BuddhistRoad Paper 2.10 “Tibetan Translation of the UṣṇīṣavijayādhāraṇīsūtraProduced in the 12th Century in the Tangut Empire”

This paper introduces the Tibetan translation of the Uṣṇīṣavijayādhāraṇīsūtra (Tib. gTsug tor rnam par rgyal ba’i gzungs mdo, Chin. Zunsheng zhou jing 尊勝咒經) from the 12th-century Tangut Empire (ca. 1038–1227, in Chinese sources known as Xixia 西 夏 ). This Tibetan translation has been preserved in two witnesses from Kharakhoto: as manuscript in ХТ-126, ХТ-159, ХТ-62 and as block print in ХТ-63, ХТ-64, ХТ-67, ХТ-68. The Tangut Empire was a hub for Tibetan Buddhism, and this environment fostered the import and translation of Tibetan texts, with the Uṣṇīṣavijayādhāraṇīsūtra being a notable example. The paper provides a broader context for this Buddhist work, focusing on the goddess Uṣṇīṣavijayā’s role in the Tangut Empire and the dissemination of her dhāraṇīsūtra (Tib. gzungs, Chin. zhoujing 呪經) in earlier and contemporary literatures. This study identifies key markers distinguishing this version from others, such as the title, introductory formula, and so on. Additionally, it analyses the unique Tibetan language features and translation specificities.