敦煌藏经洞出土藏文《维摩诘经》抄本探析

A Study of the Copies of the Tibetan Vimalakīrtisūtra Found in theLibrary Cave of Dunhuang

敦煌藏经洞出土藏文《维摩诘经》共有8件左右,法藏P.t.613与英藏IOL.Tib.J.VOL.19-4可缀合为完整一卷,应为同一抄本散藏于两处的编号。根据抄写内容和书写特征,大体可确定最早的抄本出现于9世纪初,最晚的则在11世纪初藏经洞封闭前夕。藏文《维摩诘经》三个版本在近两个世纪的翻译及其在敦煌的传播和抄写活动,与敦煌壁画维摩诘经变中吐蕃装人物的出现时间基本一致,二者或可共同被视为在吐蕃民众的推动下,汉藏维摩诘信仰融合的形象体现。英藏IOL.Tib.J.VOL.180的内容及书写特征与现存藏文大藏经《甘珠尔》中收录的《维摩诘经》完全一致,更是晚唐以来藏地佛教仍然持续发展,并且敦煌与吐蕃故地之间始终保持密切文化交流的有力见证。

Eight Tibetan copies of the Vimalakīrtisūtra copies were found in the Library Cave of Dunhuang. P.t.613and IOL.Tib.J.VOL.19-4 are to be combined to make up a complete text. These copies are now found intwo different museums, but they belong to one text. According to the content and characteristics of themanuscripts, it can be generally determined that the earliest manuscript dates from the beginning of the 9thcentury and the latest from the beginning of the 11th century, that is, just before the closure of the LibraryCave. The translation of the three editions of the Tibetan Vimalakīrtisūtra over these two centuries and itsdissemination and copying activities in Dunhuang basically coincide with the appearance of the figuresin Tibetan costumes that are painted to illustrate the Vimalakīrtisūtra of the Dunhuang murals. Together,they are regarded as the artistic embodiment of the integration of Sino-Tibetan Vimalakīrti belief underthe promotion of the Tubo people. The content and characteristics of IOL.Tib.J.VOL.19-4 are completelyconsistent with the Vimalakīrtisūtra contained in Kanjur. It is a testimony to the fact that TibetanBuddhism had continued to develop since the late Tang dynasty and Dunhuang maintained a close culturalinteraction with Tibet.