Sutra of the Repentance Ritual of Great Compassion (Cibei daochang chanfa), Volume 1
Not on view
Printed sutras usually took the form of accordion-fold books, and they often featured an illustrated frontispiece. Legend states that the repentance ritual described in this sutra was instituted by Emperor Wu of Liang (464–549) to deliver his deceased wife from an unpleasant reincarnation as a python. This is the story depicted in the illustrated frontispiece, where a group of Buddhist monks industriously undertake the rituals prescribed in the sutra. The empress’s spirit floats free from the mouth of the snake, ascending heavenward on a cloud.
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