Commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Garland Sutra)

The Avatamsaka Sutra (the Flower Garland Sutra), sometimes abbreviated to the 'Hwaeomgyeong', is centred on the idea that the Buddha and sentient beings are not two but one. It is the fundamental scripture of the Hwaeom school and, together with the Lotus Sutra, exerted a major influence on the establishment of Korean Buddhist thought. The Chapter on the Vows of Samantabhadra contains the practices and aspirations of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra for entering the world of liberation, and is the section of the Avatamsaka Sutra that was most frequently carved onto woodblocks. This is the final volume of the 40-volume Zhenyuan edition of the Avatamsaka Sutra, translated into Chinese by the Tang-dynasty monk Prajña and here annotated with a commentary by Chengguan. It is a woodblock-printed book on mulberry paper measuring 26.7 cm by 15.6 cm; it bears stains that appear to be from having been kept inside a Buddha statue, but is otherwise in good condition. A note at the end of the book records that it was re-carved in 1387, the thirteenth year of King U of Goryeo, based on an original edition published in 1256, the forty-third year of King Gojong of Goryeo, to pray for the repose of Choe U's soul. According to a record written by Yi Saek, a queen wishing to pray for the wellbeing of the king and the crown prince sought to have a copy made using an edition owned by the late-Goryeo monk Hwanam Honsu, and conveyed her wish to Gang Inbu; on hearing of this, the wife of Jeong Gongkwon offered the edition and funds that her late husband had prepared for the same purpose, and helped bring the publication to completion. As the section forming the final culmination of the Avatamsaka Sutra, it contains essential teachings and has been among the most widely read of Buddhist scriptures.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물