figure 2-1 Five folios (1v2r, 299v300r, 301v) from the AsP Ms (Ms A4),

Vigrahapla IIIs 15th year (ca. 1058 CE) and Gopla IVs 8th year (ca. 1140 CE),
Nland monastery, Bihar, India. Pla period. Ink and opaque watercolor on palm
leaf. Each, approx., H.2 W. 22 in. (7.3 56.8 cm). Asia Society, New York:
Mr.and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Acquisitions Fund, 1987.1. Image courtesy
ofAsia Society Museum.

book of the Buddhist scripture would want it made beautifully, espe-

cially when the text explains the great merit one acquires from copying
and worshipping the book, as in the AsP. Then, it seems reasonable to
assume in the context of the Buddhist book cult that the paintings were
added to increase the religious merit (puya)3 of the donor.
The emphasis on the religious merit in understanding the reason
behind inserting images is not entirely misplaced. In a purely materi-
alistic sense, the more resources put into the project, that is, expensive
pigments and more skillful artisans and scribes, the greater the merit

44 i n n o va t i o n s , m e d i e va l b u d d h i s t b o o k c u l t