The Buddhist Manuscripts at Gilgit
Dutt, Nalinaksha.
The Indian Historical Quarterly
1932. 06
pp.342--350
p.342
The Buddhist Manuscripts at Gilgit
The title of the Ms.
The second manuscript examined by me is written
in the calli- graphic Gupta characters very similar
to those in the first manuscript.(1) The characters
are much more legibly written, though their size is
comparatively smaller. It is also a birchbark
manuscript containing 41 leaves and on each leaf
there are 5 lines. The title of the book as stated
at the end of the ms. is Bhaisajyaguru nama
mahayanasutra (leaf 40 b). In the Siksasamuccaya it
is called Bhaisajyaguru vaidurya-prabha-raja-sutra,
while in its Tibetan version (Rgyud. Tha., pp. 470
ff), the Sanskrit title is
Arya-Bhagavato-Bhaisjyaguru-Vaiduryaprabhasya
Purvapranidhana-visesa-vistata nama mahayana-sutra
(phags. pa bcom. Idan hdas. smon-gyi bla vai. du.
ryahi hod-kyi snon-gyi smon-lam gyi khyad. par rgyas.
pa shes. bya. ba theg. pa chen pohi mdo). The Tibetan
title though too long for the title of a book is not
without a basis for we have on leaf 2 the following
passage, in which Manjusri requests Buddha to deliver
the sutra:
(Preach O Bhagavan, in full details, the
excellent resolutions that were made previously by
the Tathagatas).
The object of the whole work is to relate the
great resolutions (mahapranidhanas) made by each of
the seven Buddhas, and the effect of such
resolutions. This section deals with the resolutions
of the Buddha called
Bhaisajyaguru-vaidurya-prabharaja. In the Saddhar-
mapundarika, (p. 470), Bhaisajyaraja and
Bhaisajyasamudgata are described as sons of king
Subhavyuha and are repeatedly mentioned as highly
meritorious bodhisattvas, but it is difficult to say
whether any of these bodhisattvas became later on the
Buddha Bhaisajyaguru-vaidurya-prabharaja, for in
the Chinese version of this sutra the former names
appear as bodhisattvas. If these Bodhisattvas have
been elevated to Buddhahood, it must have been done
posterior to the time of compilation
-----------------------
1 For an account of the first Ms., see IHQ., VIII,
pp.93ff.
p.343
of the Saddharmapundarika, the date of which may
be placed in the 1st century A.D.
In a paper contributed to the Bulletin de 1'Ecole
Francaise d' Extreme-Orient, (vol. III, 1903, pp.
33-37),(2) Prof. Paul Pelliot has dealt with the
Chinese versions of this work. He writes:--"The
Bhaisajyaguru is one of the most popular Buddhas in
China, Japan and Tibet. His name in Chinese is
Yao-che lieou-li-kouang-jou-lai, (Bhaisajyaguruvaidu-
ryaprabha). The restoration of the original name is
guaranteed by the dharani transcribed phonetically in
the sutra consecrated to the glory of Bhaisajyaguru.
The Sanskrit text of the sutra has not been
discovered, but it exists in more than one
translations in Chinese".
Its Chinese translations
From the Chinese and Tibetan translations we
learn that the present work is the last chapter of
the book dealing with the great vows (mahapranidhana)
of the seven past Buddhas. In view of the fact that
this last chapter have independent translations both
in Chinese and Tibetan, and also of the fact that
quotations from this chapter only appear in
Santideva's Siksasamuccaya, it may be stated that
this particular chapter, containing the vows of
Bhaisajyaguruvaiduryaprabharaja, attained the
greatest popularity.
About the Chinese translation of this chapter,
Prof. Pelliot furnishes us with the following
information: "The 12th or the last, and undoubtedly,
the oldest chapter of Fo-chouo-ta-kouan-ting-chentch-
eou-king(3) was translated by Srimitra between 317
and 322 A.D.; it should, however, be observed that
certain catalogues mention only nine chapters of the
translation of Srimitra; in any case, it comprised 12
chapters at the time of the compilation of the K'ai
yuan che kiao lou(4) in 730 A.D. Among the in
dependent translations, it appears that the
----------------------
2 I should thank Dr. P. C. Bagchi for drawing my
attention to this article.
In my translation of the portions of this French
article, I have retained the method adopted by
the French writers in transliterating Chinese
words.
