Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara: The British Library Kharosthi Fragments - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712346112 ISBN 13: 9780712346115

Publisher: The British Library Publishing Division, 1999

Synopsis

As the Dead Sea Scrolls have changed our understanding of Judaism and early Christianity, so a set of 29 scroll fragments acquired in 1994 by The British Library promise to improve our knowledge of the history of Buddhism in India. The fragmentary birch bark scrolls were found inside one of set of inscribed clay pots. Written in the Gandhari language, they date from around the beginning of the Christian era, and are probably the oldest Buddhist manuscripts ever discovered. This work provides a detailed description of the manuscripts and a survey of their contents, along with a preliminary evaluation of their significance. Also included are representative samples of texts and translations. An important and surprising feature of the manuscripts is the amount of unfamiliar material in them. Most of the approximately two dozen texts have not so far been identified with previously known texts in other Buddhist languages and traditions.

About this title

Review:

The remarkable success of the rescue and conservation by British Library staff, and of the decipherment and reconstruction by the team in Seattle, hold a promise of yet more revolutionary insights into the construction and meaning of the early Buddhist texts. * Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies * Professor Salomon has brilliantly illuminated the path to a more historically nuanced approach to the study of Buddhist manuscripts. . . . This volume will serve as a benchmark of clarity, readability, and scholarly precision for anyone attempting to work in similar materials in the future. * Sino-Platonic Papers * A rare example of a book that appeals equally to the specialist . . . as well as to the general reader interested in archaeology or in Buddhist thought and practice. * Choice *

From the Back Cover:

As the Dead Sea scrolls have changed our understanding of Judaism and early Christianity, so a set of twenty-nine scrolls recently acquired by the British Library promise to provide a window into a crucial phase of the history of Buddhism in India. The fragmentary birch bark scrolls, which were found inside one of a set of inscribed clay pots, are written in the Gandhari Prakrit language and in Kharosthi script. Dating from around the beginning of the Christian era, the scrolls are probably the oldest Buddhist manuscripts ever discovered.

The manuscripts and pots come from a region known in ancient times as Gandhara, corresponding to modern northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. At the peak of its influence, Gandhara was home to a series of wealthy and powerful dynasties and became one of the world's most important centers of Buddhism and the gateway through which Buddhism was transmitted from India to China and other parts of Asia. Gandhara was also a principal point of contact between India and the Western world. Despite abundant archeological evidence of Gandhara's thriving culture, until now there has been virtually no documentary evidence of its literary and religious canon.

This volume introduces a groundbreaking project to decipher and interpret the Gandharan texts. It provides a detailed description of the manuscripts and a survey of their contents, along with a preliminary evaluation of their significance. Also included are representative samples of texts and translations.

This discovery sheds new light on the regional character of early Indian Buddhist traditions, the process of the formation of standardized written canons, and the transmission of Buddhism intocentral and east Asia. Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara will appeal to a broad audience with interests in Buddhism, comparative religion, and Asian languages.

About this edition

• Publisher: The British Library Publishing Division
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0712346112
• ISBN 13: 9780712346115
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Salomon Richard