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Henrik Hjort Sørensen

• This essay explores one of the composite manuscripts in the Pelliot Collection of Dunhuang manuscripts (P. 2322), which features a collection of liturgical texts and spells that primarily relate to Esoteric Buddhism from the late medieval period in China. The manuscript in question is of particular interest for its inclusion of several rare and unique liturgical texts, including material belonging to the Vajraśekharasūtra cycle (Chin. \(\textit {Jingan ding jing}\) 金剛頂經) of scriptures, spells from the important \(\textit {Tuoluoni zaji}\) 陀羅尼雜集 [Miscellaneous Collection of Spells], as well as a number of more mainstream Sanskrit texts in transcribed Chinese. Typologically, the P. 2322 represents what is a de facto "private compilation", i.e., a compendium reflecting the religious interests of an individual practitioner. We know that it is a private compilation because no other copy has been found among the Dunhuang material, even though other manuscripts have been identified as containing a similar type of liturgical material. By analysing the contents and context of P. 2322 we can gain an insight into the workings of Dunhuang Buddhism on the ground during the late medieval period (9–10th centuries).