dated chinese mss in the stein collection 7-4

8/9/2019 Dated Chinese Mss in the Stein Collection 7-4

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Dated Chinese Manuscripts in the Stein Collection

Author(s): Lionel GilesSource: Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 7, No. 4 (1935),pp. 809-836Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and AfricanStudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/608272

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Dated Chinese Manuscripts in the Stein CollectionBy LIONEL GILES(PLATE VII)

I. FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES A.D.F the 7,000 manuscripts (including fragments) which were taken

by Sir Aurel Stein, almost at random, from the great hoard inTunhuang, some 380 bear dates, ranging from A.D. 406 to 995. Sixare of the fifth century, and forty-four of the sixth. A few ofthe undated MSS. may be even earlier than 406, while it is highlyprobable that others are later than 995, seeing that the date 1035is found in the similar collection at Paris. But in any case the periodcovered does not greatly exceed 600 years.Most of these dates record not merely the year but the monthand the day, and in the earliest instance of all, even the hour. Manyof them occur in notes or colophons which set forth, often at somelength, the pious intention of monks or laymen who have causedcopies to be made of certain sfitras, and who wish to apply the " merit "thus gained to the benefit and relief of dead relatives in their futureincarnations. Such colophons are of no little interest to students ofBuddhism, but few have as yet been translated.

Among the rolls of the fifth and sixth centuries the scarcity ofsecular documents is noticeable. Of the Buddhist sitras, theParinirvana is on the whole the favourite, especially towards the endof the period, while the proportion of commentaries is remarkablylarge; in later times these very seldom occur with colophons or dates.Most of the rolls lack some of the earlier sheets, which, of course,would be most exposed to wear and tear.lA marked change in the general style of handwriting becomesapparent in the latter part of the sixth century, corresponding nodoubt to some increase of flexibility in the brush-pen. In the morearchaic manuscripts the characters are less eleganftlyshaped than theybegan to be about the beginning of the Sui dynasty, and look as ifthey had been made with a somewhat stubby instrument. The paperand ink are of wonderfully good quality from the very first, though

1 An asterisk at the beginning of a transliterated title indicates that the firstpart of the text under consideration is missing, while one at the end of the title meansthat the last portion is incomplete. "N." stands for Bunyiu Nanjio's Catalogue,and " K." for the Ky6to edition of the Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka.VOL. VII. PART 4. 53


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LIONEL GILES-considerable improvement is shown in the texture of the paper astime goes on, and also in the use of the beautiful yellow dye which ischaracteristic of the Sui and early T'ang period. In this connectionI would call attention to a recently published book entitled Paper:An Historical Account (Shakespeare Head Press, Oxford), in whichthe author, Mr. R. H. Clapperton, gives a most interesting analysisof some of the Stein papers, based on photomicrographs.A.D. 406 (W. LIANG).

S. 797. Recto: A Vinaya text, *Pratimoksa of the Sarvastivadin,which does not exactly agree with any in the present Canon.There is an interesting colophon (see Plate VII): - ;? f 4a Zf e += X i As0k E a )?fi ArfnB ^ Sf AM^ E II stR S;X*aE m%R*lLatl *A{T_I R"At the hsii hour of the 5th day of the 12th moon of the i-ssuyear, the first of the regnal period Chien-ch'u [i.e. between 7and 9 p.m. on 10th January, 406], the bhikshu Te-yu, who receivedthe full disciplinary vows from the monk (upadhydya) Fa-hsing,the master of discipline Pao-hui, and the master of doctrineHui-ying, south of the city of Tunhuang, and subsequently went intoretreat during the summer with his companions in the ceremony,Tao-fu, Hui-yii, and others, twelve in all, has written out the com-mandments for recitation as far as 'the completion of destiny',merely copying the characters. The clumsiness of his hand causeshim shame, and he adds this note in the hope that readers may onlymeditate on the sense and forbear to laugh at the handwriting."In 406 Tunhuang formed part of the short-lived Western LiangState under Li Kao, of which until the previous year it had been thecapital. The colophon proper is preceded by a 31 or formulato be recited at the ceremony of "receiving the commandments ",and followed by directions as to the division of the text for purposesof recitation. The exact meaning of 3j ;_ jft i is not clearto me.

Verso: A text, also imperfect at the beginning, which consistsof discourses by Buddha showing how such and such precepts of theVinaya came to be made. It resembles [I 4- e e Ssi fen ii tsang(N. 1117), which was translated in 405. A note at the end shows thatthe copy was made by the same scribe, Te-yu.

810


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 811The roll is 23 feet long by 25 cm. wide, and consists of twenty-one

unequal sheets of paper in a good state of preservation, of whichMr. Clapperton says: " It is of a soiled brownish buff colour, shortand hard in the tear, and with a tendency to split. The thickness is*008-.009inch. The surface and sizing are good ... The paper wasmade on a laid mould with the laid lines about ten to the inch, and isvery strong and tough in one direction. Composition: Papermulberry." The ink is fresh and black, and the handwriting, thoughnot elegant, is perfectly clear and legible.416 (W. LIANG).S. 113. Recto: A slightly mutilated fragment of an official censusof ft Ai 95 t A Vt f ~ g P _ Kao-ch'ang Li inHsi-tang Hsiang, Tun-huang Hsien, Tun-huang Chiin. There areentries for ten separate families, and each entry is dated in the 1stmoon of the 12th year of Chien-ch'u (February-March, 416). Thewriting is clear and distinct. This MS. was published with translationand notes in T'oung Pao, vol. xvi, pp. 468-488.Verso: Part of a commentary on K *t MMiao falien hua ching* (Saddharma-pundarika-suitra), 'in 1 and 2. That itis later in date than the Censusis proved by the fact that four sheetsof the latter, all of which are incomplete, have been used to makea continuous roll for the commentary. The handwriting is smallerand somewhat more cursive. Dimensions of the roll, 2 ft. 11 in. by24 cm.420 (N. LIANG).S. 6251. A fragmentary list of articles which were apparentlyenclosed in a tomb, bearing the date & -,f $ t-- -"1st day of the 11th moon of the 9th year of Hsiian-shih " [21stDecember, 420]. The regnal period is that of Chi-ch'ii Meng-hsiin,second ruler of the Northern Liang dynasty. These fragments ofpaper, which are in a crumbling condition, were found on and belowthe body. The largest piece is 11 x 51 in.455 (N. WEI).

