Jikji, essential passages pointing directly to the mind: Chikchi simchʻe yojŏl

Abstract

"Jikji, the World’s Oldest Text Printed from Metal Cast Types, informing the world of the excellence of Korean culture. 1. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (President: Most Ven. Wonhaeng) has re-printed the Korean and English editions of Jikji, the world’s oldest text printed from metal cast types. The 1st Korean and English editions of Jikji, translated for the first time by the Jogye Order in 2005, were revised into new editions which were published in December 2020. 2. The year 2027 marks the 650th anniversary of the publication of Jikji. In addition to new Korean and English editions, the Jogye Order will be publishing the French translation of Jikji in 2021 to let the world know of the essence of Seon Buddhism and the excellence of Korean culture which invented the world’s oldest metal type printing technology. 3. Jikji simche yojeol, or Jikji, Essential Passages Directly Pointing to the Mind, is a collection of excerpts from the analects of the most revered Seon masters including 28 Indian and 110 Chan patriarchs over successive generations as well as the seven Buddhas of the past, compiled by Master Baekun Gyeonhan (1298~1374). Having studied under the tutelage of Chinese Chan Master Shiwu Qinggong, Master Baekun conveys the most fundamental truth of Seon, i.e., 'To point directly at the minds of men is to see one’s true nature and achieve Buddhahood' through various gathas, pith instructions, Seon exchanges, quotes, Dharma talks, etc. included in Jikji, which is still considered the quintessential textbook for Seon practitioners. 4. Jikji was published in Heungdeok Temple, Cheongju, Chungcheong province in 1377, 78 years before Johannes Gutenberg's acclaimed '42-Line Bible,' printed with metal moveable type by the disciples of Master Baekun after his death to facilitate wider circulation. Originally published in two volumes, only the last volume of Jikji survives and is kept at the National Library of France, or Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). UNESCO confirmed Jikji as the world's oldest metalloid type in September 2001 and included it in the Memory of the World Programme, and ever since, it has become a symbol of Korean people’s technological and cultural heritage. 5. Jikji was rediscovered in 1967 by Dr. Park Byeongseon who worked as a librarian for the BnF and was shown to the public for the first time in 1972 when it was displayed in Paris during the International Book Year hosted by BnF. The Jikji had been in the collection of Collin de Plancy, a chargé d'affaires with the French Embassy in Seoul, and then passed into the hands of Henri Véver. It was donated to the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in the 1950s, where it has been ever since"--Introduction of Chikchi, press release.

Contents

Part I. Seven Buddhas -- Part II. Patriarchs of India -- Part III. Patriarchs and masters of China.