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Dated CH Mss in The Stein Collection Vol 10-2
Dated CH Mss in The Stein Collection Vol 10-2
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Dated Chinese Manuscripts in the Stein Collection
By LIONEL GILES
(PLATE I)
URING the whole of the tenth century from about 910 onwards,
Tunhuang under the name of Kuei-i Chiin was governed by
members of the f Ts'ao family, who were more or less independent
of the fugitive dynasties that rose and fell at Lo-yang and Pien-liang.
The connection with China was practically limited to the bestowal of
the title of chieh-tu-shihon the man in power if he cared to apply for
it. The system seems to have worked well enough: with the Tibetan
menace removed, the people enjoyed a fair measure of peace and
prosperity, though the standard of living and culture in general
never rose again to what it had been under the T'angs before An
Lu-shan's rebellion. The deterioration of arts and crafts dating from
that disastrous upheaval is plainly observable in the manuscript rolls
of this period: the highly finished paper of the seventh and eighth
centuries with its beautifully glazed and stained surface has entirely
disappeared, and. what we find in its place is with rare exceptions
thick, coarse, and drab-coloured. The handwriting, too, though
sometimes vigorous, lacks the elegance and grace of former times.
The number of dated documents is somewhat larger than before,
but they include hardly any Buddhist canonical works of importance.
An analysis of the MSS under review in the present article shows
that out of a total of sixty-two only twelve are sutras, six of which
are apocryphal, the rest being copies of the Diamond Sutra and the
Kuan Yin Ching. There are three collections of prayers, one
commentary, and ten other Buddhist texts of various kinds. The
secular texts comprise thirteen official letters and proclamations,
seven poems and romances, two copies of the Hsiao Ching, four legal
documents, three account notes, and seven miscellaneous lists or
memoranda.
901 (T'ANG).
S. 3905. A fragment of a short Buddhist composition with a date
-
at the beginning: [*] J: X -xCU * ]A U
[I i ] e
"Done at the Chin-kuang-ming Monastery ... in the hsin-yu year,
the 1st of T'ien-fu in the Great T'ang dynasty." T'ien-fu began in
the fourth moon of this year.
902 (T'ANG).
S. 1604. (1) A letter from the Governor of Sha-chou (whom we
know from other sources to have been W * . Chang Ch'eng-feng)
to the Buddhist " Bishop " of Ho-hsi, calling his attention to the
prevalence of plague in the city and attributing it to the negligence
of the monks. Certain religious rites, such as the lighting of lamps
and the recitation of the Buddhanima Sfutra,are therefore enjoined
on the monasteries and nunneries under his charge. The document
bears three impressions of a square red seal, reading j4HI[ i )t FpJ
" Seal of the chieh-tu-shih of Sha-chou ", and at the end is a large
character { (" Commissioner," an abbreviation of chieh-tu-shih)
with a vertical line beneath it terminating in a kind of star. We find
something similar after the character X in S. 5747 (see under A.D. 905,
below), so it would seem to be a mark peculiar to this Governor.
The handwriting is clear and fairly good. (2) A reply to the above
from the Bishop in a rather more cursive hand, promising a continuous
service of confession and prayer in the establishments under his
control, as well as a nightly recitation of a section of the Fo ming
ching. This is dated the 20th of the 4th moon of the 2nd year of
T'ien-fu [30th May, 902] and signed by " the Bishop ~ ,j Hsien-
chao ". There are three impressions of a smaller seal reading a
f fS t e I "Seal of the Bishop of Ho-hsi ". The roll is about
]f
23-feet long.
902 (T'ANG).
S. 5927. A mutilated fragment containing prayers for a dead child
and a dead brother, apparently left unfinished. On the back are two
account notes, of which the upper one is dated the 9th of the 11th
moon of jen-hsii, the 2nd year of T'ien-fu [llth Dec., 902].
DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 319
904 (T'ANG).
905 (T'ANG).
S. 5747. This is a fragment of another letter from Chang [Ch'eng-
feng], who is described as Imperial Commissionerfor &'K JJ&
^a *t
Sha-, Kua-, I-, and Hsi-chou, with a string of other titles. The date
comes at the beginning: [X] 5f i $ A Z f-M jE IJ] [
V1 [ H ] " The 4th [day] of the 1st moon, the first day of which was
jen-[ ], of i-ch'ou, the 5th year of [T'ien]-fu " [10th Feb., 905].
On the back are a number of laymen's names, perhaps a subscription
list.
905 (T'ANG).
