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A Buddhist monk inspects a woodblock of Tripitaka Koreana, a national treasures of Korea and a UNESCO Cultural Heritage, at Haein Temple, South Gyeongsang Province. / Yonhap |
By Choi Yearn-hong
Contributing writer
I visited the Haein Temple on Mt. Kaya in the southeastern part of Korea, a 1,000-year-old monastery, where I rediscovered the value of the Tripitaka Koreana, one of the National Treasures of Korea registered as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage.
Tripitaka is a Sanskrit word meaning ``three baskets'' that contains the Buddha's teachings, his disciplines' interpretations of his teaching, and the scholars' interpretations and commentaries on the Buddha's teaching. This is comparable to the Bible to the Christian people. The Tripitaka Koreana, consisting of more than 80,000 woodblocks, was made in 1251. There were many versions of the Tripitaka from India, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan and Japan, but the Tripitaka Koreana has been the most complete and comprehensive of the ``three baskets'' and the best preserved over the years. This article is searching for the answers as to why the Tripitaka Koreana is a valuable UNESCO designated heritage for mankind, and how it has been preserved.
This valuable Tripitaka has been housed in the Haein Temple and two wooden houses and two small auxiliary houses there are also registered as a UNESCO heritage. At first, the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks were stored on Ganghwa Island, near Seoul. Since 1398, they have been kept in the Haein Temple, which was considered as an ideal place to store them, because it was deep in the south of Korea, beyond the reach of enemy forces invading from the north and south.
The depository houses have 108 columns, which symbolize Buddhists' 108 torments. By placing the words of Buddha within a house of torments, they show that enlightenment exists within them. While the buildings are well known for their simple yet picturesque appearance, the most important feature is their design. This design has ensured the long-term preservation of the Tripitaka woodblocks by maintaining good ventilation, appropriate humidity levels, and an ideal temperature inside the mountain house.
According to studies by modern scientists, the atmosphere inside the building remains at a relatively constant temperature (varying on average by 2 degrees Celsius), although it is a large wooden building (1,204 square meters) without air conditioning or heating. Even when the outdoor temperature varies by more than 10 degrees, the temperature inside does not change by more than 5 degrees. The depositories deserve to be studied by modern scientists.
The depository complex rests on a granite foundation, and there is nothing apparently remarkable about the buildings themselves other than the two wooden latticework windows which are inset into each wall. These wooden windows hold the secret of preserving the Tripitaka woodblocks. Each wall has an upper and lower window, but they are different in size. In the southern building, the lower windows of the front wall are four times larger than the upper windows. The upper windows of the back wall are 1.5 times larger than the lower windows. In the northern building, the lower windows of the front wall are 4.6 times larger than the upper windows. The upper windows on the back wall are 1.5 times larger than the upper windows.
These precise ratios demonstrate that the depository houses were built with an understanding of airflow and its effect on storage conditions. The arrangement of the windows described above makes it possible to maximize the natural flow of air. Thanks to the design, fresh air flows naturally through the larger window, and fully circulates within the building before being let out through the windows on the opposite side. The depository was built with mud walls and floors. These moderate the temperature during the hot summer and control humidity. Beneath the mud floors of the depository chambers, the scientists found several layers of charcoal, salt and limestone. These absorb excess moisture during the monsoon season, and release it during the dry winter when humidity levels fall.
The shelves on which the blocks are stored are made of thick, solid, squared lumber. The woodblocks were placed on the shelves like books, but in two layers, one on top of the other. Since the shelves were thicker than the woodblocks themselves, the flow of air was naturally possible when they were stored vertically, again helping to control humidity and temperature. The excellent condition of the Tripitaka is something of a challenge to modern science. Although the entire building is constructed with environmentally friendly materials, it serves its purpose better than any modern building.
