Wikipedia

Tripitaka Koreana

The Tripiṭaka Koreana (naming controversial, see below) refers to a Korean collection of Tripiṭaka scriptures carved onto 81,352 wooden printing blocks in the 13th century of the Goryeo period (hence also: The Goryeo Tripiṭaka[a]).[1] They are currently located at the Buddhist temple Haeinsa, in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.[2] It is the oldest intact version of the Chinese Buddhist canon, the shared canonical collection of East Asian Buddhism written in Buddhist Chinese. It contains 1,496 titles divided into 6,568 books, spanning 81,258 pages, for a total 52,330,152 characters.[3] It is often called the Palman Daejanggyeong ("Eighty-thousand Tripitaka")[b] due to the number of the printing plates that comprise it.[1]

Tripiṭaka Koreana
Haeinsa, South Korea
The Tripiṭaka Koreana in storage at Haeinsa (2022)
TypeWoodblocks for printing
LanguageClassical Chinese
MaterialBirch wood
Size
  • 1,496 texts
  • 6,568 books
ContentsBuddhist canon
Official name
Printing Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana in Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon
Designated1962-12-20
Reference no.32
Korean name
Hangul
팔만 대장경; 고려 대장경
Hanja
八萬大藏經; 高麗大藏經
RRPalman daejanggyeong; Goryeo daejanggyeong
MRP'alman taejanggyŏng; Koryŏ taejanggyŏng

Each wood block (page) measures 24 centimetres in height and 70 centimetres (9.4 in × 27.6 in) in length.[4] The thickness of the blocks ranges from 2.6 to 4 centimetres (1.0–1.6 in) and each weighs about three to four kilograms (6.61 - 8.81 lbs). The woodblocks would be almost as tall as Paektu Mountain at 2.74 km (1.70 mi) if stacked and would measure 60 km (37 mi) long if lined up, and weigh 280 tons in total.[5] The woodblocks are in pristine condition without warping or deformation despite being created more than 750 years ago.[6][7]

The Tripiṭaka was designated a National Treasure of South Korea in 1962, and inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World international register in 2007.[8][2] Historically, the Tripiṭaka was closed except for Buddhist events and scholars; it was finally opened to members of the public who preregister in advance in 2021.[9]

Naming

edit

There is a movement by scholars to change the English name of the Tripiṭaka Koreana.[10] Robert Buswell Jr., a scholar of Korean Buddhism, called for the renaming of the Tripiṭaka Koreana to the Korean Buddhist Canon, indicating that the current nomenclature is misleading because the Tripiṭaka Koreana is much greater in scale than the actual Tripiṭaka, and includes much additional content such as travelogues, Sanskrit and Chinese dictionaries, and biographies of monks and nuns.[11]

History

edit
Tripiṭaka Koreana sutra page in 1371
Tripitaka storage

Work on the first Tripiṭaka Koreana began in 1011 during the Goryeo–Khitan War and was completed in 1087.[12] Choi's Goryeo Military Regime, which moved the capital to Ganghwa Island due to Mongol invasions, set up a temporary organization called "Daejang Dogam".

The act of carving the woodblocks was considered to be a way of bringing about a change in fortune by invoking the Buddha's help.[13][14] The first Tripiṭaka Koreana was based primarily on the Kaibao Canon completed in the 10th century,[15][14] but other scriptures published until then, such as the Khitan Tripiṭaka, were also consulted in order to identify items in need of revision and adjustment.[12] The first Tripiṭaka Koreana contained around 6,000 volumes.[12]

The original set of woodblocks was destroyed by fire during the Mongol invasions of Korea in 1232, when Goryeo's capital was moved to Ganghwa Island during nearly three decades of Mongol incursions, although scattered parts of its prints still remain. To once again implore divine assistance with combating the Mongol threat, King Gojong thereafter ordered the revision and re-creation of the Tripiṭaka; the carving began in 1237 and was completed in 12 years,[4] with support from Ch'oe U and his son Ch'oe Hang,[16] and involving monks from both the Seon and Gyo schools. This second version is usually what is meant by the Tripiṭaka Koreana.[17] In 1398, it was moved to Haeinsa, where it has remained housed in four buildings.