S. 2925. Recto: pl J ft [ l]H I J B *Mo hopan jo po lo mi, or Maha-prajnaparamita-sutra,p'in 4. One wouldexpect this to be Kumarajiva's translation (N. 3), which was completedca. A.D. 400, but it does not agree with the text in ourpresent Tripitaka.At the end are the characters e f a " iStra [owned by]


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 813order of Q | | Feng Chin-kuo, Governor of Lo-chou [Loyang]and Prince of Ch'ang-li [in Ho-pei] (:r ,j M P_ fi ~ E)),who was also General Superintendent of Military Affairs ($% '~ !~) under the Northern Wei. The colophon contains a prayerfor the Emperor and Empress, and concludeswith a eulogy of the workin verse (t) and the date: f; i fll =. a A e *+ X AW A fi H &.3M fl W iA it;" Copying completed at Lo-chou on the 28th day, ping-shen, of the10th moon, chi-ssu, of the 3rd year, chi-wei, of T'ai-ho in the GreatTai dynasty " [27th November, 479]. Tai was the name of the districtin Shansi held by the Toba Tartars, who founded the Northern Weidynasty. It is interesting to find it used as a dynastic title instead of3 Wei.500 (N. WEI).

S. 2106. Ai ~ g, *Wei mo i chi, a commentary on theVimalakirtti-nirdesa-siitra, Kumarajiva's translation, from chapter 3to the end (chapter 14). Written in a slightly cursive hand on thinbut compact paper, stained yellow. This is the first appearance of anextraneous dye, an important landmark in the development of paperfor writing purposes. The roll is about 26 feet long, and at the veryend the original whitish colour is visible.Colophon: ! ) - l -[7-- H At_ f * t,1IS ^ ^ ~} p- "Copying completed by the bhikshu T'an-hsing at the Feng-lo Monastery in Ting-chou on the 22nd day of the2nd moon of the 1st year of Ching-ming" [6th April, 500].Ting-chou is in the province of Hopei. Note j * instead of theusual C;s. In 496, only four years before the date of this MS., theWei emperor had changed the family name Toba into the Chineseform xj Yuan; but there is no reason to suppose that the wordtherefore became taboo; indeed, it appears in our very next colophon.The title at the end is followed by a fairly long note on the sutra.Professor Yabuki compared this text with numerous other com-mentaries on the Vimalakirtti, but none was found to agree with it.It stands next in date to the oldest commentary by Seng-chao of theLater Ch'in (384-417).504 (N. WEI).S. 2660. S X ~ i, *Sheng man i chi, in 1 chiian. This isthe oldest extant commentary on the Srimala-devi-simhanada-sitra(N. 59), which was first translated by Gunabhadrabetween 435 and


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LIONEL GILES-443. At the end of the text are the words .- "Collected byHui-chang ".Colophon: iE - -C- t 3 X ; m- + --VI , f: j? A ;7 T " Copying ompleted on the 14thof the 2nd moon of the 1st year of Cheng-shih [15th March, 504].Eleven sheets of paper used. [One only is missing.] Revised jointlyby the shang-jen(monks) Pao-hsien and Hsiian-chi."The handwriting is good but rather small. The paper, originallywhitish and of the same kind as S. 2106, above, has been staineda deep yellow, except at the end. The roll is nearly 17j feet long.506 (LIANG).

S. 81. ji j $S J *Ta pan nieh p'an ching, ch. 11, p'in 6and 7. This is N. 113: Maha-parinirvana-sftra, translated byDharmaraksha in 423.Colophon (see Plate VII)::X TLf a - 1 f a1{ ^

Mt -f - 4 -e aA R %eA stf itbE*ft at 4 - A P "


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 815

?002-.0025inch, crisp and transparent, with very close laid lines, about24 or 26 to the inch, very regular and smooth. These lines seem tohave been made by fine grasses or very fine strips of bamboo. Thechain lines are about half an inch apart and very fine and straight. .Composition: Ramie."508 (N. WEI).

S. 2733. No title remains to this MS., but it is a commentary onthe f i f X ,f Miao fa lien hua ching or Saddharma-pundarika-sitra (N. 134), p'in 6-11, 13. The beginning is mutilated, and thereare holes along the bottom of the roll, whichis 141 feet long. The paperis thin and dyed yellow, and the handwriting is unusually good fora commentary, though rather small.The colophon is in two different hands. The older portion reads:t i ;% X : "Property (?) of the bhikshu Hui-yeh"; andin another column: g ~ , Jj ^ "Compiled by Shih Tao-chou." Above and below these words, so as to form part of the samecolumn, was written later: iE L 4t 3f ,+ El . ?. .4' J I -I p "Copying completed at the Kuang-teMonastery in the Middle Capital [Loyang] on the 10th day of the 5thmoon of the 5th year of Cheng-shih" [23rd June, 508]. Loyang iscalled 4 J in two other Stein MSS., one dated 762, and also * ,and t H "eastern Capital " (once each).511 (N. WEI).

S. 1427. ji f I *Ch'eng hih lun, or Satyasiddhi-sastra(N. 1274),ch. 14, p'in 136-140. The text agrees with K. xxiv. 9, except thatthese chapters are now contained in ch. 10 and 11. It is a well-writtenmanuscript on a roll of rather stiff light yellow paper about28 feet long.Colophon: , a -U- 5 E 7 IW A t UP JR Oi E] 7 9 ,M A X X"Written out by the copyist Ts'ao Fa-shou. 25 sheets of paperused. On the 25th day of the 7th moon of hsin-mao, the 4th yearof Yung-p'ing [3rdSeptember, 511], the sastra copied by Ts'aoFa-shou,official scribe in Tun-huang Chen, was completed. Teacher ofscriptural texts, Ling-hu Ch'ung-che. Reviser of scriptures andTao-jen, Hui-hsien."Ling-hu Ch'ung-cheis also described as f^ :fi in the colophonsof the next four rolls. Exactly what this title implies is not easy to


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LIONEL GILES-determine, especially as he was a layman, not a monk. X J , too,seems to be more than a general name for a Buddhist.512 (N. WEI).

S. 1547. The title is given at the end as A] : +--*Ch'engshih lun [chiian] ching, ch. 14, but it is really part of thesame text as the preceding roll, corresponding to ch. 11 (last part)and ch. 12 (first part), and containing p'in 147-154. The handwritingis similar but somewhat neater, and the paper is whiter and less crisp.The roll is 153 feet long.Colophon: J FE ' E. ; $ A

a6 Ra ,JA If "28 sheets of paper used. [Onlythirteen of these remain.] On the 5th day of the 8th moon of the jen-ch'en year, the 1st of Yen-ch'ang [1st September, 512], the sastracopied by Liu Kuang-chou, official scribe in Tun-huang Chen, wascompleted. Teacher of scriptural texts, Ling-hu Ch'ung-che. Reviserof scriptures and Tao-jen, Hung-chiin."513 (N. WEI).

