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Maitreyasamitināṭaka
''Maitreyasamitināṭaka'' is a Buddhist drama in the language known as Tocharian A. It dates to the eighth century and survives only in fragments. The drama revolves around the Buddhahood, Buddha Maitreya, the future saviour of the world.Peyrot and Semet 2016. This story was popular among Buddhists and parallel versions can be found in Chinese language, Chinese, Classical Tibetan, Tibetan, Khotanese language, Khotanese, Sogdian language, Sogdian, Pali and Sanskrit. According to Friedrich W. K. Müller and Emil Sieg, the apparent meaning of the title is "Encounter with Maitreya". There is an Old Uyghur translation of the Tocharian text, called ''Maitrisimit nom bitig''. It is a much more complete text and has been dated to between the eighth and eleventh centuries. The fragments of the Tocharian text come from six different manuscripts, five from the Shikshin Temple and one from Qocho. Albert Grünwedel and Albert von Le Coq discovered the Tocharian text during the third German T ...
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Tocharian A
Tocharian A, also known as Tokharian A, Eastern Tocharian, Agnean (), Karashahrian or Turfanian is a dead language that was in use in the 1st millennium AD in the Karashahr and Turpan, Turfan region of the Tarim Basin, present-day Xinjiang, Western China. First discovered from Buddhism, Buddhist texts dating back to around the 7th century AD, it coexisted with a related language, Tocharian B that together possibly with Tocharian languages#Tocharian C, Kroränian form the Tocharian languages, Tocharian branch of the Indo-European languages. This language was notably used in what China, China's Han dynasty then called the Kiu-che Kingdom (known as the Kushan Empire). It is believed that Tocharian A died out with the other Tocharian languages when the Uyghurs and the Yenisei Kyrgyz moved into the Tarim Basin. Writing Tocharian A is known from around the 2000 manuscripts found. From these series of texts which are majority Buddhist liturgical texts are transcribed in a script deri ...
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Tocharian Languages
The Tocharian (sometimes ''Tokharian'') languages ( ; ), also known as the ''Arśi-Kuči'', Agnean-Kuchean or Kuchean-Agnean languages, are an extinct branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family spoken by inhabitants of the Tarim Basin, the Tocharians. The languages are known from manuscripts dating from the 5th to the 8th century AD, which were found in oasis cities on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin (now part of Xinjiang in Northwest China) and the Lop Desert. The discovery of these languages in the early 20th century contradicted the formerly prevalent idea of an east–west division of the Indo-European language family as centum and satem languages, and prompted reinvigorated study of the Indo-European family. Scholars studying these manuscripts in the early 20th century identified their authors with the ''Tokharoi'', a name used in ancient sources for people of Bactria (Tokharistan). Although this identification is now believed to be mistaken, ...
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Maitreya
Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddhahood, Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha.Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations 2nd edition.'' Routledge, 2009, p. 218. In some Buddhist texts, Buddhist literature, such as the ''Amitabha Sutra'' and the ''Lotus Sutra'', he is also referred to as Ajitā (Invincible, Unconquerable). In Tibetan Buddhism he is known as the "Lord of Love" or the "Noble Loving One" (Pakpa Jampa). The root of his name is the Sanskrit word ''maitrī'' (Pali: ''metta''; meaning friendliness, loving-kindness). The name Maitreya is also related to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian name Mitra.Jayarava, Visible Mantra: Visualising & Writing Buddhist Mantras, pp. 142-43. 2011 In Hinduism, Maitreya is prophesied to be the king of Shambala, which is also the birthplace of the Kalki Avatar. In all branches of Buddhism, ...
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Albert Von Le Coq
Albert von Le Coq (; 8 September 1860 in Berlin, Prussia – 21 April 1930 in Berlin, Weimar Republic) was a Prussian/German brewery owner and wine merchant, who at the age of 40 began to study archaeology.''Schatzjagd an der Seidenstraße.'' A film by Susanne Rostosky. A production of Story House Productions GmbH, in cooperation with Logo ARTE and ZDF Enterprises. © ZDF 2013. Presented in Finland on YLE TV 1 on 16 March 2014 with the title “The surprising finds of the Silk Road.” Background He was born at Berlin, of a family of French Huguenot origin, as evidenced in his family name. Von Le Coq was heir to a sizable fortune derived from breweries and wineries scattered throughout Central and Eastern Europe, thus allowing him the luxury of travel and study at his leisure. The business he owned survives today as the A. Le Coq brewery in Tartu, Estonia. Career as archaeologist Aided by his wealth, von Le Coq became a famous archaeologist and explorer of Central Asia. V ...
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Buddhist Plays
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth-largest religion, with about 500 million followers, known as Buddhists, who comprise four percent of the global population. It arose in the eastern Gangetic plain as a movement in the 5th century BCE, and gradually spread throughout much of Asia. Buddhism has subsequently played a major role in Asian culture and spirituality, eventually spreading to the West in the 20th century. According to tradition, the Buddha instructed his followers in a path of development which leads to awakening and full liberation from '' dukkha'' (). He regarded this path as a Middle Way between extremes such as asceticism or sensual indulgence. Teaching that ''dukkha'' arises alongside attachment or clinging, the Buddha advised meditation practices and ...
