The Catalogue of the Rig 'dzin Tshe dbang nor bu rNying ma'i rgyud 'bum
Modern library pagination and markings
In this volume, the western numbering is written in blue pencil numbers. The first index leaf (see below) bears a rectangular IOL paper sticker, white with red borders (as in other volumes, with a heart-shaped decoration in each corner), with the red handwriting: "315 pages"; and in blue writing, "MISC. COLLN GYUT 24"; and in large Tibetan writing, "rgyud ya".
Paper composition
Most sheets in this volume are quite thick, apparently consisting of at least two layers of paper, although very occasional folios (eg. 268) are rather thinner.
Size of folios
The size of the plain sheets is 577 x 125mm. There is some size variation and some sheets are not cut very straight.
Sheet numberings
As in other volumes, many of the sheets have tiny Tibetan numerals written sideways, some of which are missing or partially cut off, and where they do occur, they do not seem to correspond to the page numbering in words.
Pagination
Page details are given in words written sideways in black ink, to the left of the writing on each recto side.
Page settings
Most sheets, as in other volumes, have 7 lines of black ink writing, with double red vertical lines to the sides of the writing. The lines are ruled with faint (diluted?) reddish ink. The writing is not always exactly square on the page (eg. 17).
Ornaments, openings and punctuation
Double yig mgo are found in the upper left corner of all recto sides, apart from 1-4. gNyis, gsum and bzhi each have a triple yig mgo, and the verso side of gcig also has a triple yig mgo. The regular double yig mgo usually start on or to the right of the red vertical margin delineators. There are some slight differences in style, with some larger or more elongated than others.
Handwriting
The writing in this volume has some variations in style, size and thickness of the ink. The letters are mostly clear and distinct.
Corrections and interventions
There are some attempts at correcting words (eg. 22a line 6 has a syllable removed from the sheet and covered with another), and there are many insertions written in small writing above or below the line and attached by dots, but it is not usually clear whether such corrections were done by the original scribe or a later hand. We have instances (33b, 122a, 139b) of an insertion marked at the place in the text, and above or below, where the insertion is given, with a clockwise pointing swastika, as we find in several places in the first half of Volume Ra. There are also similar instances (120a, 155b) where an anticlockwise pointing swastika is used to mark an insertion, or (182a, 234a) where the symbol marking the correction is a clockwise pointing swastika with a dot in each corner. Another correction (49a) has an original syllable or word rubbed out, substituted by a symbol of an anticlockwise pointing swastika, with a mark resembling a ya gtags below and a m. above, and a number of dots coming down from it. Beneath the writing area, the symbol is again given, this time with dots going upwards, and the insertion follows in small writing. Another variation (144b) has a symbol of a cross with a small circle in each of the four corners made by the cross; the symbol marks the place in the text and is repeated beneath the writing area, in front of the insertion which is given in small writing. Other insertions (eg. 51a, 162a) may simply be marked by a cross together with dots indicating where the insertion is given, or (eg. 209) by dots alone.
Readers' marks
There is what appears to be a doodle, in a faint but thick line, below the writing area of 130a.
Marks and blemishes
Some sheets have ink smudges (eg. 5, 89) but this does not obscure the writing.
State of preservation
The writing in this volume is rarely obscured by tears and rips. Most sheets are in a reasonable state with few holes or tears, although the last few folios are badly affected by water damage (see comments on final folio 316). The problem of part of the top layer of paper from one sheet coming away and sticking to the adjacent sheet affects these folios, beginning from 312b, but becoming worse on the final 2 folios. Some sheets have small edge indentations (eg. 10, 13, 14, 17, 18, 23, 26, 28, 43-4, 46-7, 50-1, 56-63, 71-2, 76, 93, 96, 113-7, 137-9, 141-6, 148, 150-6, 162, 175-8, 185-195, 201-7, 218, 220-26, 234-5, 240-2, 253-9, 261, and virtually all the folios from 268) or edge tears (eg. 19, 40, 42, 46, 93, 105, 127, 137, 172, 222, 258, 295). Occasional sheets have a small part of the corner torn off (eg. a bottom right corner 6, top right corner 47, top left 249, bottom left 313). Some sheets have small holes outside the writing area (eg. 33, 40, 42, 45-7, 52, 62, 79-80, 82, 101-2, 116, 119, 123, 137, 174, 194-5, 216, 257, 261, 265, 279, 287, 294, 313), or within the writing area (eg. 22, 26, 114, 262-3, 287, 306-7, 316), but the letters mostly remain clear. There are some attempted repairs. Some sheets have small pieces of Tibetan paper stuck at the edge over one (eg. 13a, 40a, 171b, 174b, 186b, 218a) or over both sides (eg. 187, 279, 306, 314, 316) of a tear or hole.
