Collect the Diamond Sutra written by Wang Xizhi

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-12-01
Features: This book is one of the classics of Chinese stele and rubbing collections. It includes the complete text of the Tang Dynasty inscription "Collecting Wang Xizhi's Calligraphy for the Diamond Sutra." The book is printed with exquisite craftsmanship, effectively reproducing the spiritual essence of the original work, making it an excellent model for calligraphy enthusiasts learning running script. The "Diamond Sutra" is an important Buddhist scripture. This scripture has been translated six times, each with variations. In the first year of the Dahe era (827), Yang compiled and edited it, naming it "New Collection of the Diamond Sutra of Perfection of Wisdom," and wrote a preface. In the fourth year of the Dahe era, it was presented to the emperor, and Emperor Liang of the Tang Dynasty ordered the collection of five styles of calligraphy to carve it into stone. The project was completed in the spring of the sixth year of the Dahe era. Wang Xizhi's running script is characterized by its harmony, simplicity, tranquility, and natural elegance, deeply loved by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. In the early years of the Zhenguan era, an edict was issued to collect Wang Xizhi's authentic works with gold and silk from the imperial treasury. Subsequently, emperors of the Tang Dynasty also admired Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, leading to a flourishing trend of collecting and carving his characters into stone. Notable examples include the "Huairen Collecting Wang Youjun's Calligraphy for the Three Baskets Holy Teaching Order" carved in the third year of the Xianheng era and the "Tang Xingfu Temple Stele" carved in the ninth year of the Kaiyuan era. The "Collecting Wang Xizhi's Calligraphy for the Diamond Sutra" is another important stele carved with Wang Xizhi's characters, following these two. The original stone carving was located at Xingtang Temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi, but the temple was destroyed and the stone lost, leaving few fine rubbings in circulation. This edition is a Song Dynasty rubbing, with ink color as fresh as new and sharp edges still visible, preserving the essence of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy relatively intact. It is now published in a photolithographic edition to delight.