Buddhist Sutra and Symbol
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Buddhist Sutras
Sutra literally means a thread that holds things together. In Buddhism, the word is quite aptly used for the Buddha’s oral teachings. Buddhist Sutra, or in other words, the verbal teachings of the Buddha play an important role in holding Buddhists from different schools of thought together. Be it the Mahayana or the Hinayana Buddhist, they both look up to the sutras for support and guidance.
These teachings, often referred to as discourses, are organized in different ways, depending on what sect of Buddhism one follows. It is considered that originally, the discourses were organized according to style in which they were delivered. According to the Sanskrit version, the sutras were organized as follows:
· Sūtra: prose discourse
· Geya: mixed prose and verse discourse
· Vyākarana: explanation, analysis
· Gāthā: verse
· Udāna: inspired speech
· Ityukta: beginning with 'thus has the Bhagavan said'
· Jātaka: story of previous life
· Abhutadharma: concerning wonders and miraculous events
· Vaipulya either 'extended discourses' or 'those giving joy' (cf Mahayana Texts)
· Nidāna: in which the teachings are set within their circumstances of origin
· Avadāna: tales of exploits
· Upadesha: defined and considered instructions
Out of the twelve listed above, the first nine sutras are listed on all Buddhist agamas. Also, according to Theravada Buddhists, they define the classification of the entire scriptures. However, according to newer schools of Buddhism, the sutras are classified as follows:
· Long Discourses
· Medium-length Discourses
· Connected Discourses
· Numbered Discourses
As the names suggest, the above classification was based on the number of texts and the length of text each sutra contained.
Chinese Buddhists, largely follow Mahayana school of Buddhism. According to Mahayana Buddhist, the sutras contained the more profound teachings of the Buddha and the path he revealed. Mahayana Buddhists embrace both the older sutras from the tIpitaka and the newer sutras. The tipitaka comprises the following:
· Vinaya Pitaka contains rules for monks and nuns
· Sutta Pitaka contains discourses or teachings of the Buddha and his disciples
· Abhidhamma Pitaka contains texts that are philosophical, psychological, and metaphysical in nature
Following is a list of the Mahayana sutras:
· Texts of Indian or Central Asian origin
o Innumerable Meanings Sutra (Ananta-nirdesa Sutra)
o Lalitavistara Sutra
o Lankavatara Sutra
o Lotus Sutra
o Perfection of Wisdom sutras (Prajñāpāramitā sutras)
§ Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā sutra
§ Diamond Sutra
§ Heart Sutra
· Ten Stages Sutra
· Vimalakirti-nirdesa Sutra
· Texts of Chinese origin
o Perfect Enlightenment Sutra
o Platform Sutra
· Other texts
o Amitabha Sutra
o Avatamsaka Sutra
o Contemplation Sutra
o Infinite Life Sutra
o Kandaraka Sutra
o Mahaparinirvana Sutra
o Sanghata Sutra
o Shurangama Sutra
o Sutra of Forty-Two Sections
o Sutra of Golden Light
o Sutra of The Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
o Ullambana Sutra
o The Healing Buddha Sutra
o The Dharani Sutra of Hundred Thousand Seals
o The Dharani Sutra of Peaceful Home
Of the above, the Heart sutra and the Diamond sutra are close to the Chinese hearts. The Heart sutra is part of the Perfection of Wisdom Prajñāpāramitā) class of Mahāyāna Buddhist literature. This sutra describes the liberation Avalokitesvara experienced when wisdom dawned on him. This, he achieved through intense meditation, where he realized the emptiness of all phenomena – largely the five aggregates of human existence: form, feeling, volitions, perceptions, and consciousness.
The Diamond sutra contains the teachings of the Buddha where he urges Buddhists to cut through the illusions of reality that surround them. It is also because of this very fact that the sutra derives its name as the Diamond sutra. In his teachings, the Buddha says that what and how we see things both concrete and abstract are all our perceptions or mental constructs. We need to see beyond these illusions for what things really are.
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