Historical Significance of the Lan Na Palm-Leaf Manuscript : หน้า 104/141

Bangkok period. The Lan Na palm-leaf manuscript itself cannot provide an accurate date for the composition of the verse because palm-leaf manuscripts are fragile, and rarely survive more than a century; they are continually recopied by monastic scribes.6 However, when the Lan Na manuscript is considered together with the evidence of the Phitsanulok inscription and the gold-plated manuscript from Wat Phra Chetupon, it can be seen that the dhammakāya verse has been treasured, read and recited by devout Buddhists since the 16th century in the Lan Na regions, Ayutthaya and in the early Ratanakosin period.7 Additional research into the dhammakāya verse, its concepts, and the meditation practices associated with the verse will bring Buddhist scholars a greater appreciation and understanding of the contemporary Vija dhammakāya practice as well as being useful for the practitioners of meditation. 6 For more information on the life and ritual function of palm-leaf manuscripts in the Tai regions, see Volker Grabowsky, “Tai manuscripts in the Dhamma script domain: surveying, preservation and documentation”, part 1, Manuscript Cultures, Autumn/Winter 2008, pp. 16-23. 7 Coedes' article, Adyar Library Bulletin, vol. 29, 1956, 248-286, shows that the dhammakāya verse was important for Khmer Buddhists as well.