Report On Kanjur Of Ta Pho

Here's a comprehensive summary of Ernst Steinkellner's "A Report on the 'Kanjur' of Ta pho" based on the provided text:

Overall Purpose: This report details the findings of a 1991 scholarly expedition to the Ta pho monastery in Spiti, India, with the primary aim of investigating its manuscript collection, referred to as the "Ta pho Kanjur." The report aims to provide a preliminary assessment of the collection's significance for Tibetan textual history and codicology.

Historical Context and Previous Research:

• A.H. Francke (1909): The first to describe the collection, Francke noted the loose, disarranged leaves of high-quality handwriting, identifying Prajñāpāramitā texts. He attributed the manuscript's age to the time of the translator Rin chen bzan po and recognized its immense value for critical textual transmission.
• G. Tucci (1933): Tucci dedicated a significant portion of his work to the Ta pho monastery, including a section on its library. He discussed the possible causes of its devastation and the difficulty in distinguishing original manuscripts from later copies. Tucci emphasized the importance of these copies for critical editions of the Prajñāpāramitā and other canonical texts, noting they faithfully transmitted the text as it left the translators' hands. He also proposed possible dates for the library's devastation, linking it to Dogra raids in the mid-19th century.
• Klimburg-Salter (1978, 1989) and Tauscher: More recent visits confirmed the library's continued existence, prompting the organization of the 1991 philological expedition.

The 1991 Expedition and Methodology:

• A team of scholars (Steinkellner, De Rossi Filibeck, Panglung, Tauscher) worked for about eight days at Ta pho, with significant assistance from the abbot and monks.
• The initial impression was overwhelming: 60 bundles containing approximately 38,000 folios, dating from the 11th to the 17th-18th centuries.
• Due to the extreme disorder, a systematic listing or photography of the entire collection was impossible. The team focused on scanning the entire collection to understand its character and genesis.
• Limited microfilming was undertaken, primarily of a Pancavimśatisāhasrikā manuscript and representative folios of different writing styles.
• The report is descriptive, focusing on the library's condition and specific features, with hypothetical remarks on its origins.

Key Findings and Observations:

1. The Repository: The library is housed in two large, elaborately decorated bookcases built between 1933 and 1978, possibly around the early 1940s. The bookcases are open at the back, presenting a potential risk to the collection if the monastery opens to tourism.
2. The Folios:
   • The collection consists of fragmentary manuscript remains, with individual manuscripts rarely having more than five to ten folios together, and even then, page sequences are often lost.
   • The average bundle contains around 640 folios, totaling an estimated 38,000 folios.
   • The folios are generally well-preserved due to the dry climate, but many show signs of staining (dirt, manure) and burning, indicating a history of improper or violent treatment.
   • There is great diversity in folio size, paper quality, and line count. Thin, finely fibred papers are considered the oldest.
   • Binding circles are frequent.
3. The 'Kanjur' Content:
   • The collection largely functions as a "functional Kanjur", meaning it contains the ritual presence of the Buddha's word, with practically all traditional sections of a bKa' 'gyur represented (Vinaya, Prajñāpāramitā, Sūtras, Tantras).
   • However, it's not a literal Kanjur as the components come from different times and manuscripts.
   • The core of the collection, especially the older manuscripts, consists of Prajñāpāramitā texts (long, middle, and short versions), confirming earlier hypotheses by Francke and Tucci. These "yum" texts are considered the origin and historical core.
   • Approximately 50-60% of the collection comprises manuscripts with yum texts.
   • The remaining portion consists mainly of various Sūtra texts (mDo man section).
   • Vinaya texts and texts from the bStan 'gyur (commentaries and scholastic works) are present in comparably insignificant numbers and appear to be later additions, possibly remnants from other sources. Around 100-110 folios of bStan 'gyur material were identified.
4. Palaeography and Orthography:
   • Most folios are written in a clear and beautiful dbu can script, demonstrating high standards of calligraphy.
   • Palaeographic and orthographic differences are crucial for chronological dating, as aging signs are less reliable.
   • Similarities to the script found in the temple's wall inscriptions allow for attribution to the same period as the temple's founding (996 AD) and renovation (1042 AD), or slightly later proposed dates.
   • Key palaeographic and orthographic peculiarities (inverted i, specific ligatures, placement of tsheg, haplography, palatalization of m, da drag, exaggerated 'a chun) are identified as dating indicators. The presence of all these features together suggests the greatest antiquity.
   • The author is inclined to date the oldest materials to the 11th century AD, based on these peculiarities and the paper type.
5. Volume Signatures:
   • A peculiar "signature" system ('Kennsiglum') consisting of two letters, one atop the other, is characteristic of West Tibetan manuscript writing.
   • The lower letter likely indicates hundred-unit subdivisions of the text. The letters found include na, ma, ya, da, wazur, and ña.
   • Additional markings (vertical strokes, crosses) made by later hands appear to interpret these signatures, suggesting the original meaning had become obscure. These markings confirm na=100, ma=200, and na=300.
   • This signature system may be an additional indicator of age, as its interpretation suggests it became obsolete later.
6. Fragmentary Manuscript of the Pañcavimśatikā: This manuscript was specifically extracted for study to address questions about its authenticity, transmission in the 11th-12th centuries, and comparison with later editions.
7. Hypothetical Remarks on Genesis and Condition:
   • The homogeneous character of the oldest parts (mainly Prajñāpāramitā texts) supports Tucci's hypothesis that the library's nucleus originated from texts translated by Rin chen bzan po and his school in Western Tibet. The biography of Rin chen bzan po mentions providing multiple copies of Prajñāpāramitā and Sūtra texts to founded temples.
   • Copying of manuscripts continued for centuries, driven by the need for replacement, renewal, and merit-making.
   • The severe disorder and presence of dirt/manure suggest that many folios did not originally belong to the Ta pho library but were perhaps deposited as sacred waste from other devastated temples or private homes after their destruction.
   • The causes for the disorder are attributed to repeated devastations, not just the Dogra raid of Zorawar Singh. The last burning, confirmed to be due to a Dogra invasion (around 1837-1838), occurred when the library was already in total disorder. This implies multiple destructive events contributed to the current state.
   • The ritual function of the collection remained intact even after devastation, explaining why order was not a priority during reassembly.
   • The valley's history of conflict with neighboring regions provides a context for such destructions.

Outlook on Future Work:

• Examination of photographs to refine assessment of philological value.
• Reconstitution of original manuscripts from dispersed folios.
• Cataloging and photographing early manuscripts from the pre-canonical period.
• Further studies are needed to confirm the library's usefulness for understanding the prehistory of Kanjur collections, textual history of specific texts, Tibetan translation idioms, palaeography, orthography, manuscript styles, paper production, and trade in Western Tibet.
• The Ta pho "Kanjur" serves as further evidence of a significant manuscript tradition in West Tibet, potentially offering a new textual source independent of previously known transmissions.

Appendix Note: The appendix details the discovery of several folios from a xylograph of Tson kha pa's Lam rim chen mo in Ta pho, belonging to a previously unidentified or "early" edition, distinct from known editions in terms of line count, size, and margin notation.

In essence, Steinkellner's report highlights the immense, albeit chaotic, treasure of manuscripts at Ta pho, underscoring its crucial importance for understanding the early transmission of Tibetan Buddhist texts, particularly the Prajñāpāramitā, and the development of Tibetan script and book production. The report also emphasizes the urgent need for continued scholarly research and preservation efforts.