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Book/Printed Material Jin gang ban ruo bo luo mi jing 金剛般若波羅蜜經

About this Item

Title

  • Jin gang ban ruo bo luo mi jing

Other Title

  • 金剛般若波羅蜜經

Translated Title

  • Diamond Prajna Paramita Sutra

Summary

  • This complete scroll from the first year of the Yifeng era (676) of the Tang dynasty was unearthed in Dunhuang, China. The scroll contains the Diamond Prajna pāramitā sutra, a work that is an important sacred text in the prajñā line of Mahayana Buddhism as well as a foundational text in Chinese Chan (Japanese Zen) Buddhism. The text was transmitted to China in the Period of Southern and Northern Courts in many translations, but the translation by Kumārajīva is the most respected. For generations, it was felt that reciting the Diamond prajna pāramitā sutra would confer limitless merit. People competed in copying it and printing it, with the result that it enjoyed very wide circulation. Prajñā means wisdom; pāramitā means to cross over from this shore of births and deaths to the shore of enlightenment; "diamond" signifies the firmness and keenness of one's wisdom. The general message of the sutra is that if one is as firm and keen as a diamond in one's understanding, one can put an end to all anguish and attachments. This scroll, collated by the Palace Library and completed by imperial order by officials of the Palace Administration, is a typical Tang dynasty court manuscript. The empress Wu Zetian (624-705) commanded the copying of the Lotus Sutra and the Diamond prajna pāramitā sutra upon the death of her mother.

Names

  • Liu, Honggui Calligrapher

Created / Published

  • Xi'an, Shaanxi Sheng : Wu Zetian, 0676.

Headings

  • -  China--Shaanxi Province--Xi'an
  • -  676
  • -  Buddhism
  • -  Tang dynasty, 618-907

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: One scroll, 457.3 x 25.7 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of China.
  • -  Content in Chinese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
  • -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Dunhuang Collection

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667421

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Liu, Honggui Calligrapher. Jin Gang Ban Ruo Bo Luo MI Jing. Xi'an, Shaanxi Sheng: Wu Zetian, 0676. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667421/.

APA citation style:

Liu, H. C. (0676) Jin Gang Ban Ruo Bo Luo MI Jing. Xi'an, Shaanxi Sheng: Wu Zetian. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667421/.

MLA citation style:

Liu, Honggui Calligrapher. Jin Gang Ban Ruo Bo Luo MI Jing. Xi'an, Shaanxi Sheng: Wu Zetian, 0676. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667421/>.