Farfel Notebook 03: Leaves 135-222

156 August 1983 J. S. Edgren, Carmel $35.00 For chi ching sutra, dated 1090. Chinese - Sung Printing. Tung - Ch'An - Ssu edition (Fu - chou A) Format: 6 columns of 17 characters to the page, 30 col. to the sheet Border: single 23.9x11.2cm coarse paper. Single page from accordian binding.

The Two Sungs 960-1279 Northern 960-1126 - captial Pien-liang (modern K'ai-feng) Southern 1127-1279 - capital Hangchow (Lin'an) -Later in the 11th C., a new version of the Buddhist scriptures was printed in Fa-chou in Fukien, + was made up into accordian folds to make reading + reference easier. This new ed. reminds that Fukien province, until the 9th C a thinly peopled cultural backwater, was rapidly developing into a major literary center during the 10+11th C. It was to become one of the most important centres of Chinese printing during Sung Times. - The oracle bone inscriptions of bronze age China dated to the period ca 1200-1050 BC. are documents unique in history. These devination records establish the Chinese of the Shang dynasty as the 1st fully literate civilization east of the Indus Calley, the 1st uses of script whcih has characterized the writing of China + much of the far east even since, + the 1st Chinese people of whom a true history may be written. - The earliest extant Chinese writing dates from teh 13th C. BC - bones + shell inscriptions that record royal divinations (oracle bone) - brush written on ceramic fragments - cast bronze inscriptions - late Sheng (13-11 BC) western Chou (10-11 BC) B.M. - The concentina form of the colume illustrates an intermediate stage in the development of the Chinese book between the MSS scroll + the classic thread bound form of binding.

Hangzhou - the main printing centra in Sung times.

Shakyamuni - the historical Buddah - India 563-483 BCE. The major Mahayena Sutras (Scriptures) were composed from the 1st C BCE through the 4th C CE charms - dharani Lohans - worthy ones or perfected saints

Buddhism 1) Mahayana or Great Vehicle - so named because its goal is to carry all beings across the ocean of suffering to salvation. 2) Tantric or esoteric whose teachings are concealed from ordinary believers Chan (Zen) Buddhism - emphasized the practice of meditation. Bodhisattva - the ideal figure - beloved above all - Avalokiteshvara, known in chinese as Guanyin

Chinese seals quality of the stone carving of the "knob" (usually an animal) design of the legend

Chinese inks - composed of pinesoot + animal glue molded into cakes, ground against an inkstone to which water was added. Fine ink making reached its zenith during the late Ming dynasty Laufer (1931) - China - printing from wooden blocks - initial stages 6th + 7th C. Under the Sung dynasty - an enormous output of literature + corresponding advance in the art of printing

157 Aug. 1983 J.S. Edgren, Carmel. $30.00 A han ching sutra, with 13-14C. Chinese -Yuan dynasty. (dating is based on the paper + printing - it is most litely a privately printed work.) Format: 6 columns of 17 characters to the page Border: Single 24.8x11.2cm. Fine paper. Single page from accordian binding.

Yuan dynasty 1279-1368

THe Buddhist printing of the Tripitake began only a decade after the Sung dynasty was founded in 960 AD. By the end of the dynasty in 1279 5 different ed. had been printed + a 6th was underway. This last one which would be completed in about 1321 during the Yuan dynasty was the Chi-sha ed.

In the Yuan dynasty the Mongol emperors of China actively patronized the printing of Sutras.

Buddhists were the 1st major patrons of printing Lotas Sutra - 28 chapters Guanyin Sutra - (Ming, 1423) unlike other Sutras was fully illustrated. yuzhi - imperial made. Beizang (Northern Tripitaka.) Khubilai Khan (N. 1260-94) proclaimed the new dynastic title Yuan (begining) for his rule. For the first time China was completely subjugated by foreign conquerors + became part of the vast Mongol empire - capital Ta-tu (Peking) Ming 1368-1644 - 1st captial, Nankung (it moved to Peking in 1421.)

