The Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra (Sanskrit; traditional Chinese : 大寶積經; simplified Chinese : 大宝积经; pinyin : dàbǎojī jīng, Tib. dam-chos dkon-mchog-brtsegs-pa) is a major ancient collection of Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtras. It is also known simply as Ratnakūṭa Sūtra (寶積經), literally the Sutra of the Heap of Jewels in Sanskrit (kūṭa means ‘accumulation’ or ‘heap’).
The Mahāratnakūṭa contains many important Mahāyāna sūtras, like the Śrīmālā-devī-siṁhanāda, the Maitreya-paripṛcchā, Kāśyapa-parivarta, and the Sukhāvatīvyūha. The Heap of Jewels collection exists in Chinese and Tibetan translations. It also gives its name to one of the main divisions of Mahayana sutras in the Chinese Buddhist canon and in the Tibetan Buddhist canon.
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The Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra contains 49 texts of varying length, which are termed "assemblies" by tradition. This collection includes the Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra , the Longer Sukhāvatī-vyūha Sutra , the Akṣobhya-vyūha Sūtra, a long text called the Bodhisattvapiṭaka, and others. [1]
Parts of this collection was brought to China and translated by Bodhiruci in the 8th century. [2] Bodhiruci translated some of the texts, and included others which had been previously translated. This later Bodhiruci (also known as Bodhiruci II) should not be confused with another Bodhiruci who was the translator of the commentary on Ten Stages Sutra.
The Ratnakūṭa collection totals 49 Mahāyāna sūtras, divided into 120 fascicles in the Chinese translation. [3] Garma Chang, who is listed as General Editor of a volume of select sūtras from the Mahāratnakūṭa translated from Chinese into English, (see below, Further Reading, Garma C.C. Chang, (1983). A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras: Selections from the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra. Title Page) summarizes the breadth and variety of texts contained in this collection: [1]
We have found this work to contain a broad coverage of various subjects. The topics discussed range from the monastic precepts ( Vinaya ) to intuitive wisdom ( prajñā ), from good deportment to the manifestation of the Tathāgata's light, from illusion ( māyā ) to ingenuity ( upāya ) to the nature of consciousness and the Pure Land practice. It can perhaps be called a small encyclopedia of Mahāyāna Buddhism, which should be useful to general readers as well as to scholars.
In the Taishō Tripiṭaka in volumes 11 and 12a, the Mahāratnakūṭa is the text numbered 310, and texts numbered 311 through 373 are various other translations of some of the sutras contained in the Mahāratnakūṭa.
According to the Nikāyasaṅgraha (a Theravādin text), the Ratnakūṭa Sūtra was composed by the "Andhakas", meaning the Mahāsāṃghika Caitika schools of the Āndhra region. [4] [5] The texts of the sutra seem to have been collected over a number of centuries, and their varying subject matter is suggestive of historical transitions between major eras of Buddhist thought. [1] The collection may have developed from a "Bodhisattva pitaka" attributed to some of the early Mahayana schools. [1]
Number | Sanskrit Title [6] | English Title [7] | Chinese title [8] | Tibetan title (Wylie) | English translations |
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1 | Trisaṁvara-nirdeśa | The Chapter Explaining the Three Vows | 三律儀會 | sdom pa gsum bstan pa'i le'u/ | Translation from Tibetan by Dharmachakra translation Group (84000.co) |
2 | Anantamukha-pariśodhana-nirdeśa | The Chapter Teaching the Purification of Boundless Gateways | 無邊莊嚴會 | sgo mtha’ yas pa rnam par sbyong ba bstan pa’i le’u | Translation from Tibetan by Dharmachakra translation Group (84000) |
