Buddhist scriptures say that the merits of transcribing sutras may even surpass those of offering various treasures on the grounds that it helps to disseminate the teachings of Buddha, and this is why the transcription of Buddhist scriptures, or sagyeong, a religious practice that involves copying sutras by hand, was prevalent from earlier times. The practice, which became increasingly elaborate and splendid over the course of the Goryeo period, reached its golden age in the late Goryeo Dynasty.

In general, characters were written in gold or silver on indigo or oak paper, and a prayer to share with others the merits generated through creating the manuscripts of sutras was appended at the end. This sutra manuscript says that a wife of an aristocrat offered this prayer for her deceased husband and parents in 1350 (the second year of King Chungjeong’s reign).