BuddhistRoadPaper 2.4 “On the the Use of Mudrās in Dunhuang’s Buddhist Rituals During the 9th to 10th Centuries"

This short essay is devoted to a survey and discussion of the Dunhang manuscripts which feature drawings of mudrās, gestures or hand-seals (Chin. shouyin 手印), i.e. ritualised hand gestures employed in Esoteric Buddhist Rituals. There are three known examples of manuscripts featuring such mudrās: the long roll of P. 3905, the manual of P. 3835, and the set of line drawings of OA 1919,0101,0.83*. These three manuscripts form the basis of the present discourse, including an identification of the textual sources for these sets of mudrās and a discussion of the use of mudrās more generally in the Esoteric Buddhist context of Dunhuang during the 9th to 10th centuries.

Chinese Translation

这篇短文专门研究和讨论了敦煌写本中的手势或手印图像 (即在密教仪轨中使用的仪式化手势). 目前已知具有这种手印的写本有三个: P. 3905的长卷, P. 3835的手册, 以及OA 1919,0101,0.83*的白描图集. 本文以这三份写本为基础, 识别了这几套手印的文本来源, 进而更广泛地讨论了9至10世纪手印在敦煌密教中的使用情况.