Manjushri-Related Texts at the Scientific Archive of KalmSC RAS: Revisiting Materials from the Collection of E. B. Ubushiev
https://doi.org/10.22162/2500-1523-2023-2-206-222
Abstract
Introduction. The study of the pantheon of deities — along with the corpus of related texts once used by Kalmyk Buddhists — is still an underdeveloped field of Oriental studies. The image of bodhisattva Manjushri is a most revered one among Kalmyk followers of Tibetan Buddhism. Goals. The article aims to describe, transliterate and translate a sample narrative reflecting the cult of veneration of the mentioned bodhisattva. Materials. The text is one of the many written sources once donated by E. B. Ubushiev (Agvan Tabdan). Results. The article provides a list of texts dedicated to Manjushri in the Kangyur, in translations authored by Ven. Zaya Pandita Namkhai Jamtso, and also briefly reviews some Manjushri-related texts currently included in Kalmykia’s collections. The completed translation of the Dhāraṇī Sworn by Manjushri, as well as another text to be mentioned (Instructions [Delivered] by Saint Manjushri), may serve as vivid evidence of the reverence this deity of the Buddhist pantheon is granted by the Kalmyks.
Keywords
Buddhism,
written sources,
todo bičiq,
Manjushri,
dhāraṇī,
Scientific Archive of KalmSC RAS,
E. B. Ubushiev
Supporting agencies: The reported study was funded by government subsidy, project no. 123021300198-4 ‘Universals and Specifics of the Traditions of the Mongolian-Speaking Peoples through the Prism of Cross-Cultural Contacts and the System of Relations between Russia, Mongolia and China’.
About the Author
Deliash N. Muzraeva
Kalmyk Scientific Center of the RAS (8, Ilishkin St., 358000 Elista, Russian Federation)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dr. Sc. (History), Leading Research Associate
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Review
For citations:
Muzraeva D.N. Manjushri-Related Texts at the Scientific Archive of KalmSC RAS: Revisiting Materials from the Collection of E. B. Ubushiev. Mongolian Studies. 2023;15(2):206-222. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22162/2500-1523-2023-2-206-222
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