Vajracchedika prajnaparamita Sutra (The Diamond Sutra)

The Vajracchedika prajnaparamita Sutra (The Diamond Sutra), often shortened to the 'Diamond Sutra', is the fundamental scripture of the Jogye Order and, after the Heart Sutra, the most widely read Buddhist scripture in Korea. This edition is a translation by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin, with a commentary added by the Ming-dynasty monk Cheollo. It is a woodblock print on mulberry paper, originally made in scroll form and later remade into a book, measuring 56 cm in height and 19.1 cm in width. According to the text at the beginning of the book, Yu Hyang and Gang In-bu published it with the support of the queen consort of King U. It also records that the monk Jidam oversaw the publication, Yi Saek wrote the postscript (a brief account of the book's contents and the circumstances of its production), and Gakji wrote out the calligraphy. At the end of the book are mantras invoking the Buddha's enlightenment or wishes, and, unusually for such books, a yeongheomchan, a text testifying to the miraculous efficacy with which the Buddha responds to people's prayers. Given the extensive wear to the characters and the poor state of the printing, it appears to have been reprinted in the early Joseon period, a considerable time after the woodblocks were first carved.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jung-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물