These are instructive texts on Hwaeomgyeong (Avatamsaka Sutra), one of the sacred books of Mahayana Buddhism, written by Jingyuan of the Song Dynasty. They contain the explanations of the annotations to Hwaeomgyeong, which were written by Chengguan of the Tang Dynasty. The central concept of Daebanggwangbulhwaeomgyeong, or commonly known as Hwaeomgyeong, is that all living beings and Buddha are not separate, but one. Hwaeomgyeong is the main Sutra of the Avatamsaka sect in Korea, and together with the Myobeomnyeonhwagyeong (Saddharma-Pundarika Sutra), has had a significant influence on the establishment of Buddhism in Korea. These books were printed from wood-printing blocks that were sent by Jingyuan to Buddhist monk Uicheon Daegakguksa via a merchant, Seojeon. A total of 120 volumes were printed, and among them these are volumes 48, 64 and 83. They are preserved in relatively good condition. The cover page is made of paper dyed with the sap of oak trees, and the titles on the cover and inside are written in gold colors. There is a single border at the top and bottom of the page, and boundary lines divide the columns. There are 15 characters in each column. Each page is folded five times, and at the folded places, the title of the book, volume and chapter are printed, apparently to allow for more efficient management of the books. The paper is made of mulberry, and is a high quality Korean paper that underwent a special process called dochim (smoothing layers of paper that have been pasted by beating them on a fulling block) so as to add luster and prevent the ink from spreading on the paper. At the end of volume 83 is an inscription that reads “the 49th year of the sexagenary cycle, the 31st year of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (1552)…” which appears to be a record of ownership since it could not be the date of print. The characters are in the calligraphic style of famous Chinese calligrapher Ouyang Xun, which was very popular in woodblock prints of the Song Dynasty. The strokes of the Chinese characters are clear and distinct suggesting that the books were printed at a relatively early period. These Buddhist scriptures are of significant historical value as they provide valuable information regarding Uicheon’s collection of Buddhist literature, and the cultural exchanges between the Song and Goryeo Dynasties and Japan.

(출처 : 문화재청 홈페이지)