S. 341. Chiian 7 of an unidentified sftra, containing the end ofp'in 11 and the whole of p'in 12, which is entitled Xp"f . The titleat the end is torn off. This is another neat MS. on crisp buff-colouredpaper forming a roll 121 ft. long, 26 cm. wide.Colophon:E^ _ - I, na B S

t; a )\31A "On the [ ] day of the 6th moonof the kuei-ssuiyear, the 2nd of Yen-ch'ang [July-August, 513],the sfitra copied by Ch'ien Hsien-ch'ang, scribe in Tun-huangChen, was completed. 20 [sheets of] paper used. [Only 11 of theseremain.] Teacher of scriptural texts, Ling-hu Ch'ung-che. Reviserof scriptures and Tao-jen."A number in double figures is missing before E3. In this and thenext two colophons, no name is given for the reviser. There is a seal-impression over the colophon which so far I have been unable todecipher.513 (N. WEI).

S. 2067. JS *Hua yen ching (Avatamsaka-sutra), ch. 16,correspondingto the second half of ch. 15 and the beginning of ch. 16

816


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 817in the modern recension. This is a good bold MS.on light buff-colouredpaper. The roll is about 27 feet long.Colophon: E 8 _ |~ r C , -U )+ ftL B Q5 tt * 4E I (?) ;h X ;L U ;z 4 At A 4 *aa a A A a tW nfi " On the 19th day of the 7thmoon of shui-ssu, the 2nd year of Yen-ch'ang [4th September, 513],Ling-hu [Li ?]-t'ai, scribe in Tun-huang Chen, finished copying outthis sftra. 24 sheets of paper used. [22 of these remain.] Reviserof scriptures and Tao-jen. Teacher of scriptural texts, Ling-huCh'ung-che."*C is a curious variant of e,; 4C"water " being the elementthat corresponds to the ninth and tenth celestial stems, X and A.Over the colophon is an impression of the same seal as in S. 341, butupside down.514 (N. WEI).

S. 6727. :C )j X X J JB g *Ta fang tng t'o lo ni ching.Though bearing the same title as N. 421, the present sftra does notagree with it in any particular. Thereis a note at the end in a differenthand: - [= ij] , "One revision completed "; after whichcomes the colophon proper, in the same hand as the text of the suitra:

MRb E t e h1y f- tmf A*wAMtaQ ;?t'" On the 12th day of the 4th moon of chia-wu, the 3rdyear of Yen-ch'ang [21st May, 514], the copy made by Chang A-sheng,scribe in Tun-huang Chen, was completed. 21 sheets of paper used.

[Only eleven and a fragment remain.] Reviser of scriptures andTao-jen. Teacher of scriptural texts, Ling-hu Ch'ung-che."The roll is of crisp lemon-yellow paper, and about 141 feet long.515 (N. WEI).S. 524. This is a very important roll, for it contains hithertounknown sfitra-commentarieson both sides. Recto, is a *commentaryon B X Bi]ji - g i y ~ N PA , gShengman shihtzu hou i shengtafang pienfang kuangching (N. 59), in a rather smallneat hand on thin yellow paper. The roll is 40 feet long. It is not thesame text as Shengman i chi (S. 2660, above).

Colophon: --- I in f> Mfa fi i 8 g SE-tf-_4 U 0 6kf AMA91X I_ f i A- f ) r I 1 "One revision completed. Commentaryby Chao, Master of the Law [of Huang-yu ?]. A copy of the


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Sheng man su was made in the Ch'eng-mingMonasteryat the capital[Loyang] on the 23rd day of the 5th moon of the 4th year ofYen-ch'ang [20th June, 515], and offered as an act of worship by theTao-jen Te-shou, a visitor from Kao-ch'ang."t is written in large characters, and appears again after thefirst ij, but has been blotted out. Its meaning is obscure. For 1 asa final particle, cf. supra, year 508, S. 2733.Verso: X, IBW i id Wu liang shou kuan ching i chi,*a commentary on the Amitayurbuddha-dhyana-sftra (N. 198) in1 chiian, apparently incomplete. The handwriting is larger than onthe other side of the roll, and the text covers only about 8? feet of itslength. Its date may be late sixth or early seventh century.521 (N. WEI).

S. 1524. :4 t ~ R 0.t i I *Ta fang teng t'o lo ni ching(Mahavaipulya-dharani-sfitra), ch. 1. Though containing severalvariants, this text agrees roughly with N. 421, K. xi. 7. 1, ch. 1 andthe beginning of 2. A short piece at the end, concludingwith a gatha,is not found in the present Canon.

Colophon: IE :; - ? J_[i ~ & "Copying com-pleted in the first decade of the 10th moon of the 2nd year of Cheng-kuang" [15th-24th November, 521]. This is a good clear MS. onwhitish paper (showingwire line). The roll is 30 feet long.521 (N. WEI).

S. 4823. + t 1 JJ ?t X { *Shih ti lun ch'u huan hsiti, ch. 1 (last portion only). It agrees with N. 1194, K. xxi. 9. a.Colophon: ]iE ~ - E M . '~g:; t"Copied by the scribe Po Tao-ch'e in the 2nd year of Cheng-kuang[521]. 27 sheets of paper used." [Only 31 of these remain.]This is a good MS. on a roll of thin, fibrous, whitish-yellow paper,about 41 feet long, 27 cm. wide. Though of the same date, this paperis of entirely different quality from S. 1524.522 (N. WEI).

S. 2724. *Hua yen ching,ch. 3 (beginningmutilated). It correspondsto N. 87, K. vii. 3, ch. 4, p'in 2 (3).There is an elaborate colophon, of which I can only offer atentative translation: Akt[ t& R fi AM IQus * ^e X < > 9 A a -f: Xffm S I

818


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 819, m - _ 1& Xj eN - =^1fi: A^WBS >i^^^ ig f3 * t atX }rJ ; i t t t iAl ) aj -bS 'JAF f %*a it:a j1s -pm m o fi e

