New Compilation
of the Text to the Play About Mulian Rescuing His Mother and Exhorting Her to
Goodness, 3 juan
Ming
dynasty (1368�1644), Wanli period (1573�1619)
Compiled
by Zheng Zhizhen (1518�1595); proofread by Ye Zongtai; engraved by Huang Ting,
Huang Bang (b. 1545), et al.
Xin�an,
Anhui Province: Zheng shi Gaoshi shanfang, 1582
10
columns per half folio; 24 characters per column; small characters in half
columns; 24 characters per half column; white folding margin at center of folio
with single white �fishtail�; single-line borders; overall dimensions of
volumes: 25.8 x 16.7 cm; block sizes of text: approx. 20.2 x 13.4 cm; stitched
binding
Inventory number: 12430
Mulian
(Maudgalyayana in Sanskrit) was one of the ten disciples of the Sakyamuni
Buddha and a key figure in Chinese Buddhist storytelling.� In one account his mother apparently became
"addicted" to meat and was condemned to hell as a starving
ghost.� Her subsequent rescue by Mulian
is portrayed as a model of compassion.�
The story, later transformed into a play, is derived in part from the
Foshuo Yulan pen jing (Sutra of the Sacrificial Feast for Hungry Ghosts Spoken
by the Buddha; Ullambana-sutra in Sanskrit).
This
volume constitutes the earliest extant tai ben (stage scripts) for plays with the
Mulian theme.� It was compiled by Zheng
Zhizhen, a native of Huizhou, Anhui Province, and appeared in 1582 under the
imprint of Zheng's own "Gaoshi shanfang" (Mountain Dwelling of the
Lofty Rocks).� It contains 57
illustrations, which are early examples of the Huizhou woodblock engraving
school, with lively and expressive figures as well as high contrast between
black-ink and blank areas.
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