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: "285 pages"; and in blue writing, "MISC COLLN. GYUT 22"; and in large Tibetan writing, "rgyud za".
Paper composition
Some sheets are thinner than others (eg. 28, 68, 126), although most are quite thick, appearing to consist of two layers of paper.
Size of folios
The size of the plain sheets is 575 x 125mm. There is some size variation (eg. 56 is 565mm in length), 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. the lines on 37b slope slightly downwards towards the right.).
Ornaments, openings and punctuation
Double yig mgo are found in the upper left corner of all recto sides, apart from 1-3. gNyis and gsum 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 seems to be quite consistent in style, but with considerable size variation, much smaller in the second half of the volume. The letters are mostly clear and distinct.
Corrections and interventions
An interesting feature of a few of the corrections in this volume, as in Volume Zha, where insertions are added, sometimes, attention is drawn to the addition by a small light red stain marking the place on the page, eg. 146b, 185a.
Missing or misplaced folios and other numbering anomolies
Note that in this volume, folios 162 and 163 are conflated. There are also two folios 170: brgya bdun bcu gong and brgya bdun cu.
State of preservation
The writing in this volume is rarely obscured by tears and rips. There are relatively few holes in the sheets, but a rather large number of indentations around the edges. The clear writing is hardly ever obscured . Some sheets have one or more holes outside the writing area, eg. 11-16, 55, 60, 80, 105, 113, 176, 178, 203, 208, 218, 220, 226, 238, 253-4, 256-7. Some (eg. 72-3, 78, 95-7, 253-4, 257) have holes within the writing area, but the writing remains readable. Many of the sheets are rather dirty, or have brown blotches, especially in the first part of the volume. Some sheets have edge indentations (eg. 20-22, 25-8, 36-8, 46, 53-5, 57, 71, 83-6, 88-92, 104, 109, 112, 117-127, 135-141, 151-2, 165-7, 169, 173-6, 192-3, 195-201, 204, 211, 213, 224-228, 232-243, 246-258, 261-8). A number of sheets have edge tears, eg. 3, 11, 16, 33, 48, 68, 75-6, 86, 90, 113-4, 121, 127, 166, 169, 181, 198, 211, 213-5, 253, 275, 282, 284-5. There are some attempted repairs to edges. Some folios have a small piece of paper stuck to one side of an edge tear (eg. 14b, 73b). Some corners are torn off (eg. 91, 110, 113, 155, 204, 222, 228). Some sheets are a little creased, eg. 6, 56, 153, 255, but the writing is still legible.
Cover folios
The blue lacquered front folio measures approximately 555 x 110mm (left)/ 114mm (right). The folio has some tears in the edges, and is creased and has holes where there was presumably once stitching along the left edge. The lacquer has come away in parts, especially on the recto side. The recto side is plain blue in colour, with margins ruled in red, making a box measuring 464 x 43mm. The verso is also plain blue, and the index leaves are sewn to the right of the folio, with two rows of blue thread hem stitches.
Index leaf 4: 95 mm visible (sewn into the folio so that the upper part not visible) x 77mm, plain beige canvas type cloth, stained with dirt, fraying a little at edges. Usual red lines not visible above (might be obscured; the top of the upper line is also not clearly visible), but two vertical neatly ruled red lines both to the left and right, between which there is writing: [yig mgo x 1]/ /glegs bam za pa [ za pa in red, slightly larger] 'di la/
Za1, 'jam dpal khroo snying gzer gsang ba'i rgyud/
Za2, khro bo gshin rje'i gshed gsang ba'i rgyud/
Za3, bse'i skyes bu gnod sbyin dmar po'i rgyud/
Za4, gshin rje dmar po shan pa srog gi 'khor lo'i rgyud/
Za5, 'jam dpal dmar po'i sngags rgyud/
Za6, gshin rje ru mtshon dmar po'i rgyud/
Za7, gnod sbyin gar mkhan mchog gi rgyud/
Za8, zor ba dmar nag gi rgyud/
Za9, ma ru tse'i thugs kyi rgyud/
Za10, drag po sngags rgod sdig pa snying 'dzings kyi rgyud/
Za11, drag po phung byed mchod rten nag po'i rgyud/
Za12, ngan sngags gtsug lag gi rgyud
Index leaf 5: 93 mm visible (sewn into the folio so that the upper part not visible) x 81mm, plain beige canvas type cloth, stained with dirt, fraying a little at edges. Two horizontal neatly ruled lines at the bottom and two vertical neatly ruled red lines both to the left and right, between which there is writing:
Za12, [yig mgo x 1]/ /phyi ma'i phyi ma/
Za13, 'jig rten gsum gyi shes pa bsgral ba'i rgyud/
Za14, khro bo 'dus pa'i rgyud/
Za15, gnod sbyin gdong gsum pa'i rgyud/
Za16, Za17, gdong zor nag po'i rgyud/
Za18, ma ru tse mched bzhi'i sngags rgyud/
Za20, rgyud phyi ma'i phyi ma/
Za19, rgyud phyi ma/
Za21, gsang ba drug cu pa'i rgyud/
Za22, zla gsang nag po'i rgyud
rnams bzhugso// //
Decorated first folios: construction
The first folio, gcig, is a laminate of about 18 sheets, 570 x 125 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 442 x 63 mm, with the vertical lines not at exact right angles to the horizontal lines, but coming down slightly to the left. The blue sheet is torn slightly at the edges and there are a few small holes in the top layers of the sheets. 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, 447 x 74 mm, outlined (around the frame) with a red paint line. In this volume, a section about 120mm in length of the upper window frame is missing. There is also a tear through the upper blue sheet at the left of the window frame. Moreover, a section of the blue layer of the lower window frame has been torn away.
