The Tripitaka is the general name of a series of books compiled from Buddhist classics. It is an encyclopedia of Buddhism. It is not only a Buddhist book, but also an all-encompassing ancient book, involving philosophy, history, language, literature, art, astronomy, calendar, medicine, architecture and other fields. It has had a far-reaching impact on China and world culture.
The spread of Buddhism is accompanied by the translation and introduction of Buddhist scriptures, most of which were translated from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties. An Shigao, Kumarajiva, Xuanzang, Yijing, etc. are translators who have made outstanding contributions in this field, and they are also messengers to exchange Chinese and foreign cultures and friendship. With the increase in the number of translations and works, the collection and cataloging of China's translated Buddhist scriptures began around the second century AD ... During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty (AD 730), Zhisheng compiled the Records of Kaiyuan Buddhism, which was the first time that the works of China monks were popular in Tibet, and created a method of arranging characters with thousands of words. The spread of Buddhist classics stimulated the emergence, invention and continuous improvement of block printing. During the Kaibao period of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 97 1 ~ 983), China's first woodcut version of Kaibao of the Tripitaka was engraved and printed in Chengdu. It is based on the catalogue of Kaiyuan Buddhist Scriptures. For the first time, the thousand-word sequence is adopted, starting with the word "Tian" and ending with the word "English", with volumes * * * 480,5048 and scroll binding. This Buddhist tripitaka is probably the earliest and largest series in human history, with thousands of volumes and tens of millions of words in one compilation. I'm afraid there will never be an example before the second tenth century in the history of the world. The Grand Ceremony of Yongle was written from 1403 to 1407. It was compiled by Daoyan, a famous monk in the Ming Dynasty. It summarized all the contents of Chinese culture at that time and became the largest encyclopedia in the world. Influenced by it, it imitated the Buddhist Tripitaka.
In the first year of Yongxi in Song Taizong (984), "Kaibao" was introduced to Japan by shaman. Duangong period (988-989 AD) spread to North Korea. South Korea and Japan have also been reprinted, which directly and indirectly stimulated the publishing industry in both countries. With the spread of the Tripitaka, block printing also spread from China to foreign countries, and Buddhism became one of the main media of cultural and artistic communication at that time.
Since the Song, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the government and the people have invested huge manpower and material resources in editing and engraving the Tripitaka. 7 official editions, 7 private editions 10, 7 foreign China editions, 7 Korean 1 0, and 7 Japanese editions. Kaibao is the originator of all these versions of the Tripitaka. It is famous for its exquisite calligraphy and sculpture, and it is a fine product of the Song Dynasty. The editing, carving and printing of China Tripitaka is famous for its great works, numerous versions and long history. This is not only a feat of China, but also a feat in the history of world culture.
Among the existing versions of the Tripitaka in China, there are seven versions, namely the Shijing in Fangshan Yunju Temple, the Tibetan in Qidan, the Golden Tibetan in Zhaocheng, the Tibetan in Yuanguan, the Tibetan in Hongwu South, the Tibetan in Wulin and the Tibetan in Wan Li. There are three editions with less than 40 copies printed. Zhao Cang is a rare book with the largest collection at present, and it is also the only one left in the world. Basically, it is a copy of "Kaibao", and some of it is a copy of Liao and Tibetan and a square engraving of Liao and Tibetan. The binding is also scroll-style, with 23 lines in each edition and 14 words in each line. It retains many features of the Kaibao book version. In the case that the version of Kaibao book has long been lost, thousands of volumes of Kaibao book versions and the original appearance of Liao and Tibetan have been preserved, which has unparalleled value in edition and collation.
After careful selection, the editorial department of China Tripitaka decided to take Zhao Zang, a rare and isolated copy, as the base copy, photocopy it according to the thousand-word catalogue system of Zhao Zang, and re-edit China Tripitaka. According to the book Zhao Zang, this book is the first edition, which has not been seen by the editors of tripitaka at home and abroad. The newly compiled China Tripitaka is far beyond the reach of the previous generation. In this respect, Japan's Taisho Zang, which is now popular all over the world, cannot be compared with it. The newly compiled China Tripitaka will win glory for the motherland, which is not only a great event in China but also in the world cultural history.
Zhao Cang is clearly printed, with powerful fonts, and each volume has a beautiful picture of the Buddha's statement. Compared with the Buddhist scriptures in the Song Dynasty, its knife-cutting lines are bold, rigorous and vigorous. It is a precious specimen in the history of printing in China and a precious material for studying the history of block printing in China. From this, we can see the evolution of Buddhist book making in past dynasties, and also the relationship between Buddhist book collection and the level of flat water (Linfen) of gold plate at that time, especially the relationship between flat watermarks. It is a treasure house in the history of printing development, and it also occupies an important position in the history of edition bibliography and block printing in China.