) ste | gying mo rnams la phyag ’tshal lo| |’jig rten khams la mnga’
mdzad ma | ’jigs byed dpal
(4) ’bar ral pa can la phyag ’tshal lo| |’dod pa’i ro la chags pa mo |
ma mo’i tshogs la phyag ’tshal lo|
(5) nyes legs gi ltang ’dzin dam tshig gi rjes gcod pa’i | bka’ bzhin
rjes su sgrub pa’i grogs mdzad ma|
32b
(1) dam can rgya mtsho’i tshogs la phyag ’tshal lo|| ||bcom ldan ’das
dpal kun tu bzang po la phyag ’tshal
(2) lo| | de skad ces bka’ stsald pa dang | ____ gang gis sgyu ’phrul
zhi khro ’i lha tshogs la phyag
(3) btsal na | nyams chags kun kyang byang ’gyu ____ r te | mtshams
myed [erasure] lnga’ ’i [erasure] sdig kyang
(4) byang [erasure] | na rag dong sprugs te | rig ____ s ’dzind rgyal
ba’i zhing du grags | de skad ces
(5) bka’ stsald pa dang| |rnal ’byord pho mo rnams gis | a la la ho |
|stond pa kun tu bzang po ngo mtshar
33a
(1) @@| |lagso | na rag dong sprugs rnal ’byord gi spyi khrus kyi
chos bshad pa ni ngo mtshar che zhes brjod do| |lus sa la
(2) lan stong du rdob cing rkyang phyag lan stong du btsal lo| |de
nas gong gi dkyil ’khor gi lha tshogs de rnams gi
(3) mtshan rnal ’byord pho mo rnams | lan cig thos pa tsam gis kyang
| rtsa ba dang yan lag gi nyams chag
(4) thams cad bskongs so| |de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad gi sku
gsung thugs | yon tan dang ’phrin
(5) las dang zhing khams rnam par dag pa | bsam gyis myi khyab pa’i
dkyil ’khor dang ldan pa r ’gyur ro| |ye
33b
(1) ge ’khor lo tshogs chen gi sa la lhun gis gnas par ’gyur ro|| | ||de
nas dus der dpal rdo rje sems dpa’
(2) zhes bya ba | dus gsum gi de bzhin ____ gshegs pa thams cad gi
ye shes las sprul pa |
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(3) sku mtshan gi me tog las dpe’ bzang po ____ brgyad bcus brgyan
pa | sangs rgyas kyI che ba’i yon tan dang |
(4) stobs dang myi ’jigs pa dang | gzung ____ s dang ting nge ’dzind
las stsogs pa | gzhan yang
(5) rigs lnga’i sangs rgyas gyis dbang skur ba | dar kar dang po ti
dang | rin po che’i rgyan rnam pa sna tshogs gis
Dri med bshags rgyud, 24a5–25a4
’tshal lo| |rgyu ’bras byang chub sems kyi sprul pa ste | mkha’ ’gro
sum cu gnyis la phyag ’tshal lo| |ga ṇa pa ti ’i sprul pa ste | king ka
ra la phyag ’tshal lo| |lha mo dpal mo’i sprul pa ste| |king ka rī la
phyag ’tshal lo| |’jig rten khams la dbang
[24b] mdzad ma| |’jigs byed dpal ’bar ral pa can| ||’dod pa’i ro la
chags pa mo| |ma mo’i tshogs la phyag ’tshal lo| |nyes legs
ltangs ’dzin dam tshig rjes gcod cing| |bka’ bzhin rjes su sgrub pa’i
grogs mdzad ma| |dam can rgya mtsho’i tshogs la phyag ’tshal lo|
|ston pa kun tu bzang po yis| |de skad ces ni bka’ stsal pa| |gang gis
sgyu ’phrul khro bo yi| |dkyil ’khor lha la phyag ’tshal na| |nyams
chags kun kyang dag ’gyur te| |mtshams med lnga yi sdig
kyang ’byang| |na rag gnas kyang dong sprugs te| rigs ’dzin rgyal
ba’i zhing du grags| |zhes bka’ stsal pa dang| phyogs bcu nas lhags
pa’i |rnal ’byor pho mo rnams kyis | a la la ho| bcom ldan ’das kyis
rnal ’byor gyi spyi khrus kyi chos bshad pa ngo mtshar che’o| |zhes
brjod de| lus sa la brdeb cing brkyang phyag lan stong du btsal lo|