S. 5534. p JR
) : ~ | ~ g *Chin kang pan jo po lo mi
ching, sections 12-32. This is our first example of the Diamond Sfitra
divided into thirty-two e chapters or sections, each with its own
title. Of the forty copies in the Collection only a few are complete.
The version is Kumarajiva's, but the chapter headings were added
after his time. Bodhiruci's version is divided into twelve chapters
only. At the end is a note: fI )Il X Jt Ep* " From the true
printed text of the Kuo family in Hsi-ch'uan ". Then come three
short dharani and a colophon: 3. i ir-
$ l
--' FnX ~1 , ~ M A Atk 4- _
"Copying completed on
the 1st of the 3rd moon of i-ch'ou, the 5th year of T'ien-fu [really
the 2nd of T'ien-yu: 8th April, 905]. Accepted with a believing
heart by an old man of 82." This is a booklet of fifteen leaves,
11 x 16 cm., made of rather coarse yellowish paper.
905 (T'ANG).
S. 5444. Chin kang pan jo po lo mi ching. The Diamond Siutrain
thirty-two chapters. Another copy in the same hand as the preceding,
only this is complete with the exception of a leaf of introductory
matter, consisting of eight invocations of the Vajra Buddha or
Vairocana, directions to readers, and a closing prayer. At the end
320 L. GILES-
we find the same note and dharani, with the following colophon:
iL -ZiI JR
e1i -U- 1E1A +Z-. A --
IS A f e ?i "On the 23rd of the 4th moon of i-ch'ou, the 2nd
year of T'ien-yu [29th May, 905], an old man of 82 copied this sfutra
with his own hand for circulation among the faithful." Booklet
of twenty-nine leaves, 11 x 16 cm.
905 (T'ANG).
S. 2575 contains a number of proclamations, letters, etc., to and
from Buddhist dignitaries. On a separate sheet attached to the main
roll is a petition to the Bishop Jen-en (S f|; ) rI fA tl ,) from
the monks of the m J Ling-t'u Monastery, asking for the promotion
of the Abbot ( f ] ; p :). This is dated in the 8th moon of the
5th year of T'ien-fu [Sept., 905].
906 (T'ANG).
S. 5965. AJR:it ~ V g *Chin kang jo po lo mi ching,
sections 29 (end)-31 (begin.), 32 (end), with dharani and colophon:
X li [mistake for ji] $ _Z + [F= -e B + =-
5t A ~ A /j " Copied for circulation by an old man of 82
with his own hand on the 20th of the 12th moon of i-ch'ou, the 2nd
year of T'ien-yu " [17th Jan., 906]. The " old man ", of course, is
the same as in S. 5534 and 5444 above, and the two following MSS.
(S. 5451 and 5669). Verso: Part of a g5tha from another sfitra in
a better hand which was cut up to form this folding booklet. Four
leaves only remain, 12'5 cm. square.
906 (T'ANG).
S. 5451. *Chin kang pan jo po lo mi ching, sections *13-32.
-- = A+;
Colophon: X _--$ i i W A }A t T n
1 JfiL " Copied by an old man of 83, who pricked his own
hand for blood to write with, on the 2nd of the 2nd moon of
ping-yin, the 3rd year of T'ien-yu" [27th Feb., 906]. A booklet
of seventeen leaves, 13-5 x 11 cm.
906 (T'ANG).
S. 5669. *Chin kang pan jo po lo mi ching, sections *28-32. At
the beginning there is a coloured drawing of Vajrapani, and prayers.
Colophon: - _X -+ J E A -E A A
fi JM
+Ih UIfiL1;98 R ^# i A -% r
DATED CHINESE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE STEIN COLLECTION 321
a4i *t ]w _ A X m m~
" On the 3rd of the 2nd moon of
ping-yin, the 3rd year of T'ien-yu [28th Feb., 906], an old man of
83 pricked the middle finger of his left hand so as to draw blood,
with which he mixed fragrant ink and copied out this Chin [kang]
ching for circulation among men of believing heart. There is nothing
for which he wishes to pray, his nature having attained absolute
vacuity, free from any desire for pleasure." Six leaves of a
booklet, 13'5 x 11 cm., brittle and discoloured.
907 (T'ANG).
S. 2630 contains part of a popular romance, incomplete at both
ends, dealing with a visit paid by the T'ang emperor T'ai Tsung to
the Underworld, where he converses with the Judge ? -+- 3 Ts'ui
Tziu-yii. On the back there are two short passages in the same hand,
one of which appears to contain the colophon to the text recto:
R E * t N 2 m m [for [?]
