Overbey, Ryan. “Memory, Rhetoric, and Education in the Great Lamp of the Dharma Dhāraṇī Scripture.” PhD dissertation, Harvard University, 2010.
Assertion | Argument | Place in source |
---|---|---|
|
Three of Jñānagupta's translations, T190, T471, T1354, begin with a dedicatory verse to Vairocana from Jñānagupta himself. Two of these take the form: "I, Jñānagupta, honor Vairocana, the Ocean of Great Wisdom..." [Overbey cites T471 as one of the two with this interesting form, but does not appear to specify which is the second text -- SF; it is T1354 -- MR.] Overbey notes that many Chinese texts begin with dedications to Vairocana, but “only Jñānagupta's translations contain a personalized invocation.” According to Overbey, “These examples demonstrate that the invocations and verses which begin many scriptures were personalized during recitation.” Here then we find Jñānagupta's personalised devotion to Vairocana. Alternatively, Overbey suggests that “rather than adding a personal touch to an invocation in a scripture,” Jñānagupta simply spoke this praise before every reading, which was recorded for posterity by his scribes. [Perhaps, then, the presence of this invocation in these three texts only is an indication that they were recorded by the same scribe --- SF.] |
44, 57 |