Manuscripts and Travellers
The Sino-Tibetan Documents of a Tenth-Century Buddhist Pilgrim
Sam Van Schaik author Imre Galambos author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:De Gruyter
Published:17th Nov '11
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This study is based on a manuscript which was carried by a Chinese monk through the monasteries of the Hexi corridor, as part of his pilgrimage from Wutaishan to India. The manuscript has been created as a composite object from three separate documents, with Chinese and Tibetan texts on them. Included is a series of Tibetan letters of introduction addressed to the heads of monasteries along the route, functioning as a passport when passing through the region. The manuscript dates to the late 960s, coinciding with the large pilgrimage movement during the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Northern Song recorded in transmitted sources. Therefore, it is very likely that this is a unique contemporary testimony of the movement, of which our pilgrim was also part. Complementing extant historical sources, the manuscript provides evidence for the high degree of ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity in Western China during this period.
ISBN: 9783110225648
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 538g
254 pages