國圖B.D.09092觀經變榜題底稿校考=A Study of The National Library of China's Collections of Dunhuang MS B.D.09092: A draft of inscriptions abstractto the illustrations to Amitayur-buddha-dhyāna-sūtra
There are several copies of drafts of inscriptions as a particular preparatory materials for artists who working for Buddhist Grotto found in Dunhuang Manuscripts and they had got published one after another ever since they had been discovered. So far, we learnt that there are 20 copies of 12 kinds of drafts of preparatory writings (here refers to those particular preparatory materials for the illustrations to Buddhist sūtras, the number will be increased if we add up those preparatory writings for the image of Buddhist saint s) . Among those published preparatory inscriptions for artist, there are three particular draft s of inscriptions abstract to the illustrations to Amitayur-buddha-dhyāna-sūtra: P. 3304, P. 3352, S. 2544. This article will discuss a newly discovered copy found in the collections of the National Library of China. It is a piece of draft of inscriptions abstract to the illustrations to Amitayur-buddha-dhyāna-sūtra. By a careful contractive study, we are construed the content s of this copy has well been matched up to Cave 55 of Mogao Grottes Dunhuang which had been constructed in the Later 10th century by CAO Yuanzhong, the commander of the Return to Allegiance Army of the early period of the Song Dynasty. This article pointed out that this surviving preparatory manual will surely shed light on the study of regional Dunhuang Buddhism and the Dunhuang Buddhist art practices in the early Song Dynasty in such important information.
