22. Buddhism

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The Schoyen Collection contains about 20 Buddhist manuscripts from most Asian countries spanning nearly 2000 years. The Buddhist Scriptures collection starts with the foundation manuscripts of Mahayana Buddhism, and is represented here by 15 manuscripts.  In addition, large parts of the China collection and Pre-Gutenberg Printing collection are also examples of Buddhist literature.

MS in Sanskrit on palm-leaf, India, 6th c., 6 partial ff. and 41 fragments, originally ca. 3-4x35 cm, single column, (ca. 3x33 cm), 4-5 lines in a tiny delicate upright Gilgit/Bamiyan type I script. 

MS in Sanskrit on paper, Kathmandu valley, Nepal, 1801, 205 ff. (complete), 9x40 cm, single column, (5x34 cm).

MS in Sanskrit on palm-leaf, India, late 3rd - early 4th c., 3 fragments from f. 160 and 6 from another f. in the same section, largest 4,3x11 cm, originally ca. 4,3x40? cm, single column, (ca. 4x38? cm), 4 lines in Kusana script. 

MS in Sanskrit on palm-leaf, India, 2nd c., 3 partial ff., up to 5x41 cm, single column, (4x41 cm), 4-5 lines in early Kushana book script. 

MS in Pali on copper gilt, Burma, 19th c., 16 ff. (complete), 11x54 cm, single column, (11x52 cm), 6 lines in Burmese square tamarind script in black lacquer, decorations in red around and between text, first and last opening with deities flanking the text. 

MS in Sanskrit on palm-leaf, India, 6th c., 1 f. + 2 partial ff., originally ca. 4x38 cm, single column, (ca. 3,5x36 cm), 6 lines in a calligraphic Gilgit/Bamiyan type I script, with 1 string hole dividing the leaf ca. 75 % - 25 %.

MS in Tibetan on paper, Tibet, early 8th c., 1 scroll (complete), 29x158 cm, 7 columns, (28x156 cm), 19 lines in Tibetan dbu can book script. 

MS in Sanskrit on birchbark, Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 6th c., 46 ff., 6x18 cm, single column, (5x17 cm), 5-6 lines in Gilgit/Bamiyan ornate type book script. 

MS in Sanskrit on palm-leaf, India, 5th c., 5 ff., 30 partial ff., 3 unidentified fragments of originally: ca. 550 ff., 4x38 cm, single column, (3x37 cm), 4 lines in North Western Gupta book scripts. 

MS in Tibetan on thick paper stained black and varnished, Tibet, ca. 1400, 198 ff. (complete), 19x67 cm, single column, (13x58 cm), 9 lines in a formal Tibetan dbu can book script in gold, 4 opening pages with 3-4 lines in large ornamental script in gold. 

MS in Chinese on blue- stained paper, Kamakura, Japan, 10th-11th c., outer sheet of a scroll, 27x44 cm, 17 columns, (21x33 cm), 17 characters per column in gold ink in Chinese book script.