Stele on Preserving the Dharma

CHINA; Tang dynasty

This inscription was written by monk Jingwan at Yunju Temple in Youzhou (present day Beijing). The original stone stele was broken into two sections, with the right section containing nine lines, and the second containing seven. Due to the prosecutions of Buddhism by Emperor Taiwu (reigned 423–452) of Northern Wei dynasty and Emperor Wu (reigned 560–578) of Northern Zhou dynasty, Jingwan was concerned about the loss of the Buddha’s teachings. He was determinedly committed to realize the aspiration of his teacher, Master Nanyue Huisi, which was to inscribe the Dharma onto stone, a material that would not be consumed by fire. This led to the historical creation of the Fangshan Stone Tablets, which took eras to complete. Jingwan elaborated in this stele on his desire that the tablets may serve as a preserved form of the sutras and withstand any future prosecutions as demonstrated by his words, “should there still be sutras in the secular world, these tablets shall remain sealed.”
The calligraphy of this stele inscription, with the frankness and vigor of Sui dynasty (581–618) steles, and the regularity of Tang dynasty (618–907) inscriptions, was carefully composed with a strict absence of any defiant pursuits. Strokes were opened such that the nuances could be visibly rendered. The work is considered a remarkable calligraphic composition.