3 Nanjio (167) remarks under this book that it is in
12 fasciculi, "each fasc. contains a sutra with
its own title, so that this is a collection of 12
sutras."
4 "Catalogue of books on the teaching of Sakyamuni."
p.344
first is that of Houei-kien entitled
Yao-che-lieou-li-koung-king and dated 457 A.D. It was
mentioned in 597 in the (catalogue) Li-tai
-san-pao-ki(5) and about 664 in the
Ta-t'ang-nei-tien-lou(6) but it disappeared at the
time of the compilation of K'ai yuan che kiao lou
(730). The translation of Dharmagupta executed in
615 still exists (Nanjio, 170); it is called Fo
chouo yao che jou lai pen yuan king
(Bhaisajyaguru-tathagata-purva-pranidhana ). It is to
this that reference has been made in the preface
entitled Yao che jou lai pen yuan kong to king siu,
which preface in the Japanese Tripitaka has been
placed by mistake at the beginning of the translation
of the sutra of Bhaisajyaguru made later on by
Yi-tsing. The author of this preface was one of the
collaborators of Dharmagupta. It is curious that he
does not mention Fo-chouo-kouan-ting-king (Nanjio,
l67) or the translation of Srimitra. He speaks only
about the many inaccuracies in the translation of
Kien-houei. The text adopted by Dharmagupta, on the
contrary, was based on three mss. and the translation
was accepted after three revisions. But this
translation of Dharmagupta, although it is still
extant, has been eclipsed by that of Hiuan-tsang,
entitled Yao-che-lieou-li-kouang-jou-lai-pen-yuan-
kong-to king (Nanjio 171 = Bhaisajyaguru-vaidurya-
prabhasa-purva-pranidhana-guna-sutra), and is dated
650. It is this translation that was entirely copied
by the emperor K'ang-hi by his own hand in 1695 and
it is this that has been partially reproduced in the
T'ou-chou-tsi-tch'eng. This is assuredly the most
popular in China. The three translations of Srimitra,
of Dharmagupta and of Hiuan-tsang, however, follow
one another quite closely."
Its Tibetan translations
In the tenth (tha) volume of the Rgyud (Tantra)
of the bkah-hgyur, leaves 433-470 contain De.
bshin-gsegs-pa bdun. gyi snon. gyi smon. lam. gi khyad.
par rgyas. pa (=Sapta-Tathagata-purvapranidhanavisesa
-sutra).(7) To this probably corresponds the Chinese
text translated by Yi-tsing (Nanjio 172), the title
of which text as restored by Nanjio
-----------------------
5 "Records concerning the Triratna, under successive
dynasties."
6 "Catalogue of Buddhist books collected under the
great Than dynasty."
7 Asiatic Researches, XX, p. 508-9.
p.345
is Bhaisajyaguru vaiduryaprabhas (adi)
sapta-buddha purvapranidhanaguna sutra. By examining
the Tibetan xylographs, I find that the first
tathagata mentioned in it is called mtshan. legs.
par. yons. bsgrigs. dpal. gyi rgyal-bo. It maybe
restored as Su-yasa-parigranthita-sri-raja. Prof.
Pelliot gives the Chinese name of the first Tathagata
as Chan-ming-tch'eng-ki-siang-wang-jou-lai, which may
be restored as Su-yasasriraja-tathagata.
In Tibetan there is also an independent
translation of this work on leaves 470-484. On
comparison I notice that this Tibetan version closely
follows the present Sanskrit text. From the summary
supplied by Prof. Pelliot from the Chinese version of
Srimitra, Dharmagupta and Hiuan-tsang, it will be
apparent that the first portions (see p. 346 para 1)
agrees with the present Sanskrit text but not the
rest, excepting the last few lines. In this
connection, I should also point out that the
quotation, which is a fairly long one, in
Santideva's Siksasamuccaya (p. 175) has been taken
from the text under consideration.
Popularity of Bhaisajyaguru in China and Japan
About the popularity of this Tathagata in China
and Japan, Prof. Pelliot writes:
"The Bhaisajyaguru is the Buddha of the 7th of
these worlds, all of which are situated in the east,
and of which Tsing-lieou-li is the furthest. It seems
that the necessity of symmetry has caused the
location of this happy eastern world opposite to the
western Paradise. In a Chinese inscription of 776
A.D., Bhaisajyaguru's world of the east and the
Sukhavati of the West are mentioned side by side, and
a few lines furher there is a reference to the
twelve vows that he had taken when he was a bodhisat
tva for the welfare of beings.
