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: "330 pages"; and in blue writing, "MISC COLL. GYUT 21."; and in large Tibetan writing, "rgyud zha".
Paper composition
Some sheets are thinner than others (eg. 38, 62, 133, 263), although most are quite thick, appearing to consist of two layers of paper.
Size of folios
The size of the plain sheets is 577 x 126mm. There is some size variation (eg. 23 is 579mm and 89 is 571mm in length), and some sheets are not cut very straight (especially, many of the left-hand edges go down to the left, and occasionally, eg. 126, 265, the bottom edge is crooked, or, eg. 246, the upper edge, or, eg. 289, both the upper and bottom edges).
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.
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 seems to vary a little in style and has some size variation. At the beginning of the volume, the writing is very fine; it begins to become thicker from about 15, and then varies in thickness and size throughout the rest 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, where insertions are added, is that sometimes, attention is drawn to the addition by a small light red stain marking the place on the page, eg. 237b, 238b, 239a, 256b, 300a, 321b.
Marks and blemishes
Some sheets have ink smudges (eg. 14a, 15a, 233a), or dark brown blotches (eg. 50a), although the writing mostly remains legible.
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 - there are, however, large numbers of edge indentations (insect damage), occasional small holes and tears, or ink smudges, and most sheets are brownish in colour and in some cases rather dirty. However, the clear writing is hardly ever obscured . Many sheets (eg. 2-3, 10, 13, 15-17, 25, 27-33, 41-2, 45, 54-5, 62, 66, 85-8, 96-105, 109-113, 116-7, 120-3, 127, 133, 139-143, 146, 149, 151-171, 177-8, 184-191, 195, 198, 201-5, 231-6, 244-5, 247-257, 259-265, 268-274, 276, 278-284, 290-298, 305, all the sheets from 307 to the end of the volume) have edge indentations. Some sheets (eg. 7, 34, 36, 38, 62, 70-71, 90, 92, 96, 122, 139, 167, 186-191, 198, 213, 232, 290) have one or more edge tears. Some sheets (eg. 9-11, 17, 32, 43, 55-6, 67, 80, 160-1, 197, 230, 240, 276) have one or more small holes outside the writing area. 17 also has a small hole within the writing area, which may have predated the writing since it appears to have been avoided by the scribe; this is also the case with the holes on 80, 101, 130, 222. Some sheets (eg. 25, 30, 35-6, 101, 163-6, 245, 252, 281, 307-9, 329-330) have one or more small holes within the writing area which do not obscure the writing and some (eg. 32-4, 237) have such holes both within and outside the writing area. Some sheets have a corner torn off (eg. 307, 322), although the writing is mostly intact. There are some repairs of edge tears; some sheets (eg. 46a, 104a, 120b, 142a, 150a, 202a, 249b, 328) have a small piece of paper stuck over one side of a tear, some (eg. 116, 174), over both sides, and some (eg. 130, 133, 329-330) have more than one repair. 120, 161, 176, 202, 225, 229 each have a corner torn off. 179 is rather badly creased, making it slightly difficult to read the words in the creased sections.
Cover folios
The repaired blue lacquered front folio had been torn, possibly into three pieces, and it has lost a large section of the lacquered area. It has been repaired with plain paper and cross stitching down the folio. The folio as we have it measures approximately 555 x 112mm (106mm left). It also has further tears in the edges. The lacquer has come away in parts. The recto side is plain blue in colour, with margins ruled in red, making a box measuring 450mm? - uncertain due to repair - x 41mm. The verso is also plain blue. The index leaves are no longer attached to the folio. Presumably, they were once sewn to the right of the folio. Brown woollen stitches remain at the top, and large white thread running stitches attach the layers together.
