Mogao Cave 17: Lotus Sutra - Chapter on the Encouragement of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

Discovered intact in Mogao Cave 17 in Dunhuang, the beginning of this scroll carries the title, “Chapter on Exhortation of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.” The end of the manuscript has a caption of “Fascicle 7 of the Lotus Sutra.” An imprint of a seal engraved with the characters, “Seal of Dunhuang Municipality,” is also found on the scroll. There are a total of 103 lines, with either 17 or 18 of characters each. The “Chapter on the Encouragement of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva” records the Bodhisattva’s advice to the assembly on the importance of developing Bodhicitta (bodhi mind). It highlights that anyone who practices, recites, teaches, or copies the Lotus Sutra shall be protected by the Bodhisattva and be endowed with tranquility and peace.
The majority of the items retrieved from Mogao Cave 17 were Buddhist cultural artifacts including sutras, commentaries, and archives, as well as manuscripts pressed from engraved templates. In this sutra copy, there are black ink column guidelines alongside a clear character style. The layout is balanced and well-structured, strokes are refined yet energetic, and the ink is solid and dark. The scroll is regarded as one of the more exemplary Dunhuang sutra manuscripts that date from the Tang dynasty (618–907).