21. Sumidera Heart Sutra (Sumidera shingyo)

21. Sumidera Heart Sutra (Sumidera shingyo)

Japan, Nara period, 710–794; handscroll, ink on paper; 9 x 16 11/16 in.; Princeton University Art Museum, Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund, 2012-99, photo: Princeton University Art Museum/Art Resource, NY.

Seiryoji Buddhist Temple

Seiryoji Buddhist Temple

Sutra Copying Room, Japan, 2013, photo: Wikimedia Commons.

This photograph shows a spare, elegantly decorated space for sutra copying at a Japanese temple complex. Such designated rooms indicate that this practice remains popular in Japan, even for amateur calligraphers and lay adherents. A depiction of standing Buddha Amida adorns the far wall; below is a simple altar for offerings.