The Spread of Buddhism

106 xavier tremblay

mentioned as a source for manuscripts or as a provenance of masters

of the law in the Chinese records. According to the Beishi ,^149 a

standard history of the northern dynasties in China covering a period

between 368 and 618, and compiled in the seventh century, Mazdeism

was cultivated in Agni. No manuscripts, however, have corroborated

this report. Agni still awaits its historiographer.

Most of the Agni manuscripts were found in the oruk monastery

and belong to the Sarvstivda tradition. In Agni, Faxian mentioned

only H nayna monks, more than four thousand of them.^150 Xuanzang

mentions ten or more monasteries with about two thousand monks,

all of the Sarvstivda school.^151 Still, not all monks can have been

H nayna monks, as shown by Lore Sander (1991, pp. 135f. n. 11) who

has listed the Mahyna manuscripts preserved in Agni. Consequently,

we can conclude that in one and the same monastery (oruk) monks

copied both H naynist and Mahynist manuscripts.

Contrary to Agni, Kashgar seems to have been an active Mahyna

centre. It is here that Kumraj va converted to Mahyna. But

Faxian^152 ascribes Kashgar to H nayna, and according to Xuanzang^153

the monks all belong to the Sarvstivda school. Zhu Houzheng

, an upsaka (lay follower) from Kashmir brought the Yo gcrabhmi

(T.606), a (Mla)Sarvstivdin text,^154 from Kashgar to Dunhuang,

and translated it together with Dharmaraka. Unfortunately, Kashgar

has not been sur veyed archaeologically and no early manuscripts have

been unearthed.

4. Buddhism among the Turks (Türks and Uighurs)
   (560–1700 ad)

Two different Turkish confederations, with two slightly different dialects,

attained overlordship upon Central Asia at different moments:

gave back to Agni some bulwarks and forts that Kucha had seized (Chavannes 1903,

pp. 111f.). 149

Beishi (History of the Northern Dynasties), vol. 10, scroll 97, p. 3216 (tr. Liu

Mau-Tsai 1969, vol. 1, p. 162). The text says that the people believed in the God of

Heaven ( ) as well as in the teaching of the Buddha. The God of Heaven refers

to the Mazdean supreme god, Ahura Mazd 150 .

T.2053.51.857a24–29 (tr. Giles 1956 [1923], p. 3).

(^151) T.2087.51.870a11–12 (tr. Beal 1884, book 1, p. 18).
(^152) T.2085.51.857c20–21 (tr. Giles 1956 [1923], p. 8).
(^153) T.2087.51.942c20 (tr. Beal 1884, book 12, p. 307).
(^154) Schmithausen 1987, p. 305.
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