LAST LOOK

Justin McDaniel, professor of religious studies and creator of the Thai Digital Monastery project, is digitally scanning historic Buddhist manuscripts. He plans to create hypertext editions where visitors can view the documents while seeing a running translation and listening to a monk or nun chant the words. This image is from an 1860s Thai manuscript that tells the story of Buddhist monk Phra Malai, who visited heaven and hell and returned to transmit what he learned to his followers. The illustration depicts the monk speaking to the god Indra next to the celestial stupa (a structure containing relics) called Chulamani. The manuscript is in the collection of the University Museum, a gift of the Estate of Elizabeth Lyons.