Goryeo-Era Buddhist Text Transcription Returns to Korea from Japan

The Buddhist Channel, 20 June 2023

Seoul, South Korea -- The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced on Thursday that a Goryeo-era transcription of a Buddhist sutra, written in gold on indigo-dyed paper, has been repatriated to Korea from Japan.

The manuscript, identified as Volume 6 of the "Saddharmapundarika Sutra," also known as "The Lotus Sutra," is a concertina-style document made of indigo-dyed paper. Its front cover is adorned with a design featuring four lotus flowers and vines in gold and silver.

According to the CHA, the intricate and dense golden lines indicate that this illuminated manuscript was created during the latter part of the Goryeo Kingdom, which existed from 918 to 1392. However, the exact date of production and the identity of the scribe or copyist remain unknown. In Korea, the process of transcribing Buddhist scriptures is known as "sagyeong."

Bae Young-il, the director of the Seongbo Museum at Magok Temple, shared during a press event at the National Palace Museum of Korea that most Goryeo-era versions of the Lotus Sutra consist of seven volumes.

Typically, the final volume contains a dedicatory inscription revealing information about the manuscript's production. However, in this case, it is believed to have been created by a monk who may have been a professional scribe.

The CHA stated that it is unclear how the artifact was taken out of the country. The previous owner, a Japanese individual, acquired it through a private auction in 2012 and expressed their intention to sell it to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation in June 2022. After thorough investigation and negotiations, the Korean government successfully repatriated the manuscript in March.

During the Goryeo era, the production of transcribed sutras was widespread in Korea. These were created both at the state level to pray for the country's well-being and on an individual level to seek a peaceful journey into eternity.

The illustration within Volume 6 of the Lotus Sutra provides a visual summary of its content across four pages. It features the most significant scenes from the volume, including a depiction of Shakyamuni Buddha preaching the Lotus Sutra to his disciples, occupying the largest portion of the illustration. Another scene from the 20th chapter portrays Sadaparibhuta Bodhisattva being pelted with stones while saying, "All of you will become a Buddha."

Additionally, Chapter 23 is represented with a scene showing Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva making a sacrificial offering by immolating his body. The sutra's text spans 108 pages, with each page containing six vertical lines, and each line consisting of seventeen Chinese characters.

"Volume 6 of The Lotus Sutra" has been remarkably well-preserved even after 700 years, carrying immense religious and aesthetic value as a Buddhist cultural heritage," stated Cho Eung-chon, the head of the CHA.

"The repatriation of this cultural heritage provides an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of transcribed sutras from the Goryeo Kingdom and gain insight into the aspirations embedded within them by the people of that time."