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Sutra with Illustrations | MS 2595

SUTRA WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

MS 2595
MS Short Title SUTRA WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Text ZHUFO SHIZUN RULAI PUSA ZUNZHE SHENSENG MING JING
Description Blockprint in Chinese on paper, China, 1417, 446 pp. (complete), stitched format (jingzhe zhuang), 52x27 cm, 16 columns, (29x18 cm), 30 characters in Chinese book script, Gongchi notation of music, decorated title page, 3 full-page illustrations, the frontispiece depicts Buddha preaching to Bodhisattvas, arhats and guardian deities, 2 prominent disciples, Ananda and Kasyapa flanking him, following the frontispiece is a stele containing a praise of Buddha.
Binding China, 1417, stitched on 3 thick paper thongs through 3 double stations.
Context MS 2596 is the same sutra.
Provenance 1. Ekky Chung collection, Indonesia/Beverly Hills, California (-1997); 2. Sam Fogg, London.
Commentary

This sutra contains the names of various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats and famous patriarchs. It is believed that by chanting their names, the devotees will be blessed by those deities. The devotees should also recite the text while practising meditation, because it would help them to speculate about the images behind those names.

At the end is a very detailed portrait of the guardian deity Weituotian. According to the quality of the illustrations and carving of the text, it has probably been commissioned by the emperor or one of the royals.
Place of origin China
Dates 1417 AD