94 Kano
The translation was done between Patshab’s return to Tibet from Kashmir in
ca. 1100 and Sharaba’s passing in 1141. As we saw above, Atiśa’s manuscripts
were stored in Retreng, but according to the colophon the translation was
done at Yage (Tib. Ya gad) monastery. This means that Sharaba borrowed the
manuscript from Retreng. This is well attested in the Blue Annals (Tib. Deb ther
sngon po):
[Sharaba] borrowed the Sūtrasamuccaya contained among Jobo’s manu-
scripts preserved at Retreng, and acted as the patron of the translation,
while the Kashmiri Jayānanda, the translator Patshab Nyimadrak, and
Khu Dodeba translated it.31
(6) We find a reference to Atiśa’s manuscript collection in the 12th or 13th cen-
tury in Lechen’s History of the Kadam Tradition:
When he [i.e. Sangye wöntön (Tib. Sangs rgyas dbon ston, ca. 1138–1210)]
arrived at Retreng, he wished to see these manuscripts of the Jobo; and
then Atiśa appeared to him in a dream and explained to him: ‘This is so
and so [.. .]’ and showed him all the manuscripts.32
(7) In 1361, Butön Rinchendrub (Tib. Bu ston Rin chen grub, 1290–1364) bor-
rowed the Sanskrit manuscript of the Tārāmūlakalpa (Derge Tōhoku no. 724)
from Atiśa’s collection in order to translate it. The translator’s colophon runs:
dang ldan / pa tshab ldong gi sa skor zhogs kyi stod / mkhas btsun ’byung gnas dam pas
byin brlabs pa / dpal ldan ya gad gtsug lag khang chen du / skad gnyis smra la seng ge’i sgra
sgrogs pa / shā kya’i dge slong nyi ma grags pa dang / khu yi ban de mdo sde ’bar gyis bsgyur
/ des bskyed bsod nams zla ltar bsil ba yis / thub pa’i ’khor bzhi dang ni ’gro kun gyi / ltung
dang nyon mongs gdung ba zhi gyur cig //
31 ’Gos lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal, Deb ther sngon po, 332–333: rwa sgreng na mdo kun las btus
pa jo bo’i phyag dpe la yod pa de blangs / ’gyur gyi sbyin bdag mdzad nas / kha che dza ma
(sic) ya ā nanda dang / lo tsā ba pa tshab nyi ma grags dang / khu mdo sde ’bar rnams
kyis bsgyur / (It is possible that this passage is based on the statement of the colophon of
the Mahāsūtrasamuccaya.) Cf. Hadano, Chibetto Indogaku shūsei, 109–110. Las chen’s bKa’
gdams chos ’byung attributes authorship of the Mahāsūtrasamuccaya to Śāntideva (ibid.,
467–468: ra sgreng nas zhi ba lhas mdzad pa’i mdo kun las btus pa chen po’i rgya dpe blangs
te ’gyur gyi sbyin bdag mdzad nas / kha che dza ya ā nanda dang / pa tshab nyi ma grags /
khu mdo sde ’bar rnams kyis bsgyur bar mdzad /
32 Las chen, bKa’ gdams chos ’byung, 264: ra sgreng du byon pa’i tshe jo bo’i phyag dpe ’di
rnams gzigs dgongs tsa na / a ti sha rmi lam du byon nas ’di ’di skad bya ba yin gsungs nas /
phyag dpe rnams cag ge bstan /