Visualizing a Buddhist Sutra

Author: Laxman S ThakurPublisher: Oxford University PressYear: 2006Language: EnglishPages: 161ISBN/UPC (if available): 019567314-X DescriptionThis volume analyses the murals, inscriptions and manuscripts preserved at Tabo, one of the earliest and largest Buddhist monasteries of the western Himalaya. The author presents an insightful comparison between text and mural, and also comments on the larger field of Buddhist art as being a mode of transmission of Buddhist ideas contained in the texts.This volume documents for the first time a critical analysis of several hand-written manuscripts of the Avatamsakasutra from the collection at the Tabo monastery. Thakur focuses particularly on the Gandavyuhasutra, which forms part of the larger magnum opus. It details the various states through which Sudhana, a seeker of truth, passed during his long spiritual sojourn, and prescribes ways and means to attain the supreme perfect enlightenment.The murals comprise lively and continuous narratives