Lost and Found. The Buddhist literature of Gandhāra.

Abstract

The Buddhist literature of Gandhāra was lost for almost two millennia. It has been rediscovered in recent decades and new finds are constantly being made. This talk will explore the content of the Buddhist manuscripts from Gandhāra, particularly those written in Kharoṣṭhī, and discuss their contribution to understanding the development of Buddhist doctrine and literature.

Some of the manuscripts preserve the first Indic version of a text previously known only through Chinese or Tibetan translations, as in the case of the Vīradattaparipṛcchā. Some provide the earliest written evidence of a text transmitted in later manuscripts, such as the *Aṣṭakavarga (P Aṭṭhakavagga of the Suttanipāta), the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, or the Samādhirāja. Other texts appear to be unique, as we have not yet found any textual parallels. However, some of them have a certain similarity in content to the Buddhist texts described by Karl H. Potter in volume 8 of his encyclopaedia. These works are dated to around the period between 100 and 200 CE, but their originals are either lost or they have only survived in translations.

The purpose of this talk is to explore the recent discoveries among the Gandhāran Buddhist manuscripts and their relationship with other Buddhist traditions. In particular, we will examine the possibilities of finding other lost works of Buddhist literature among the manuscripts.