Saptasatika Prajnaparamita Sutra Stele

CHINA; Northern Qi dynasty

This undated stele, consisting of 10 lines of 30 characters, is engraved on Shuiniushan (Buffalo Mountain) in Shandong. Devout Buddhists were thought to have inscribed it. A four-character title at the top reads Saptasatika Prajnaparamita Sutra, which is a scripture that describes the essence of practicing ekavyuha-samadhi, and explains the connection between the mind and Buddha nature. Qing dynasty (1644–1911) scholar, Bao Shichen, deduced that this stele was inscribed during the Western Jin dynasty (265–316). Liang Qichao, on the other hand, believed that it was created during the same period as the Taishan Cliff Carvings. As the brushwork is broad and rounded with a touch of clerical script, it resembles the style of the Diamond Sutra at the Taishan Cliff Carvings. This stele is most likely a Northern Qi (550–577) inscription based on this observation.