དཔང་སྐང་ཕྱག་བརྒྱ་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ intro.8

intro.8

As at that time no writing existed in Tibet, the son of Anu of the Thon-mi tribe [later becoming known as Thon-mi-sam-bhota] was sent with 16 companions (to India) in order to study the art of writing. After having studied with the Paṇḍit Devavidyāsiṃha, they shaped, in conformity with the Tibetan language, (the alphabet) consisting of 30 consonants and 4 vowels. The form (of these letters) was given a resemblance with the Kashmirian characters. After (this alphabet) had been definitely formed at the Maru temple in Lhasa, (Thon-mi) composed 8 works on writing and grammar, and the king studied them 4 years abiding in seclusion. The Kāraṇḍa­vyūha-sūtra, the 100 Precepts,⁶ and the Ratna­megha-sūtra ⁷ were then translated (into Tibetan).⁸