The Lineage Transmission of the Tham Script Palm-leaf Manuscript of the Pāli Canon: A Case Study from the Vinaya Pitaka, Parajika Section

Abstract

This article aims to study and present the traces of the transmission of Buddhism and the Tham Script Palm-leaf Manuscrips of the Tipitaka in the Lanna and Lan Xang kingdoms. The study focuses on the overall picture of the Tham script Palm-leaf manuscripts of the Pāli canon, specifically the Pārājikakaṇḍa in the Vinayapiṭaka, surveyed and photographed by the Dhammachai Tipitaka Project, totaling 79 bundles. From these, 29 bundles with relatively complete content were selected for a comparative study of the introductory text of each chapter, the opening and closing texts of each manuscript, and relevant details such as colophon information and the number of phuks. The goal was to classify the transmission lineage of all 29 manuscript bundles.

The comparative study reveals that the manuscripts have varying introductory texts for each chapter, particularly in the opening and closing texts of the palm-leaf manuscripts, with distinct differences. They can be classified into the following groups: the Champasak group, the Chiang Mai group (Chiang Mai A lineage), and the northern city-states group (comprising the Phrae lineage, the Lamphun lineage, and the Chiang Mai B lineage). This classification provides clearer insights into the traces of the lineage transmission of Buddhism and the Tham script manuscripts of the Pāli canon in the Lanna and Lan Xang kingdoms.