Lotus Sutra vol. 3

The Lotus Sutra, often shortened to 'Beophwagyeong', is the fundamental scripture of the Cheontae (Tiantai) school. Its core teaching is that the path to buddhahood is open to everyone, and together with the Flower Garland Sutra it had the greatest influence on the establishment of Buddhist thought in Korea; it has been the most widely circulated Buddhist scripture since the Three Kingdoms period. This volume has single-line borders at top and bottom, ruled columns, black fish-tail marks facing inward at top and bottom, and ten columns of seventeen characters per line. It is volume 3 (47 leaves) of a set of seven, printed in 1457 with the Chojugabinja type — metal type first cast in 1434 — and bound in the thread-bound style. The cover has been rebound, and the running title in the gutter reads 'Myobeop Yeonhwagyeong, Volume Three, Two'. The base text is the commentary edition by Gyehwan, written in accessible annotations and the version most widely circulated during the Joseon dynasty; the main text is set in large characters, with the commentary in small double-column characters. This volume was printed in 1457, some twenty years after the Chojugabinja type was first cast, when King Sejo had it produced together with the Diamond Sutra to pray for the repose of his son, Crown Prince Uigyeong. Although supplementary type is mixed in, the layout is well ordered and the printing of good quality, making it a fine example of an early Joseon printed edition.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seocho-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산