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Maha prajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom), the First Tripitaka Koreana Edition, Volumes 162, 170, and 463

초조본 대반야바라밀다경 권162, 170, 463 ( 初雕本 大般若波羅蜜多經 卷一百六十二, 一百七十, 四百六十三 )

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Classification National Treasure
Name of Cultural Properties Maha prajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom), the First Tripitaka Koreana Edition, Volumes 162, 170, and 463
Quantity 3 Volumes of 3 Bundles
Designated Date 1995.03.10
Age The 12th year of the reign of King Jeongjong of Goryeo (1046)
Address Coreana Cosmetics Museum, 827, Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Daebanya baramildagyeong is often called Daebanyagyeong or simply Banyagyeong in a shortened form. The main idea in this Buddhist scripture is emptiness, a thought that one should get rid of obsession because there is no substance in a being itself. This scripture is often called Banyagyeong in Korea and chanted by every Buddhist regardless of his or her sect. These books are a part of the Tripitaka Original, which was made during the reign of King Hyeonjong (1011~1031) of the Goryeo Period in an attempt to counter an aggression by Kitan on the strength of Buddha. They consist of Books No. 162, 170 and 463 among the six hundred books of Daebanyagyeong translated by Hyeonjang, a famous monk during the Tang Dynasty of China. All three books were produced by woodblock printing on mulberry papers and designed to be stored in the form of a scroll. The writing at the end of Book No. 162 tells that the books were printed by Heo Jin-su in the twelfth year of King Jeongjong of Goryeo in 1046 A.D., with a prayer for the well-being of the king and his country as well as for his own mother's health and longevity and the deceased father's soul. In general, there are several differences between the Tripitaka Original and the Tripitaka stored at Haeinsa Temple (also known as the Tripitaka Second or the Tripitaka Koreana), which were produced in the later years. The former has more sophisticatedly carved wood blocks than the latter. It has a different number of characters, while not showing the year of production. Pihwi, a way of expressing respect by omitting a stroke from the letter or replacing it with a synonymous word when a letter in the name of the preceding king appears, and abbreviated characters, are found in several places. In addition, the Tripitaka Original often uses the words 'jang (丈)' and 'pok (幅) ' to indicate the chapters in the books, whereas the Haeinsa Temple version uses a uniform expression of 'jang (張)' (using a different Chinese character). Each of the books shown here has 25 lines of 14 characters, where as Haeinsa Temple version contains only 23 lines. They have no entry indicating the year the wood-block prints were made. The same state of preservation implies that the three books are printed at the similar time periods. In particular, the content of Book 162 provides an important clue in estimating the time of production for the other two.