~* g < > :~ i "b- . A " The wonderfuldecree [of Buddha] is not to be expressed in words, hence wemust receive empirical teaching in order to reach the underlyingprinciple. The perfect body has no form, so we must avail ourselvesof [ ] in order to manifest the truth. That is why my late brother,the sramana and karmadana Hui-ch'ao, realizing that this fleetingexistence is not to be depended upon, and knowing that the ThreeHoly Onesmay readily be trusted, [gave up] his property and sacrificedall his wealth, regarding the merit [of good deeds] as alone ofimportance; he painted the figure of the Golden Guest on the wallsof the monastery, and copied the scriptures on bamboo and paper;but before he had completed his task he passed suddenly into anotherlife. And now his younger brother the bhikshu Fa-ting, beholdingwith reverence the work he left behind, and feeling a great longing tocarry it to completion, has therefore painted the temple with lustrousdecoration, and has made extensive copies from a number of sftras-the Hua yen, Nieh p'an, Fa hua, Wei mo, Chin kang pan jo, Chinkuang ming, and Sheng man-and offers the resultant stock ofhappiness to his beloved brother, that his soul may mount to the realmof the absolute and his body travel to the Pure Land, that he maythoroughly comprehend the principle of No-birth and soon [bedelivered from] the ocean of suffering; and that likewise all sentientbeings may share in this merit and attain to perfect intelligence."The rhythm of the sentences shows that single words must havebeen omitted by mistake after ], jf, and _. The last is probablyW. "Karmadana" is the second-in-command or sub-director ofa monastery. The Three Holy Ones are usually understood to beVairocana, Maijusri, and Samantabhadra. " The Golden Guest"is a name for Buddha, and the principle of No-birth is of courseNirvana. Before the colophon is the note )j -tJ- i (marked fordeletion by a dot at the side) .t: "27 sheets of paper used " [onlyten remain]; and at the end is the date: JC g jE y) - fAt 3E -l ]R n AH In " Copy completed on the 8th dayof the 4th moon of jen-yin, the 3rd year of Cheng-kuangof the GreatWei dynasty " [18th May, 522]. This is the first time that we find the


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Wei dynasty mentioned by name. This is a good MS. on a roll of ratherthin yellow paper, over 13 feet long.531 (N. WEI).

S. 4528. No general title remains, and the headings of the p'insimply read f&t t5 Pan jo po lo mi. But it is really *Foshuojen wang pan jo po lo mi ching (N. 17, K. v. 6. j), p'in 5 (endonly) -8.Colophon: * ft e P' g a + i H ^ -

3 -A 4 T^ BffiA a" Sft&i 4 l AE A +- i 31 ffi An I; " On the 15th of the 4th moon ofthe 2nd year of Chien-mingof the Great Tai [i.e. Wei] dynasty [16thMay, 531], the Buddhist lay disciple Yuan Jung, since he lives inMo-chieh in danger of his life, has long been parted from his homeand has a constant longing to return, therefore in his own person andthat of his wife and children, his male and female servants, and hisdomestic animals, makes on behalf of the Celestial King Vaisravanaa donation to the Triratna of the sum of a thousand silver cash; andas ransom money, a thousand cash to ransom himself and his wife andchildren, a thousand cash to ransom his servants, and a thousand cashto ransom his animals. The money thus paid to the Church is to beused for copying sutras, with the prayer that the Celestial King maybecome a Buddha, and that the disciple's family, servants, and live-stock may be richly endowed with the blessing of long life, may attainenlightenment, and may all be permitted to return to the capital.This is his prayer."For 4 {it, see S. 996 (A.D.479). The period Chien-mingcame toan end in the 2nd moon of its 2nd year, but evidently the news hadnot reached the writer two months later. Mo-chieh is probably notMagadha, which is generally written jE X ), but some remotekingdom of Central Asia. Vaisravana, guardian of the North,is frequently invoked for protection. Here Yuan Jung, who is "indanger of his life ", seeks his aid in a curiously roundabout fashion.He gives a total of 4,000 cash for copying sftras, a quarter of theresultant "merit" to be so applied that Vaisravana may attainBuddhahood. The remainder is intended to " ransom " himself and

820


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 821his household, and bring about their return to China. The inclusion ofanimals as on a virtual level with human beings is due to the Buddhistbelief in universal reincarnation. M, originally a look-out tower,then the gate of a palace, seems to be used by synecdoche for theImperial city, in this case Loyang.Another good MS. The roll is made of yellow paper, and is nearly15 feet long.533 (N. WEI).

S. 2105. 1,4 J X l *Miaofa lien hua ching, ch. 10 (fromtitle at end), p'in 27 (from title at beginning). The modern text,however, comprises only 7 chiian, and this MS. corresponds to ch. 7,p'in 28 (complete).The end of the colophon is unfortunately torn away. The firstportion runs: 7C r: ~ :M : -3 mff i Z Ma ^ g ls- -t ff t

X i6 i ~~ e ? n ccOn the i-ch'ou day, the 25th of the3rd moon, the first day of which was hsin-ch'ou,in the kuei-ch'ouyear,the 2nd of Yung-hsing [4th May, 533], the gila disciple Ch'en Yen-tuipays homageto the Triratna ever abiding throughout the three periods !The disciple, having himself been guilty of insincere conduct in aformer existence, and similar sentient beings endowed with vile bodiesof wind-borne dust, doubly blind . . .The Yung-hsing periodof 533 was extremely short, lasting less thana month in January and February; and there might seem to be someground for preferringthe earlierYung-hsing (also of the Wei dynasty),which covered the years 409-414. But (1) the cyclical designation of410 is keng-hsii,not kuei-ch'ou; (2) both paper and handwritingpointunmistakably to the later date; (3) Kumarajiva died in 415, and it isunlikely that his translation was available so early as 410. The " threeperiods " are past, present, and future. In T'ang times, AJ waspronounced kai, as it is in the Cantonese dialect to-day. Hence wehave aq replacing it here as a homophone.This is a fine MS. on yellow paper. The roll is about 51 feet long,26.5 cm. wide.533 (N. WEI).S. 4415. Ta pan nieh p'an ching, ch. 31. This agrees with N. 113,K. viii. 6, but the chiian ends about three pages sooner than in themodern text.


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LIONEL GILES-The sitra is written in a fine bold hand, but the colophon whichfollows (see Plate VII) is rather crabbed : *e* ^ g 7C-

I 1.E ;Xk [?] a M 1: $ fi t%s X A 1 i ' X m ^: 0m 7T S R, vZ3 , , [?]- E Ai ;a " On the 15th day of the 7th moon of the 2ndyear of Yung-hsi of the Great Tai and GreatWei dynasty [20th August,533], the layman of pure faith (upasaka) Yuan T'ai-kuo, shih-ch'ih-chieh, san-ch'i-ch'ang-shih,k'ai-fu with the same insignia of rank asthe three chief ministers, General Superintendent of Military Affairsin Ling-hsi, Commander-in-chief of the Cavalry on active service,Prefect of Kua-chou and Prince of Tung-yang, has reverently causedsections to be copied of the Nieh p'an, Fa hua, Ta yiin, Suiyii, Kuan fosan mei, Tsu ch'ih, Chin kuang ming, Wei mo, and Yao shih, totallingone hundred rolls, in honour of the CelestialKing Vaisravana, prayingthat this disciple [i.e. the donor] may gain permanent relief from hissickness and that his whole body may find repose. Such is hisprayer."Here the same dynasty is denominated both Tai and Wei: cf. supra,S. 996 (A.D. 479), in which MS. we also find the title "GeneralSuperintendentof Military Affairs". Ling-hsi may denote the countrywest of the Nan Shan; I have not met this term elsewhere. Kua-chouis the modern An-hsi, but the location of Tung-yang is doubtful.4JC must refer to a lost translation of the Mahamegha-sutra, forthe three translations in the present Canon (N. 186-8) are all of laterdate than 533. [ LE|and 3 - are texts that I cannot identifyin this abbreviated form, but Yao shih is doubtless the 12th sutra ofN. 167. f is not a recognized character, but it may stand simply for/:C. In a largerhand at the end are the words - [for :] j "Onerevision completed."This is a good bold MS. on thin buff paper, forming a roll152 feet long.539 (W. WEI).