+ B 1=
i[?]
J*E
pp "Copying recorded by Fan Shan-wei on the 26th of the 12th
intercalary moon of ping-yin, the 6th year of T'ien-fu " [llth Feb.,
907].
The legend of T'ai Tsung's descent into the land of shades appears
in the tenth century compilation ;7 zp I " T'ai p'ing kuang chi,
which took it from a S ij Ch'ao yeh ch'ien tsai. This work was
written by S X Chang Tsu, who lived in the seventh and eighth
centuries, but it is not believed to have survived in its original form.
At any rate, the passage quoted in the Kuang chi is not to be found
in the book as we have it to-day. The story is told there as follows:
" When the T'ang emperor was still in the plenitude of health and
strength, the Grand Astrologer j )J, Li Ch'un-feng (Li # Ch'ien-
feng in our MS.) approached him with tears streaming from his eyes
but without saying a word. The Emperor questioned him, whereupon
he said: 'This evening Your Majesty will pass away.' T'ai Tsung
replied: 'Man's life-span is pre-ordained: wherefore should one
grieve ? ' He kept Li with him for the night, and in the course of it
suddenly fell into a trance. A figure appeared to him and said: ' Your
Majesty is to go back with me for a time; we must start at once.'
'Who are you ? ' asked the Emperor. 'Your servant was once a
mortal who now acts as Judge in the realm of shades,' was the reply.
T'ai Tsung was then brought before a tribunal which questioned
him about the events of the 4th day of the 6th moon [of the year
626, when he had slain his rebellious brethren at the 3 j Hsiian-wu
322 L. GILES-
Gate], and finally bade him return to earth. He was again met and
escorted out of the underworld by his previous visitant. Meanwhile
Li Ch'un-feng had been inspecting the Diagram of Heaven, and had
forbidden any lamentation for the deceased. A little later the Emperor
awoke from his trance. As soon as the next day dawned he inquired
about the person he had seen, and commanded the authorities to
confer on him an official post. So he was formally designated Governor
of the Province of Shu."
The name of Ts'ui Tziu-yii does not occur in the above, but many
details concerning him will be found in the ]f a Jp A Ts'ui fu
chiin tz'u lu, " Record of the Shrine of the Prefect Ts'ui ", by ~J tg
Cheng Lang.' His personal name was g3 Chio, and in the Sui and early
T'ang period he distinguished himself as magistrate of jAi g Fu-yang
(which later became {i 9JjTz'ui-chou) in Hopei. Afterwards the
Emperor T'ai Tsung made him prefect of i j ^H P'u-chou in Shansi
(his native place according to the present text), where he died in office.
His remains were brought back to Fu-yang, and to commemorate his
many virtues the local people erected a shrine where they " ministered
to him assiduously as though he were alive ". His name does not appear
in the standard histories, though one account identifies him with
Ts'ui i Yuan, the son of Ts'ui Yin (Hou han shu, ch. 82), for no
other reason, apparently, than that his tzu was also -f 3W. A Ts'ui
Chio who lived in the Cheng-kuanperiod and was noted as a tiger-killer
has also been confused with our hero. See T'u shu chi ch'eng,xiv, 112,
f. 2b, and Ts'uifu chiin tz'i lu, f. 16b. In 918 his image was transferred
to a Taoist temple, and in 1035 he was accorded the posthumous
title of -j @m . g "Divinely manifesting Lord Protector of
the State ".
According to the story told by , -, r,Z Mao Ch'i-ling in 1690,
Ts'ui's father was named -a Jang. Being still childless at the age of
50, he prayed for offspring to the Northern Sacred Mountain, and
afterwards dreamed that God gave him two pieces of jade. Hence
the son that was born to him was named 3i " Double-jade ", with
the literary name -T 3[. This was on the 30th June, 583, or as others
say, the 8th July, 585. In the Sung dynasty, Ts'ui Tzu-yii himself
became the divinity to whom emperors turned when praying for
posterity, and two temples were erected to him at Hangchow. From
907 (T'ANG).
S. 6254. A mutilated fragment of the end of a letter which was
afterwards used as a patch for another roll. It bears the date 5 &
"
4 T- anAj The 7th year of T'ien-fu, ting-mao". The last emperor
of the T'ang dynasty was placed on the throne in the autumn of 904
and assumed the year-title X glj, but was deposed in May, 907.
