Avatamsaka Sutra Susoyeonuicho Woodblocks

The Avatamsaka Sutra, often shortened to Hwaeomgyeong, is the fundamental scripture of the Hwaeom school and, together with the Lotus Sutra, greatly influenced the establishment of Buddhist thought in Korea. These woodblocks of the Avatamsaka Sutra were made in 1856, the seventh year of King Cheoljong of Joseon, by the monk Namho Yeonggi, renowned as a vinaya master of the East, who carved the entire text of the sutra onto 3,175 printing blocks. Namho Yeonggi began the carving of the Avatamsaka Sutra, a foremost scripture of Mahayana Buddhism, in 1854 while lecturing on it at Mangwolsa Temple, and completed this vast undertaking with the support of many lay Buddhists of the time. To enshrine the woodblocks a new Dharma hall was built, and a name plaque written in the calligraphic style of Chusa Kim Jeong-hui was hung there; this is said to be only the fourth set of Avatamsaka Sutra woodblocks ever made and enshrined in Korea. These woodblocks, produced by Namho Yeonggi, represent a foremost scripture of Mahayana Buddhism, and to preserve these precious printing blocks perfectly the floor beneath them was built with underfloor heating (ondol) to prevent damp.

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Where it is

Region

Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산