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click to zoomSutra of Reciting the True Names of the Noble Manjusri in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Chinese Scripts  Qing Dynasty (16441911)
Courtesy of The National Library of China

 

Sutra of Reciting the True Names of the Noble Manjusri
(1644–1911)

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The National Library of China
Beijing
China

'Sutra' is a Sanskrit term meaning 'thread', and is used for religious works consisting of short sentences embodying truths. This Buddhist text is dedicated to Manjusri, an important figure among the Mahayana Buddhist deities. He is a bodhisattva, one of a number of celestial heroes whose compassion has led them to postpone the bliss of final enlightenment until all other beings are freed of suffering. His name means 'gentle glory', and Manjusri is often called the 'prince of the teachings'. He has been especially venerated for his uncompromising quest for insight. By the eighth century, a mountain complex in northern China—Five Terrace Mountain—was being identified as Manjusri's special earthly domain. It has remained a thriving international Buddhist centre, with 72 notable monasteries and temples, as well as numerous retreat huts.

This text consists of 160 verses in Tibetan, Sanskrit and Chinese scripts. Devotees would recite the texts that include strings of epithets applied to Manjusri, such as 'formless, of lovely form and foremost; multiform and made of mind, glorious appearance of all forms, bearing no end of reflected images'. The text is thought to have been written in the tenth century, although some scholars have ascribed it to the fifth century or earlier.

This very handsome copy from the National Library of China was probably made in the eighteenth century. It is kept in a woven cloth wrapper. The text is written in three rows: the Sanskrit title in Devanagari script at the top, Tibetan in the centre and Chinese at the bottom. Following Sanskrit and Tibetan conventions, the Chinese characters are read left to right instead of the usual right to left.

The inner side of the top sutra cover is an illuminated panel featuring three icons, finely drawn in coloured, gold and white pigments. The bottom sutra cover is similarly embellished with an illuminated panel featuring five icons.