The extinction of the dynasty led to such confusion that T'ien-fu
was still used for dating these MSS. as late as September, 909. The
7th year of T'ien-fu (really the 1st of K'ai-p'ing) began on 15th Feb.,
907, and ended on 4th Feb., 908.
8Z5
"d Indited on the 7th day of the 7th moon of the chi-ssu
year in the K'ai-p'ing reign-period [26th July, 909]. Note by Te-
shen." This is a neat, well-spaced MS.
Senior
Monastery Monks Novices Junior Novices Total
1. [Name missing] . 16 2 17 35
2. mf 7; K'ai-yiian . 37 7 4 48
3. #t xC Ch'ien-yiian. 20 0 7 27
4. "R Lung-hsing .
. 42 2 6 50
5. * e Ta-yiin . 27 4 0 31
6. e ,1I Pao-en . 36 10 1 47
7. i : Ching-t'u . 19 1 2 22
8. 1 : Lien-t'ai . 20 1 6 27
9. - San-chieh . 17 0 3 20
328 L. GILES-
now afflicted with illness, that she may be speedily cured and escape
the apportionment of purgatory [in the next reincarnation]; firstly,
to produce happiness [resulting from merit acquired] for my living
parents, and secondly for myself and my whole family and kinsmen
by blood or by marriage [. . . ] that we may not be attacked by
disease but may constantly preserve our health and happiness, I have
caused this suitra to be copied out, in order to escape the karmaic
retribution of the underworld. Copying recorded on the 6th of the
6th moon of the ping-hsii year, the 4th of T'ung-kuang" [18th July,
926]. This is a fairly good MS. on coarse drab-coloured paper, 4j feet
long.
moon of the 4th year of T'ien-ch'eng" [17th Feb., 929]. The MS.
consists of large characters, well-spaced and carefully written on an
unusual kind of paper, described by Mr. Clapperton as " made from
well bleached fibres. Thin, tough, and strong .... Very soft-sized,
and almost impossible to write upon with pen and ink." 28 x 34'5 cm.
S. 4920. ;k -& * f4 *T'ai kung chia chiao, 1 ch. " Family Teachings
of T'ai Kung." This is not the same work as S. 479 (see under A.D.879).
The best way to give some idea of its contents will be to quote a few
passages: X4 4 4 , JF { rJ, , r , & AR "Do
not bend another man's bow; do not ride another man's horse: if
the bow breaks or the horse is killed, beyond doubt you will have to
make good the loss." ;W ,, ;, ~ ; , 1 ;
flL L " The bird that is caught in the net regrets that it didn't fly
higher; the fish that swallows the hook is sorry that it didn't go
hungry." .A ff#i - - 11 ~ ~ i: , ~ * *,
, alP ij ,X~ X 1I, X' T4 Oa " When the father
goes out for a walk, the son should follow behind. If on the road you
meet a man of high standing, put your feet together and draw your
hands into your sleeves; if he gives you wine, you must accept it on
your knees; if he gives you meat, don't throw the bones to a dog."
i* , K -*
Mff v
;k,^ f " The way to bring up a son is
not to let him use strong language; the way to rear a daughter is
not to let her leave her mother's side. When your son grows up, do
not allow him to get fond of wine; when your daughter grows up,
do not allow her to go gadding about." The handwriting is mostly
clear enough, but otherwise rather poor. There are five other copies
of this treatise in the Collection, but all are imperfect or fragmentary.
Verso: (1) a short letter from the ya-ya M
X * Ts'ao Shan-ta
inquiring after the unnamed recipient's health. It begins with a
common formula: X: 5 1 - "First month of autumn: weather
"
still warm." The date 2nd year of Ch'ang-hsing" [931] has been
added in another hand. (2) A note concerning an allotment of land
to three householders in " JE l the country district of Lung-lo.
(3) Further scribblings, rather faint and indistinct, including the
date " 14th day of the 1st moon of the ting-wei year " [947 ?]. This
is a roll of coarse, drab paper, 21 feet long.
332 L. GILES-
make a roll for the text on the back. The latter is a series of *medicinal
notes* on various fruits and other articles of diet. Their names (written
in red) are: ;* iL Cerica papaya (?), )J]fj walnut; at_ A persim-
mon (Diospyros kaki); a : Torreya nucifera - g Ulmus
macrocarpa; j ~ elm-seeds; :~ 3 Evodia rutaecarpa;
af tJ grape-vine; & )K water-melon; j h pumpkin; jJ JA
cucumber; ~ , white gourd; j -j calabash or bottle-gourd;
~]H-9 lotus (Nelumbium speciosum); j : f fruit of the * A
(Clematis sp.) ; W -j- quince; j& 3 Actinidia chinensis; 2
Arbutus (Myrica sapida); a l -F wild raspberry; ~ lotus root;
I -+ Euryale ferox ; | I water-chestnut; f; V refined sugar;
',4 ; raw sugar; * taro. Some queer facts are brought to light.
