Yogacarabhumi Sastra - Fascicle 32

KOREA; Goryeo dynasty

The first edition of the Tripitaka Koreana was printed in the year 1011 of the Goryeo dynasty, a time that coincided with the start of the Second Goryeo-Khitan War. It was believed that seeking the Buddha’s blessings would help protect the people and defeat the enemy. Completed in 1087, the Tripitaka was considered an exemplary achievement in early Korean printing. This copy of the 32nd fascicle of the Yogacarabhumi Sastra, also known as Discourse on the Stages of Yogic Practice, is one of the rare extant works from this collection. The scroll was listed as National Treasure No. 272 in 1992.
The calligraphy is square, upright, and orderly; and strokes appear relatively thin and energetic, without rounding out on the edges and corners. The overall character form exhibits a great likeness to the Tang regular script, which proved to be an ideal script for readability when printed on paper.