The Greater Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom (大般若波羅蜜多経), Chapter 485

This part of a sutra (sacred text) consisting of 600 total volumes records the basic teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, a branch of Buddhism that developed in ancient India. The monk Xuanzang translated the work from Sanskrit to Chinese when it was brought from India to China in the year 663; his version is the one that became known in Japan. The frontispiece, or opening illustration, of this volume is a lush landscape representing the Buddha’s Paradise, and the sutra was written with gold paint on paper dyed a deep indigo.