Jikji
| Jikji | |
Pages from the first book printed using type | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 백운화상초록불조직지심체요절 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Baegun hwasang chorok buljo jikji simche yojeol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Paegun hwasang ch'orok pulcho chikchi simch'e yojŏl |
Jikji (Korean: 직지심체요절) is the abbreviated title of a Korean Buddhist document whose title translates as "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings". Printed during the Goryeo Dynasty in 1377, it is the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type. UNESCO confirmed Jikji as the world's oldest book printed with movable metal type in September 2001 and inscribed it on the Memory of the World Register.
Jikji was published in Heungdeok Temple in 1377, 78 years before Johannes Gutenberg's acclaimed "42-Line Bible" was printed between 1452 and 1455. Most of the Jikji is now lost; today only the last volume survives and is kept at the Manuscrits Orientaux division of the National Library of France (BnF). The BnF hosts a digital copy online.
Jikji Simche means "If you look at a person's heart correctly through Zen meditation, you will realize that the nature of the heart is the heart of Buddha".