BuddhistRoadPaper 2.4 “On the the Use of Mudrās in Dunhuang’s Buddhist Rituals During the 9th to 10th Centuries"

Abstract

This short essay is devoted to a survey and discussion of the Dunhang manuscripts which feature drawings of mudrās, gestures or hand-seals (Chin. shouyin 手印), i.e. ritualised hand gestures employed in Esoteric Buddhist Rituals. There are three known examples of manuscripts featuring such mudrās: the long roll of P. 3905, the manual of P. 3835, and the set of line drawings of OA 1919,0101,0.83*. These three manuscripts form the basis of the present discourse, including an identification of the textual sources for these sets of mudrās and a discussion of the use of mudrās more generally in the Esoteric Buddhist context of Dunhuang during the 9th to 10th centuries.