Abhidharma vibhasa Sastra (Explanatory of the Abhidharma), the First Tripitaka Koreana Edition, Volume 16

Buddhist scriptures are broadly divided into three categories: sutras (經), precepts (律) and treatises (論). Abhidharma is a general term for the treatises that systematically explain the Buddha's wisdom. The Abhidharma vibhasa Sastra can be described as a systematic compilation of the Buddha's wisdom necessary for attaining Buddhahood, explaining what sentient beings should practise. This volume is one of the Chojo Tripitaka, carved during the reign of King Hyeonjong of Goryeo (r. 1011-1031) in the hope that the power of the Buddha would help overcome the Khitan invasions. It is volume 16 of the sixty-volume translation jointly produced by Butabalma (浮陀跋摩) and Dotae (道泰) of the Northern Liang dynasty. It is a woodblock print on mulberry paper, made by joining long strips of paper together so that it can be rolled up and stored like a scroll; twenty-six sheets, each 30 cm in height and 47.3 cm in width, are joined to form the scroll. The Chojo Tripitaka differs in several respects from the later Haeinsa Tripitaka (also known as the Jaejo Tripitaka or the Goryeo Tripitaka). Although its woodblock carving is finer, the number of characters differs from that of the Haeinsa Tripitaka, there is no record giving the year of publication, and in places it shows instances of pihwi (避諱, the practice of omitting a stroke from a character, or substituting another character of similar meaning, out of respect where a character coincides with the name of a former king) and abbreviated characters. In addition, whereas the Chojo Tripitaka generally uses the character 丈 or 幅 to indicate the sheet number, the Haeinsa Tripitaka uses the character 張 consistently. That this volume uses the character 丈 for the sheet number, that it lacks any record of the year of publication at the end of the text, and that the final stroke of the character 敬 is omitted, all indicate that it is a print of the Chojo Tripitaka. Judging from the condition of the printing and the quality of the paper, it is thought to have been printed around the 12th century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwanak-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물