The "80,000 Blocks of the Complete Collection of Buddhist Scriptures" is a collection of Buddhist books during the Koryo Dynasty, a feudal state of Korea, which existed between 918 and 1392.
It began to be printed in Koryo in 1011. The wooden blocks used for printing the collection on two occasions were burnt by foreign invaders in 1231.
Ri Chun Sop, Section Chief of the National Classics Institute under the Academy of Social Sciences, says:
"The present complete collection of Buddhist scriptures was engraved on wood for 16 years between 1236 and 1251. The collection published at that time has 1,537 kinds and 6,793 volumes and the number of wooden blocks engraved with words amounts to more than 80,000.
That's the 80,000 Blocks of the Complete Collection of Buddhist Scriptures which was widely known as the world's oldest, correctest and richest of the complete collections of Buddhist scriptures in Chinese characters. It is also called the 'Complete Collection of Buddhist Scriptures during the Koryo Dynasty'."
The wooden blocks of the complete collection were made of machilus, paktal wood or birch wood. Every block is 69.6 centimetres long, 24 centimetres wide and 3.7 centimetres thick. It has 22 lines with 14 letters each.
Four corners of the block were girdled with bronze belts and fixed with nails. Wooden pillars were put on both sides to keep the block from being twisted and the surface of the board was lacqured not to be decayed and worm-eaten for a long time.
A copy of the wooden blocks of the "80,000 Blocks of the Complete Collection of Buddhist Scriptures" is preserved in the Pohyon Temple of Mt. Myohyang in Hyangsan Country of North Phyongan Province.
The "80,000 Blocks of the Complete Collection of Buddhist Scriptures" is one of the precious cultural heritages of the Korean nation as it shows the high printing technology of the Korean ancestors.
More From Voice of Korea (EN)
A dancing party of youth and students took place on the 16th to celebrate the 84th birth anniversary of the great leader Kim Jong
February 17, 2026
A dancing party of youth and students took place on the 16th to celebrate the 84th birth anniversary of the great leader Kim Jong
A meeting of awarding the official Party and state commendations to the soldier-builders and youth shock-brigaders who performed
February 17, 2026
A meeting of awarding the official Party and state commendations to the soldier-builders and youth shock-brigaders who performed
Happy laughter of the children can be heard in this country on the significant holiday in February. The respected fatherly Marshal
February 17, 2026
Happy laughter of the children can be heard in this country on the significant holiday in February. The respected fatherly Marshal
Officials, working people, service personnel of the People's Army and school youth and children visited the bronze statues of the
February 17, 2026
Officials, working people, service personnel of the People's Army and school youth and children visited the bronze statues of the
Senior Party and government officials visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and paid noble homage to the great leaders Kim Il
February 17, 2026
Senior Party and government officials visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and paid noble homage to the great leaders Kim Il
Manuel Modesto Munguia Martinez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nicaragua to the Democratic
February 17, 2026
Manuel Modesto Munguia Martinez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nicaragua to the Democratic
The Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued on February 5 Decree
February 17, 2026
The Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued on February 5 Decree
It is a steady principle of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that
February 17, 2026
It is a steady principle of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un looked round the newly-built Pothong Riverside Terraced Residential District on April 2, 2022.
February 17, 2026
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un looked round the newly-built Pothong Riverside Terraced Residential District on April 2, 2022.
The delegates and observers to the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea arrived in Pyongyang, the capital of the
February 17, 2026
The delegates and observers to the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea arrived in Pyongyang, the capital of the
The participants in the Third People's Art Festival for Celebrating February 16 gave performances in all parts of the country on
February 17, 2026
The participants in the Third People's Art Festival for Celebrating February 16 gave performances in all parts of the country on
A figure-skating demonstration took place at the Ice Rink in Pyongyang on the 16th on the occasion of the significant holiday in
February 17, 2026
A figure-skating demonstration took place at the Ice Rink in Pyongyang on the 16th on the occasion of the significant holiday in
The first-term winter camping has begun at the Jangjasan Children's Union Camp in Jagang Province on the occasion of the
February 17, 2026
The first-term winter camping has begun at the Jangjasan Children's Union Camp in Jagang Province on the occasion of the
The embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in China gave a reception on the 13th on the occasion of the lunar New
February 17, 2026
The embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in China gave a reception on the 13th on the occasion of the lunar New
The goal of building 50,000 flats in Pyongyang, which was powerfully carried out as the most important task of the historic Eighth
February 17, 2026
The goal of building 50,000 flats in Pyongyang, which was powerfully carried out as the most important task of the historic Eighth
The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un received a congratulatory letter from the General Association of Koreans in China on the 16th on
February 16, 2026
The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un received a congratulatory letter from the General Association of Koreans in China on the 16th on
Light-industry factories across the country are pushing ahead on a full scale with the production of school uniforms, bags and
February 16, 2026
Light-industry factories across the country are pushing ahead on a full scale with the production of school uniforms, bags and
The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un received a congratulatory letter from the Central Standing Committee of the General Association
February 16, 2026
The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un received a congratulatory letter from the Central Standing Committee of the General Association
A joint national meeting of the Korean Children's Union organizations was held in the capital city of Pyongyang on the 15th to
February 16, 2026
A joint national meeting of the Korean Children's Union organizations was held in the capital city of Pyongyang on the 15th to
Foreign personages sent floral baskets to the bronze statues of the great leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill on the
February 16, 2026
Foreign personages sent floral baskets to the bronze statues of the great leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill on the
More Articles