Cover folios
The blue lacquered front folio is made up of a blue lacquered top layer, which measures approximately 465 x 110 mm, attached to a double layered paper backing sheet (500 x 125 mm). The blue lacquered sheet may once have been the usual size; it has been torn vertically right across in two places and the pieces are now overlapping and sewn together with thread. Both sides of the folio have tears in the edges and some edge parts are torn away completely. The lacquer has come away in parts. The recto side is plain blue in colour, with no margins or red box. The verso is plain paper, with margins ruled in red, making a box measuring 470 x 72 mm. There are a few curved lines within the box, possibly doodles. The index leaves are sewn to the right of the folio, with large leather cross stitches, visible both sides of the folio.
Index leaf 4: 100mm visible x 85mm, plain beige canvas type cloth, stained with dirt, creased, badly fraying and thin in places, two horizontal neatly ruled red lines at the bottom, and at the top, below which there is writing: [yig mgo x 1]/ /glegs bam. ya [ya in red, slightly larger] pa 'di la/
Ya1, dpal padma dbang chen padma gar gyi dbang phyug dregs pa gzan 'begs kyi rgyud/
Ya2, dregs pa gnad 'bebs kyi rgyud/
Ya3, dregs pa dbang bsdud kyi rgyud/
Ya4, rta mgrin rnog ma leb rgan gyi rgyud/
Ya5, rta mgrin gyi las rgyud/
Ya6, dbang chen 'dus pa'i rgyud/
Ya7, dbang chen bsdus pa'i tantra/
Ya8, dbang rgyas rta mchog rol pa/
Ya9, rta mgrin gsang rgyud
rnams bzhugso// //
Decorated first folios: construction
The first folio, gcig, is a laminate of about 11 sheets, 569 x 124 mm.
The recto side is plain azure blue lacquer, but with gold margins ruled and the collection, volume, and folio identifications given at the left border, in gold writing. The box made by the ruled lines measures 410 x 66 mm, not an exact rectangle, neither of the horizontal lines are very straight and the vertical lines are not at exact right angles to them. The blue sheet is rather torn, entirely torn down the centre (but attached to the other sheets below and thus kept in place) and missing pieces at the edges. The blue lacquer is rubbed off in parts. Thick crossed stitches attach the folio together, two along the top, five along the bottom, and one to the left and the right of the folio.
Decorated first folios: frames [ TITLE PAGE]
The verso side of gcig (1b) is blue lacquer, with elaborate intertwining straight gold lines around the outside of the page, outlining exactly the same interlocking key design as we find in other volumes. The upper sheet has a rectangular window cut out for the text, 450 x 72mm, outlined (around the frame) with a red paint line.
Decorated first folios: window curtain
There is a silk cover fitted over the window, with three layers sewn together. The yellow layer is at the top, with gold thread around the outside, and it measures 426 x 64mm visible (the upper part tucks under the blue frame above). A blue layer is the middle layer, with white thread around the outside, measuring 433 (top)/ 431 (bottom) x 69 mm visible. The third and final layer beneath is orange, with green thread around the outside, measuring 443 x 75 mm visible. They are not exact rectangles of material, the bottom of the orange layer forms a slightly wavy line, the left-hand side goes in near the bottom, the right-hand side does not go right up to the window frame, and the material does not quite cover the entire window frame.
