The Book of Zambasta(abbreviated‘Z’)is a long poem in Old Khotanese which has been described as’a veritable Manual of Buddhism’.[1]The best-preserved copy,sometimes referred to as‘Z1’,seems to have formed part o...The Book of Zambasta(abbreviated‘Z’)is a long poem in Old Khotanese which has been described as’a veritable Manual of Buddhism’.[1]The best-preserved copy,sometimes referred to as‘Z1’,seems to have formed part of a manuscript miscellany,in which the 24 chapters of Z occupied folios 143 verso to 440 recto.Of these 298 folios,more than two thirds are still extant in whole or part.In Z1each verse is written on a single line,with six lines to the page.The text is presented in four columns separated by spaces which in principle correspond to the caesurae between the four padas(‘abcd’)of the verse.The verse number is frequently indicated at the end of the line,often in abbreviated form(e.g.‘2’in place of‘52’,or‘52’in place of‘152’).展开更多
文摘The Book of Zambasta(abbreviated‘Z’)is a long poem in Old Khotanese which has been described as’a veritable Manual of Buddhism’.[1]The best-preserved copy,sometimes referred to as‘Z1’,seems to have formed part of a manuscript miscellany,in which the 24 chapters of Z occupied folios 143 verso to 440 recto.Of these 298 folios,more than two thirds are still extant in whole or part.In Z1each verse is written on a single line,with six lines to the page.The text is presented in four columns separated by spaces which in principle correspond to the caesurae between the four padas(‘abcd’)of the verse.The verse number is frequently indicated at the end of the line,often in abbreviated form(e.g.‘2’in place of‘52’,or‘52’in place of‘152’).
