Daihokobutsu Kegonkyo (Avatamsaka Sutra), Volume 40

This is volume forty, also known as the chapter on the vows of Fugen (Samantabhadra Bodhisattva), of the Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra), translated by the Tripitika Master, Prajna, of the Tang dynasty. This chapter, which is also known as the chapter on entering the realm of the cosmic law, describes the religious quest of Sudhana (Zenzai Doji). The copy date of this volume is dated to the early to mid-Heian period. The inscription explaining the origin of this translation at the end of the volume is highly valuable in examining the history of translating sutras. Also, of interest is the addition of a separate piece of paper attached to the end, which indicates that the monk Dokaku of Toshodai-ji had three folding cases for this sutra made for his fellow monk, Gyonen, in 1340.

— Museum description: Kyoto National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.