Mogao Cave 17: Mahamaya Sutra

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Chen dynasty

This manuscript of the Mahamaya Sutra was discovered in Mogao Cave 17 in Dunhuang. Both of the two-part scrolls were produced by Peng Puxin. The scrolls are damaged at the front but largely intact towards the end. This invaluable sutra is one of the numerous archived scriptures of Dunhuang that were excavated by the French explorer, Paul Pelliot. The first half of the sutra describes the Buddha ascending to Trayastrimsa Heaven to teach the Dharma to his mother, Queen Maya, while the second half pertains to the Buddha’s parinirvana. The sutra narrates how Queen Maya descended from the sky as the Buddha arose from his golden casket to bid farewell. An inscription at the end of the sutra details the merits of copying this sutra, which affords blessings and dispels calamities to one’s ancestors, as well as to the six realms of existence in the world. It also contributes to the copyist’s spiritual practice and grooms one’s immutable faith in the path to enlightenment.
The calligraphy of this Mahamaya Sutra differs significantly from the square and dramatic style of the Northern dynasties (386–581), as can be observed from the rounded and smooth brushwork, well-proportioned and elegant character structure, and the use of bold strokes and rich variations.