|de nas dkyil ’khor gi lha de rnams kyi mtshan rnal ’byor pho mo
rnams kyis thos pa tsam gis rtsa ba dang yan lag gi dam tshig nyams
chag thams cad bskangs te| de bzhin
[25a] gshegs pa thams cad gi sku dang| gsung dang| thugs dang| yon
tan dang| phrin las bsam gyis mi khyab pa dang ldan par gyur te| yi
ge ’khor lo tshogs chen gi sa la lhun gis grub par ’gyur to| | de nas
dus der dpal rdo rje sems dpa’ zhes bya ba dus gsum gi de bzhin
gshegs pa thams cad kyi thugs rje’i ye shes kyi bdag nyid | sku
mtshan gyi me tog las dpe byad bzang po’i ’bras bus brgyan pa| sangs
rgyas kyi che ba’i yon tan stobs dang| mi ’jigs pa dang| gzungs dang|
ting nge ’dzin la sogs pa mnga’ ba| gzhan yang dbu la rigs lnga’i
sangs rgyas gyis dbang skur ba| dar dkar dang| pa ti dang | rin po che
dang rgyan rnam pa sna tshogs kyis
Observations
32a1: Where the ms. has the doctrinally problematic reading
rgyu ’bras byang chub sems dpa’i sprul pa ste (“cause and fruition
are the bodhisattvas’ emanations”), the tantra offers the more
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Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
acceptable rgyu ’bras byang chub sems kyi sprul pa ste (“cause and
fruition are the emanations of bodhicitta”).
32a2–3: Where the ms. reads ’gri na pa ti, gying pa, and gying mo,
the tantra is notably sanskritising in adopting gaṇapati, king ka ra (=
kiṃkara), and king ka rī (= kiṃkarī).
32a3–4: For the hypermetrical ’jigs byed dpal ’bar ral pa can la
phyag ’tshal lo of the ms., the tantra treats ’jigs byed dpal ’bar ral pa
can as the second line in a quatrain in homage to the ma mo.
32b1 et seq.: This section covers a major transition within the text.
Following Buddha Samantabhadra’s teaching of contrition through
salutation (phyag ’tshal ba, namana) of the deities of the maṇḍala,
concluding with dam can rgya mtsho’i tshogs la phyag ’tshal lo, the
benefits of this practice are extolled by the assembled divinities
(32b1–33b1), setting the stage for the arrival of Buddha Vajrasattva
(33b1–5). In the tantra, this section then continues with the teaching
of the purifying hundred-syllable of Vajrasattva, its practice and
benefits. Though the portion of this preserved in our ms. corresponds
fairly closely with the text of the present edition of the tantra, one
notes many small, but telling, differences nevertheless. For instance,
at 32b1, the ms. transitions to prose, while the tantra continues in
verse. Here the use in the ms. of the formula phyag ’tshal lo
addressed to Buddha Samantabhadra (Kun tu bzang po) is
syntactically awkward (perhaps another instance of contextual
repetition). At 32b4, the brief line na rag dong sprugs te is perhaps
defective; the corresponding line in the tantra, na rag gnas kyang
dong sprugs te, is certainly clearer. In the description of the entry of
Vajrasattva (ms. 33b1 et seq.), the tantra regularly expands slightly.
Where the ms. (33b5) enumerates one of his attributes as po ti
(“books”), which cannot be correct in this context, the tantra reads pa
ti (“lord, master”), which is no better. The intended Sanskrit is no
doubt paṭa, here in the sense of “fine cloth.”
