An Old Uigur Version of the Kasibhāradvāja sutta Extended by a Poem

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce some new fragments preserved at the Dunhuang Academy. These are five detached pieces of a Chinese scroll of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra (Da banruo boluomiduo jing 大般若波羅蜜多經). The first text on the verso side is a conversation between a brahman and the Buddha. It is similar to the Kasibhāradvāja sutta which is a talk between a brahman working as a ploughman and the Buddha who comes to him to beg for food. One gets the impression that the Old Uigur text is essentially based on the Pāli text. After a long gap, the second text presents quatrains following the metrical structure of Buddhist verses, as they were widespread among the Old Uigurs. We edit the texts with transliteration and transcription, as well as offer an English translation accompanied by comments.

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