05-01-2005, 02:23 AM
http://www.nb.no/baser/schoyen/5/5.19/index.html
bout 1500 Buddhist MSS from most Asian countries spanning nearly 2000 years. The collection starts with the foundation MSS of Mahayana Buddhism. 14 MSS are listed. Large parts of Collections 20 China, and 21 Pre-Gutenberg printing, are also Buddhist literature.
The Buddhist collection comprises most Asian countries. Foremost is a collection of the earliest Buddhist scriptures known, spanning 2nd - 7th c., written on palm leaf in India, birch bark in Afghanistan, and vellum and copper.
The about 5000 leaves and fragments with ca. 7000 micro-fragments from a library of originally up to 1000 manuscripts, together with 60 in British Library, have been called the "Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism". The manuscripts were found in caves in Bamiyan in Afghanistan 1993-95. They mostly avoided destruction during the civil war among several warlords and Taliban by being taken out of the war zones. The significant parts that remained in Afghanistan when Taliban took power in most of the country in 1996, were specifically targeted for destruction together with other Buddhist objects and monuments, but were saved under partly dramatic circumstances. The first few fragments were acquired by The Schøyen Collection in the summer 1996, while the bulk of the material was acquired in London 1997-2000. At that time they were increasingly being spread on a great number of hands in several countries. Many of the micro-fragments were either discarded or used for amulets. The greatest challenge of the rescue operation turned out to be getting these materials together again. For the greater part this turned out successfully. As the last part of the rescue operation they will now be made available to everyone, by being published by the world's leading scholars, see publication project no. 5.
These Buddhist MSS are the only section in the collection that is not coming from old collections, but were acquired to prevent destruction, after requests from Buddhists and scholars. The question can be raised whether these MSS should be returned to Afghanistan after they have been published, and if peace, order, religious tolerance, and safe conditions can be established in that country.
When the MSS were written, this was the Kushan Indo-Scythian Empire, later conquered by the Huns; modern Afghanistan did not exist. The area has since changed religion from Buddhism to Islam, changed language from Sanskrit and Gandhari to Arabic, Dari and Pashtu, and most of the descendants of the original Buddhists are living outside present Afghanistan. More than half of the MSS were actually written in present Pakistan and India. The Buddhist monasteries and their MSS were mostly destroyed in the 8th c. by Muslims, and the remaining to a greater part destroyed by Taliban recently, including the 2 giant statues of Buddha that were blown up in 2001. The last 2000 years the area has been regularly conquered, torn and shaken between its strong neighbours to the East, North, and West, and internally torn apart by civil wars. There is sadly enough a considerable probability that history will repeat itself in the far future as well. One has to draw the conclusion that Afghanistan is not the right and safe home for these MSS in the future, even if UNESCO's conventions directs such MSS to be returned to the National state. However, as mentioned in the introduction part 2, consideration and clarification about a possible future return of these manuscripts is an ongoing process.
The Schøyen Collection has a responsibility for the safekeeping of MSS that have survived up to 5000 years, and wishes these MSS at least an equally long life in the future, with full access for scholars and the public, irrespectively of nationality, race or religion. National states, that come and go over the centuries, is not the only criterion for where MSS should be kept. Religion, cultural context, long-term safety and public access should be equally important.
bout 1500 Buddhist MSS from most Asian countries spanning nearly 2000 years. The collection starts with the foundation MSS of Mahayana Buddhism. 14 MSS are listed. Large parts of Collections 20 China, and 21 Pre-Gutenberg printing, are also Buddhist literature.
The Buddhist collection comprises most Asian countries. Foremost is a collection of the earliest Buddhist scriptures known, spanning 2nd - 7th c., written on palm leaf in India, birch bark in Afghanistan, and vellum and copper.
The about 5000 leaves and fragments with ca. 7000 micro-fragments from a library of originally up to 1000 manuscripts, together with 60 in British Library, have been called the "Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism". The manuscripts were found in caves in Bamiyan in Afghanistan 1993-95. They mostly avoided destruction during the civil war among several warlords and Taliban by being taken out of the war zones. The significant parts that remained in Afghanistan when Taliban took power in most of the country in 1996, were specifically targeted for destruction together with other Buddhist objects and monuments, but were saved under partly dramatic circumstances. The first few fragments were acquired by The Schøyen Collection in the summer 1996, while the bulk of the material was acquired in London 1997-2000. At that time they were increasingly being spread on a great number of hands in several countries. Many of the micro-fragments were either discarded or used for amulets. The greatest challenge of the rescue operation turned out to be getting these materials together again. For the greater part this turned out successfully. As the last part of the rescue operation they will now be made available to everyone, by being published by the world's leading scholars, see publication project no. 5.
These Buddhist MSS are the only section in the collection that is not coming from old collections, but were acquired to prevent destruction, after requests from Buddhists and scholars. The question can be raised whether these MSS should be returned to Afghanistan after they have been published, and if peace, order, religious tolerance, and safe conditions can be established in that country.
When the MSS were written, this was the Kushan Indo-Scythian Empire, later conquered by the Huns; modern Afghanistan did not exist. The area has since changed religion from Buddhism to Islam, changed language from Sanskrit and Gandhari to Arabic, Dari and Pashtu, and most of the descendants of the original Buddhists are living outside present Afghanistan. More than half of the MSS were actually written in present Pakistan and India. The Buddhist monasteries and their MSS were mostly destroyed in the 8th c. by Muslims, and the remaining to a greater part destroyed by Taliban recently, including the 2 giant statues of Buddha that were blown up in 2001. The last 2000 years the area has been regularly conquered, torn and shaken between its strong neighbours to the East, North, and West, and internally torn apart by civil wars. There is sadly enough a considerable probability that history will repeat itself in the far future as well. One has to draw the conclusion that Afghanistan is not the right and safe home for these MSS in the future, even if UNESCO's conventions directs such MSS to be returned to the National state. However, as mentioned in the introduction part 2, consideration and clarification about a possible future return of these manuscripts is an ongoing process.
The Schøyen Collection has a responsibility for the safekeeping of MSS that have survived up to 5000 years, and wishes these MSS at least an equally long life in the future, with full access for scholars and the public, irrespectively of nationality, race or religion. National states, that come and go over the centuries, is not the only criterion for where MSS should be kept. Religion, cultural context, long-term safety and public access should be equally important.