A Brief Introduction to the Mūlasarvāstivāda Dīrghāgama Manuscript from Gilgit

"This article examines the occurrence of phrase dharmaparyāyo hastagato, “having enumeration teaching in one’s hand,” a select number texts classified as Mahāyāna sūtras and theorizes its relation to use book (pustaka) religious cultures middle period (Common Era fifth/sixth centuries) Indian Buddhism. In recent scholarly discourse, “cult book” Buddhist formations has been hypothesized occur shrines (caitya) or not even have occurred at all. This suggests an alternative hypothesis. The paper first analyzes syntax composition terms dharmaparyāya participle hastagata well their occurrences within literature Indic languages Tibetan Chinese translations. then identifies hastagato relates this observable gradual process bibliofication, where increasingly reference themselves protective objects, that is detectable layers accretion found comparative analysis extant manuscripts. Based on analysis, concludes book,” rather than being stable local cult phenomena, was comprised highly mobile translocal textual communities who carried object veneration with them. "