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Matthew T. Kapstein: A Collection of Miscellaneous Kanjur Folios
Fragment 3
Figs. 21 & 22, fol. 42
Folio 42a
(1) @@| |sku gsung thugs gi dngos grub thob par bgyi rgyu las
| ’bad rtsol dang sgom sgrub chungs pa
(2) rnams ’thol zhing bshags so| |gzhan yang bka’ zab mo khyad tu
bsad pa dang | skye bo rang thad 18 gi dbang
(3) gis nor dang gsug gi dbang tu btang ste | dkon mchog gsum gi sku
sgra la sngags zlog byas pa dang |
(4) pra ti ha na mchod pa chen po la sngos pa’i yo byad dang | ma ha
bo de las stsogs pa’i dkon mchog gsum gi
(5) dkor la thugs thub du spyad pa dang | ma ha sa ma ti sgom sgrub
zab mo la sngos pa’i yo byad dang | gzhan
42b
(1) yang tshod yod bgyis nas dngos su spyad pa dang | phri gzhog
bgyis te na rag ngan pa’i rgyu bstsags pa rnams
18
There appears to have been a correction here and the reading is somewhat
uncertain, though it seems confirmed by the tantra. One discerns what
appears to be the lower section of a da, partially erased, beneath which is a
mark resembling a caret (^).
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Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
(2) ’thol zhing bshags so| |nya stong dus ___ drug dang dus bzhi’i
las stsags pa rnams thugs
(3) dam du bcas pa rnams ’thol zhing bsha ____ gs so|| ||sgyu ’phrul
ye shes rang snang gi
(4) lha la rtog .. pa myi mnga yang | de’i ____ khor du rtogs pa’i ye
shes las grub pa’i | nyes
(5) legs gi ltang ’dzind cing dam tshig gi rjes gcod pa rnams bstand
pa gnyan po srung ba dang | chos khor gnyan
Dri med bshags rgyud, 29a2, 29a6–30a3
(29a2) sku gsung thugs gi dngos grub thob par bgyid rgyu las| ’bad
rtsol dang brtson ’grus chung ba mthol zhing bshags so| [gzhan yang
sgrub pa khyad par gyi dam tshig nyi shu dang| spyod pa rgyun gyi
dam tshig bzhi dang| rang bzhin lta ba’i dam tshig bzhi dang| gal
mdo nges pa’i dam tshig gsum la sogs te nang pa thabs kyi rgyud
gzhung las byung ba’i dam tshig rnams kyi bsrung mtshams mi shes
shing| gzhung dang ’gal ba ci bgyis pa thams cad mthol zhing bshags
so| |]
(29a6) gzhan yang bka’ zab mo khyad du bsad de| skye bo rang thad
kyi dbang gis nor dang gsug gi dbang tu btang ste| dkon mchog gsum
gi
(29b) sku dgra la sngags zlog byas pa dang |pra ti ha na dus kyi
mchod pa chen po la sngos pa dang| ma ha bo de la sogs pa dkon
mchog gsum gyi dkor la thug thub bgyis nas spyad pa dang | sgom
sgrub zab mo la bsngos pa la sogs pa| mchod pa’i yo byad thams cad
la tshod yod bgyis te dngos su spyad pa dang | dbri gzhog bgyis te
ngan song gi rgyu bsags pa mthol zhing bshags so| | [gzhan yang
yan lag gi dam tshig stong rtsa brgyad las ’das te| ngan song ’khor
ba’i rgyu bsags pa thams cad mthol zhing bshags so| |gzhan yang
gsang sngags kyi sgor zhugs so ’tshal gyis| ma rig pa’i dbang gis dam
tshig ngo ma ’tshal te| dam tshig nyams pa dang| las ngan sna tshogs
spyad pas| sdug bsngal sna tshogs kyi rgyu bsags pa mthol zhing
bshags so| |] nya stong dang| dus drug dang| dus bzhi la sogs pa dus
dam du bcas pa las ’das te| dus las g.yal ba’i nyams chag thams cad
mthol zhing bshags so| | [gzhan yang chos spyod bcu’i sgo nas| dge
ba’i phyogs]
(30a) [bgyid par dam bcas pa las rngo ma thogs pa dang sdig pa mi
dge ba’i las ci mchis pa thams cad mthol zhing bshags so]
sgyu ’phrul ye shes rang snang gi lha la rtog pa mi mnga’ yang |
de’i ’khor du gtogs pa’i ye shes dang| las las grub pa’i nyes legs gi
ltangs ’dzin cing dam tshig gi rjes gcod pa’i bstan pa gnyan po srung
ba dang | chos skyong ba
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Observations
As has been remarked earlier, the most interesting variant we find in
this section involves the several expansions of the text of the tantra,