The production of the Tripiṭaka Koreana was an enormous national commitment of money and manpower, according to Robert Buswell Jr., perhaps comparable to the US 1960s Apollo program Moon landings.[18] Thousands of scholars and craftsmen were employed in this massive project.[17]

Evaluation and significance

edit

The Tripiṭaka Koreana is the 32nd National Treasure of South Korea, and Haeinsa, the depository for the Tripiṭaka Koreana, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[19] The UNESCO committee describes the Tripiṭaka Koreana as "one of the most important and most complete corpus of Buddhist doctrinal texts in the world".[20] Not only is the work invaluable, it is also aesthetically valuable and shows a high quality of workmanship.[21] Currently, the Palman Daejanggyeong is one of the three woodblocks in the world that are registered on UNESCO.[22]

The Tripiṭaka Koreana is stored in Haeinsa temple. While most of the wood blocks have remained in pristine condition for more than 750 years, a few were damaged when a new depository was built in the early 1970s (by the Park Chung Hee regime) and few blocks were transplanted to the new building on a trial basis. Those blocks were damaged almost immediately. They were subsequently moved back to their initial spots and the new building was shut down. That building is now the 'Zen Center'. Currently there are ongoing debates as to the quality of the current storage area.[7]

The historical value of the Tripiṭaka Koreana comes in part from the fact it is comprehensive it us as a compilation fi the Chinse Buddhist Canon.[4] It is a popular misconception that the Tripitaka Koreana does not contain a single error;[23] a survey found that the text does indeed have missing characters and errors.[24][25] The compilers of the Korean version incorporated older Northern Song Chinese, Khitan, and Goryeo versions, and added content written by respected Korean monks.[4][26] Contemporary scholars are able to conduct research about the older Chinese and Khitan versions of the Tripiṭaka using the Korean version. The quality of the wood blocks is attributed to the National Preceptor Sugi, the Buddhist monk in charge of the project,[4] who carefully checked the Korean version for errors.[26] Upon completing the Tripiṭaka Koreana, Sugi published 30 volumes of Additional Records which recorded errors, redundancies, and omissions he found during his comparisons of the different versions of the Tripiṭaka.[12] Because of the relative completion of the Korea edition of the Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka, the Japanese Taisho edition of the Tripiṭaka was said also to have been based on the Korean edition.[4] Some of the Tripiṭaka Koreana's texts were even used in the Chinese edition of Zhonghua dazangjing which was based on the Jin edition which in turn was a sister edition sent to Korea.

The Tripiṭaka Koreana was one of the most coveted items among Japanese Buddhists in the Edo period.[18] Japan never managed to create a woodblock Tripiṭaka, and made constant requests and attempts to acquire the Tripiṭaka Koreana from Korea since 1388.[27] 45 complete printings of the Tripiṭaka Koreana were gifted to Japan since the Muromachi period.[18] The Tripiṭaka Koreana was used as the basis for the modern Japanese Taishō Tripiṭaka.[17]

Copy of a Tripiṭaka Koreana woodblock at Haeinsa complex grounds used to allow visitors to make an inked print of the Heart Sutra while at the temple. See: for image of woodblock print.

Each block was made of birch wood from the southern islands of Korea[where?] and treated to prevent the decay of the wood. The blocks were soaked in sea water for three years, then cut and boiled in salt water. Next, the blocks were placed in the shade and exposed to the wind for three years, at which point they were ready to be carved. After each block was carved, it was coated in a poisonous lacquer to keep insects away and then framed with metal to prevent warping.[28]

Every block was inscribed with 23 lines of text with 14 characters per line. Therefore, each block, counting both sides, contained a total of 644 characters. The consistency of the style - and some external sources - led people to believe that a single man carved the entire collection, but it is now estimated that a team of 30 men carved the Tripiṭaka.[4][26]

Digitization

edit

As of 2024, the Cultural Heritage Administration expects to have digitization files publicly available by 2027.[29]

Modern edition

edit

The modern edition has 1514 texts in 47 volumes.

