1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves and Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that uncovers a little bit 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: more about history every day. Today is May eleventh, nineteen. 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,479 Speaker 1: The day was May eleventh, eight hundred sixty eight. A 6 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: copy of the Diamond Sutra, one of the Buddhist teachings, 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: was published on seven pages of paper pasted together to 8 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: create a scroll. Today, the text is considered the oldest surviving, complete, dated, 9 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: imprinted book. The diamond Sutra contains teachings on the Buddhist 10 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: principles of non abiding and non attachment, and it's a 11 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: key scripture in Mahayana Buddhism. The text also provides meditations 12 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: on illusion and perception. The copy of the Diamond Sutra 13 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: that was published on is not the earliest example of 14 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: block printing, but it is the oldest book to include 15 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: a colophon that has a verifiable date. A colophon is 16 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: an inscription at the end of a book or manuscript 17 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: that provides details of the works publication. The Diamond Suture 18 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,040 Speaker 1: was first translated from Sanskrit to Chinese around four hundred c. 19 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: In eighth century China, printing was done with woodblocks. Paper 20 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: was made from mulberry or hemp, then it was dyed 21 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: yellow with bark from the amer cork tree. The text 22 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: was painted onto tracing paper, which was put onto a 23 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: wooden block. A carver then followed the trace text to 24 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: carve the shapes into the block. Then the block was 25 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: inked and stamped onto the paper. In Taoist, Emperor Wuzong 26 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: of the Tong dynasty suppressed Buddhism as China denounced foreign 27 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: influences and old confusion in Taoist ideas re emerged. Temples 28 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: and monasteries were shut down and adherents were banned from practice. 29 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: The band was rolled back not long after it was instituted, 30 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: but Buddhism did not thrive as it had before. A 31 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: monk named wong U n Lou originally discovered Wang Ji's 32 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: Diamond Sutra in don Huang, China in nineteen hundred. He 33 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: was in a place now known as the Caves of 34 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,360 Speaker 1: a Thousand Buddhas a cliff wall with hundreds of caves 35 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: carved out of it. He found the entrance to a 36 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: secret library that had been sealed, where there were tens 37 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: of thousands of documents. It's not completely clear who and 38 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,799 Speaker 1: why the documents were placed in the library cave, nor 39 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: is it known why and when the cave was sealed shut. 40 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: But in nineteen o seven, British Hungarian archaeologist Mark R. L. 41 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: Stein was mapping the Silk Road when he found out 42 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: about the library. After some negotiation, Stein bribed Wong into 43 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: selling about ten thousand documents and painted scrolls for a 44 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty pounds by invoking Wong's paint in Saint 45 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: Chuan Zon, a Buddhist monk and scholar who had taken 46 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: a pilgrimage to India in the seventh century and was 47 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: a translator of Buddhist scriptures. One of the documents Stein 48 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,639 Speaker 1: acquired was the Diamond Sutra. The scroll is about sixteen 49 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: feet or five meters long and ten and a half 50 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: inches or about twenty seven centimeters wide. It's made up 51 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: of seven pieces of yellow stained paper pasted together with 52 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: an elaborate illustration on the first paper that shows the 53 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: Buddhas speaking to a disciple. An inscription on the scroll 54 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: says the following in translation reverently made for universal free 55 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: distribution about Wang gi On behalf of his parents. On 56 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: the fifteenth of the fourth moon of the ninth year 57 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: of Shoon Long. That would work out to be May eleven, 58 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: eight sixty eight. It's not clear who Wong Gi was 59 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: or why he had the Diamond Sutra printed, but it's 60 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: likely that monks used the scroll to chant the sutra 61 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: and that printing copies of the sutra allowed for wider 62 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: dissemination of the Buddhist teachings. Today, the scroll is located 63 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: at the British Library. I'm each Chef Coote and hopefully 64 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 65 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: did yesterday. And here's an additional note on really old books. 66 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: Books have been dated back to the BC years, like 67 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: the manuscript Bulgaria's National Museum of History Holes, which is 68 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: more than years old. But what should be considered a 69 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: book is up for debate. Scrolls and clay tablets exists 70 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 1: that are thousands of years old as well. Also, the 71 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,680 Speaker 1: International don Huang Project is a collaboration that has digitized 72 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: archaeological materials from Dunhuang and other sites on the Eastern 73 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: Silk Road. Keep up with us on Twitter, Instagram and 74 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 1: Facebook at t d I h C Podcast. Thanks again 75 00:04:54,400 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow m HM. For 76 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 77 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.