Tripitaka Koreana

Tripiṭaka Koreana sutra page in 1371

Tripitaka storage

The name Goryeo Tripiṭaka comes from "Goryeo", the name of Korea from the 10th to the 14th centuries.

Work on the first Tripiṭaka Koreana began in 1011 during the Goryeo–Khitan War and was completed in 1087.[1] Choi's Goryeo Military Regime, which moved the capital to Ganghwa Island due to Mongol invasions, set up a temporary organization called "Daejang Dogam".

The act of carving the woodblocks was considered to be a way of bringing about a change in fortune by invoking the Buddha's help.[2][3] The first Tripiṭaka Koreana was based primarily on the Northern Song Tripiṭaka completed in the 10th century,[4][3] but other scriptures published until then, such as the Khitan Tripiṭaka, were also consulted in order to identify items in need of revision and adjustment.[1] The first Tripiṭaka Koreana contained around 6,000 volumes.[1]

The original set of woodblocks was destroyed by fire during the Mongol invasions of Korea in 1232, when Goryeo's capital was moved to Ganghwa Island during nearly three decades of Mongol incursions, although scattered parts of its prints still remain. To once again implore divine assistance with combating the Mongol threat, King Gojong thereafter ordered the revision and re-creation of the Tripiṭaka; the carving began in 1237 and was completed in 12 years,[5] with support from Choe U and his son Choe Hang,[6] and involving monks from both the Seon and Gyo schools. This second version is usually what is meant by the Tripiṭaka Koreana.[7] In 1398, it was moved to Haeinsa, where it has remained housed in four buildings.

The production of the Tripiṭaka Koreana was an enormous national commitment of money and manpower, according to Robert Buswell Jr., perhaps comparable to the US 1960s Apollo program Moon landings.[8] Thousands of scholars and craftsmen were employed in this massive project.[7]

^ a b c Park, Sang-jin (18 September 2014). Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 9781443867320. Retrieved 30 July 2016. ^ Turnbull. Page 41. ^ a b https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/24231/Hyun_washington_0250E_12384.pdf?sequence=1 p. 191. ^ Park, Jin Y. article "Buddhism in Korea" in Keown and Prebish 2010 : 451. ^ Cite error: The named reference UNESCO_PDF was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Park, Sang-jin (18 September 2014). Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 9781443867320. Retrieved 30 July 2016. ^ a b Buswell, Robert E. Jr.; Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (24 November 2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. pp. 442–443. ISBN 9781400848058. Retrieved 1 October 2016. ^ Bae, Ji-sook (3 September 2013). "Scholar suggests name change for Tripitaka Koreana". The Korea Herald. Herald Corporation. Retrieved 30 September 2016.