Xianyan Temple Huiguang Pagoda: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

CHINA, Zhejiang, Rui’an; Northern Song dynasty

Excavated in 1966 from Huiguang Pagoda at Xianyan Temple in Rui’an, Zhejiang, this calligraphic work comprises a Vajrayana Buddhist sutra that describes its origin and the merits of chanting and transcribing this text. It further cites the benefits of building casket seal pagodas to enshrine the sutra, a meritorious effort that is equivalent to making offerings to the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future. For this reason the manuscript was kept and placed inside a sutra container.
The scroll is written in clear brushstrokes. Each character is wider than it is tall, and although it is written in regular script, the work assumes a composition that typifies works in clerical style. A restrained and controlled style is evident in the lack of dramatic variations, as well as in the orderly execution, which shows traits of simplicity. The meticulously scripted work could be mistaken as a print if it were not for intermittent traces of human touches.