Transcription of Maha prajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom) in Silver on Oak Paper, Volume 305

The Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, often abbreviated as the "Daebanyagyeong", has as its central teaching the doctrine of emptiness, holding that because no existing thing possesses a fixed, independent nature, one should not cling to it. It was translated by the Tang-dynasty monk Xuanzang and comprises 600 volumes in total. This volume is Volume 305 of the 600-volume sutra, corresponding to the opening portion of the chapter "Mother of the Buddhas". It is written in silver on oak-bark paper, in an accordion-fold format that opens out like a folding screen, and measures 30.9 cm in height and 11.6 cm in width. On the cover, decorated with an ornate floral pattern in silver, the title is written in gold, with the main text following in silver. Beneath the title is the character "調" (jo), one of the characters of the Thousand Character Classic, indicating that this is one volume of a Buddhist canon in which the individual scriptures were arranged following the order of that text. Comparing this volume with Volume 210 of the Maha prajnaparamita Sutra in Silver on Oak Paper held at Girimsa Temple (Treasure No. 959-1), the pattern on the cover and the calligraphy of the main text are identical, suggesting that both were made at the same time, in the mid-14th century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwanak-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물