S. 2732. Recto: ,| i , ~ i& *Wei mo ching i chi, ch. 4.This is the last chapter of a commentary on the Vimalakirtti-sutrawhich is not included in the present Canon or in the Kyoto Supplement.A. xxvii. 4 of the latter is a commentary of the same name in 8 chiian

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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 823by % x Hui-yiian of the Sui, that is, half a century later.Professor Pelliot thinks it possible that the name and attribution arefalse, and that there is only one genuine Wei mo ching i chi, in 4 chiian,by another Hui-yiian of the fourth century, of which our MS. haspreserved the concluding portion.The colophon consists of four notes in two distinct hands: (1)Jcs $ + -' t rt E B HE g ?e Mi"Copied for circulation by the bhikshu Hui-lung on the 12th day ofthe 4th moon of the 5th year of Ta-t'ung " [15th May, 539]. (2) h[--_ 1 t t i " [Text] jointly revised and determined bytwo scholars of Lung-hua." (3) j i T - 7 i_ "Again revisedword for word throughout." (4) X ~ _ $ 3 4? )!~ ~' __ l -]T S, [mistake for ~] ~ ~ Xt J m -- X 0S


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LIONEL GILES-the preface; but in any case it is remarkable that there should be solong a gap as 250 years or so between the MSS. rectoand verso. Theroll is of light buff-colouredpaper, and nearly 44 feet long.541 (W. WEI).S. 2216. *Ta pan niehp'an ching(N. 113), ch. 21, agreeing with themodern recension, except that the chiian ends sooner.Colophon: ;tg J t H A ft J at; "Reverently copied and offered as an act of worship by NiehSeng-nu on the 28th of the 6th moon of the 7th year of Ta-t'ung"[5th August, 541].This is a fine MS. on a roll 26 feet long. But the chief feature tobe noted is the thin crisp paper, stained a beautiful golden-yellow,which is so characteristic of the next hundred years.543 (W. WEI).S. 736. Sk ft; ? I ^? j *Ta pi ch'iu ni chieh mo. Maha-bhikshuni-karman, or rules of Buddhist discipline for nuns. ThisVinaya text is in one chiian only, and not the same as N. 1116. Themajor portion of the roll, which is over 21 feet long, consists of a well-made light yellow paper, but towards the end six sheets of a thinner,crisper texture have been inserted. The handwriting throughout isvery clear and neat.Colophon: t* L H * f t

i -kE 4-6EXuE X S X #EA liWIi & - +^^N e * ; Au - 4 Bt SX i A 4tln e { A A t 4n * * X

JS]fJ " Copying completed on the 6th day of the 7th moon, thefirst day of which was chi-ch'ou, of the 9th year of Ta-t'ung [21stAugust, 543], and offered as an act of worship by the bhikshuniHsien-yii. With pious intent, the bhikshun Hsien-yii has caused a copyto be made of the Chiehmo ching in one chiian, praying that the meritthereby gained may reach the worlds in all the ten directions of space,and all living beings in the six states of existence, opening their heartsand expanding their minds, that they may turn their thoughts to theMahayana. She offersthis her bodily life, that wheresoever she is bornshe may constantly act as leader and guide to all beings of the tenregions and the six states of existence, even as the Buddhas and the

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BULL. S.O.S. VOL. VII, PART 4.

FOUR COLOPHONS,ATEDA.D. 406 (S. 797), 506 (S. 81), 533 (S. 4415),568 (S. 616). From left to right.[To face p. 824.

PLATE VII.


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 825Bodhisattvas of the three periods (past, present, and future) workfor the salvation of all beings, equally and without any distinction.And if any are able to read, recite and practice these precepts, may thesame merit accrue to them likewise. Maythe GreatHoly One (Buddha),possessorof the profoundmind, grant that this prayer may be fulfilled,that the fruits of Buddhahood may be attained, and that all beingsin the three unhappy states of existence may in due course obtaindeliverance."

The chief difficulty in the above is the character *, which is notrecognized by the dictionary, and appears in contexts that seem torequire two different meanings.545 (W. WEI).S. 4494. A collection of prayers, charms, and other religiousdocuments. One of these, a list of days suitable for the remission ofsin, is said to have been compiled in the 11th year of Hsiian-shih[422], but the cyclical date given, C U[, does not agree.

Colophon: - a+--- ZL H g L[for p;] : i 4 g "Copying completed on the 29th ofthe 5th moon of the i-ch'ou year, the 11th of Ta-t'ung [24th June,545]. Property of Tao-yang of the P'ing-nan monastery."The roll, made of thin whitish buff paper, is about 73 feet long,and the handwriting is fairly good-much better than that usuallyfound in similar compilations.550 (W. WEI).S. 6492. * X_ *Ta i chang, ch. 5. This treatise, literally"Chapters on the Great Meaning", consists of questions and answerson Buddhist doctrine. Chiian 5 contains eight chapters, the titles ofwhich are enumeratedat the end of the roll; each has a prefaceand issubdivided into several sections. The chapters are: (1) pfi * (missing)"Cutting the knot ", or severing the bonds of passion, etc.; (2)i9 Ei (sections 4, end, to 6) "The four immeasurables", orBuddha-states of mind, i.e. boundless kindness, pity and joy, andlimitless indifference (rising above these emotions); (3) / WWJP;Eight stages of mental concentration leading to deliverance; (4)A J 5t Eight victorious stages or degrees in meditation for over-coming desire; (5) F "Aids to contemplation "; (6) Eq ;"The four methods of non-obstruction "; (7) * j The six super-natural powers acquired by a Buddha; (8) +- ? The ten formsof understanding.

VOL. VII. PART 4. 54


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At the end of the text is a note, ft "Property of Seng-pao ",and colophon:: ~t -*1 A f---fEl .tlz i' A 1 " Copied by the bhikshu Seng-pao inthe Ch'eng-men[City gate] monastery on the 21st day of the 2nd moonof keng-wu,the 16th year of Ta-t'ung " [24th March, 550]. ;jj seemsto be required before j.The handwriting is clear and neat. The paper is dyed a sulphur-yellow, and the roll is about 401 feet long, 28 cm. wide.550 (W. WEI).

