With the development of the Research Institute of the Tripitaka Koreana Knowledgebase, anyone can now read the original text of the Tripitaka Koreana and search for related resources on the institute's website.
Ultimately, the grand digitalization project of the Tripitaka Koreana all began with the intellectual passion of a single individual. It has since transcended a single person, and even the world of Buddhism, to become a heritage of all people. But had Venerable Jongnim’s dream not endured, this undertaking would never have even been started.
Choe U, his son Choe Hang, and his brother-in-law Jeong An were financiers who privately funded the second edition of the Tripitaka Koreana. When Venerable Jongnim undertook the project to digitalize the Tripitaka, Venerable Songdam of Incheon simply stated: “This is the sole task of the Buddhist community of this era.” Buddhist believers raised 1 billion won for the project, the largestever fund-raising event for the Korean Buddhist community. Samsung Electronics, the Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and other organizations contributed to the project, but the donations from those who respected Venerable Jongnim and his work played a vital role as well. There are a dozen or so records from the Joseon period regarding the printing of the Tripitaka, a labor-intensive enterprise that required the printing and binding of over 6,000 volumes to complete one set. Hence, such endeavors were in large part led by the royal family or senior Buddhist monks. Although Joseon society abided by a strict Confucian order, King Taejo, King Sejong, and King Sejo all contributed to these efforts as a way of appealing to the Buddha to bless the nation, the people, and the royal family.
Those Who Have Contributed So Much While viewing the digitized Tripitaka Koreana on the computer screen, my mind was filled with thoughts of the many people who had contributed so much to this effort, in terms of initiating projects, arranging for financing, and overseeing the production process. Uicheon was a prince who became a monk at the age of 10. From his journeys to the Song Dynasty, Liao Dynasty, Japan, and Okinawa, he returned home with some 4,700 Buddhist commentaries, which were published as three woodblock print volumes, titled “Gyojang chongnok .” This was a huge task that neither China nor Japan had even considered tackling at the time. The monk Sugi, of Gaetae Temple in Gaeseong, edited the second edition of the Tripitaka Koreana by comparing it with the existing first edition prints, Liao “…I would not hesitate to call this the digital prints, Song prints, and Buddhist scriptures he had gathered himself, correcting mistakes and rectifying collection of the 21st century, following the four historical omissions in some 60 sutras. Thanks to this editing work, the Tripitaka Koreana became the most perfect collections after the passing of the Buddha.” collection of Buddhist scriptures, and the manuscript with the fewest errors, revealing the high standards of Goryeo Buddhist studies and print culture. Monk Sugi Lady Shin, the wife of King Yeonsangun, had three sets of the also left behind 10 volumes that record his editorial and proofreadTripitaka printed for her husband who was a notorious tyrant, while ing processes. the queen dowagers Insu and Inhye, during the time of King Seong“Venerable Sugi’s records were the first writings to set down an jong, led projects to renovate the Tripitaka repository. King Gojong independent system for proofreading, over 200 years before Erasprinted the Tripitaka at his own expense and preserved the prints at mus did the same for the Christian scriptures in the West,” noted Jeongyang Temple on Mt. Geumgang (Diamond Mountains), while Venerable Jongnim. Queen Eom and Lady Im helped to clean and maintain the woodA woodblock from these records was displayed in the Tripitaka blocks. Special Exhibition held at the Central Buddhist Museum, located More recently, 12 sets of rubbings were made at Haein Temple in Seoul’s Jogye Temple. Although a rather ordinary woodblock in 1963, of which a set of over 6,000 volumes has been stored on the blackened with ink and featuring Chinese characters carved in second floor of Sudarajang (Storage of Sutra), one of the two Tripireverse, it seemed to be infused with the noble spirit of monk taka repository buildings, where you can see these volumes from Sugi. Venerable Sungahn, director of the Preservation Departthe outside through a window. ment at Haein Temple, said of Sugi: “When I think of him, I feel a thrill in my heart.” K o r e a n a ı W i n t e r 2 0 11
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