The Schoyen Foundation in Norway is one of the world's largest collections of ancient manuscripts. These include palm-leaf manuscripts, bark, wooden slabs, and stone inscriptions. Recently, the foundation acquired an old palm-leaf manuscript container from the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan. Villagers had brought it to the black market, and the foundation purchased it.
This manuscript was originally discovered by the Hazara tribes, who unearthed it in an ancient pot not far from the Great Buddha of Bamiyan. However, during the Taliban’s rise to power, possessing antiquities became illegal. Out of fear, the villagers quickly sold it. The foundation then appointed a committee for translation.
The condition of the discovered palm-leaf texts dates back to around 600 B.E. (circa 57 B.C.E.) and were inscribed in the Kharoṣṭhī script. Some manuscripts were well-preserved, while others were severely damaged. Scholars are gradually working to reconstruct and interpret the contents.
The manuscripts included the following categories:
1. Esoteric Texts (known in Theravāda as Sutta Piṭaka)
1.1 Canki Sutta
1.2 Mahāparinibbāna Sutta
1.3 Andha Sutta
1.4 Sikhala Sutta
2. Mahāyāna Texts
2.1 Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
2.2 Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
3. Vinaya (Discipline) Texts
3.1 Prātimokṣavibhaṅga
3.2 Karmavācana
3.3 Vinayadhara
4. Abhidharma (Higher Teachings)
4.1 Sāriputra Abhidharma
4.2 Commentary on the Mahāsamāja Sutta
5. Avadāna (Historical/Narrative Accounts)
5.1 Aśokāvadāna — The biography of King Aśoka
5.2 Jyotiṣkāvadāna — On astrology
5.3 Avadānaśataka
5.4 Sāriputra Prakaraṇa — The story of Sāriputta
These palm-leaf manuscripts contain several Mahāyāna sūtras, including Aśokāvadāna — the biography of King Aśoka.
Western scholars were greatly excited to study these palm-leaf manuscripts and uncover what stories were told. In a time when our country had no public libraries, such manuscripts were the source of vast knowledge — history, politics, governance, Buddhism, Pali grammar, fables, proverbs for children, and even love poems. Simply put, they served the same function as modern libraries.
The idea of burning palm-leaf manuscripts — for whatever reason — is utterly thoughtless. Unlike printed books that may exist in thousands of copies, palm-leaf texts were handwritten. Some exist as only a single bundle, and others only in very limited numbers. If one such manuscript is destroyed, and it happens to contain valuable knowledge not yet translated or studied, how great is the loss?
Seeing news of palm-leaf manuscripts being burned in Thailand for use in sacred powder production is heartbreaking. One can’t help but fear: will the Tipiṭaka (Pali Canon) be burned next for powder-making? It’s no different from a monkey playing with gold — flipping it back and forth, then throwing it away.
