Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Dunhuang Buddhist Texts
Old Tibetan Buddhist texts from Dunhuang, including funerary guides, sermons, prayers, and imperial Buddhist documents.
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Texts
Merit-Dedication for the DeadNinth-century Old Tibetan merit-dedication for the dead from Dunhuang manuscript Pelliot tibétain 37. A Buddhist funerary rite that moves from cosmic prostration through karmic meditation into vivid sensory description of the ceremony itself — drinks dripping, horns spiraling, silk fluttering. First English translation.Overcoming the Three PoisonsA ninth-century Old Tibetan verse on conquering desire, hatred, and delusion through wisdom, compassion, and the Buddha's healing — from the Dunhuang Caves.Prayers of the Turquoise GroveSeven benedictions composed c. 823 CE for the Treaty Temple at De ga g.Yu tshal, where the Tibetan Empire, Tang China, the Uyghurs, and Nanzhao established peace. The first complete English translation of all seven prayers from the Dunhuang manuscripts.The Dunhuang Funeral ManualA ninth-century Dunhuang funeral manual from Pelliot tibétain 239 — Buddhist dedication rites for the dead that preserve archaic Tibetan customs of dedicating sheep, horse, and yak, and a guided path for the deceased through the Buddhist realms to Maitreya's Tuṣita heaven. First freely available English translation from Old Tibetan.The Jesus Divination ScrollFirst complete English translation of Pelliot tibétain 351, the only Tibetan manuscript naming Jesus Christ — a 9th–10th century Buddhist divination text from Dunhuang Cave 17The Longxing Temple Authorization — PT 999An Old Tibetan imperial authorization for the mass copying of the Amitāyus Sutra at Dunhuang — 615 fascicles in Chinese and Tibetan, a feast for 2,700 householders, and five vermilion seals. Ninth century.The Subsequent Teaching of the Magical LettersAn Old Tibetan Buddhist sermon on death, impermanence, and sin from the Dunhuang cave library — a preacher's warning to the living.The Transmission of the Prayer of Good Conduct — PT 149An Old Tibetan narrative from the Dunhuang caves telling how the Bhadracaripranidhanaraja — the King of Aspiration Prayers — crossed from India to Tibet, and how a Tibetan monk attained liberation by reciting it as he died.The Way to the Country of the GodsA ninth-century Dunhuang guided path for the dead from Pelliot tibétain 37 — a variant version of the funerary guide in PT 239, this liturgy warns the deceased away from the three evil realms with specific bodhisattva protectors and mantras, then guides the soul through Mount Meru to Maitreya's Tuṣita heaven. Uniquely among the Dunhuang funerary guides, this version synthesizes Maitreya devotion with Amitābha Pure Land practice, and concludes with the ten pāramitās as protectors for the final passage. First freely available English translation from Old Tibetan.The Way to the Country of the Gods — PT 366-367Two Old Tibetan Buddhist texts from the Dunhuang caves — a funerary guide through the heavenly realms with the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana dhāraṇī, and a verse narrative about divine beings confronting death. Pelliot tibétain 366/367.