Made in China? Sourcing the Old Khotanese Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhasūtra

Abstract

This paper presents evidence to suggest that the highly aberrant Old Khotanese version of the popular Sūtra of the Master of Medicine Beryl-Shine (Bhaiṣajyaguru- vaiḍūryaprabhasūtra) may have been translated from a Chinese text, the twelfth fascicle of the so-called Consecration Sūtra, T1331 . As a possible explanation for the hybrid nature of the Khotanese text, which shares in features of the Consecration Sūtra and of the mainstream version, I suggest the possibility that the Sanskrit version may have originated in Khotan as a revision of the Khotanese text. Lastly I explore the greater consequences that these scenarios would have in our understanding of the pre-Islamic cultures of the Tarim Basin, underscoring the role of China as a significant cultural influence.