158 Aug. 1983 J. S. Edgren, Carmel $20.00 Ta po jo ching (Japanese, Daihannya kyo) sutrs. See #433 dated 1225-1227. (early Kamakura, Karoku - 1225-27 period, Kasuga edition. Format: 3 columns of 17 characters. Border: none. fine paper 26.8x5.8cm. Paper composed of mulberry + gampi fibers + dyed yellow Printing was 1st used in Japan in connection with Buddhism + the "Hyakumanto [inserted] the million charms of Empress Shotoku (770) [end inserted] druani" est. a pattern which continued maltered wntil the last decade of the 16th C. Up to that time no book was printed outside a temple + very few books not related to Buddhism were produced at all. Buddhist printing before the late 16th C can be divided into 3 categories according to the location of the temples: books printed in Nara temples, known as Nara-han; those printed in the Kyoto temples, known as Kyoraku-han; + those printed in provincal regions outside those 2 cities which were of much less importance The single greatest achievement of Kofuku-ji printing (one of the "6 temples" of Nara) in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), regarded by some as the greatest achievement in the whole of kamakura period was the Daihanuya-kyo, or Prajnaparamita-sutra. This huge text was originally translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Hsuan-tsang *(659) [inserted] *the most famous + prolific of Chinese monks who engaged in the translation of the Buddhist canon. [end inserted] and became one of the basic Buddhist texts both in China + Japan. not illustrated The ecact circumstances surrounding the decision to print this work in 600 markin *roll chapter) are not known, but some idea of when it was done can be gauged from the dates printed at the ends of maki 34, 35, 46, 53 + 100. These aspan the years 1223 to 27 + since 4 of the five dates fall within the Karoku gra (1225-27) this ed. of the Daihannya-kyo is usually known as the Karoku-ban Diahannya-kyo. It is certainly a superb example of the printer's art, with the fet black sumi (Indian ink) text printed on paper composed of mulberry + gampi dibers + dyed yello. Like the Shinjo-ban ed. of the Hokke-kyo, this printing of the Daihannya-kyo est. a standard text, which was used throughout the Kamakura period + beyond. It seems fairly certain that the blocks for the Karaku-ban

Edo period (1603-1868)

edition were stored for reprinting copies of the work as needed, which has resulted in there being more copies of some maki than others. The Nambokucho period (1333-92) + the Manomachi period (1392-1603) saw the decline + eventual collapse of Nara printing, almoost certailny occasioned by the learning importance of Nara itself + of the Buddhist sects with headquarters there. There is considerable evidence of printing actively during both periods but some temples active in the Kamekura period seem to have been less so in successive periods. however, Kofuku-ji still continued to be leading printing temple in the Nambokucho + Muromachi periods. -The story of printing in Kyoto from the beginning of the Kamekura period to 1590 is confusing due to the involvement of so many different temples + so many types of Buddhist works. One factor common to both Nara + Kyoto printing until the introduction of moveable type in 1590 is that printing was confined to Buddhist works + was never regarded as a commercial undertaking. - Kesuga-ban - originally this term referred to books that were printed at Kofuku-ji in Nara + then dedicated at the Kasuga shrine the family shrine of the Fujiwara family. Strictly speaking, it should only be used in connection with books that were printed at Kofuku-ji, but it has come to be used for any book or scroll printed in a Nara temple during the Hean (794-1185), Kamakura + Muromachi periods. -The Kamakura period marks the golden age of Nara printing, for the doctrinal revival of Nara Buddhism during that time was accompanied by the best + most prolific period of Nara printing. The Typical Nara-han work was printed on the hightest quality paper (almost invariably made from gampi or mulberry fibers) with the characters reproduced in bold black sumi ink Decoration with gold or silver leaf either on the printing frames or in the margins surrounding the text is not uncommon. Illustrations, while not unknown are very rare. Diamond Sutra Heart of Wisdom Sutra - a brief condensation of the* a work in 600 chapters on the nature of prajna or wisdom; one of the most important metaphysical texts of early Mahayana Buddhism, of ten recited in the Japanese Shung on + Zen sects. * philosophy expressed in the Diamond Sutra.