Transcription of Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Garland Sutra), Zhou Version, in Silver on Indigo Paper, Volume 37

Daebanggwangbul hwaeomgyeong, which is also abbreviated to Hwaeomgyeong (Avatamsaka Sutra), contains the central idea that Buddha and all creatures are one, rather than many. The Avatamsaka Sutra, as the basic sutra of the Hwaeom Order of Korean Buddhism, was one of the most influential sutras in the establishment of Korean Buddhism along with the Lotus Sutra. This book, which is preserved as a part of volume 37 of the sutra, was transcribed from volume 80 of the Zhou version of the Avatamsaka Sutra translated by Siksananda of the Tang Dynasty. The book, which consists of text and pictures, was produced in gold and silver powders on indigo paper. It is folding screen type of book measuring 30.5 cm by 15.2 cm when folded. The cover, which is decorated with gold and silver flower designs, features a title written in gold, with the letter 'zhou’ (周), indicating that it is the Zhou Version, engraved at the end. The illustration, which summarizes the contents of the sutra in pictorial form, appears at the beginning of the book, while the content of the sutra is written in silver inside the golden frame. Although it cannot be said with any exactitude when this book was made or by whom, it is estimated to have been printed sometime in the 14th century during the Goryeo Dynasty, judging from the mode of decoration and the formality of the sutra.