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<p>The study of the rise and institutions of the Tibetan empire of the seventh to ninth centuries, and of the continuing development of Tibetan civilization during the obscure period that followed, have aroused growing interest among scholars of Inner Asia in recent decades. The six contributions presented here represent refinements in substance and method characterizing current work in this area. A chapter by Brandon Dotson provides a new perspective on law and divination under the empire, while the post-imperial international relations of the Tsong kha kingdom are analyzed by Bianca Horlemann. In "The History of the Cycle of Birth and Death," Yoshiro Imaeda's investigation of a Dunhuang narrative appears in a revised edition, in English for the first time. The problem of oral transmission in relation to the Tibetan Dunhuang texts is then taken up in the contribution of Sam van Schaik. In the final section, Matthew Kapstein and Carmen Meinert consider aspects of Chinese Buddhism in their relation to religious developments in Tibet.</p>
<p><strong>Creator's Description:</strong> Confusion shrouds the events surrounding the death of Emperor Khri Srong lde btsan (742-c. 800) and the succession of his sons at the turn of the ninth century. Tibetan religious histories, Old Tibetan sources, and Chinese sources offer conflicting pictures of the order of events and the identities of those involved. Fortunately, a newly-published source, the <em>Pangtangma Catalogue ('Phang thang ma)</em>, throws new light on the royal succession by referring to Mu rug btsan, the elder brother of Khri Lde srong btsan, as nothing less than an emperor (<em>btsan po</em>). Considering this new information alongside Old Tibetan inscriptional evidence, this article attempts to establish the order of events around Khri Srong lde btsan (742-c. 800)'s abdication and death, and to locate "Emperor Mu rug btsan" within them. (2007-11-18)</p>