Great Dhāraṇī Sūtra of Immaculate Pure Light (Mugu chŏnggwang tae tarani kyŏng, Wugou jingguang da tuoluoni jing,無垢淨光大陁羅尼經). Facsimile.

Great Dhāraṇī Sūtra of Immaculate Pure Light (Mugu chŏnggwang tae tarani kyŏng, Wugou jingguang da tuoluoni jing,無垢淨光大陁羅尼經). Facsimile.

Seoul:

Dongguk University,

[1986].

Gift of Xia Wei and Soren Edgren.

Likely the earliest extant printed work in the world, the Great Dhāraṇī Sūtra of Immaculate Pure Light was discovered inside the Sŏkkat’ap (Śākyamuni Pagoda) at Pulguksa Temple, Kyŏngju, in 1966. The scroll contains sacred Buddhist recitations intended to promote purification and protection. Almost certainly printed before 751, it was not intended for reading, but for incorporation within the sanctified structure of the stone pagoda. Circumambulating the pagoda would have conferred merit—a practice continued in Buddhist temples today.

From the collection of Rare Book School