A set of Buddhist scriptures, published at the order of an ancient Chinese emperor 260 years ago, is on exhibition in Beijing from Monday.
The set of scriptures is the only existing complete set of the Titanic Tripitaka of Qianlong (an emperor of Qing Dynasty) Edition. Published in 1739, the tripitaka consists of 7,245 volumes (directory included) and a collection of 1,625 Buddhist works.
It is the most luxurious edition among all tripitaka published in ancient Chinese history.
The tripitaka was discovered in Baita Temple (White Pagoda Temple) in Beijing in 1978 when the temple was under reparation.
Tripitaka is considered the encyclopedia of Buddhist culture, as its contents cover fields of philosophy, history, nationalities, linguistics, literature, architecture, astronomy and medicine.
China now has the tripitaka published in different dynasties and different languages. The tripitaka on exhibition is in Chinese.
(People’s Daily)
