Avatamsaka sutra: Did you mean...?

A sutra (Sanskrit for “thread”) is a written work in the belief systems of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism which is understood to accurately preserve important teachings of the respective faiths and guide an adherent on the path from ignorance...

The frontispiece in gold and silver of the Avatamsaka sutra showing a scene in paradise. Goryeo Dynasty, Korea, mid-14th century CE. (Ho-Am Art Museum)

Perfection of Wisdom is the foundational text of the Mahayana Buddhist school, a kind of anthology of works, thematically linked, composed between c. 50 BCE - c. 600 CE in India by Mahayana Buddhist scribes. It is comprised of 38 sutras (defined...

A Sanskrit manuscript copy of the Heart Sutra at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Mahayana Buddhism is the largest Buddhist sect in the world, and its beliefs and practices are what most non-adherents recognize as "Buddhism" in the modern era. It developed as a school of thought sometime after 383 BCE, possibly from the...

The Buddhist text known as the Diamond Sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world, dated to 868 CE and written in Chinese. This work is one of the most important works of the Buddhist tradition.

This is one of 60 scrolls from a transcription of the "Avatamsaka Sutra." Ruled lines in gold pigment segment the paper, which is decorated with flakes of god. At some point, the top and bottom of this scroll were burnt in a fire with the...

This clay tablet with sutra inscriptions was excavated at Komachizuka Sutra Mound in Tanga, which is located in Mie prefecture, Japan. It dates to 1174 CE (Jo'an 4). Important cultural property. (Tokyo National Museum)

A clay tablet carrying a sutra inscription. From Komachizuka Sutra Mound, Tanga, Uraguchi-cho, Ise-she, Mie, Japan. Heian Period, dated 1174 CE. Important Cultural Property. (Tokyo National Museum)

The Goryeo (Koryo) kingdom ruled ancient Korea from 918 CE to 1392 CE, and it oversaw a flourishing of the arts, literature, and architecture. One of these developments was the production of finely crafted illuminated Buddhist texts. Painted...