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Dear Forum,

Today I am myself in need of your help. This modern scroll was bestowed to a friend by a Chinese acquaintance. I would be interested to know what it says, what context it comes from and whether anyone can read the signature (perhaps I. Nagy would be so kind?).

I suspect that it comes from a Buddhist context and could perhaps be a copy of a more famous scripture. The Nirvana and the Prajnaparamita are mentioned if I am correct. Any references to the context of the latter are welcome.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of calligraphy is not sufficient to properly understand the rest. I would appreciate any information about the author and context of the work.

Many thanks in advance for your kind efforts and advice

All the best

Madria

Title,
佛　
般若波羅密多心經
唐玄奘法師譯
Buddha
Prajraparamita Heart Sutra
Translated by Tang Xuanzang

Colophon,
二零一七年五月十五日　南山行蘆　於中山國
王者鵬沐手恭書
On May 15th, 2017 Nanshang Xinlu* at Zhonshan Kingdom**
After Handwashing*** Respectfully Calligraphed by
Wang Zheping

Starting seals,
南山行廬　Nanshang Xinlu
Three more seals,
王者鵬　Wang Zheping
Last seal under the colophon,
王者鵬印　Seal of Wang Zhepin

* Nanshan Xinlu (Cottage in the Nanshang) -Pseudonym
** Zhoshan Kingdom - old name for a part of present-day Hebei province
*** A ritual practiced by calligraphers before taking the brush into their hands.

Wang Zheping 王者鵬　
Unidentifiable contemporary calligrapher.

With regards,
I.Nagy

Dear I. Nagy,

Once again I am deeply indebted to you. It is really intriguing what a deep understanding of language you have. I very much appreciate your constant help and your profound knowledge.

Thank you not only for the translations but also for the comments. It is very fascinating to learn about the handwashing ritual for instance.

I have a follow-up question. Is there a ritual reason why the Buddha is invoked nine times by his character in the title?

With kind regards

Madria

Re your question about the nine ”Buddha" characters in the title:
In Buddhism, the Nine Buddhas usually refer to the past seven Buddhas plus Shakyamuni (Historical Buddha) and Maitreya (Future Buddha),

Regards,
I.Nagy

Thank you again.

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