Index leaf 4: 115mm x 90mm, plain beige canvas type cloth, stained with dirt, fraying badly at edges, two horizontal neatly ruled red lines at top, under which there is writing: [yig mgo x 1]/ /gled. bam. zha [zha in red, slightly larger] pa 'di la/
Zha1, 'jam. dpal dri ma med pa gsang ba'i rgyud/
Zha2, gshin rje nag po me rlung skyin thang 'khrug pa'i rgyud/
Zha3, gshin rje nag po gsang ba'i rgyud/
Zha4, khro bo rnam par rgyal ba pra khog snang gi rgyud/
Zha5, tshe bdag nag po 'phrin las kyi gdongs pa tham.d rdzod. [abbbrev] pa'i rgyud/
Zha6, sdig pa snying 'dzings gsang ba'i rgyud/
Zha7, 'jam dpal gshin rje sdig pa stobs chen gyi rgyud/
Zha8, drag sngags zla gsang [uncertain; final syllable frayed away] nag po shan pa spu gri'i rgyud/
Zha9, drag sngags zla gsang nag po'i rgyud/
Zha10, gshin rje ma ru tse'i sngags rgyud/
Zha11, ma ru tse ro langs gsang ba dpa' bo gar mkhan mchog gi rgyud/
Zha12, dregs pa pho mo 'dus pa'i rgyud/
Zha13, gshin rje nag po gsang ba de kho na nyid kha thun gyi rgyud/
Zha14, kha thun gsang ba de kho na nyid phyi ma'i rgyud/
Zha15, 'jam dpal las bzhi 'khor lo [ .. next syllables torn off] rgyud/
Zha16, dpal tshe bdag nag po drag sngags mngon du [.. next syllables torn off]
rnams bzhugs so// //
Decorated first folios: construction
The first folio, gcig, is a laminate of about 17 sheets, 570 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 432mm x 65mm (left)/ 69mm (right), 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 curled up at the bottom left corner. The blue lacquer is rubbed off in parts. There are a few holes in the top layers of the paper. 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, 454 x 75 mm, outlined (around the frame) with a red paint line. There is a tear in the lower window frame, but none of the outer pattern is 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 the window frame above, but in this volume, there is a small section to the left and a small section to the right which is cut at the top and attached on top of the window frame. This was presumably done at an early stage because the two cross stitches, attaching the folio together to the left and right at the top, go through the cover. The yellow layer is at the top, with gold thread around the outside, and it measures 425mm (above)/ 421mm (below) x 89 mm to the top of the folio, 63 mm visible beneath the frame. A blue layer is the middle layer, with white thread around the outside, measuring 433 (above)/ 429 (below) x 92 mm to the top of the folio, 68 mm visible beneath the frame to the left and 64 mm visible to the right. The third and final layer beneath is orange, with green thread around the outside, measuring 442 (above)/ 435 (below) x 95 mm to the top of the folio, 75 mm visible beneath the frame to the left and 73 mm visible to the right. They are not exact rectangles of material, they go in very slightly to the bottom and the bottom edge of the orange edge forms a slightly wavy line. The orange layer 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 wavy line and spiral 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, 80 x 69mm. The left-hand vertical lines come down very slightly to the left. The lefthand miniature is within a rectangle 49 x 68mm, the left-hand double gold line coming down very slightly to the left; the righthand miniature's rectangle is 49 x 69mm (left)/ 70mm (right), the upper horizontal line going up very slightly to the right. 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 ma/}} [presumably ma should be 'mo'; the na ro may have rubbed away.] [second, to the left of centre:] {{/lha lcam man da' 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 yees mtsho rgyal/}} [third, to the right:] {{ [yig mgo x 1]// [number of shad uncertain; gold writing has rubbed away here] khye'u chung lo la na mo}}Cloth volume wrapping
The whole text is wrapped in a coarse square piece of red cloth with tassels along one side and strings for wrapping round the text attached to one of the corners.
Size of folios
The second folio, gnyis, measures 576 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 78mm (left)/ 80mm (right), the inner, 464 x 68 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 9 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. 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 is of variable thickness. Sometimes, the lines overshoot the boxes or do not quite join up at the corners. The writing lines are not exactly parallel to the horizontal lines of the boxes: the lines on both 5a and 6a come up slightly at the right. The boxes measure as follows. 2b (outer): 495 x 85mm (left)/ 82mm (right); 3a (outer): 485 x 84 mm; 3b: 494 (above)/ 491 (below) x 84mm (left)/ 81mm (right) mm; 4a: 490 x 78mm (left)/ 81mm (right); 4b: 488 x 78 mm; 5a: 490 x 81 mm; 5b: 490 (above)/ 493 (below) x 81 mm; 6a: 487 x 76mm (left)/ 79mm (right). 6b starts the usual style of red margins down each side and 7 lines per side.
Microfilm
Note that on the microfilm, 10b and 11a are photographed twice.
Page settings
219b has 7 ruled lines as usual but only the second to the seventh are written on. Thus, line 4 is in fact the 5th ruled line but only the fourth to be written on.
Missing or misplaced folios and other numbering anomolies
310 is missing. IOL note, "310 missing 26-1-1949", is stuck to the top left of 311a.
Microfilm
On the microfilm, the IOL note which notes the absence of folio 310 obscures part of 311a.
Page settings
330a is the final page. The text is within a red rectangular box, 494 x 80 mm with 6 ruled lines, of which 4 are used. 330b is blank apart from paper repairs on it.
State of preservation
This final folio 330 is rather damaged and has repairs: there are two visible holes in the writing area, the edges and corners are torn down and there are strips of plain paper stuck to both sides of the top and a small strip to the verso side. Where the entire folio appears to have been torn down the middle, there is a large piece of paper running down the verso side, continuing up and down as far as the writing on the recto side. Where the tear has been repaired, the lines of writing do not meet in exactly the right place, but despite this, the syllables are clearly legible.