Theos-Talk Archives (November 1999 Message tl00057)

In a message dated 11/6/99 9:29:41 PM Central Standard Time,
ambain@ambain.screaming.net writes:

> Fascinating.  Are there any English translations available of any of the
>  Nestorian Christian texts?  Or indeed any works in English on this
>  research in general (not just the Nestorian textx)?
>
>  Any information gratefully received.
>
>  Alan
I divide the list into works the discuss the Tarim finds and works that have
published
a portion of them.

1.David Snellgrove, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, 2 vols. discusses the Tarim/Turfan
oasis
finds as well as Central Asian Buddhism and the discovery of Dzog chen texts
at
Tun Huang as well as Dzog chen Bon and Nyingmapa originally being the same
movement.

2.Tucci, Religions of Tibet, discusses the finds of the Tarim Basin, the
Zoroastrian
influence upon Central Asian and Tibetan Buddhism and Bon and finds of Tun
huang.

3. John Reynolds and Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, The Golden Letters, discuss the
Tarim finds as well as the Tun huang finds of Dzog chen texts as "rewriting
Tibetan Buddhist history" in favor of Bon and Nyingmapa claims that they and
Dzog chen are an earlier and authentic transmission from Central Asia and not
just a later fabrication, supported by fake "Terma" finds, along with
connections between Dzog chen and Chan.

4. Thomas Mether, The Letters of Evans Wentz, Blavatsky, and the Tarim Basin,
a conference paper/ AAR Pacific Division which discusses Central Asian
Buddhism, Dzog chen, and that an unpublished letter of Evans Wentz identifies
the finds of Dzog chen texts at Tun huang as (1) substantiating the claim of
both Bon and Nyingmapas to have an earlier Central Asian and Persian
transmission and (2) going a long way to substantiating historically the
claims HPB makes about her sources.

5. Julian Pas and Nam Kam Leung, Historical Dictionary of Taoism, where the
Taoist finds of the Tarim Basin as well as Tun huang are repeatedly mentioned
in the context of dictionary entries on other topics including the view that
The Secret of the Golden Flower is originally a Persian Dzog chen or a
Nestorian Christian Dzog chen text (there appears to have been a lot of
ecumenism in these cities).  Earlier, in an earlier translation, Wilhelm
argued that it was a Manichaean or Nestorian text but had no proof.  Now it
points to either a Persian or Nestorian form of Dzog chen.

6. Eva Wong, The Shambhalla Guide to Taoism, discusses the Taoist finds of
the Tarim Basin as well as Tun huang.

7. Stephen Bokenkamp, Early Daoist Scriptures, discusses and publishes some
of the lost but now recovered Taoist texts from Tarim Basin and Tun huang as
well as describing some of the art and contents of the underground grottos
there.

8.  Mary Boyce, Catalogue of the Iranian Texts in Manichaean Script from
the Turfan Oasis, lists some of the Manichaean texts recovered as well as
offering
a brief discription of the underground libraries where they were found as
part of
standard archeological cataloging.

9. Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion, second edition, does not discuss, much,
the
finds of Tarim but re-writes his chapter on Manichaeanism as a result of
finds while adding to his Bibliography the then available works recovered
there.

11. First International Conference on Manichaeanism, Manichaean Studies:
Proceedings. Different discussions of the significance of the Tarim finds plus
one paper by a Lin Wushu on a Manichaean text "Compedium of the Teachings of
Mani" being the same text as a Central Asian/western Chinese Buddhist text
titled
The Buddha of Light.

12. Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis, is a comprehensive account of Gnosticism in west
and east, where he discusses the finds of the Tarim Basin, the recovered
texts, as well as recovered art along with pictures of art and ruins of
temples and monasteries.

13. Burkitt, The Religion of the Manichees, while too early to have the Tarim
finds have much impact, they are mentioned and briefly discussed.

14. Society of Biblical Languages of American Academy of Religion, The
Autobiography of Mani: literally "why do I have a Body" this is the long lost
autobiography of Mani recovered from Tarim and published by Scholars Press.

15. Jes Asmussen, Manichaean Literature, translation of selected Manichaean
Texts actually recovered from Tarim.

16. Hans Joachim Klimkeit, Gnosis on the Silk Road, a fairly complete
discussion
of the finds of the Tarim Basin, with maps and photos, as well as
translations of
Manichaean texts.

These books, along with the bibliographies to follow up on, should give you a
good start on what has been found there and the scale of it.

Grigor