Upasakasila Sutra - Fascicle 10

CHINA; Sui dynasty

Ying Weizhen handwrote this sutra fascicle consisting of 9 pages with 246 lines, and each line is composed of 17 to 20 characters. The text corresponds with the 7th fascicle, as denoted at the end of the sutra. The Upasakasila Sutra is also known as the Sujata Sutra, and was improved from the Dirgha Agama and Madhyama Agama before being compiled as a Mahayana scripture. The text describes Elder Sujata conducting the ceremony of refuge in the Triple Gem and the Five Precepts for upasakas, or lay practitioners.
Each character of the fluidly executed running script commences with a sharp tip stroke and is finished with a balanced, orderly, and elegant body. Interesting variations can be found in this meticulous work, where a gradual tendency towards regular script is apparent. Occasional hints of clerical script are observed in the short “na” (right-falling) diagonal strokes, with which the characters terminate.