Material Heritage of the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā: Manuscripts and Inscribed Tablets

Abstract

The Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā, “Questions of the Oceanic Intelligence,” is the fifth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta, “Great Collection,” and is a canonical work belonging to the tradition of Mahāyāna sūtra literature. This sūtra is highly valued in the long history of Mahāyāna Buddhism for its thematic and metaphorical richness, as it personifies the ocean (Skt. sāgara) to represent core aspects of the Mahāyāna doctrinal system. This paper presents two small Sanskrit fragments of the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā recently identified in the Schøyen Collection, with transliteration and annotated translation. In order to provide a fuller picture of the textual history of the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā, a quotation from the text on votive tablets from Kedah, Malaysia, is also discussed. These materials are employed as a case study within the context of tangible and intangible heritage. On the basis of the UNESCO declaration of 2003, it is argued that these two kinds of heritage are intrinsically interlinked, and that the categories and their pertaining definitions can be broadened so as to be relevant to more traditions and their heritage.

Field Studies in Heritage Education: Assessing Impact on Tourism and Sustainability at Bujang Valley, Kedah, Malaysia

“…The government places a high premium on the subject of history in general because it is crucial in developing citizens who love their country. However, the subject of history is less popular among students because it is perceived as tedious and dense with facts [19,20]. An ineffective delivery style is an actual impediment to mastering the history curriculum; therefore, the use of various instructional methods can intrigue students to learn history.…”