Goryeo-era transcription of Buddhist text returns home from Japan

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sat, September 23, 2023 | 19:37

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Goryeo-era transcription of Buddhist text returns home from Japan

Posted : 2023-06-15 16:14

Updated : 2023-06-16 17:00

Bae Young-il, director of the Seongbo Museum at Magok Temple, points to an illustration inside Vol. 6 of "Saddharmapundarika Sutra," also known as "The Lotus Sutra," during a press event held at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Thursday. Yonhap

By Kwak Yeon-soo

A Goryeo-era transcription of a Buddhist sutra written in gold on indigo-dyed paper has been returned to Korea from Japan, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Thursday.

The manuscript, which is Vol. 6 of "Saddharmapundarika Sutra" ― also known as "The Lotus Sutra," is made of indigo-dyed paper in a concertina format and its front cover is decorated with a motif of four lotus flowers with vines drawn in gold and silver.

The delicate and dense golden lines show that this illuminated manuscript was produced during the latter part of the 918-1392 Goryeo Kingdom, according to the CHA. However, the exact production date and the person who created or hand-copied it remain a mystery. In Korea, the practice of transcribing Buddhist scriptures is referred to as "sagyeong."

"Most of the Lotus Sutra dating from the Goryeo period consist of seven volumes. The final volume usually contains a dedicatory inscription revealing when and by whom the manuscript was produced. However, we believe it was produced by a monk who was probably a professional scribe," Bae Young-il, director of the Seongbo Museum at Magok Temple, said during a press event held at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Thursday.

Vol. 6 of "Saddharmapundarika Sutra," also known as "The "Lotus Sutra," is displayed at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Thursday. Courtesy of CHA

It is uncertain how the artifact was taken outside of the country, according to the CHA. It said the previous owner, who is Japanese, purchased it from a private auction in 2012 and expressed an intention to sell it to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation in June 2022. After rounds of in-depth investigation and negotiations, the government successfully repatriated it in March.

The production of transcribed sutras was popular in Korea, particularly during the Goryeo era. Goryeo-era transcribed sutras were produced at the state level to wish for the wellbeing of the country and on the individual level to pray for a gentle and easy passage to eternity.

The cover of the sixth volume of "The Lotus Sutra" is decorated with a motif of four lotus flowers with vines drawn in gold and silver. Courtesy of CHA

The illustration that visually summarizes the content of the text is depicted over four pages. It consists of the most dramatic scenes from the volume. A scene of Shakyamuni Buddha preaching on the Lotus Sutra to his disciples occupies the largest portion of the illustration. To the left is a scene from the 20th chapter of Sadaparibhuta Bodhisattva, where he says, "All of you will become a Buddha" as angry people are throwing stones at him.

Another scene from Chapter 23 illustrates Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva making an offering by sacrificing his body to flames. The texts of the sutra are written across 108 pages in the format of six vertical lines per page with seventeen Chinese characters on each line.

"Volume 6 of 'The Lotus Sutra' was very well preserved even after 700 years. It carries religious and aesthetic value as Buddhist cultural heritage," Cho Eung-chon, head of the CHA, said.

"This repatriated cultural heritage will offer an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of transcribed sutras from the Goryeo Kingdom and understand the wishes imbedded within them of the people of the time."

yeons.kwak@koreatimes.co.kr