Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents

The Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents is a Chinese translation, made by the eminent Chinese monk Kumārajīva, of an Indian Buddhist sutra. Its first half sets out, under ten headings, the kindness of parents in conceiving, bearing and raising a child to adulthood, illustrated with pictures to aid understanding, while its second half describes in detail the norms of conduct that descendants should observe in order to repay their parents' kindness. This edition was produced by obtaining Kumārajīva's Chinese translation and printing it as a woodblock book at some point between 1407, the seventh year of King Taejong, and 1454, the second year of King Danjong, of Joseon. Judging from its content, illustrations and paper, it is presumed to be the woodblock edition printed at the royal court in 1407, the seventh year of King Taejong. The book measures 14.0 cm by 27.0 cm and is bound in the seonpungjang, or "whirlwind", style. It was printed from 19 woodblocks, each 50.0 cm by 21.0 cm, with 28 lines per block and 15 characters per line, the characters ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 cm across. The accompanying illustrations are of exceptional quality. Given that this copy lacks a cover and shows staining on its inner pages, it was probably once a bokjangmul, an object placed inside a Buddhist statue as a votive deposit. Judging from the condition of its printing and paper, this copy is considered a highly valuable resource for understanding the woodblock printing culture of early Joseon Korea. As a rare book printed at the royal court in the early Joseon period, combining Kumārajīva's Chinese translation of an Indian sutra with illustrations, it is a precious resource for the study of the history of Buddhist sutra publishing, the Korean language and printmaking, and its value is further enhanced by its good state of preservation and fine paper.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Chungju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산