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Buddhist Texts
Buddhist texts are religious texts that belong to, or are associated with, Buddhism and Schools of Buddhism, its traditions. There is no single textual collection for all of Buddhism. Instead, there are three main Buddhist Canons: the Pāli Canon of the Theravada, Theravāda tradition, the Chinese Buddhist canon, Chinese Buddhist Canon used in East Asian Buddhism, East Asian Buddhist tradition, and the Tibetan Buddhist canon, Tibetan Buddhist Canon used in Tibetan Buddhism, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts are the Gandhāran Buddhist texts, found in Pakistan and written in Gāndhārī language, Gāndhārī, they date from the first century BCE to the third century CE. The Early Buddhist texts, first Buddhist texts were initially passed on orally by Buddhist monasticism, Buddhist monastics, but were later written down and composed ...
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Ji Xianlin
Ji Xianlin (; August 6, 1911 – July 11, 2009) was a Chinese Indologist, linguist, paleographer, historian and writer who has been honored by the governments of both India and China. Ji was proficient in many languages including Chinese, Sanskrit, Arabic, English, German, French, Russian, Pali and Tocharian, and translated many works. He published a memoir, '' The Cowshed: Memories of the Chinese Cultural Revolution'', about his persecution during the Cultural Revolution. Biography He was born in Linqing, Shandong in 1911. He attended Sanhejie Primary School and the No. 1 Middle School in Jinan, then Shandong University. In 1930, he was admitted to Tsinghua University as a major in Western literature. In 1935, he went to University of Göttingen as an exchange student, choosing in 1936 to major in Sanskrit and less well known ancient languages, such as Pali, under Professor Ernst Waldschmidt.
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Champu
Champu or Chapu-Kavya (Devanagari: चम्पू-काव्य) is a genre of literary composition in Indian literature. The word 'Champu' means a combination of poetry and prose. A ''champu-kavya'' consists of a mixture of prose (Gadya-Kavya) and poetry passages (Padya-Kavya), with verses interspersed among prose sections. There is evidence of chapu-kavya right from the Vedic period. Ithareya Brahmans Harishchandropakyana is the main example of its origin from the Vedic period. Champu-kavya is seen in 2nd century AD, on rock inscription of Rudradaman, at Junagadh. It is also seen in Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and the other Mahakavyas and was a later development in the style of writing. Works in Champu style Kannada Adikavi Pampa, the ''Adikavi'', one of the greatest Kannada poets of all time and one among the ''ratnatrayaru'', pioneered this style when he wrote his classical works, '' Vikramarjuna Vijaya'' (Pampa Bharata) and '' Adipurana'' in it, around 940 CE, ...
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Tocharoi
The Yuezhi were an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat at the hands of the Xiongnu in 176 BC, the Yuezhi split into two groups migrating in different directions: the Greater Yuezhi and Lesser Yuezhi. This started a complex domino effect that radiated in all directions and, in the process, set the course of history for much of Asia for centuries to come. The Greater Yuezhi initially migrated northwest into the Ili Valley (on the modern borders of China and Kazakhstan), where they reportedly displaced elements of the Sakas. They were driven from the Ili Valley by the Wusun and migrated southward to Sogdia and later settled in Bactria. The Greater Yuezhi have consequently often been identified with peoples mentioned in classical European sources as having overrun the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, like t ...
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Colophon (publishing)
In publishing, a colophon () is a brief statement containing information about the publication of a book such as an "imprint" (the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of publication). A colophon may include the device (logo) of a printer or publisher. Colophons are traditionally printed at the ends of books (see History below for the origin of the word), but sometimes the same information appears elsewhere (when it may still be referred to as colophon) and many modern (post-1800) books bear this information on the title page or on the verso of the title leaf, which is sometimes called a ''biblio page'' or (when bearing copyright data) the '' copyright page''. History The term ''colophon'' derives from the Late Latin ''colophōn'', from the Greek κολοφών (meaning "summit" or "finishing touch"). The term colophon was used in 1729 as the bibliographic explication at the end of the book by the English printer Samuel Palmer in his ''The General History of Prin ...
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Ōtani Kōzui
Count Ōtani Kōzui (大谷 光瑞, 27 December 1876 – 5 October 1948) was a Japanese Buddhism in Japan, Buddhist leader and explorer who was the 22nd Abbot (Buddhism), Abbot of Nishi Hongan-ji and the head of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Honganji-ha sect of Buddhism. He is known for expeditions to Buddhist sites in Central Asia, such as Subashi (lost city), Subashi. His Dharma name, Buddhist name was Kyōnyo (鏡如). Career Between 1902 and 1910, he financed three expeditions to Central Asia although his participation was stopped for his succession (see below). Ōtani was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and played host to several of his fellow Central Asian explorers, such as Sven Hedin and Albert von Le Coq. His collection, often called "Ōtani collection" is still considered important in Central Asian studies, although it is today scattered in Tokyo, Kyoto, China and Korea. In addition to his spiritual responsibilities and his Central Asian activities, Ōtani w ...
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Qomul
Hami ( zh, c=哈密) or Kumul () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Xinjiang, China. It is well known for sweet Hami melons. In early 2016, the former Hami county-level city merged with Hami Prefecture to form the Hami prefecture-level city with the county-level city becoming Yizhou District. Since the Han dynasty, Hami has been known for its production of agricultural products and raw resources. History Origins and names Cumuḍa (sometimes ''Cimuda'' or ''Cunuda'') is the oldest known endonym of Hami, when it was founded by a people known in Han Chinese sources as the '' Xiao Yuezhi'' ("Lesser Yuezhi"), during the 1st millennium BCE. The oldest attested Chinese name is "" ( zh, labels=no, p=Kūnmò). By the time of the Han dynasty, it was referred to in Chinese as "" ( zh, labels=no, p=Yīwú) or "" ( zh, labels=no, p=Yīwúlú). Under the Tang dynasty, it was also known as , . The name I-gou, I-gu, Igu, &c. sometimes encountered in European discussion of Hami was a mi ...
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