3 | Tathāgatācintya-guhya-nirdeśa | The Secrets of the Tathāgatas | 密迹金剛力士會 | de bzhin gshegs pa’i gsang ba | |
4 | Svapna-nirdeśa | The Teaching on Dreams | 淨居天子會 | rmi lam bstan pa | Translation from Tibetan by 84000 |
5 | Sukhāvatī-vyūha | The Array of the Blissful Land | 無量壽如來會 (The Assembly of Amitāyus Tathāgata, T. 360) |
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6 | Akṣobhya-tathāgatasya-vyūha | The Array of the Tathāgata Akṣobhya | 不動如來會 | mi 'khrugs pa'i bkod pa'i mdo/ | Translation from Chinese in Chapter 17 of Garma Chang's A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras |
7 | Varma-vyūha-nirdeśa | The Teaching of the Armor Array | 被甲莊嚴會 | go cha’i bkod pa bstan pa | Translation from Tibetan by Dharmachakra translation Group (84000) |
8 | Dharmadhātu-prakṛty-asambheda-nirdeśa | The Teaching on the Indivisible Nature of the Realm of Phenomena | 法界體性無別會 | chos dbyings rang bzhin dbyer med bstan pa’i mdo | Translation from Tibetan by Dharmachakra translation Group (84000) |
9 | Daśadharmaka | The Ten Dharmas | 十法會 | chos bcu pa'i mdo/ | |
10 | Samantamukha-parivarta | The Exposition on the Universal Gateway | 文殊師利普門會 | kun nas sgo’i le’u |
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11 | Raśmisamantamukta-nirdeśa | The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light | 出現光明會 | ’od zer kun du bkye ba bstan pa |
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12 | Bodhisattva-piṭaka | The Basket of Bodhisatva [teachings] | 菩薩藏經 | byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod | |
13 | Āyuṣman-nanda-garbhāvakrānti-nirdeśa | The Teaching to the Venerable Nanda on Dwelling in the Womb | 佛爲阿難說處胎會 | tshe dang ldan pa dga’ bo la mngal na gnas pa bstan pa | |
14 | Nanda-garbhāvakrānti-nirdeśa | The Teaching to the Venerable Nanda on Entry into the Womb | 佛說入胎藏會 | tshe dang ldan pa dga’ bo la mngal du ’jug pa bstan pa | |
15 | Mañjuśrī-buddhakṣetra-guṇa-vyūha | The Array of Virtues of Mañjuśrī’s Buddhafield | 文殊師利授記會 | ’jam dpal gyi sangs rgyas kyi zhing gi yon tan bkod pa |
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16 | Pitāputrasamāgamana | The Meeting of Father and Son | 菩薩見實會 | yab sras mjal ba'i mdo/ | |
17 | Pūrṇa-paripṛcchā | The Questions of Pūrṇa | 富樓那會 / 富樓那問經 / 菩薩藏經 | gang pos zhus pa | Translation from Tibetan by Dharmachakra translation Group (84000) |
18 | Rāṣṭrapāla-paripṛcchā | The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla | 護國菩薩會經 | yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa |
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19 | Gṛhapaty-Ugra-paripṛcchā | The Sūtra of Ugra's Questions | 郁伽長者會 / 郁伽羅越問菩薩經 | drag shul can gyis zhus pa'i mdo/ | Translation from Chinese in Nattier, Jan (2005). A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path According to the Inquiry of Ugra (Ugrapariprcchā). Univ of Hawaii Pr. |
20 | Vidyutprāpta-paripṛcchā | The Sūtra of Vidyutprāpta's Questions | 無盡伏藏會 | glog thob kyis zhus pa'i mdo/ | Translation from Chinese in Chapter 9 of Garma Chang's A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras |
21 | Bhadramāyākāra-vyākaraṇa | The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist | 授幻師跋陀羅記會 | sgyu ma mkhan bzang po lung bstan pa |
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22 | Mahā-prātihārya-nirdeśa | The Teaching of the Great Magical Display | 大變會 | cho 'phrul chen po bstan pa'i mdo/ | |
23 | Maitreya-mahāsiṁhanāda | The Great Lion’s Roar of Maitreya | 摩訶迦葉會 / 大迦葉經 | byams pa’i seng ge’i sgra chen po | Translated from Tibetan by Karen Liljenberg and Ulrich Pagel |