Decorated first folios: window curtain
There is a silk cover fitted over the window, with three layers sewn together. Most of the upper part of the cover tucks under window frame above, but in this volume, the upper layer of the cover is visible through the gap where part of the window frame is missing. A line of red thread running stitches attaching the cover to the folio is also visible. The upper corners of the three layers of cover are also revealed through the tear to the left of the window frame. The yellow layer is at the top, with gold thread around the outside, and it measures 420 x 89 mm to the top of the folio, 65mm (left)/ 67mm (right) visible beneath the frame. A blue layer is the middle layer, with white thread around the outside, measuring 430 x 91 mm to the top of the folio, 72 mm visible beneath the frame to the left and 70 mm visible to the right. The third and final layer beneath is orange, with green thread around the outside, measuring 440 (above)/ 435 (below) x 97 mm to the top of the folio, 78 mm visible beneath the frame. They are not exact rectangles of material, they go in very slightly to the bottom and the bottom edge of the orange layer forms a slightly wavy line, and it does not quite cover the whole of the window frame, especially on the right and left sides, where there are slight gaps between the curtain and 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 design of spirals of decreasing size (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, 82 x 70mm. The lefthand miniature is within a rectangle 50 x 71mm, the left-hand double gold line coming down very slightly to the left; 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, except for the right-hand legend which is missing where part of the blue layer of the lower window frame has been torn away. 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 (much of this has been rubbed off and is unclear, but it can be reconstructed in accordance with other volumes):] {{//lha lcam man dha ra ba// [yig mgo x 1]//sangs rgyas gnyis pa oyan rje/ [Then continued to the right of centre, on the other side of the gold vertical strip transversing text:] mkha'gro ye shes mtsho rgyal/}} [ third, to the right, is missing ]Microfilm
1b and 2a are repeated on the British Library microfilm.
Size of folios
The second folio, gnyis, measures 575 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 490 x 75 mm, the inner, 473 x 65 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 6 thick 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 are ruled with 7 lines and red margins, and two sides have writing on them. 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 is of variable thickness. Sometimes, the lines overshoot the boxes or do not quite join up at the corners. The boxes measure as follows. 2b (outer): 499 x 85 mm; 3a (outer): 490 x 80mm (left)/ 82mm (right); 3b: 495 x 80 mm; 4a: 495 x 81 mm; 4b: 485 x 80 mm; 5a: 485 x 82mm (left)/ 80mm (right); 5b: 487 x 82mm (left)/ 75mm (right); 6a: 480 x 82 mm. 6b starts the usual style of red margins down each side and 7 lines per side. However, unusually, 7a-9b have 6 lines per side.
Corrections and interventions
There is a space at the beginning of line 2 where some words have been deleted by removing them from the sheet. It is difficult to tell but it may be that the title in small writing might have been repeated here, or written here originally, and later put into the large gap after the end of the colophon on line 1.
Microfilm
We are missing 68b and 69a on the microfilm.
Corrections and interventions
There is an insertion in tiny dbu med script written between lines 3 and 4, and it seems to continue the content of chapter 9. A cross in front of it is matched by a tiny cross and attached dots coming from line 4, just in front of the reference for ch. 9, but the insertion does not appear to conclude with the first expected syllable of the reference, ie. 'jam. The place of the text is also highlighted by a light red smudge.
Missing or misplaced folios and other numbering anomolies
Folios 162 and 163 are conflated.
Missing or misplaced folios and other numbering anomolies
There are two folios 170: brgya bdun bcu gong (which appears to come first, yet is labelled ‘Duplicate’ in the blue curatorial writing), and brgya bdun cu.
Page settings
285a is the final page. The text is within a red rectangular box, 495 x 76 mm with 6 ruled lines, of which 4 are used. 285b is blank.
State of preservation
This final folio 285 has a number of tears out of the edges but the area for writing remains in good condition and the syllables are clearly legible.