Buddhist Mahāyana Sūtras



Mahāyana Śāstras Zen/Ch'an Literature Zen/Ch'an Kōan Collections

The Buddhist Mahāyana Sūtras, also referred to as the "Kanjur", were originally written in Sanskrit, and are an immense collection of teachings which Śākyamuni Buddha (or sometimes Boddhisattvas) expounded to humans as well as to beings in the Deva, Gandharva, and Nāga realms.

In addition to the Mahāyana Sūtras are the Mahāyana Śāstras or commentaries, also referred to as the "Tanjur", which were written by various Buddhist Masters.

Below you find an incomplete list of some Buddhist Mahāyana Sūtras.




Sūtras which have been completely lost:
  • Duhkhaskandha Sūtra

  • Udayanapariprcchā Sūtra

  • Guru Sūtra

  • Sūtra of Kāshyapa

  • Sūtra of Ānanda
Sūtras preserved in other realms:
  • Mahāvyavadāna-bhūmi preserved in the Deva realm.

  • Prajñapāramitā in 1 billion (10^9) verses preserved by the King of the Gandharvas.

  • Prajñapāramitā in 10 million (10^7) verses preserved by the King of the Devas.

  • Prajñapāramitā in 100,000 verses preserved in the Nāga realm

Sūtras which have been partially lost:
  • Ratnakūta Sūtra: 49 of 100,000 chapters remain.
    The Heap of Jewels Sūtra
    chinese

  • Mahāsamaya Sūtra: 60 of 100,000 chapters remain.

  • Avatamsaka Sūtra: 40 of 100,000 chapters remain.
    • translated into Chinese by Buddhabhadra (359-429) between A.D. 418 and 421 (60 Fascicles/34 Chapters)
    • translated into Chinese by Siksananda (652-710) (80 Fascicles/39 Chapters)
    • translated into Chinese by Prajna between (795-798)(40 Fascicles)


  • Lankāvatāra Sūtra (Lankāvatāra mahāyānasūtra): 3,600 of 36,000 verses remain.
    • translated into Chinese by Gunabhadra in A.D. 433
    • translated into Chinese by Bodhiruci in A.D. 513
    • translated into Chinese by Ciksanada in A.D. 700-704

  • Ghanavyūha Sūtra: 1,300 of 12,000 verses remain.

  • Mahāmegha Sūtra: only a few chapters of 100,000 verses remain.

  • Samādhirāja Sūtra: only 15 divisions remain.

  • Ekottarikāgama Sūtra is incomplete.

  • Nirvāna Sūtra is incomplete.

  • Smrtyupasthāna Sūtra is incomplete.

  • Shūrāngama Sūtra: only 1 chapter of 100,000 verses remain.

  • Mahādigama Sūtra is incomplete.

  • Candragarbhapariprcchā Sūtra is incomplete.

Mahāprajñāpāramitā Texts:

According to Conze the Prajñāpāramitā literture consists of 38 different books composed in India between 100 and 600 CE. Listed here are those which, over time, have gained the most acceptance:
  • Ashtasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā - The perfection of wisdom in 8,000 shlokas
    (Expanded to 10,000, 18,000, 25,000 and 100,000 shlokas)

  • Vajrachchdikā Prajñapāramitā - The Diamond (cutter) Sūtra
    (condensed to 2500, 700, 500 or 300 shlokas)
    • translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in about 400 C.E.
    • subsequent translations were made by Bodhiruci, Paramatha, Hsuan-tsang, I-tsing and Dharmagupta.

  • Prajñāpāramitā Hrdaya (The Heart Sūtra)
    (condensed further to 150 and 25 shlokas)

  • Prajñāpāramitā Ratnagunasamcayagāthā (302 Verses)

    • The text may have been edited by the by the Prajñāpāramitā scholar Haribhadra.

  • Pañcavimshatisāhasrikā prajñāpāramitā
Other Sanskrit Sūtras
  • Saddharmapundarīka nāma mahāyānasūtra (The Lotus Sūtra)
    • translated into Chinese by Dharmaraksa in 286 CE
    • In its complete form, translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in 406 CE

  • Mahāparinirvana Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Dharmaraksa in A.D. 423.

  • Vajrasekhara Sūtra (Vairochana)
    • translated into Chinese by Vajrabodhi in 723 CE.

  • Mahāvairocanaabhisaṃbodhi Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Śubhakarasiṃha and Yixing in 725 CE.

  • Susiddhikāra Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Śubhakarasiṃha in 724 CE.

  • Sarvatathagathatattvasamgraha
    • translated into Chinese by Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra

  • Vimalakīrtinirdesha nāma mahāyānasūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in A.D. 384-412
      chinese


  • Mahānapanadhyāna Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Ngan Shi Kao (An-sei-ko) as early as A.D. 148-170.

  • Dhyānacarya-dharmasanyjnya Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Ngan Shi Kao (An-sei-ko) as early as A.D. 148-170.

  • Dhyānacarya-saptatrimcadvarga Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Ngan Shi Kao (An-sei-ko) as early as A.D. 148-170.

  • Cullamargabhumi Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by K' Yao (Shi-yo) in A.D. 185;

  • Dharmatara-dhyāna Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Buddhabhadra in A.D. 398-421;

  • Dhyānanisthitasamadhi-dharma-parygya Sūtra
    • translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in A.D. 402;

  • An Abridged Law on the Importance of Meditation
    • translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in A.D. 405;

  • Pancadvara-dhyānasūtra-mahārthadharma
    • translated into Chinese by Dharmamitra in A.D. 424-441.

  • Pratyutpanna-buddhasammukhavasthita-samadhi
    • translated into Chinese by K' Leu Cia Chan (Shi-ru-ga-sen) in A.D. 164-186;

  • Amitābhavyūha nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Buddhavatamsaka (Avatamsaka Sūtra)

  • Grhapati ugrapariprcchā nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Lalitavistara nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Pitāputrasamāgamana nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Pūrnapariprcchā nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Rāshtrapālapariprcchā nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Samdhinirmocana nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Sukhāvatīvyūha nāma mahāyānasūtra

  • Prātimoksha sūtra

  • Vinaya vibhanga

  • Vinayavastu





Mahāyana Directory

triratna.info sitemap:



©
URL: http://mahayana.triratna.info/Mahayana-Sutras.html
Last modification: 110228