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IOL Tib J 552
- Record Id:
- 040-003652883
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-003652467
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100102477871.0x000029
- LARK:
- SLARK:
- Format:
- TEI
- Reference (shelfmark):
- IOL Tib J 552
- Title:
- Tibetan manuscript from Dunhuang, no title
- Collection Area:
- Oriental Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- International Dunhuang Project
Stein Collection - Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-003652467
040-003652883 - Is part of:
- IOL Tib J : Tibetan manuscripts from the Stein Collection.
IOL Tib J 552 : Tibetan manuscript from Dunhuang, no title - Hierarchy:
- 032-003652467[0251]/040-003652883
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: IOL Tib J
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
- 6 folios/panels
- Digitised Content:
- https://idp.bl.uk/collection/53497090197E49CCB2563A11F6684847
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Tibetan
- Scripts:
- Tibetan
- Start Date:
- 0750
- End Date:
- 1000
- Date Range:
- 0750-1000
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
- Restrictions to access apply please consult British Library staff
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- User Conditions:
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)
- TEI:
-
Stein Collection
International Dunhuang Project
IOL Tib J 552
Tibetan manuscript from Dunhuang, no title
Contents
Language(s): Tibetan
Incipit: 1r.1@/_/bsgom pamtha [sic for /mtha' ]dag gi lugs kyis/Mahāyoga sadhana
This is one of a group of three manuscripts containing similar versions of asādhanafor the deityVajrasattva:IOL Tib J 552,IOL Tib J 553andIOL Tib J 554. The three are all written in similar hands on paper of the same consistency and size. While the threesādhanas are very similar in structure and terminology, they differ in many details.IOL Tib J 554stands alone in its detailed description of amaṇḍala. All threesādhanas are similar in structure to the more extensivesādhanafound inIOL Tib J 716/1. The descriptions the threesamādhis inIOL Tib J 552andIOL Tib J 553, which are based on quoted verses from theGuhyasamāja-tantra, should be compared withIOL Tib J 437which quotes the same verses.
The present manuscript begins with the statement that there are fivesamādhis in the tradition of thebsgom pa mtha dagand threesamādhis in the tradition of thebdud rtsi mchog kyi lung. The first part of this statement, which appears in similar forms at the beginning ofIOL Tib J 553andIOL Tib J 554is probably erroneous in that there follows no discussion of fivesamādhis, rather a discussion of five points of physical posture. Two alternative sets of five points are discussed; the first is referred to as fivemahāmudrās, and the second is called five "means of settling" (1r.4 zhag pa'i thabs). This second set can also be found in the manuscriptsand699.
The text proceeds to set out the visualization in terms of the threesamādhis, with the recitation ofmantras and visualization of seed syllables. This culminates in the appearance ofVajrasattvaand his consortSamantabhadrī, in sexual union. A tiny wisdom being (ye shes sems dpa') is visualized at the heart ofVajrasattva. Through the play (rol) of the two deities, light emanates and bestows blessings. Thesādhanaends with the dissolution of the visualization into the seed syllableHūṃ, and the injunction to hold thesamayaof the practice. This is explained in terms of revering and offering everything to one's spiritual preceptor, though the passage seems somewhat garbled.
Explicit: 5v.7//shin tu gsang ba 'o//_i ti_//__//References
[BL] IOL Tib J 553[BL] IOL Tib J 554Physical Description
Form: pothiMaterial: paperSupport: manuscript, ink on paperPaper Layers: 1
Laid lines (min): 16?
Laid lines (max): 16?
Fibre structure comments: vertical laid lines
Materials: manuscript, ink on paper
Extent: 6 folios/panelsDimensions (leaf): 9.2 × 31.5 cm.Foliation:Pagination type: letter-numerals
Layout
Columns:1
String holes: 2 central, with red circles
Columns per panel/lines per page: 7
Hand(s)
History
Origin: 0750-1000DHMG.(Dunhuang Mogao) DHMG.17.
Provenance and Acquisition
Stein 1906-8
All data except for msContents were drawn from the legacy IDP 4D database
Record created byUlrich Pagel 01/01/97
Modified bySam van Schaik 10/03/16
Availability
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Bibliography
[Lalou_1939] Lalou, Marcelle. 'Inventaire Des Manuscrits Tibétains de Touen-Houang Conservés à La Bibliothèque Nationale (Fonds Pelliot Tibétain) [3 Vols].' Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, 1939