Manuscript fragment of Datong fangguang chanhui miezui zhuangyan chengfo jing (Sutra on solemn attainment of Buddhahood by means of repentance to extinguish sins in a great, thorough, and broad way)

This Buddhist sutra (scripture) can be dated by its elegant calligraphic style to around the 7th–8th century and appears to come from the ancient desert city of Dunhuang in western China. The text provides long lists of the Buddha’s names, recited as confessional rites to wipe away one’s sins. The high-quality paper has even, horizontally laid lines that are impressions from the papermaking sieve. Its dark yellow color comes from dye that is repellent to insects, and the scalloped edges are from water damage that occurred when the work was rolled up. Laboratory analysis confirms that the paper’s fibers are from the mulberry family and consistent with other Dunhuang manuscripts in the Aurel Stein Collection at the British Museum. Approximately nine other fragments of this sutra’s text survive, three of which were discovered at Dunhuang in the early 20th century.