Ruiguang Temple Pagoda: Frontispiece of the Lotus Sutra

CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou; Tang dynasty to Five Dynasties

This frontispiece of the Lotus Sutra was discovered in the Heavenly Palace on the third story of the Ruiguang Temple Pagoda in 1978. The seven fascicles of the Lotus Sutra were written in gold on indigo-blue paper, wrapped in a bamboo-woven book cover, and stored inside a sutra container lacquered in black and inlaid with shells. At the end of the seventh fascicle, an inscription dates the sutra to 956 and states that it was commissioned by Zhu Cheng’en. The outer cover of the scroll is decorated with a gilded peony pattern. This frontispiece can be seen after opening up the cover. It depicts the Buddha sitting on a lotus throne, teaching the Dharma to Bodhisattvas, disciples, Heavenly Kings, and attendants.