From China, the Bhaisajyaguru passed to Japan at
an early date. He is represented at Horiuji in a
group in bronze; the most ancient representation is
perhaps attributed to Tori Busshi; an inscription
enables us to date it exactly in the year 607; it was
in his honour that in the year 681 on the occasion
of an illness of the Queen, the Emperor Temmei
founded at Yamato the great Yakushiji, the temple of
Bhaisajyaguru. This temple perserves even now the
wonders of ancient Japanese art."
p.346
The Contents of the Sutra
For the purpose of comparison I am reproducing in
English the substance given by Prof. Pelliot from the
Chinese texts as also that of the Sanskrit text:
1. "The Buddha arrives at Vaisali; he is
surrounded by all the beings of the worlds.
Manjusrikumara stands up and requests the Tathagata
to give an exposition of the vows made formerly by
the past Buddhas for extricating the living beings
from the miseries of existence. Bhagava grants the
request and explains the twelve vows taken formerly,
when he was a bodhisattva, by a Buddha whose world is
separated from ours by Buddhaksetras, the number of
which is ten times the number of the sands of the
Ganges; that Buddhais Yao-che-lieou-li-kouang-jou-lai
(Bhaisajyaguruvaiduryaprabha); he lives in the world
Tsing-lieou-li. He wished that he himself might
attain bodhi, pure and resplendent as the vaidurya
(mani), and illuminate the world immersed in
darkness; he wished that his name if uttered might
cure maladies, release the prisoners, change into men
those women who are sick of their miserable
condition, procure food for the famished, or clothes
for the destitute. In short, in that world, for
innumerable kalpas there would be neither suffering
nor poverty; there would be no more feminine beings,
nor beings in inferior states of existence; the soil
would be of vaidurya, ropes of gold would line the
routes;(8) the walls and the houses would be made of
seven jewels and one would believe it to be the
westen Sukhavati.(9) In the country there would be
two bodhisattvas, viz., Je-kouang-pien-tchao and
Yue-kouang-pientchao, (10) the chief among the
innumerable bodhisattvas and second to
----------------------
8 Neither in Tibetan (vide leaf 474, 11. 4-5) nor in
Sanskrit I find any passage corresponding to this.
Cf. Tib. xylograph, leaf 474a, 11. 4-5.
10 The Chinese terms used by Srimitra or Dharmagupta
or Hiuantsang are really different translations of
the Sanskrit names: Suryavairocana and Candra-
p.347
the Buddha alone; they protect the precious
treasure of the law of their Tathagata. Also all
believers male and female must take the vow to be
reborn in the world of this Buddha.
2. It will suffice only to think of his name for
deliverance from all evils, and if one dreams of him
at the time of death, Manjusribodhisattva,
Avalokitesvara b., Mahasthamaprapta b., Aksayamati
b., Pao-t'an-houa b., Bhaisajyaraja b.,
Bhaisajuasamudgata b.,(11) Maitreya b. will act as
attendants of the deceased and conduct him to the
place of delight.
3. If one makes an image of this Buddha, or if
one recites the text of the sutra, he will escape
from the nine ways of death (neuf fins violentes):
this is what the Bodhisattva Kieou-t'o(12) explained
to Ananda. In conclusion, having heard this
instruction of Bhagava, 12 great raksasa-chiefs, each
having a following of 7000 raksasas, were converted;
and they consecrated themselves to better the lot of
living beings."
The Sanskrit text (in translation) begins as
follows:
"Salutations to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Thus have I heard. Once Bhagava in course of his tour
came to the great city of Vaisali. There he stopped
under a tree, giving out musical sounds, with a large
number of bhiksus, bodhisattvas, householders, gods,
nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, etc., in short, many human
and nonhuman beings. Then the dharmarajaputra
Manjusri, being inspired by Buddha, put the robe on
one shoulder, knelt down and said with folded hands:
O Bhagava, tell us the names of the Tathagatas and
their former resolutions in detail for the good of
all beings."
The Sanskrit text follows the first para of Prof.
Pelliot's translation quite closely, as has been
shown by quotations of some of the corresponding
Sanskrit passages. After this, it gives the following
conversation of Bhagavan with Manjusri:
-----------------------
vairocana which are found in the present Sanskrit
ms. as also in the inscription of Say-fong.
11 All these names occur in the list of
bodhisattvas in the Saddharmapundarika (see ante
p. 342); but these names are not found in the
Sanskrit Ms.
