“Tibetan scripture written on palm-leaves is a precious cultural heritages of the whole of humanity, and represents historical evidence of the communication between ancient Indian and Tibetan cultures“, said Tsewang Gyurme, former president of the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences (TASS) and director of the Leading Group Office for the Protection of the Palm-leaf Manuscripts of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, at a symposium a few days ago.

The preserved Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts extremely valuable

Palm-leaf manuscripts constitute some of the most precious original documents in the world. Tsewang Gyurme is of the opinion that a good number of high-quality palm-leaf manuscripts in Sanskrit have already been collected within the Tibetan Autonomous Region. They contain unique features and a wide-ranging content.

“After codification, it has been preliminarily confirmed that within the Tibetan Autonomous Region there are more than a thousand different palm-leaf manuscripts in the Sanskrit, Pali and Tibetan languages, most of which were produced during the 8th to 14th centuries”, claimed Tsewang Gyurme. The subjects they touch upon include Buddhist philosophy, ethics, logic, linguistics, poetics, rhetorical studies and literature, as well as the natural sciences of medical science and astronomy. These manuscripts are a source of first hand information for studying the history of Buddhism, the translation of Buddhist manuscripts, the science and technology of the time and the history of Sino-Indian cultural exchanges.

Tsewang Gyurme said that the leading group office has endeavored over these years to investigate and record the existing Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts. Previous literature on the palm-leaf manuscripts has also been reviewed. Over the last two years, the group visited 65 divisions and monasteries, three historical sites and various other places of interest throughout the entire Tibet Autonomous Region, travelling over 17,000 miles.

Using modern technology to preserve ancient documents

Che Minghuai, secretary of the party committee and vice president of TASS, claimed that the preservation and research work for the Tibetan palm-leaf manuscripts will undoubtedly boost the international influence of Chinese culture. Bao Luo, director of the scientific research office of TASS made it clear that in recent years, the central government and the government of the Tibetan Autonomous Region have devoted themselves to preserving and promoting the unique traditional Tibetan culture.

In order to preserve as best as possible the existing manuscripts of the palm-leaf manuscripts in Sanskrit, scholars have codified and archived these materials, as well as recording some of the original material though modern technology.

It is reported that some significant results of this research effort have already been published, including the General Catalogue of Palm-leaf Manuscripts in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Complete Collection of the Photocopies of Palm-leaf Manuscripts in the Tibet Autonomous Region as well as the Brief Catalogue of the Complete Collection of the Photocopies of Palm-leaf Manuscripts in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 545, 6th January, 2013.

Chinese link: http://www.csstoday.net/xueshuzixun/guoneixinwen/87096.html

　　Translated by Chen Meina

　　Revised by Gabriele Corsetti