S. 4366. *Ta pan nieh p'an ching, ch. 12. At the end is a note,Ik 4 -- , " Revised word for word throughout ", and a ratherlong colophon: ?f B ;t 5 !ifi 3

n TNA 0 ' E 1V 2 XA f A tA e J- t LeA 3X A a X ffi*t + M^ ? XAnt - e t E. tt A *S4 T * FAui1f -r tt; a *a W W V, a AE t J - L- El " Happiness is not fallacious in its re-sponse: pray for it, and the influencewill be felt. Results do not comeof themselves: concentrate on the causes, and successfulattainment willfollow. Thus, the Buddhist disciple and bhikshuni Tao-jung, becauseher conduct in a previous life was not correct, has been reborn in thevile estate which is that of a woman; and if she does not obey andhonour the wonderful decree [of Buddha], how shall she find responsein the effects which are to come ? Therefore, having cut down herexpenses in the articles of food and clothing, she has reverently causeda section of the Nieh p'an ching to be copied, praying that those whoread it through may be exalted in mind to supreme [wisdom], andthat those who promote its circulation may cause others to beinfluenced to their enlightenment. She also prays that in her presentlife she may abide in meditation, without further sickness or suffering;that her parents in seven other incarnations who have died in the pastor will die in the future, and her family and kinsfolk now living,may enjoy surpassing bliss in the four realms [of earth, water, fire, andair], and that what they seek may fall out according to their desire;also, that all disciples [of Buddha] naturally endowed with perceptionmay be embraced in the scope of this prayer. Dated the 29th day ofthe 4th moon of the 16th year of Ta-t'ung " [30th May, 550].

826


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 827is an unexpected variant of the usual - _. ' (appearingin

K'ang Hsi as Si) is an archaic form of 4. This is a fine MS. on a rollof remarkably good lemon-colouredpaper, 22 feet long. The colophonis in a different hand.561 (N. CHOU).

S. 2664. Part of a *commentary on a Vinaya text, without title.Colophon: f ' $ * e X] T * 4A B k~ S " Notes extracted by Hsiian-chiieh on the 8th of the3rd moon, the first day of which was ting-wei, of hsin-ssui, the 1styear of Pao-ting " [8th April, 561].This is a fairly good MS. on unstained whitish paper, making a rollabout 24 feet long by 27 cm. wide. A few columns of the same texthave been written on the back.561 (N. CHOU).

S. 2082. Ta pan nieh p'an ching, ch. 18 (beginning mutilated).Colophon: t t ; 1L X + -t l f3 g -, ~ ; / -- J ~- - a 4 m A "Reverentlycopied for circulation on the 17th of the 9th moon of the 1st year ofPao-ting [llth October, 561] by the Buddhist disciple Chang Pen-sheng on behalf of the members of his family, large and small, and allliving beings."This is a fine bold MS. on a roll about 29 feet long. The colophonhas been added in an inferior hand. This is what Mr. Clappertonhasto say about the paper: " Thin golden yellow paper . . . Thickness?002--0025 nch. A really beautiful, thin paper, very well made. Thefibres have been well beaten and the sheet is well closed. Very evenlaid and chain lines, all square and rigid-looking, no sagging; 16 tothe inch and chain lines two inches apart. The paper is tough, trans-parent and strong, and very evenly made. As good a paper as couldbe made at the present time. Close, smooth surface, excellent handleand rattle. Very hard-sized: takes and holds ink as well as a goodmodern, tub-sized paper. Composition: Paper mulberryand Ramie."564 (N. CHOU).

S. 1317. *Ta pan nieh p'an ching, ch. 1.Colophon: X E a > q F-- iJ < E> ? -t E :7 ~ :] [ m m M Jr 11 m

% # 3g } 7j M ;; [for M] -' - m M [for g] 4j| ^;


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)aB V d t * [for 9E] i ffi f i ? ^ 'M Ex A p iW XJS i g X t x x"On the jen-tzu day, the 25th of the 6th moon, the first day of whichwas mou-tzu, n the 4th year of Pao-ting [19th July, 564], the bhikshuTao-chi reverently caused one section of the Nieh p'an ching to becopied out, by cutting down expenditure on clothes and sparingwhathe could out of alms received. The stock of happiness thus acquiredheoffers to his cherished parents in seven previous states of existenceand those connected with him by relationship, that they may beremovedfor ever from the sources of sufferingand ascendto the fruitionof paradise. May his present life be tranquil and prosperous, all hiswoes be dispersedlike clouds, and every kind of happiness alight uponhim. And when he casts off this vile body, may he straightway bereborn in the Tushita heaven and behold the merciful countenance [ofthe Buddha], feast on the teaching of the Law, individually awakento the truth of Nirvana, and enter into the state of purity. Next, heprays that the troubles of the State may soon be allayed, that all thepeople may dwell in peace and joy, that wind and rain may come intheir due season, that crops and fruit may be produced in richabundance, and that the sentient beings of the universe, ascendingtogether to the Temple of the Law, may all in due course attainBuddhahood."

f ~ may indicate the realm of dharma, or Nirvana. This isa fine MS. on a roll of yellow paper about 27- feet long and nearly25-5 cm. wide.565 (N. CHOU).

S. 1945. *Ta pan nieh p'an ching, ch. 11, p'in 6, 7.Colophon: J X i T L -A i 3 E

't % ^ ]V * 4m- N it a a9_fX 1 _ -= S , -f SA N - -a ]s- 3E J fh , 3$ Mi [for1]

t - -i4 f 1On the 1st day of the i-yu year, the 5th ofPao-ting in the Chou dynasty [16th February, 565], the bhikshuHung-chen, whose foolish heart is filled with deep sorrow and regretthat in a previous existence he was obstructed [by his passions]

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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 829and hindered from entering the correct path, and looking up withadoration to the Great Holy One, has for the edification ofmonks and laymen caused copies to be made of the 1,500 Buddha'snames in 100 rolls, of the charms of the seven Buddhas andthe eight Bodhisattvas in 100 rolls, and of 3,000 miscellaneouscharms, and has furthermore had copies made of a section ofthe Nieh p'an ching, a section of the Fa hua ching, two sectionsof the Fang kuang ching, one section of the Jen wang chingwith commentary, one section of the Yao shih ching, one section ofthe Yao wang yao shang p'u sa ching, and a Vinaya text in one rollwithcommentary, to the end that this stock of merit may be used on behalfof all the sentient beings of the universe, that they may ascend to thefirst assembly of Maitreya and in due course attain Buddhahood."j hsien has much the same sense as ,i. In the middle of the lastcolumn of this colophon is the note, " 18 sheets of paper used "; ofthese, eleven now remain, forming a roll about 141 feet long, 26 cm.wide. This is another fine MS. on very thin dark yellow paper.568 (N. CHOU).

