This Life of Lord Buddha is a reproduction of the Shih-chia ju-lai ying-hua shih-chi, a collection of important episodes in the life of Lord Buddha, cited from different Sutras translated into Chinese from the 3rd to the 13th century. The citations are illustrated on opposite pages, so that the pious could visualise the Dharma of the Tathagata. They are 'Visual Dharma'. The Chinese has been translated into English. It was compiled by monk Pao-ch'eng during the Ming period. It was revised by Prince Yung-shan the grand nephew of Emperor K'ang-hsi. He had new woodcuts done in 1787-93. The landscape, buildings, persons, city layouts, gardens, etc are styled as was done in the 18th century. The simple lines, athirst for the beauty of the beyond, were to deepen the spiritual tone. A Chinese proverb says: "a picture is a voiceless poem, a poem is a vocal picture". The hieratic art of this volume is an evocation of the Chinese proverb in its powerful lines and in its tranquil sunyata of minimal art. It has been translated into English for the first time. It is of interest to scholars of Buddhist art, thought, social life, and hagiography.
