Dharani Sutra found inside of the Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad in Wondangam Hermitage, Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon (National Treasure No. 2075) is a small-sized one-volume edition of Dharani Sutra. It is a part of the 29-volume sutras found in total. It was reprinted later on using the woodblocks created in 1375 (the first year of the reign of King Wu of Goryeo. It was discovered inside of the main Buddha of Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad during the re-application of gold bond powder repairs to the triad in August 2017.
Overall, it has been preserved very well. It is highly likely that it was printed in about the 15th century judging from the sutra painting and the status of the letters worn out. Thus, the Dharani Sutra found inside of Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad in Wondangam Hermitage is a relic with historical and cultural valuable for providing information on the philosophical trend of those at Haeinsa Temple of that era, the status of the country’s printing/ publishing, and the philosophy specific to the Goryeo people of that era. In fact, the sutra is the only one of its kind found so far.
The value of the Dharani Sutra as cultural heritage is found in the sutra painting contained on the head of the Dharani Sutra. It contains information such as 1375 (the year of production), the engraver’s name (Jeon Seongcheok), the drawing’s name, etc., which means that it can serve as referential material for those studying sutra paintings of that period.
It is thought that the Dharani Sutra found inside of Wooden Amitabha Buddha Triad in Wondangam Hermitage deserves being preserved for the following reasons: the Dharani Sutra as the source of original known content, its bibliographic value as a source reference whose original woodblock can be restored, and the sutra painting as a valuable reference in the study of Goryeo’s history of Buddhist fine arts of.