24 | Upāli-paripṛcchā | Upāli’s Questions | 優波離會 | ’dul ba rnam par gtan la dbab pa nye bar ’khor gyis zhus pa |
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25 | Adhyāśaya-saṁcodana | Inspiring Determination | 發勝志樂會 | lhag bsam skul ba | Translated from Tibetan by the Blazing Wisdom Translation Group, 84000.co |
26 | Subāhu-paripṛcchā | Subāhu's Questions | 善臂菩薩會 | lag bzangs kyis zhus pa’i mdo | Translation from Tibetan by Dharmachakra translation Group (84000) |
27 | Surata-paripṛcchā | Surata’s Questions | 善順菩薩會 | des pas zhus pa’i mdo |
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28 | Vīradatta-gṛhapati-paripṛcchā | The Questions of the Householder Vīradatta | 勸授長者會 | khyim bdag dpas byin gyis zhus pa | Translated from Tibetan by the University of Calgary Buddhist Studies team, 84000 |
29 | Udayanavatsarāja-paripṛcchā | Questions of King Udayana of Vatsa | 優陀延王會 | bad sa’i rgyal po ’char byed kyis zhus pa | Translation from Tibetan by 84000.co |
30 | Sumatidārikā-paripṛcchā | Questions of the Girl Sumati | 妙慧童女經 | bu mo blo gros bzang mos zhus pa |
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31 | Gaṅgottarā-paripṛcchā | The Questions of Gaṅgottarā | 恒河上優婆夷會 | gang gA’i mchog gis zhus pa |
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32 | Aśokadatta-vyākaraṇa | Aśokadattā’s Prophecy | 無畏德菩薩會 / 無畏德經 | mya ngan med kyis byin pa lung bstan pa |
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33 | Vimaladattā-paripṛcchā | Vimaladatta's Questions | 無垢施菩薩應辯會 / 無垢菩薩分別應辯經 | dri ma med kyis byin pas zhus pa'i mdo/ | Translation from Chinese in Chapter 5 of Garma Chang's A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras |
34 | Guṇaratnasaṁkusumita-paripṛcchā | The Questions of Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita | 功德寶花敷菩薩會 | yon tan rin chen me tog kun tu rgyas pas zhus pa | Translation from Tibetan by Dharmachakra translation Group (84000) |
35 | Acintyabuddhaviṣaya-nirdeśa | The Teaching on the Inconceivable Scope of a Buddha | 善德天子會 | sangs rgyas kyi yul bsam gyis mi khyab pa bstan pa |
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36 | Susthitamati-devaputra-paripṛcchā | The Sūtra of the Devaputra Susthitamati's Questions | 善住意天子會 | lha'i bu blo gros rab gnas kyis zhus pa'i mdo/ | Translation from Chinese in Chapter 4 of Garma Chang's A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras |
37 | Siṁha-paripṛcchā | Siṃha’s Questions | 阿闍世王子會 | seng ges zhus pa | Translated from Tibetan by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group, 84000.co |
38 | Upāyakauśalya-jñānottara-bodhisattva-paripṛcchā | Bodhisattva Jñānottara's Questions on Skillful Means | 大乘方便會 (The Mahayana Assembly of Skillful Means) | byang sems ye shes dam pas zhus pa'i le'u/ | Translation from Chinese in Chapter 22 of Garma Chang's A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras |
39 | Bhadrapāla-śreṣṭhi-paripṛcchā | The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant | 賢護長者會 / 移識經 | tshong dpon bzang skyong gis zhus pa |
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40 | Dārikā Vimalaśraddhā paripṛcchā | The Questions of the Girl Vimalaśraddhā (or Vimalaśuddha) | 淨信童女會 | bu mo rnam dag dad pas zhus pa | Translated from Tibetan by The Karma Gyaltsen Ling Translation Group, 84000 |
41 | Maitreya-paripṛcchā-dharmāṣṭaka | The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities | 彌勒菩薩問八法會 | byams pas chos brgyad zhus pa | Translated from Tibetan by Karen Liljenberg and Ulrich Pagel, 84000 |
42 | Maitreya-paripṛcchā | The Questions of Maitreya | 彌勒菩薩所問會 | byams pas zhus pa | Translated from Tibetan by Karen Liljenberg, 84000 |
43 | Kāśyapa-parivarta | The Kāśyapa Discourse | 普明菩薩會 / 古大寶積經 | od srungs kyi le'u/ | Translation from Chinese in Chapter 20 of Garma Chang's A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras |
44 | Ratnarāśi-sūtra | The Mass of Jewels | 寶梁聚會 / 寶梁經 | rin po che'i phung po'i mdo/ |
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45 | Akṣayamati-paripṛcchā | Akṣayamati's Questions | 無盡慧菩薩會 | blo gros mi zad pas zhus pa'i mdo/ | Translation from Chinese in Chapter 21 of Garma Chang's A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras |
46 | Saptaśatikā-nāma-prajñāpāramitā | The Seven Hundred [ śloka ] Perfection of Wisdom | 文殊說般若會 (The Assembly Where Mañjuśrī Expounds Prajñāpāramitā) | sher phyin bdun brgya pa/ |
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47 | Ratnacūḍa-paripṛcchā | Ratnacūḍa's Questions | 寶髻菩薩會 | gtsug na rin po ches zhus pa'i mdo/ | |
48 | Śrīmālā-devī-siṁhanāda | The Lion's Roar of Śrīmālādevī | 勝鬘夫人會 | lha mo dpal phreng gi seng ge'i sgra'i mdo/ |
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49 | Ṛṣi-Vyāsa-paripṛcchā | The Rishi Vyāsa’s Questions | 廣博仙人會 | drang srong rgyas pas zhus pa | Translated from Tibetan by David Jackson, 84000 |
The Mahāyāna sūtras are a broad genre of Buddhist scripture (sūtra) that are accepted as canonical and as buddhavacana in certain communities of Mahāyāna Buddhism. They are largely preserved in Sanskrit manuscripts, and translations in the Tibetan Buddhist canon and Chinese Buddhist canon. Several hundred Mahāyāna sūtras survive in Sanskrit, or in Chinese and Tibetan translations. They are also sometimes called Vaipulya ("extensive") sūtras by earlier sources. The Buddhist scholar Asaṅga classified the Mahāyāna sūtras as part of the Bodhisattva Piṭaka, a collection of texts meant for bodhisattvas.
The Heart Sūtra is a popular sutra in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the title Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya translates as "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom".
The Chinese Buddhist canon refers to a traditional collection of Chinese language Buddhist texts which are the central canonical works of East Asian Buddhism. The traditional term for the canon is Great Storage of Scriptures. The Chinese canon is a major source of scriptural and spiritual authority for East Asian Buddhism. It is also an object of worship and devotion for Asian Buddhists and its reproduction is seen as an act of merit making. The canon has also been called by other names like “Internal Classics”, “Myriad of Scriptures”, or “All Scriptures”.
Buddhist texts are religious texts that belong to, or are associated with, Buddhism and its traditions. There is no single textual collection for all of Buddhism. Instead, there are three main Buddhist Canons: the Pāli Canon of the Theravāda tradition, the Chinese Buddhist Canon used in East Asian Buddhist tradition, and the Tibetan Buddhist Canon used in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism.
Bhaiṣajyaguru, or Bhaishajyaguru, formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja, is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.
The Amitāyus Sutra (Sanskrit), simplified Chinese: 佛说无量壽經; traditional Chinese: 佛說無量壽經; pinyin: Fóshuōwúliàngshòujīng; Sutra of Immeasurable Life Spoken by Buddha; Vietnamese: Phật Thuyết Kinh Vô Lượng Thọ; Japanese: Taisho Tripitaka no. 360) also known as the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, is one of the two Indian Mahayana sutras which describe the pure land of Amitābha. Together with the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, this text is highly influential in East Asian Buddhism. It is one of the three central scriptures of East Asian Pure Land Buddhism, and is widely revered and chanted by Pure Land Buddhists throughout Asia.
