Sutra of Reciting the True Names of the Noble Manjusri (Aryamanjusrinamasangiti; 'Phags pa 'Jam dpal gyi mtshan ya'n dag par brjod pa; Sheng Miaojixiang zhenshi ming jing) in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese Scripts

Qing dynasty (1644-1911), undated, ca. 18th century

43 loose folios between top and bottom sutra covers; each folio: approx. 10.2 x 41.1 cm; top sutra cover: approx. 10.3 x 41.1 x 1.7 cm; recessed panel on outer side of top sutra cover: 4.1 x 18.2 cm; recessed panel on inner side of top sutra cover: 7.0 x 34.0 cm; bottom sutra cover: approx. 10.3 x 41.1 x 1.7 cm; recessed panel on inner side of bottom sutra cover: 6.6 x 33.5 cm

No inventory number

The Aryamanjusrinamasangiti (Sutra of Reciting the True Names of the Noble Manjusri) contains 160 gatha (verses) and some mantra sentences replete with early Buddhist and later Mahayana lore as well as vestiges of Hindu religious concepts. The recessed panel on the top sutra cover contains the sutra's trilingual title inscribed in gold on a plain black ground in three rows: the Sanksrit title in Devanagari script at the top, Tibetan in the center, and Chinese at the bottom. The inner sides of the top and bottom sutra covers contain an illuminated panel with three and five icons, respectively, drawn in color, gold, and white pigment. The sutra's 43 individual folios were dyed purplish blue, with the text written in gold upon black-painted central panels.