Excavated Documents of Bulgapsa Temple, Yeonggwang

The bokjang texts (documents deposited inside a Buddhist statue) recovered from the Palsangjeon Hall of Bulgapsa Temple, Yeonggwang, include a few Goryeo-period editions but consist mostly of works published in the early Joseon period. They are chiefly Mahayana sutras that were widely circulated at the time, such as the Lotus Sutra and the Diamond Sutra, together with textbooks for the Sajipgwa, the intermediate curriculum of Buddhist seminaries, treatises on Seon Buddhism, and documents relating to suryukjae, a rite for the souls of the dead on land and water. These form valuable material for studying the character of Korean Buddhist faith in the early Joseon period. Also found with them were seventeen votive inscriptions written for the making of Buddhist images, and Buddhist texts imported from China dating to the Wanli era, which greatly influenced Korean Buddhist history. Together these are extremely valuable material for research into Korean Buddhist thought and culture.

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Where it is

Region

Yeonggwang, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물