Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara: The British Library Kharosthi Fragments

by Salomon, Richard; Allchin, F. Raymond; Barnard, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780295977690
• ISBN10: 0295977698
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr

Author Biography

Richard Salomon professor of Asian languages and literature at the University of Washington, heads the team of scholars constituting The British Library/University of Washington Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Foreword	xiii
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Preface	xv
Note on the System of Transcription and Citation	xviii
Abbreviations	xx
The Background: Gandhara and Gandharan Buddhism	3	(12)
Gandhara: Geographic Setting and Early History	3	(2)
Buddhism in Gandhara	5	(2)
Textual Sources and the Modern Academic Study of Buddhism	7	(1)
Previous Discoveries of Early Buddhist Manuscripts and Their Significance for the Study of Buddhism	8	(1)
The British Library Kharosthi Fragments and Gandharan Buddhism: A Preview of the Potential Significance of the New Discovery	9	(6)
The Contents of the British Library Kharosthi Collection	15	(42)
General Description	15	(7)
Texts and Genres Represented in the Collection	22	(20)
Catalog of the Fragments	42	(11)
Summary of Original Scrolls or Scroll Sets	53	(1)
Summary of Scribal Hands	54	(3)
Previous Discoveries of Kharosthi Manuscripts	57	(12)
Kharosthi Manuscripts Found in Chinese Central Asia	58	(1)
Kharosthi Manuscripts Found in Afghanistan	59	(7)
Kharosthi Manuscripts from Other Regions or of Unknown Origin	66	(2)
Conclusions	68	(1)
Origin and Character of the Collection	69	(18)
Physical Evidence	69	(2)
Textual Evidence: The ``Likhidago'' Interlinear Notations	71	(6)
Archeological Parallels	77	(4)
A ``Buddhist Genizah''?	81	(3)
Additional Comments on the Interment of Manuscripts and Birch Bark Texts	84	(3)
Format, Material, and Construction of the Scrolls	87	(23)
The Large (Composite) Scrolls	87	(11)
Construction of the Smaller Texts	98	(2)
Observations on the Origin and Use of the Scroll Format	100	(6)
Scribal Materials and Techniques	106	(4)
Paleographic and Linguistic Features of the Gandharan Scrolls	110	(31)
The Gandhari Language and the Kharosthi Script	110	(4)
Paleographic Features	114	(6)
Orthographic Features	120	(4)
Phonological Features	124	(6)
Morphology and Syntax	130	(3)
Lexicon	133	(2)
General Remarks and Conclusions	135	(6)
The Date of the Manuscripts	141	(15)
Internal Evidence for Dating	141	(10)
Dating of the Pots and Their Inscriptions	151	(3)
Conclusions	154	(2)
Preliminary Evaluation of the New Corpus	156	(27)
Observations on the Contents of the New Corpus	156	(10)
Sectarian Considerations: The Dharmaguptaka Connection	166	(12)
Conclusions: A New View of Buddhism in Gandhara	178	(5)
Appendix Inscribed Pots and Potsherds in the British Library Collection	183	(1)
Technical Description and Evaluation of the Pots and Potsherd's	183	(4)
Raymond Allchin
Kharosthi Pot and Potsherd Inscriptions	187	(4)
The Inscribed Pots in the British Library Collection	191	(34)
The Inscribed Potsherds in the British Library Collection	225	(15)
Conclusions: The Functions of the Inscribed Pots	240	(9)
Glossary	249	(4)
References	253	(12)
Index	265