A Study on the Manuscript of Fortunebook aboutTwenty-EightStars in Dunhuang.

The Manuscript numbered P.4058v of fortune book about Twenty-eight stars in Dunhuang is reorganized from the Buddhist literature Mahavaipulya mahasamghata sutra in the Southern and Northern Dynasties time ,but the primary intention of P.4058 about divination contradicts with the original meaning of Buddhist literature. These universal historical movement, annotated specifically Buddhism in China's dissemination, has experienced the local understanding and transformation. As the most early fortune book in present China, P.4058v was utilized possibly in the medical practice in Middle Age. In ancient times, the culture of divination is frequently filled with medicine characteristic and the resource of various religious subjects shares each other. This share brings about the appearance of medicine and divination intertwined in ancient society. This paper is a scholarly attempt to consider medieval social history by means of study on the divination literature in Dunhuang in order to response to academic requirements of the new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]