The Spread of Buddhism

the spread of buddhism in serindia 103

dating from the second century,^132 are extraordinary historical tokens,

since they give evidence that despite the great distance and the hardships

of the journey, the relations between the Tarim Basin and Gangetic

India were close and regular enough to enable monks who dwelt in

Kucha to understand Sanskrit philosophical treatises and dramas. They

prove moreover that Sanskrit was used from the very beginning of the

Buddhist mission. For at least three centuries (5th–8th), the chancel-

leries and/or Buddhist monasteries resorted to four codes side by side:

Gndhr in Kharo

h ,^133 Tocharian in Kharo

h ,^134 Sanskrit in Brhm ,

and Tocharian in Brhm.

The discrepancy between the Chinese reports prior to 550^135 and

the picture conveyed by the Kuchean manuscripts (mostly 6th–9th

century) is striking. The Chinese records on early eminent monks are

full of salient, often queer Kuchean  gures, from the famous transla-

tor Kumraj va (344–413) to wizards such as Po r mitra (early fourth

century) who brought magic practices to South China, or Dharmakema

(385–433) who taught Gansu women sexual practices. Most Chinese

sources purport that a strong Mahynic tradition  ourished early: to

be true, Dharmakema reported that in the  fth century H nayna

prevailed, and Kumraj va in 356 or Dharmabhadra at approximately

the same period^136 turned to Mahyna only under the in uence of

Kashgar monks, but in 258 the monk Bo Yan translated the

Mahyna ragamasamdhistra, and in 286, Dharmaraka, known as

a translator of Buddhist texts into Chinese, received a Mahyna stra

from Kucha and had as collaborators the Kuchean monks Bo Yuanxin

and Bo Faju. Interesting also is that a Mah sghika

manuscript^137 and Mahyna stras imported from Khotan^138 have been

found in Qizil near Kucha. The thaumaturges, whose paradoxical or

shocking behaviour was for the Chinese typical for Kucha, may belong

to tantrism.^139 Even Dhyna was rooted in Kucha, and was cultivated

(^132) Dramas by the famous poet A vaghoa’s (Lüders 1911, pp. 390ff.).
(^133) The last Gndhr documents, written down in Kucha, date probably from the
seventh century (Bailey 1950b, p. 121; Bernhard 1970; Hitch 1984, p; 198; Tremblay
2001, p. 149 n. 244). 134
Schmidt 2001.
(^135) For an overview, see Liu Mau-Tsai, 1969, pp. 20–34.
(^136) Liu Mau-Tsai 1969, p. 184 and n. 619.
(^137) Bechert in STF VI, pp. 49f.; Salomon 1999a, p. 158.
(^138) Sander 1991, p. 136 n. 11.
(^139) Cf. Liu Mau-Tsai 1969, p. 28; Schafer 1963, pp. 182f.
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