Seonjong yeonggajip (Essence of Zen Buddhism), Korean Translation (1984)

The Seonjong yeonggajip is a book containing the Tang-dynasty monk Yeongga Hyeon-gak's writings on the essentials of Seon (Zen) practice, to which the Song-dynasty monk Haengjeong added commentary and Jeongwon revised and arranged by section. The Seonjong yeonggajip (eonhae), an eonhae, or Hangeul translation, is a two-volume set of upper and lower books in which King Sejo added grammatical glosses and monks including Sinmi rendered the text into Hangeul. The upper volume was first printed in 1464, the tenth year of King Sejo, from woodblocks carved at the Gangyeongdogam (an office established in 1461, the seventh year of King Sejo, to translate Buddhist scriptures into Hangeul and publish them), on paper made from a mixture of rice straw and mulberry bark; it measures 33.1 cm in height and 20.3 cm in width. The lower volume is one of the books printed on a large scale in 1495, the first year of King Yeonsangun, at the order of Queen Dowager Jeonghyeon to pray for the repose of King Seongjong's soul; it was reprinted at Wongaksa Temple using the Gangyeongdogam woodblocks, and measures 32.6 cm in height and 21.2 cm in width. At the end of the book is a printing record written by the eminent monk Hakjo, printed using movable wooden type known as Ingyeongja, which was made with great precision so that the same printing record could be attached to every scripture published to pray for King Seongjong's soul. The printing of this book is refined, the ink of the characters has a lustre, and the fine quality of the paper gives the book an air of distinction.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jung-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물