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Sutra
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
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Sutra
of Reciting the True Names of the Noble Manjusri
(16441911)
'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 ChinaFive Terrace Mountainwas
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.
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