12 Its Sanskrit restoration is Tranamukta.
p.348
"There are, O Manjusri, men who are unwise and
avaricious and so when they give gifts, they feel
pain in their mind; they seek food for themselves and
not even for their parents. These will be reborn in
the animal world, but in that state if they just
remember the name of Bhaisajyaguru, they will be born
in future among men, and be able to remember their
former existences and sufferings, and so will lead a
pious life.
There are some who transgress the (Buddhist)
precepts, or become conceited on account of their
learning and look down upon others. They will be
reborn in hell where, however, if they remember the
name of Bhaisajyaguru, they will be born in future
among men and become devoted followers of the
Buddhist religion.
There are again some who speak ill (avarnam
bhasati) of others. They will be reborn as asses,
horses, cows, etc. or as low-class labourers. If they
remember the name of Bhaisajyaguru, they will be
reborn as men and will become wise and obtain good
friends.
There are also some who slander others
(paisunyabhirata) and instigate people to quarrel
among themselves, or kill animals, or practise
dreadful (Tantric) practises (ghoravidyam) and so
forth; they also, if they hear the name of
Bhaisajyaguru will love their enemies or victims.
Those of the monks and nuns, male or female
lay-devotees, who observe the 8 silas or follows the
code of discipline for three months or one year will
be reborn in the Sukhavati world of the west. Should
they hear the name of Bhaisajyaguru, eight
Bodhisattvas(13) will appear at the time of their
death and conduct them to the world of gods. They may
be reborn also as sovereigns of the four dvipas, or
as rich householders, and if they are females, they
will lose their femininity and become males.
After this, commences the account of the merits
acquired by one who makes others hear the name of
Bhaisajyaguru, or preaches and propagates this Sutra.
This is followed by an account of the method of
worshipping the Tathagata through an image (tasya
tathagatasya puja kartukamenasca tena tathagatasya
pratimam karapayitavyam).
----------------------
13 See ante, p. 347.
p.349
The worshipper is to observe the 8 silas, avoid
impure food, choose a clean spot, burn incense,
decorate the place with various kinds of cloths,
flags and festoons. Then he is to bathe, and with a
pure mind try to be friendly to all beings. After
this he is to circumambulate the image with music,
and read out the present Sutra, remembering all the
while the vows of the Tathagata. Such worship brings
the worshipper wealth, sons etc. and on the other
hand rids him of all worldly evils.
Those, who will hear the name of the Tathagata as
well as take the three Saranas, observe the five
Siksapadas and the Bodhisattvasamvaras (rules of
discipline for Bodhisattvas), or become monks
observing the 250 Siksapadas, or become nuns
observing 500 Siksapadas, will always be protecteed
by the Tathagata from evil destiny.
The women with child will by uttering his name
feel no pain at the time of giving birth to the
child, and the baby will be healthy, good-looking and
intelligent."
This is followed by a conversation of Buddha with
Ananda about the credibility of the results
enumerated above brought about by merely hearing or
uttering the name of Bhaisajyaguru. As usual Ananda
dares not say anything against it and expresses his
deep conviction in the same, pitying the evil lot of
those who would not believe it.
After Ananda, there appears one Tranamukta
bodhisattva who enquires whether in future beings
lying senseless on their death-bed when Yamaraja is
taking stock of his merits and demerits can be
revived by his relatives by making him hear the name
of Bhaisajyaguru and performing the worship of the
Tathagata. He is given an answer in the affirmative,
and an account of the method of worship. The worship
is to be performed more elaborately by setting up
seven images and so forth.
Ananda now raises the question about the troubles
of the ruling kings and the possibility of their
removal by uttering the name of 'Bhaisajyaguru.
This is followed by a conversation between Ananda
and Tranamukta bodhisattva about the various causes
of death.'(14)
----------------------
14 See ante, p.347, para 3.
p.350
At last, appear the raksasas, whose chiefs were
Kimca, Vajra, Sanila, Indraloka, Payila, Vidala, etc.
who promised to utter the name of Bhaisajyaguru, take
the three saranas and the vow to preach the Sutra
everywhere.
The Sutra ends with a discussion about the
suitablity of its title. Thus ends the
Bhaisajyaguru-nama-mahayana-sutra.*
NALinaksha DUTT
-----------------------
* I hope to publish an edition of the Sanskrit text
with its Tibetan version within a short time.