Decorated first folios: window layout
Beneath the cover is a double lined gold rectangle drawn on black lacquer, with 3 lines of gold writing, split across two sides of the page. There are miniatures to the left and right, besides which the areas for writing are bounded by vertical strips with a regular pattern of gold lines, in this case, the diamond and swastika design (see "General Information on Volumes"). The larger miniature in the centre, which breaks up the page, is bounded to the left and right by a thin double vertical gold line, outlining a rectangle, 79 (top)/ 81 (bottom) x 69mm. The top is slightly creased up, explaining the shorter upper line. The lefthand miniature is within a rectangle 51 x 70mm, the righthand miniature's rectangle is 50 x 70mm. The legends for the miniatures are written below each, within the border of gold lines outside the window. Each legend is within double ornamenal brackets:
[first, to the left:] {{ [yig mgo x 1]//rig 'dzin tshe dbang nor bu la na mo//}} [second, to the left of centre, a little smudged out:] {{//lha lcam man da' ra ba/ [yig mgo x 1]//sangs rgyas gnyis pa oyan [Then continued to the right of centre, on the other side of the gold vertical strip transversing text:] rje// mkha'gro ye shes mtsho rgyal/}} [third, to the right:] {{ [yig mgo x 1]//rma thog rin chen la na mo}}Cloth volume wrapping
The whole text is wrapped in a thin but coarse square piece of red cloth with tears and holes in it, and long strips extending from two of the corners for winding around and wrapping the text.
Size of folios
The second folio, gnyis, measures 574 x 125 mm.
Decorated second folios
The recto side of gnyis is blue lacquer, with 4 lines of gold writing, within a double gold rectangular box, the outer measuring 480 x 79 mm, the inner, 462 x 66 mm. The margins are ruled as usual, with the collection, volume and folio identification to the left. The boxes are not exact rectangles; the vertical lines are not at exact right angles to the horizontal lines, coming down slightly to the left. The folio is a laminate of about 7 layers, with thick cross stitches visible on both sides, two to the top and bottom, one to the left and right. Some of the inner sheets have a double red vertical line to the left and lines ruled. The verso side is ordinary paper.
Page settings
As mentioned above, 2a has 4 lines of gold writing. 2b is ordinary paper. 2b - 6a have double red lined rectangular boxes and margins; in the case of 2b and 3a, with an inner double red lined rectangular box. 2b and 3a each have 4 lines of black writing; 3b - 5b, have 5 lines of slightly smaller writing, and 6a, 6 lines of writing. The boxes are not very exact rectangles, and the ink sometimes goes from thicker to thinner lines, or overshoots the edges of the boxes. The boxes measure as follows. 2b: 491 x 82mm (left)/ 85mm (right); 3a: 491 x 83 mm; 3b: 488 x 81mm (left)/ 79mm (right); 4a: 491 (top)/ 493 (bottom) x 86mm (left)/ 84mm (right); 4b: 489 (top)/ 485 (bottom) x 81mm (left)/ 79mm (right); 5a: 489 x 82 mm; 5b: 489 x 80 mm; 6a: 495 x 83mm (left)/ 81mm (right). 6b starts the usual style of red margins down each side and 7 lines per side.
Justification
Folios 10b-11b have yig rkang and words very widely spaced apart, 11a in particular.
Missing or misplaced folios and other numbering anomolies
Folio 23 is correctly numbered but incorrectly labelled as Volume Tha (tha nyer gsum). We have compared our text with the gTing skyes edition and established that the folio is correctly placed. There are a few other instances of such mislabelled folios: “Da 46”, in fact, belonging to Volume La; “La 102 and 107”, in fact, belonging to Wa.
Ornaments, openings and punctuation
Note that the rnam bcad (cf. (U0F7F) ) is used instead of the ordinary shad, before the reference for ch. 8. Here it is indicated by :
Pagination
Folio number (314) uncertain: layer of paper with writing has been removed and stuck to 313b.
Modern library pagination and markings
Western numeral 315 written in pencil; most of original blue numeral torn from folio.
Microfilm
On the microfilm, 315a is repeated and there is no 315b.
State of preservation
Folio number (316) is virtually unreadable, partly covered by paper from 315b, but just about legible.
Page settings
316a is the final page. The text is within a red rectangular box, 487 x 85 mm, with 6 ruled lines, of which 3 are used. 316b is blank, except for unused ruled lines.
State of preservation
This final folio and the previous 315 have suffered from water damage; one layer from the upper left corner of 315b has been stuck to 316a, making the folio information and some of the writing on the left-hand-side difficult to read. The folio has some tears around the edges, and it has also been torn vertically right down the sheet, but repaired with two pieces of paper stuck to the top and bottom of the area of the tear on the recto side and a long strip of paper stuck down the tear on the verso side. There is also a hole in the folio outside the writing area.