Apropos of the Sanskrit Inscriptions from the Saṃyuktāgama in Bezeklik Cave 16 — A Case Study of the *Pātrasūtra

Located on the cliffs of the western bank of the Murtuk River in the Flaming Mountains, approximately 37 kilometers east of Turfan City, the Bezeklik Caves represent a quintessential example of Buddhist art in the Turfan region. The initial construction of the caves began in the sixth century during the Qushi Gaochang 麴氏高昌 period (449–640 CE), with the majority of extant murals dating back to the West Uighur Kingdom (Xizhou huihu 西州回鹘) (866–1283 CE). In recent years, in collaboration with Academia Turfanica, Peking University’s Research Institute of Sanskrit Manuscripts and Buddhist Literature has undertaken the task of deciphering the inscriptions in Cave 16 at Bezeklik. These inscriptions are written above and below each of the small wall painting of preaching scenes on the longitudinal barrel vault ceiling of this cave. A series of verses from the Saṃyuktāgama has been found among them. This paper focuses on one particular painting with its inscriptions that illustrate a so-called * Pātrasūtra in the Cave and also a similar one which is originally from the Senghim Aghiz Temple 1 and is now preserved in Germany (W18III4422). Based on the deciphering of the paintings, we will elucidate the shared narrative of these preaching scenes of Cave 16 and confirm that they illustrate the sermon-scenes of the Buddha that are based on the Saṃyuktāgama , the version that is associated with the Sarvāstivāda school.