Sutra on the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching

CHINA; Southern Song dynasty

Written by Zhang Jizhi when he was 70 years old, this sutra was originally produced as an accordion-fold book. It was later rebound as a scroll. There are 2350 characters, divided equally into 235 lines of 10 characters each. Zhang Jizhi was a pious Buddhist in his later years, and he was fond of copying sutra manuscripts. This scroll is one of the famous small regular manuscripts that Zhang wrote.
The Sutra on the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching describes the Buddha giving final instructions to his disciples just before entering parinirvana. It mentions the Buddha’s advice for all to regard the vinaya, or monastic code, to strive for salvation with diligence, and to guard against anger, pride, and other such detrimental states of mind. This sutra is referred to as one of the three scriptures collectively known as the Three Sutras of the Buddha and Patriarchs; the other two are the Sutra in Forty-Two Sections, and Admonitions by the Weishan Master.
Zhang Jizhi, also known as Wenfu or Chuliao, was a renowned calligrapher of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). His use of brush and character structure is often regarded as a cross between that of Chu Suiliang and Ouyang Xun, marked by a liberal style with accentuated and rhythmic strokes. There is clarity in the pauses, sweeps, and turns, as well as vigor and smoothness in the line work in this particular piece. Variety is found within the orderly layout, and a subtle form of running script style underlies the regular script. This sutra manuscript has a refined and uninhibited sense, which makes it one of Zhang’s best works during his later years.