Volume Text Author or compiler Chinese title Korean title Period
32 1064 Huiyuan (慧苑) 新譯大方廣佛華嚴經音義 xin1 yi4 da4 fang1 guang3 fo2 hua1 yan2 jing1 yin1 yi4 Shin Yeok Dae Bang Gwang Bul Hwa Eom Gyeong Eum Ui
34 1257 Ke Hong (可洪) 新集藏經音義隨函錄 xin1 ji2 zang4 jing1 yin1 yi4 sui2 Later Jin
35 1258 Emperor Taizong (太宗) 御製蓮華心輪回文偈頌 yu4 zhi4 lian2 hua1 xin1 lun2 hui2 wen2 ji4 song4 Northern Song (北宋, 976–997)
35 1259 御製秘藏詮 yu4 zhi4 mi4 zang4 quan2
35 1260 御製逍遙詠 yu4 zhi4 xiao1 yao2 yong3
35 1261 御製緣識 yu4 zhi4 yuan2 shi4
38 1402 Sugi (守其) 高麗國新雕大藏校正別錄 gao1 li4 guo2 xin1 diao1 da4 zang4 jiao4 zheng4 bie2 lu4) 1251 CE or 38 Anno Gojong (高宗) Coreae (高麗)
39 1405 大藏目錄 Da4 zang4 mu4 lu4
45 1500 Yŏn Sŏnsa (連禪師), appendix by Chŏn Kwangjae (全光宰) in Jinan (晉安), Gyeongsang Province (慶尚道) 南明泉和尚頌證道歌事實 nan2 ming2 quan2 he2 shang4 song4 zheng4 dao4 ge1 shi4 shi2 compiled during Gojong period (1214–1259), appendiced on 9th month of 35 AGC (1248 CE)
45 1503 Qingxiu with disciples Ching (靜) and Yun (筠) 祖堂集 zu3 tang2 ji2 in 10th year of Emperor Li Jing (保大) of Tang (952)
45 1504 Chen Shi 大藏一覽集 da4 zang4 yi1 lan3 ji2 Ming
46 1505 Hyesim 禪門拈頌集 chan2 men2 nian1 song4 ji2 13 AGC (1226 CE)
47 1507 Kyunyŏ (均如) 十句章圓通記 shi2 ju4 zhang1 yuan2 tong1 ji4 (found by Cheon-gi 天其 in Gap Temple (岬寺) spring of 1226)
47 1508 釋華嚴旨歸章圓通鈔 shi4 hua1 yan2 zhi3 gui1 zhang1 yuan2 tong1 chao1 Sŏk hwa ŏm ji kwi jang wŏn t'ong ch'o
47 1509 華嚴經三寶章圓通記 hua1 yan2 jing1 san1 bao3 zhang1 yuan2 tong1 ji4 Hwa ŏm gyŏng sam bo jang wŏn t'ong gi,
47 1510a 釋華嚴旨歸章圓通鈔 shi4 hua1 yan2 jing1 jiao4 fen1 ji4 yuan2 tong1 chao1 Sŏk hwa ŏm gyo pun gi wŏn t'ong ch'o
47 1510b Hyŏngnyŏn Chŏng (赫連挺) 大華嚴首座圓通兩重大師均如傳幷序 1st month of 29 Anno Munjong Coreae (1075 CE)
47 1511 Wang Tzu-ch'eng of Yuan (1280–1368) with foreword by Yi Sunbo (李純甫) 禮念彌陀道場懺法 Li3 nian4 mi2 tuo2 dao4 chang3 chan4 fa3 2 Anno Kangjong Coreae (1213 CE)
47 1514 高麗大藏經補遺目錄gao1 li4 da4 zang4 jing1 bu3 yi2 mu4 lu4 Ko-ryŏ taejanggyŏng poyu mongnok

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ↑ Korean: 고려대장경; RR: Goryeo Daejanggyeong
  2. ↑ Korean: 팔만 대장경, alternate name: 합천 해인사 대장경판; lit. 'Hapcheon Haeansa Tripiṭaka'

