Tocharian legacy in the Bhadrakalpa

Authors: Valeria Argiolas (Aix-Marseille Université, France)
Speakers: Valeria Argiolas
Strand: Buddhism Discourses
Session Type: General Session

Abstract

If a list of 500 Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa has been given in the Tocharian Buddhism (Pinault 2011), in the later Tibetan and Chinese Bhadrakalpikasūtra 996 out of the 1000 Buddhas expected in the present kalpa, as stated (bu[d]dhā sahasaṁ) in a recent discovered painted donative inscription from the antechamber wall of Ajaṇṭā Cave 2 (Revire 2022), are yet to come. This discrepancy will be discussed on the symbolic value of some numerals in the Tocharian tradition.

Bibliography :

PINAULT, Georges-Jean (2011) “The Buddhas of the Fortunate Aeon in Old Turkic and Tocharian Texts”. in Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University 14, pp. 73-80.

REVIRE, Nicolas (2022) ” “Intrusive Art” at Ajaṇṭā in the Late Middle Period: The Case of Bhadrāsana Buddhas”, in Religion, 13 (9), 771, Basel, MDPI AG

Keywords: Areal pragmatics; Tocharian; Badrakalpa; semiotics; areal studies