Section of an unidentified sutra

Across many Asian cultures practicing Buddhism, sutras (sacred scriptures) are essential to promoting the religion. Copying sutras is a devotional act in Buddhism, and the writer makes progress toward enlightenment each time one is copied. They are sacred objects containing precious knowledge, and monks and nuns read them during rituals.

The sutras displayed here are written in Chinese. When the Japanese court adopted Buddhism in the mid-500s C. E. by way of China and Korea, Japanese Buddhists read sutras through Chinese translation. Since the 1400s, collectors have prized the beautiful calligraphy of the sutras, pasting fragments into albums as treasured objects, sometimes to preserve the undamaged parts.