References

edit
  1. 1 2 "Printing woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana and miscellaneous Buddhist scriptures". World Heritage. UNESCO. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Printing woodblocks of the Tripiṭaka Koreana and miscellaneous Buddhist scriptures". Memory of the World. UNESCO. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "Wooden block printing perfection of Tripitaka Koreana". The Korea Herald. 13 November 2021.[page needed]
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks" (PDF). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  5. ↑ Park Sang-jin (2014). Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 9781443867320.
  6. ↑ World Heritage in Korea. Cultural Heritage Administration (South Korea). 19 November 2011. p. 188. ISBN 9788981241773. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  7. 1 2 Park Sang-jin (2014). Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 131. ISBN 9781443867320. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Printing Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana in Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon". Cultural Heritage Administration. Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Ki Jung-hoon (12 June 2021). "World Heritage Tripitaka Koreana, also visible to the public". YTN (in Korean). Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  10. ↑ Kim Tong-hyung (4 November 2013). "'Tripitaka Koreana' may be renamed". The Korea Times. Retrieved 1 October 2016.[page needed]
  11. ↑ Yun Suh-young (3 September 2013). "Name of Tripitaka Koreana should be changed". The Korea Times. Retrieved 1 October 2016.[page needed]
  12. 1 2 3 4 Park Sang-jin (2014). Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 9781443867320. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Turnbull. Page 41.
  14. 1 2 https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/24231/Hyun_washington_0250E_12384.pdf?sequence=1 p. 191.
  15. ↑ Park, Jin Y. article "Buddhism in Korea" in Keown and Prebish 2010 : 451.
  16. ↑ Park Sang-jin (2014). Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 9781443867320.
  17. 1 2 3 Buswell, Robert E. Jr.; Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. pp. 442–443. ISBN 9781400848058.
  18. 1 2 3 Bae Ji-sook (3 September 2013). "Scholar suggests name change for Tripitaka Koreana". The Korea Herald. Herald Corporation.[page needed]
  19. ↑ "Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks". UNESCO. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  20. ↑ WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE (4–9 December 1995). "CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE". UNESCO. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  21. ↑ Park Sang-jin : „Printing Blocks Remain in Perfect Condition after 760 Years“ . Koreana - a Quarterly on Korean Art & Culture
  22. ↑ "'선을 넘는 녀석들' 전 세계 딱 3개! 유네스코에 등재된 목판 기록문화유산, 장판각의 '유교책판'" [Only 3 'Those Who Cross the Line' in the world! 'Confucian Books' of Jangpangak, a UNESCO-listed woodblock documentary cultural heritage]. iMBC 연예 (in Korean). 5 January 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  23. ↑ Ch'oe, Chun-sik (2007). Buddhism: Religion in Korea. Ewha Womans University Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-89-7300-758-5.
  24. ↑ Kim Jong-myung (2002). "The Tripiṭaka Koreana: Its Computerization and Significance for the Cultural Sciences in a Modern Globalized World". Korea and Globalization: Politics, Economics and Culture. Psychology Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-7007-1512-1.
  25. ↑ Yi, Kyu-Gap (Autumn 1994). "Koryô taejanggyông âi chônsanhwa wa ich'eja ch'ôri munje" [The digitization of the Tripitaka Koreana and non-standard forms of familiar characters]. Tabo. 11: 76–81.
  26. 1 2 3 "Tripitaka Koreana at Haeinsa Temple". Cultural Properties Administration. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ↑ Park Sang-jin (2014). Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 6–12. ISBN 9781443867320.
  28. ↑ Mason, David A. (4 March 2010). "Tripitaka Koreana: ural Treasure". The Korea Times. Retrieved 30 September 2016.[page needed]
  29. ↑ Si-young, Choi (19 March 2024). "Tripitaka Koreana texts to be digitized: CHA". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 4 April 2026.

Cited works

edit
edit

35°48′N 128°06′E / 35.800°N 128.100°E / 35.800; 128.100

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tripitaka_Koreana&oldid=1371649927"