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48 EASTERN HORIZON | FEATURES

things are not always done or go major redevelopment. Many things practicing the Dhamma when we go
according to our way. This year, it had to be done differently, including to the temple – we are also bringing
was a wet and rainy Kathina day, changing the location of the food the Dhamma into our daily lives and
there was an ongoing train strike tents and the piṇḍapāta line. Can benefit all living beings. EH
which disrupted travel plans, and we adapt and accept to changing
the sālā or hall was undergoing situations? Lastly, we are not only

Offering of Rice to the monastic community. Offering of the Royal Kaṭhina robe to the monastic community.

Unravelling the Scrolls that

may rewrite Buddhist History

By Arshad Awan

Dating between the scrolls are in a severely degraded state and their
1st and 3rd centuries survival this far is considered remarkable. In several
BCE, and considered cases, their reconstruction could be possible through
the most senior Indian modern preservation techniques and traditional
manuscripts, Gandharan textual scholarship in comparison with known Pali and
Buddhist writings are Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (a modern linguistic category
the oldest manuscripts applied to the language used in a class of Indian
discovered to date. Buddhist texts) versions of texts. Unfortunately, other
Written in Gandhari, Gandharan Buddhist books discovered in the last two
these reflect Gandharan Buddhism literature from centuries were either lost or destroyed.
the present-day northwestern Pakistan and eastern
Afghanistan. Professor Richard Salomon at the University
of Washington, attributes these texts to the
Curators have at last been able to unroll and digitise Dharmaguptaka sect. The scrolls constitute a random,
these fragile documents acquired by the Library of but reasonably representative sample of what could
Congress in Washington earlier. These Gandharan be a considerably larger collection of books kept in