གཎ་ཌའ་དས་ཀྱ་མད intro.4
The Sūtra on Timings for the Gaṇḍī intro.4
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intro.4
In ancient and medieval India, two principal methods for telling time were in use, namely the shadow clock (Skt. chāyāpramāṇa, Tib. grib tshod) and the water clock (Skt. nāḍikā, Tib. chu tshod). The timings prescribed in this sūtra relate to the former. We know that this method of determining time was widely used in the Buddhist monasteries of India during the seventh century ce, since it is described in some detail by the Tang-era Chinese monk Yijing (義浄 635–713 ce), who spent time at Nālandā monastery and gave an account of his experiences in An Account of Buddhism Sent from the South Seas (Taishō 2125, Nanhai ji gui nei fa chuan 南海寄歸內法傳).⁵