S. 616. _ )] , mChinkuangming ching (Survarna-prabhasa-sutra, ch. 4, p'in 14 (end only) -16, translated by Dharmaraksha(N. 127). This is the earliest specimen of a sfutrawhich was afterwardsto become extremely popular at Tunhuang in j] F I-ching'stranslation.Colophon (in a different hand from the text of the sutra; see

Plate VII): A t .X fgH 7 7 ; m ~ %Pi _ s J 3 - X - mg t A EE p?ffi A mI m t ;X AWXaAf t5 k .& A 9 A,p _ A-& Afj q -~ - C"On behalf of the deceased bhikshu Yung-pao,Keeper of the Lung-ch'iian cave-temples, copies have been reverentlymade of sections of the Chin kuang ming, the Sheng man, and theFang kuang sftras, with a prayer that the deceased may be rebornin the land of Buddha and behold his merciful countenance, foreverescaping from the three [unhappy] paths of existence, and everdivorced from suffering. Whatever rebirths he may undergo, may hemeet with good friends and acquire true enlightenment. And may[this stock of merit] reach all living beings, so that they may speedilyattain Buddhahood. Dated the 21st of the 5th moon of mou-tzu,the3rd year of T'ien-ho " [1st July, 568].


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LIONEL GILES-We do not know the whereabouts of the Lung-ch'iian caves; but

a district (JO) of the same name is mentioned in S. 6014. The Fangkuang sftra is the Avatamsaka, jl ), {l a1 $,, usuallycalled the Hua yen, as above, A.D. 522 (S. 2724). ] ; _ - seemsto be a mistake for;-C i - t.This is another fine MS. in very black ink on yellow paper of goodquality. The handwriting is less archaic in appearance than that ofprevious rolls, and marks the transition stage between the clumsierstyle of the Six Dynasties and the graceful strokes of the T'ang. Theroll is just over 11 feet long.569 (N. CHOU).

S. 2935. *Ta pi ch'iu ni chieh mo ching, in 1 ch. The same text asS. 736 (A.D. 543).Colophon: Ig a A* ES

^N7tCX 4 E tt EI ll !t "Copyingcompleted on the 8th of the 6th moon of chi-ch'ou,the 4th year ofT'ien-ho [7th July, 569]. Received as her property and offered as anact of worship by Chih-pao,a nun in the Yung-yiin Convent. Extractscompleted by the bhikshu Ch'ing-hsien." This text, then, would seemto consist of extracts from a longer treatise. Whether Ch'ing-hsienwas the actual copyist is doubtful. The handwriting is good. The roll,29 feet long, is of crisp lemon-yellow paper.583 (Sui KINGDOM).S. 3935. , i ; *f A , *Ta fang teng ta chi ching(Mahavaipulya-mahasannipata-sftra), ch. 18, p'in 4, 5. The textcorrespondsto ch. 20 of N. 61, K. vi. 6.Colophon: M a _ $ m v M ~i i q e - 3l ~gij (?for l) $ ' *X t e a f a * tmg7 -% W 0 g * A 0 XMs f Da F% a 3- Ns !i t 9 9 i67X - /i XA SA t t )q] aJ J ffi , "On the 28th of the 5th moon ofthe kuei-maoyear, the 3rd of K'ai-huang [23rdJune, 583], the Wu-hou-shuai and Military SuperintendentSung Shao,having met with domesticaffliction, has made a vow on behalf of his deceased father and motherto read a section of each of the following sutras: Ta chi ching, Niehp'an ching, Fa hua ching, Jen wang ching, Chin kuang ming ching,Sheng man ching, and Yao shih ching. He prays that the spirits of

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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 831the deceased may travel to the Pure Land, eternally exempt from thethree unhappy states of existence and the eight calamities, andconstantly hear the Law of Buddha. He also prays that happiness mayattend the membersof his family, both great and small, to their hearts'content, that blessings of all kinds may daily descend upon them, andthat all evils may be dispersed like clouds; that the King's highwaymay be free and open, and that robbers and thieves may be drivenaway; that pestilence may not prevail, and that wind and rain maycome in their due season; and that all suffering beings may speedilyobtain deliverance. May these prayers be granted !"There is a companion roll to this, S. 582, containing Ta chi ching,ch. 25, with an undated colophon in the same hand referring to thisvow: f ^ -T 5 X X5 H 1i t~ j " The Buddhistdisciple, Sung Shao, has read seven sections in order that his prayermight be granted." The King of Sui had deposed the Chou emperorin 581 and taken the year-title of K'ai-huang, which he retained afterhe had become emperor of a united China in 589. j { Rp appearsto have been a kind of military police officer. The " eight calamities "are states of existence in which one is shut off from the sight of Buddhaor the hearing of his Law; they include the jE :i and the _- .Here, however, in view of the fact that the three unhappy paths havealready been mentioned, the eight calamities may be those of a morepopular series: (1) Hunger; (2) Thirst; (3) Cold; (4) Heat; (5)Flood; (6) Fire; (7) the Knife, i.e. a private vendetta; (8) War.ff is a rare character with the same meaning as g " to ward off";but here it seems to be used for f in the sense of j,.A good MS. on whitish paper, making a roll about 29 feet long,26 cm. wide. The colophon, however, is written in a very carelesshand with much-diluted ink.588 (Sui KINGDOM).

S. 4020. ,Fg : A *Ssu i ching (N. 190), ch. 4, p'in 15-18.Colophon: * g ~El ~ A A

itt N, fi $M-a S AXP? , a " On the 8th day of the 4th moon of mou-shen, he 8th yearof K'ai-huang of the GreatSui dynasty [8th May, 588], the Lady Ts'ui,consort of the Prince of Ch'in, on behalf of all the living beings of theuniverse, reverently caused copies to be made of the Tsa a han andother sitras, amounting to 500 rolls, for universal circulation, offering


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them as an act of worship. Superintended by Wu Kuo-hua, yiian-waisan-ch'i ch'ang-shih. Revised by the monk Hui-k'uang of Cheng-tingin Hsiang-chou."Note that the Sui kingdom had already assumed the style of animperial dynasty, although the ] Ch'en still ruled in the south.Hsiang-chou is X X Hsiang-yang in Hupeh, but the location ofCheng-ting is doubtful.A fine MS., nearly 241 feet long, on thin crisp golden-yellow paper.588 (Sui KINGDOM).

