“Seat-Settling Text for ‘Defeat of the Transformations of Demons’” 降魔變押座文 (head title). “Destruction of the Transformations of Demons,” one scroll 破魔變一卷 (end title). Main text for collation of T344–355. From the beginning to T345.7 constitutes a ya-tso-wen and it may be so identified by the final sūtra title quotation formula. No sūtra title, however, is forthcoming. Instead, there is a prose bridge consisting of topical matters, including praise for the local governor, Chang I-ch’ao (referred to as 僕射). The story of the “Destruction of the Transformations of Demons” proper begins on T346.1. Its typical identifying pre-verse formula is “At that time, what words did he speak?” 當尔之時道何言語 or its variations and abbreviations (“And so forth and so on.” “The Buddha said.” “The woman said.” 云〻 , 仏道, 女道). Although the author, who refers to himself (小僧, 某乙) several times, does not quote and explain scripture as does the author of a typical sūtra lecture text, he may have considered this a chiang-ching-wen nonetheless because in line T355.8 he refers to what he has been doing as 講經. Colophon (same hand): “Inscription of copying after blowing on my brush which had become frozen on the tenth day of the eleventh month of the year 944.” 天福九年甲辰祀黃鐘之月蓂生十葉冷凝呵笔而寫記. Additional colophon (same hand but smaller because squeezed in later): “Copied by the Buddhist vinaya śramaṇa, Yüan-jung, who resides in the Pure Land Monastery.” 居淨土寺釋門法律沙門願榮寫. In spite of the date 944 in the colophon, which falls during the Later Chin 後晉, the text must originally have been composed sometime between the years 907 and 923, viz. the Later Liang 後梁 which is referred to in T354.13. The copyist seems to have been working from another fixed, written (or, less likely, oral) text. At line 25 of the ms (before T346.1), lines 345.13b–16 are missing from the text. In reading over what had been written, the copyist noticed their absence and inserted a mark (＞) where they should have been. He then proceeded to write them after the final title. Followed immediately in same hand by praise of the Emperor (T856.12.10–856.13) and then by a “Nidāna on Four Animals” 四獸因緣 (head title). Note which occurs in the middle of the text and separates the introductory prose section from the verse: “Hymn on the Kindnesses of the Four Animals Composed by the T’ang monk, ‘Saṇgha Supervisor.’” 唐僧統和尚讚述四獸恩義頌. T855–856. Finally, there is a declaration of special rights enjoyed by temples and monasteries (incomplete, also in the same hand). Coarse, fibrous, light beige paper of mediocre quality; a bit thick; stains. Good hand, lightly cursive; a few additions and corrections.
(VM)