Qianfu Temple Prabhutaratna Pagoda: Stele

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Tang dynasty

The text of this stele was composed by Cen Xun, scripted by Tang dynasty (618–907) calligrapher, Yan Zhenqing, and inscribed onto stone by Shi Hua. Xu Hao wrote the heading. The stele, with 34 lines of 66 characters each, describes Master Chujin reciting the Lotus Sutra late one night when the Prabhutaratna Pagoda suddenly appeared before him as he reached the “Chapter on the Emergence of the Prabhutaratna Pagoda.” Master Chujin vowed upon seeing this wondrous sight to build a pagoda as an offering. During construction, he wrote 1,000 copies of the Lotus Sutra. The stele provides important historical background for understanding the significance of the Lotus Sutra.
The characters are composed with even strokes; horizontal strokes are thin, while vertical strokes are bold. The entire piece is strong, graceful, and delicate. Many calligraphic scholars regarded this stele as an important reference for learning Yan Zhenqing’s style. It is also one of the rare pieces of Yan’s works with a Buddhist context.
Yan Zhenqing was a Tang dynasty calligrapher also known by the style name of Qingchen. He was born in Wannian (present day Xi’an, Shaanxi). Yan began learning calligraphy from Chu Suiliang, and later from Zhang Xu. He eventually developed his own style, popularly referred to as Yan style. Yan is regarded as a reformer of Tang dynasty calligraphy by later generations.