In the 1960s, former President Park Chung-hee ordered a new modern building to store the Tripitaka in order to avoid possible fire damage, but the building failed, because fungi began to infest the woodblocks. The 13th century building is evaluated as more suitable to store the Tripitaka, the national treasure. No insect and animals have invaded the Tripitaka. This is a miracle to many Korean people. There were so many wars in the nation and seven major fires in the temple, but the Tripitaka has been safe from such disasters.
Making the Tripitaka itself was a miracle. It weighs 280 tons. Each block is roughly 4 centimeters thick. If they were piled up, they would reach a height of 3,200 meters, higher than the highest mountain in Korea, Mt. Baekdu at 2,744 meter. There are 52,382,960 characters engraved on the woodblocks. If one read the Tripitaka at a rate of four to five thousand characters a day, it would take 30 years to complete.
The Tripitaka Koreana could be considered the finest engraving of the finest calligraphy. The beauty of the characters engraved on the woodblocks far exceeds that of later Tripitakas produced in the 17th and 18th centuries. There must have been more than 30 engravers, but their calligraphies were the same style as if they were one person. The making of the Tripitaka required 16 years. To make the woodblocks, the Korea people chose trees, at least 50 to 60 years old, and cut them into logs during wintertime. Logs that are cut during winter are denser and don't easily become warped. In order to help the wood retain its shape and to prevent decay, the logs then underwent a long and complex treatment process.
First, they were kept in seawater for three years to remove every trace of resin. They were then cut into equal lengths and boiled in salt water. The salt water prevented insect infestations and mold, and also distributed moisture evenly throughout the wood. They were then dried in a well-ventilated enclosure for another three years. Once they were completely dry, the woodblocks were sanded and their surfaces made smooth. After this lengthy process, the engravers began to inscribe the Tripitaka scriptures on the surface of the wood. Because of their devotion, there were no mistaken or missing letters in the Tripitaka Koreana. Such a feat is rare in the history of woodblock printing, and can almost be regarded as a miracle.
Once the engraving was done, lacquer was applied to the woodblocks. Lacquer not only repels insects, but also resists water and chemicals. Since it adheres strongly to the wood, it served an important function in protecting the Tripitaka woodblocks.
Finally, rectangular wooden bars were added to both sides of the woodblocks to prevent warping, and the four corners were decorated with copper fittings. Modern scientists were surprised to discover that the copper used to decorate the woodblocks was 99.6 percent pure. Technology capable of refining metals to such a degree must have been rare in the 13th century. Even the nails, which were used to attach these copper fittings, were pure to 94.5 percent to 96.8 percent. Made with low-carbon steel, they included 0.33 percent to 0.38 percent manganese, and hardly any of them have rusted.
Rediscovering the value of the 13th-century Tripitaka was a wonder to me. Korea has discovered the world's oldest woodblock print in a pagoda at another UNESCO registered building, Bulguk Temple, Gyeongju, which was founded in 751. Korea has also the first movable metal type printing 200 years before the first European printing press by Gutenberg in 1455. No wonder! There is an old tradition of printing in Korea.
In 2000, after nine years of work, digitalization of the Tripitaka was completed. A project to convert the woodblock to copperplate is going on right now. Copperplate may last 10,000 years.
I am still wondering about the name Haein Temple. Hae means sea and In means seal. Haein is a word in Hwaeomgyeong, the Avatamska Sutra, one of the Buddhist scriptures. Haein means: After the stormy sea, the sea seals or reflects the peace of the world. Naming of the temple in the ninth century was and still is most poetic.
Modern travelers can reach this temple from Seoul by fast train to Daegu in one-and-a-half hours and then one-and-a-half hours by public bus from Daegu to the temple on the country road. You will see towns and counties in South Korea. If you travel to Korea, please visit this temple, Haein. You will see the peaceful silence of the sea after a storm. Returning to the Silla Kingdom and the Goryeo Kingdom, back more than 1,000 years, is another valuable journey to Korea, once a hermit kingdom.
The writer is a Korean-American poet and essayist.
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