Fragment of Vol. 157 of Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom (Mahaprajnaparamita sutra; Daihannyaharamittakyō) 大般若波羅蜜多経巻第一百五十七

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This accordion-style book is one volume of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, a foundational Mahayana Buddhist scripture. The six-hundred-volume version that circulated in East Asia was translated into Chinese by the scholar-monk Xuanzang (602–664). The image that opens this sutra shows the Buddha and his attendant bodhisattvas at center surrounded by a host of disparate figures. Xuanzang himself (carrying a large backpack full of texts) and his fearsome protector Jinja Daishō stand on either side of the central triad. They are surrounded by a collection of demigods charged with protecting this scripture and believers. This same subject can be seen in painted form in a scroll displayed in the adjacent gallery.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art