National Palace Museum

This book was compiled by combining the study of the Tibetan Dragon Sutra as well as "The Passing on of Buddhist Classics," a section from an opening exhibition for the NPM Southern Branch called Asian Buddhist Art from the Collection of the National Palace Museum. The book is divided into six volumes and details are provided as follows: The first volume contains a preface written by NPM Director Fung, Ming-Chu titled "An Extremely Fortuitous Occurrence: The Legendary Tibetan Dragon Sutra"; the second volume, which contains both fascinating text and pictures, introduces the Tibetan Dragon Sutra to readers through various chapters including "A Work of Decorative Beauty," "The Beauty of Scriptures," and "The Beauty of Buddha Statues"; the third volume includes the thoughts and feedback of researchers as well as chapters "Introduction to the Miniatures in the Imperial Tibetan Kangxi Kangyur Manuscript of the National Palace Museum," "The Manuscripts on Blue Paper with Gold Ink in the Tibetan Cultural Tradition," "Features of Buddhist Scriptures in the Qing Court," and "The Tibetan Dragon Sutra and Hidden Dragons: Analyzing a Piece of 'Gold-Embroidered Yellow Satin Featuring Coiled Dragons with Patterns of Ruyi, Clouds, and Flowers' and the 'Five-Colored Curtains of the Kangxi Kangyur'"; the fourth volume presents the crafts and techniques employed by artists in the making of the Tibetan Dragon Sutra through chapters such as "Where are the Dragons Hiding? Unlocking the Secrets behind a Piece of 'Gold-Embroidered Yellow Satin Featuring Coiled Dragons with Patterns of Ruyi, Clouds, and Flowers,'" "The Construction and Artistry of the Protective Cover Planks of the Kangxi Kangyur," and "Drawing Out of the Innate Excellence: the Cijing Paper and the Goat Brian Stationery"; the fifth volume shows the repair records of the Tibetan Dragon Sutra and comprises chapters such as "'Dragon Tripitaka' Yellow Satin Woven Flowers Lined by Clothing Repair Record"; and the last volume includes appendices such as "Kangxi Emperor's Preface for the Tibetan Dragon Sutra in Manchu and Tibetan," "The Related Manchu Archives from the 'Archives of the Imperial Household Department'" (translated into Chinese), and the "Qianlong Edition of Kangyur in Tibetan Script and Kangyur in Manchu Script."