For instance, the juice expressed from the pounded leaves of a water-
melon will, if rubbed on the scalp, cause hair to grow where none was
before (A ] X JR it '- A f- T; _t S A a ; LP _). And
the seeds and root of the lotus plant, if eaten after being stored for
a thousand years, will prevent hunger and so etherealize the body
that it is able to fly in marvellous fashion (4 ; l, ~-f X
- t- ;;f~t , ~ ~j , i ). This fragment is
discussed at length by Dr. M. Nakao in the Japanese scientific journal
ij Xj f ~:4 ~ 4F ~ EJ i X, vol. 1, no. 3. The roll is about
8 feet long. The paper is soft and fibrous; some of the sheets are
almost white, the others a light buff colour.
W
t '1t , * ti - , ]S t , a " If you wish
for filial sons and grandsons, your teaching must be enforced by
physical correction: every day should witness a thousand beatings,
and wrongdoing should be met with stern rebuke. To bring up a
child, begin beating him from an early age, and don't let pity prevent
you from using the cane. If he deceives his parents when grown up,
you will certainly repent too late [of your lenience]." This is King
Solomon with a vengeance ! But Chinese children are notoriously
over-indulged, and these harsh precepts are not likely to have been
obeyed to the
-
letter. A fm ,g t f 7T- f [for M ?], n
1%tV 1 J'ifl M iA "
, 4; Poor kinsfolk you should do your utmost
to help, but avoid troubling your rich relations. If you know the
taste of thyme-honey, what need to add further to its sweetness ? "
The connection here is not obvious; but I take the meaning to be:
if you have enough money to enable you to enjoy simple pleasures,
why try to get more ? s I X~, an
a~ K S a B I ~E "
e I? JP1 Fan Fu-ch'uan's continuation,
copied from the beginning by the official scribe Wu Ju-hsien in the
12th moon of ting-yu, the 4th year of Ch'ing-t'ai" [Jan.-Feb., 938].
After this come five columns of execrably scrawled characters,
"
apparently the first part of a contract which Fan Fu-ch'uan, a man
of the people from the district of Hung-jun ? (k,, N m 5g 1t) drew
up for the disposal of his mother's house. My interpretation of the
last five words of the colophonM,I t SE )1|, is at first sight open
to question; but it is confirmed, think, by another title on the
I
back of the roll: sE & )ll X e - . The work in three
chiian would thus be the original poem by Wang Fan-chih, and our
present text only a continuation or imitation of it by Fan Fu-ch'uan.
It is written in a fairly clear though undistinguished hand. The
roll is of coarse drab paper, 3- feet long.
them complete, though the text is very corrupt, and several at Paris.
A fuller title, given in S. 5441, is * S -- l *A , F S
iE Tlk
X I "The Ch'u general Chi Pu cursing the Prince of
Han in the field of battle and putting the imperial ministers to shame,
in the third year of the Great Han dynasty " [204 B.c.]. Colophon:
" Recorded on the
X m $S* El P I + El H i f aXS m
14th day ... of the 4th year of T'ien-fu [939]. The novice Ch'ing-tu "
[copyist ?]. I append a few extracts: gj | ^i3E jV,a
or prayer. Colophon: g - $ X t
-i ? n-
+
-[t H B @g A^SA
Xa=nA dIjL + FI
j j&~ , fX ; " Memorials by Li Ch'i-fu, member of the
Chi-hsien College, from the death of his lady mother of the Ch'in
State on the 27th of the 12th moon of the hsin-ch'ou year, the 6th
of T'ien-fu in the Chin dynasty, to the 19th of the 2nd moon of the
jen-yin year " [16th Jan.-8th March, 942]. This is a good, clear MS.,
occasionally lapsing into semi-cursive. Verso: Letters from three
officials: ?]| f A Chang Chin-yii, 3E i Wang Ch'ien (formerly
district magistrate of -j j L Nan-p'i Hsien in the prefecture of
Tientsin), and -X X T'an Meng. A neat, widely spaced MS., with
characters getting smaller from right to left. The roll, 93 feet long,
is made of whitish paper of better quality than usual.