Report On Kanjur Of Ta Pho

Author(s): Ernst Steinkellner
Publisher: Ernst Steinkellner

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most probably of the manuscripts with yum texts and additional sūtras translated at the same time (43). And secondly, that from the very beginning these manuscripts continued to be copied, both for reasons of dispersion and renewal as well as of gaining merit (Tucci 1935: 87). Monks and soon lay people, too, must have joined their different but mutually supportive interests in giving growth to a considerable production of manuscripts with a very good average quality.
This kind of accretion may have continued for centuries. But it was hardly the only kind that took place. It is evident (cf. below, fn. 47) that at least one attempt at burning the manuscripts happened in the monastery itself. But aside from traces of burning, wear, and age, there are a considerable number of folios with substantial quantities of dried dirt, manure, etc. (44), which are not to be expected in a monastic library. For even after the devastation of the monastery itself, the library would not have been left lying around outside, but would have been brought back into the temple as soon as possible. Therefore most of these dirty leaves in very bad condition, and possibly also a number of the burned ones, did not originally belong to the Ta pho library. They must have belonged to either other temples in the area (45) or private houses. When they were burned, destroyed or became useless in their respective places, they were deposited as sacred waste in the only collection of manuscripts (or later manuscript remains) that seems to have survived the vicissitudes of centuries in the valley (46).
Although it is very likely that many of the scorched folios were burned elsewhere, the single fact we can prove, is that the last burning took place in the monastery
text cf. 107, 3 f.) is wrong. What is said, is: 'In these 21 places, he provided after the lapse of one year three sets of the Sūtra collection (and) seven sets of the Satasahasrikā' (yul chun ni su rtsa gcig tu lo gcig 'khyud 'khor lo mdo man cha gsum 'bum cha dbun[...]żabs tog mdzad do. Variants: lo gcig no. 6: lo no. 3; 'khyud no. 3: khyud no. 6; 'khor no. 3: khor no. 6; man no. 3: mans no. 6; gsum no. 6: gsum gsum no. 3; tog : rtog nos. 3, 6).
(43) Interesting in this connection is the mention in Rin chen bzan po's biography of the equipping of the temple at Rad nis, his birthplace, with a basic library: 'Regarding the number of extant volumes (poti), there was a complete Tripitaka (sde snod gsum ka). (And) there were all full and medium-length (versions of the) Prajñāpāramita, (and) in addition to the complete 18 originals (yum) and copies (sras) (of these) two sets of the Astadaśasahasrikā, five of the Astasāhasrika. In short, in all there were 468 volumes (poti)' (ibid., no. 3, 103, 1-4; in Snellgrove's ed. 107, 31-108, 2 and transl. 94).
Aside from the fact that the note on 'a complete Tripitaka' must be taken as having been made in general terms as referring to a collection of Vinaya and Sūtra texts, the more detailed indication of Prajñāpāramită holdings are a trustworthy testimony as to the main character of Rad nis' first library. And that the first library at Ta pho was equipped in a very similar way can safely be inferred.
(44) For reasons of respect, the monks and we removed the grosser dirt while handling the folios, so that now the general picture is much better.
(45) All other nearby monasteries and temples have been devastated and ruined at one time in their history because of their strategic possibilities. Only Ta pho, situated at the bottom of the valley, was never a threat and therefore not so much in danger either (cf. Tucci 1935: 86 f.).
(46) According to the abbot bSod nams dBan 'dus, a 'Kanjur' of the Ta pho kind consisting of c. 10 bundles still exists in the Sel mkhar monastery south of Sumdo.
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