S. 3518. *Nieh p'an ching, ch. 4 (correspondingto ch. 4 and partof 5 in the modern recension).Colophon (in the same hand, though smaller than the text ofthe sftra): W Aa / A JR - H f~ -6()

V* s J 3t a - MI Bf JitX .te a *3E ,* V 1 Jf m m E " On the 3rd of the8th moon of the 8th year of K'ai-huang [29th August, 588] the Buddhistdisciple Chao Sheng, fu-kuo chiang-chiinand chung-santu-tu, deeplyregretting that in a previous existence he did not meet Sakyamuniwhen he went through the eight phases of his life and attained Buddha-hood; and as regards the future, not yet having received [instructionfrom] the three assemblies of Maitreya : has therefore, in the illusoryconditions of this present state, assuming the mind of bodhi [i.e. theawakened or intelligent mind that believes in moral consequences],reverently caused a section of the Ta pan nieh p'an ching to be copied,so as beneficially to affect both himself and the members of his family,great and small; above him, the Dragon King, the ruler of the State,and universally, all living beings endowed with perception, that theymay together rise to perfect enlightenment."The eight phases of Buddha's life, as given in the Ch'i hsin lun,are: (1) Descent into and abode in the Tushita heaven; (2)Conception; (3) Abode in the womb; (4) Birth; (5) Leaving home;(6) Attaining enlightenment; (7) Turning the Wheel of the Law, orpreaching; (8) Entrance into Nirvana. " This present state " is thesecond of the " three periods " of Buddhism: the real, the formal,and the final; they last 500, 1,000, and 3,000 years respectively, afterwhich Maitreya comes to restore all things. He will sit under a

832


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DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 833

"dragon-flower" tree and preach the Law to three successiveassemblies.A fine MS., about 27 feet long, on thin golden-yellow paper.589 (Sui).

S. 2154. There are two separate texts in this roll. The first has nogeneral heading, but I have been able to identify it as -1' RI ftFfg j gi mf ~ *Samantabhadra-bodhisattva-sfutra N. 1104), p'in2-5. The last p'in is wrongly numbered 6. Curiouslyenough, Nanjioalso gives the sfitra six chapters, though K. xvii. 2. q only has five.The second text is { & X : * 4 I , Fo shuo shenshen ta hui hsiang ching (N. 471), complete.Colophon: :*C9i- q - hLA H g JRA i*- S_ ~ _-IJ XS f4 " On the 8th of the 4thmoon of the 9th year of K'ai-huang of the Great Sui dynasty [27th

May, 589] the Empress reverently caused copies of all the sutras tobe made and circulated as an act of worship, on behalf of the livingbeings of the universe."This roll, then, formed part of a complete manuscript copy of theSitra-pitaka. It is beautifully written on thin golden-yellow paper,over 141 feet long. The empress in question was the consort of YangChien.593 (SvI).S. 227, 5130, 457, 4967, 4954. k P Pt Ta chih lun (N. 1169),ch. 41, p'in 7, 8; ch. 42, p'in 9 (1); ch. 44, p'in 11, 12; ch. 47, p'in17 (2); ch. 50, p'in 19, 20.The above, together with several other MSS., form a series by thesame copyist. S. 5130 (28 feet long, 26 cm. wide) is complete, the othersare slightly imperfect at the beginning. The numbers of the p'in donot agree in every case with the modern recension. All five bearthe same colophon, written in a careless hand: m -

Reverently copied and offered as an act of worship by the discipleLi Ssui-hsienon the 8th day of the 4th moon of the kuei-ch'ouyear,the 13th of K'ai-huang " [13th May, 593].All these are fine MSS. on thin golden-yellow paper. S. 227 isdescribedby Mr.Clappertonas follows : " Thickness-0025--00325inch.Strong and tough with very long fibres, well brushed out and puttogether. Very clean and free from blemishes. Fairly well sized,16 laid lines to the inch. The mould on which the sheet was made was


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a good one, all lines being evenly spaced and parallel. The surface iscovered with fine, long, silky fibroushairs, but quite smooth to write on.The papers feel like a thin strong modern ' bank'. Very even texturein 'look-through'; free from pin-holes. Composition: Papermulberry."596 (SvI).

S. 635. f- ; {j ~ . *Fo shuo fo ming ching, ch. 5 (endonly). This is an uncanonical version of the Buddhanama-suitra.Colophon: - t a, Hf; EM l W"Offered as an act of worship by the bhikshini Ming-hui on the8th of the 5th moon of the 16th year of K'ai-huang" [9th June, 596].This is a good MS., in a hand which seems to belong to an earlierperiod, say, the first half of the sixth century. The colophon is ina decidedly later hand; and it will be noticed that the sfitra is notsaid to have been copied, but only offered n 596. Roll of bright yellowpaper, about 21 feet long.597 (SvI).S. 2527, 6650, 4520, 1529, 5762. *Hua yen ching, ch. 9, p'in 14-17[now in ch. 10 and 11]; ch. 30 [now ch. 35, p'in 32 (3)-ch. 36, p'in32 (4)]; ch. 47 [now ch. 55-6]; ch. 49 [now ch. 59].This is another fine series of rolls by the same copyist, and allbearing the same colophon (with a few slight variants).S. 5762 contains the colophon only, which runs as follows:

[for ] 1;t a- -*sJp ^ m^siB [for j1] J rS [ [S. 1529 i] i M M M [S. 1529 I]s f 7icmf X R 9 X [s. 1529 --t mX mi t W m SEX@ @ W a[S. 4520XIJ] M mX MSXvr- ,I tSi UA X It"On the 1st of the 4th moon of the 17th year of K'ai-huang[22nd April, 597] the upasika of pure faith [i.e. a female laymemberof the Church]Yian Ching-tzii,having scrupulouslycut downher personal expenses, has reverently caused a section of this sftrato be copied as an ever-enduring act of worship, praying that fromnow onward calamitous obstructions may be swept away and blessingsshowereddown; that the State may be ever prosperousand the peoplehappy and contented; and she prays that the spirits of her ancestorsof seven previous incarnations may all be released from sufferingandobtain peace, travelling in spirit to the Pure Land; that their sins

834


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836 DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION599 (SuI).

S. 2502. This is part of a commentary on Jen wang hu kuopan jopo lo mi ching (N. 17). It is not N. 1566, but cousists merely of anexplanatory note on - f in the sftra, followed by commentary oncertain extracts. The beginning is imperfect, and there is no title atthe end.

Colophon: ++ Lt - ;"Copying of extracts completed on the 2nd day of the 6th moon ofthe 19th year of K'ai-huang " [30th June, 599].This is a fairly good MS. on rather coarse whitish paper. The lastsheet is thinner than the rest. The roll is about 51 feet long and28-5 cm. wide.

(To be continued.)

dated chinese mss in the stein collection 7-4

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