relative to our ms., and all involving the addition of some degree of
specificity to the description of the acts for which contrition is
practiced. A few additional points deserve some attention:
42a5: The ms. specifies that the object of “meditation and
attainment” (sgom sgrub) is ma ha sa ma ti, presumably
mahāsamādhi, which is dropped in the tantra. It seems at least
plausible that this expression, ma ha sa ma ti, is the basis for later
rNying ma explanations of the term rdzogs chen as a rendering of
mahāsandhi, a phrase not, to my knowledge, attested in the Indian
literature.
42b5: ltang ’dzind. The tantra conserves the orthography as
ltangs ’dzin, whereas contemporary Tibetan orthography prefers
stangs ’dzin.
3. To Conclude
It is always frustrating and sad to encounter a collection of torn and
otherwise damaged manuscript folios, dispersed apart from the
complete volumes that once contained them. One can only imagine
how these lost books appeared when they were whole, and such
ruminations inevitably bring forth a measure of longing and a sense
of loss. Books have been damaged and scattered by fire and flood,
revolution and war, or have crumbled in neglect without particular
violence. All of this must be accepted as part of the ebb and flow of
the life of the book, as of other conditioned things. What is more
difficult to comprehend is the gratuitous dismemberment of the book,
not owing to religious frenzy or political extremism, but solely to
serve the market for decorative objects. This is, of course, a very
widespread problem and by no means limited to the trade in Asian art.
In New York City in the 80s and 90s, for example, I recall that
antique print shops in lower Manhattan routinely augmented their
stock with pages torn from the rare book collection of the New York
Public Library.
There is some real value, therefore, when we find, as we do here,
not just the few choice leaves, but an entire lot of manuscript folios.
Though this is of course no substitute for the original books, we are
sometimes nevertheless able to identify within such bundles several
217
Tibetan Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions
parts of a single work, or patterns somehow linking diverse elements
in the collection into larger coherent groupings. In this way, even a
miscellaneous assortment of leaves may contribute to the growth of
our historical knowledge of the Tibetan book. And when we are
lucky, as was the case here, we may even find some folios that help
to fill out our understanding of the development of a particular
textual tradition.
As my earlier essay on the Na rak cycle indicated, there is some
reason to believe that the cycle was codified within the Zur lineage
during the 11th century. And in another study, concerning the corpus
of rDzogs chen tantras to which the title Bai ro rgyud ’bum has been
assigned, I suggested that it may have also had as its basis an earlier
compilation transmitted through the Zur lineage in West Tibet. 19
Taken together, these offer hints of the role of the Zur tradition
during the early second millennium in the elaboration of the corpus
that later came to constitute the rNying ma bka’ ma, together with the
corresponding portions of the rNying ma rgyud ’bum. To clarify this
still all too sketchy picture, however, a great deal more material
relating to the early Zur lineages will need to be located. Perhaps the
manuscripts and manuscript fragments from West Tibet and adjacent
regions that have come to light in recent years will yield further
evidence if examined critically with this in mind.
Fig. 23: Kiṃkara (?), fol. 32b
19
Kapstein 2008: 10.
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