Illustrated Sutra of Cause and Effect (Color on Paper)

The Life of the Buddha in Pictures

The Illustrated Sutra of Cause and Effect (Color on Paper) (紙本著色絵因果経) is a Nara-period illustrated sutra in one handscroll owned by Johonrendaiji in Murasakino, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1952 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one handscroll in colour on paper, owned by Johonrendaiji.

According to the Kyoto National Museum, the sutra text is copied on the lower half of the paper and its key scenes are painted on the upper half; its proper title is the Sutra of Past and Present Cause and Effect.

The Scenes

According to the museum, the sutra begins with the Buddha's former lives and tells as a story how he was freed from humanity's fundamental suffering and reached enlightenment, a kind of biography of the Buddha.

The Johonrendaiji scroll begins with the Buddha at the age of ten, in his youth.

What to Look For

The museum describes scenes such as the archery contest in which the young prince pierced seven drum-like targets of gold and silver with a single arrow, and his encounter with a sick man on leaving the palace by the south gate.

Notice how the text and pictures run together, one above the other, so the sutra can be read through its images.

Visiting the Illustrated Sutra of Cause and Effect (Color on Paper)

The scroll is owned by Johonrendaiji and is not on regular display; watch for exhibition announcements.