It was currently found that Buddhism scriptures housed in the Sagya Monastery, which is dubbed as "the second Dunhuang", adopted eight different materials in writing and it is very rare in the history of Tibetan Buddhism.
Dorje, who is responsible for the repair of the Sagya Monastery, said researchers discovered the gold, silver, tusche, vermilion, pearl powder, conch powder, bone flour and kallaite were respectively used in writing the Buddhism scriptures kept in the monastery.
To use bone flour and kallaite was also firstly found in the Sagya Monastery. Dorje said the 98 pages scriptures found are really costly and the scriptures indicated those were created by a rich man to pray for his ill mother.
Buddhism scripture in both literal and figured illustrations is also a new discovery. "It is of great value of religion and research," said Dorje.
Found in 1073, the Sagya Monastery is the main monastery of Sagya sect of Tibetan Buddhism, and houses ten thousand of rare Buddhism scriptures, including the heaviest Buddhism scriptures in the world with some 1,000 jin. (equals to 500 gram)
The renovation of Sagya Monastery with a total investment of 86 million yuan started in 2002 and is expected to be finished by 2009. It mainly focuses on protection of frescos, reinforcing of Aga soil, a kind of soil formed in the drought grassland in temperate zone, enhancing of Baimacao wall and replacing of indoor timbers.