The Dharmaguptaka are one of the eighteen or twenty early Buddhist schools, depending on the source. They are said to have originated from another sect, the Mahīśāsakas. The Dharmaguptakas had a prominent role in early Central Asian and Chinese Buddhism, and their Prātimokṣa are still in effect in East Asian countries to this day, including China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan as well as the Philippines. They are one of three surviving Vinaya lineages, along with that of the Theravāda and the Mūlasarvāstivāda.
Lokakṣema was a Kushan Buddhist monk who travelled to China during the Han dynasty and is among one of the first known translators of Mahayana religious texts into any language.
The Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra or Nirvana Sutra for short, is an influential Mahāyāna Buddhist scripture of the Buddha-nature class. The original title of the sutra was Mahāparinirvāṇamahāsūtra and the earliest version of the text was associated with the Mahāsāṃghika-Lokottaravāda school. The sutra was particularly important for the development of East Asian Buddhism.
In Buddhism, an āgama is a collection of early Buddhist texts.
Mahayana canon is the canon of scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism.
The Ekottara Āgama is an early Indian Buddhist text, of which currently only a Chinese translation is extant. The title Ekottara Āgama literally means "Numbered Discourses," referring to its organizational principle. It is one of the four Āgamas of the Sūtra Piṭaka located in the Chinese Buddhist Canon.
The Large Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras is a group or family of Mahayana sutras of the Prajñāpāramitā (PP) genre. Modern scholars consider these to be later expansions based on the earlier Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, which is seen as a prototype of the Larger sutras.
The Brahmajāla Sūtra, also called the Brahma's Net Sutra, is a Mahayana Buddhist Vinaya Sutra. The Chinese translation can be found in the Taishō Tripiṭaka. The Tibetan translation can be found in Peking (Beijing) Kangyur 256. From the Tibetan it was also translated into Mongolian and the Manchu languages. It is known alternatively as the Brahmajāla Bodhisattva Śīla Sūtra.
The Mahāvaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra is a Mahayana Buddhist anthology of Mahayana sutras.
The Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra is a Mantrayāna sūtra which extols the virtues and powers of Avalokiteśvara, who is presented here as a primordial cosmic overlord and as the source of numerous Indian deities.
There are several Buddhist canons, which refers to the various scriptural collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures or the various Buddhist scriptural canons. Some of these collections are also called Tipiṭaka or Tripiṭaka, meaning "Triple Basket", a traditional term for the three main divisions of some ancient canons. In ancient India, there were several Buddhist scriptural canons that were organized into three main textual divisons: Vinaya, Sutra and Abhidharma. For example, the Pāli Tipiṭaka is composed of the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Sutta Piṭaka, and the Abhidhamma Piṭaka. In East Asian Buddhism meanwhile, the traditional term for the canon is Great Storage of Scriptures.
In Buddhist studies, particularly East Asian Buddhist studies, post-canonical Buddhist texts, Buddhist apocrypha or Spurious Sutras and Sastras designate texts that are not accepted as canonical by some historical Buddhist schools or communities who referred to a canon. The term is principally applied to texts that purport to represent Buddhist teaching translated from Indian texts, but were written in East Asia.
The Ugraparipṛcchā Sūtra is an early Indian sutra which is particularly important for understanding the beginnings of Mahayana Buddhism. It contains positive references to both the path of the bodhisattva and the path of the arhat, the latter of which was denigrated as a lesser spiritual path in later Mahayana sutras. It also emphasises solitary spiritual practices instead of community-based ones much like the very early Rhinoceros Sutra.
The Āgama Section is a division of the Taishō Tripiṭaka that contains sūtras related to the Āgamas, roughly corresponding to the texts of the Sutta Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon. It corresponds to the first two volumes of the Taishō Tripiṭaka and corresponds to text numbers 1–151. Notable collections within this section include the Dīrghāgama, Madhyamāgama, Saṃyuktāgama, and the Ekottarāgama, while the section also includes individual sūtras that were translated separately from these collections, but which contain parallels therein, such as the Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra.
Chinese Buddhist Canon |
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Tibetan Buddhist canon |
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1. Kangyur |
2. Tengyur |