Recent Scholarly Activity

In a faculty seminar in September 2008, I presented a piece of recent research, “The Brahmin’s Invitation and the Buddha’s Incantation: The Reliquary-Sealing Dhāraṇī Sutra in the Bowdoin College Museum Collection.” This printed sutra was commissioned by King Qian Chu of a regional state called Wu-Yue (in southeastern China) and dates to 975. While the illustration preceding the sutra text has loosely been associated with Qian Chu’s consort, comparisons to two other printings of the same sutra (956 and 1007) suggests that the image really depicts narrative moments described in the sutra. At right, the Brahmin, called Without-Blemish-and-Wonderful-Light, issues an invitation to the Buddha. Near the center, the Brahmin witnesses a miracle as Buddha explains the power of the “Reliquary-Sealing Dhāraṇī Sutra” in the Garden of Abundance and Wealth.