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Prajnaparamita
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{{Short description|Principle in Mahayana Buddhism and the texts associated with it}}{{About|the Buddhist concept and texts|the Buddhist goddess|PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Devi}}(file:Medicine Buddha painted mandala with goddess Prajnaparamita in center, 19th century, Rubin.jpg|thumb|A Tibetan painting with a PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra at the center of the mandala)(File:Prajnaparamita with Devotees, Folio from a Shatasahasrika Prajnaparamita (The Perfection of Wisdom in 100,000 Verses) LACMA M.81.90.6 (3 of 6).jpg|thumb|PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Devi, a personification of Transcendent Wisdom, Folio from a Tibetan 100,000 line PrajñÄpÄramitÄ manuscript)File:Situ_Panchen._Manjushri._From_Painting_Set_of_Eight_Great_Bodhisattvas_%28Palpung%29_18th_century_Rubin_Museum_of_Art.jpg|thumb|Tibetan Painting of MañjuÅrÄ« bodhisattva with the sword of wisdom and a sÅ«tra manuscript, which are common symbols of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ in Buddhist artBuddhist art{{Buddhist term|title=PrajñÄpÄramitÄ|en=Perfection ofTranscendent Wisdom|sa=पà¥à¤°à¤à¥à¤à¤¾à¤ªà¤¾à¤°à¤®à¤¿à¤¤à¤¾(IAST: PrajñÄpÄramitÄ)|vi=Bát-nhã-ba-la-máºt-Äa|zh=è¬è¥æ³¢ç¾
èå¤|zh-Latn=bÅrÄ bÅluómìduÅ|mn=Ð¢Ó©Ð³Ó©Ð»Ð´Ó©Ñ Ð±Ð¸Ð»Ð³Ò¯Ò¯Ð½|my=ááá¬áá«ááá®á|my-Latn=pjɪÌÉ°Ìɲà pà ɹÉmìtaÌ°|ja=è¬è¥æ³¢ç¾
èå¤|ja-Latn=hannya-haramitta|km=áááá¶áááá¶áá¶ááá¸|km-Latn=prachnhéabarômi|ko=ë°ì¼ë°ë¼ë°ë¤|ko-Latn=Banyabaramilda|th=à¸à¸£à¸±à¸à¸à¸²à¸à¸²à¸£à¸¡à¸´à¸à¸²|bo=à¼à½¤à½ºà½¦à¼à½¢à½à¼à½à¾±à½²à¼à½à¼à½¢à½¼à½£à¼à½à½´à¼à½à¾±à½²à½à¼à½à¼(shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa)|si=පà·âරඥ෠පà·à¶»à¶¸à·à¶à·}}{{MahayanaBuddhism}}PrajñÄpÄramitÄ () means “the Perfection of Wisdom” or “Transcendental Knowledge” in MahÄyÄna. PrajñÄpÄramitÄ refers to a perfected way of seeing the nature of reality, as well as to a particular body of MahÄyÄna scriptures (sÅ«tras) which discusses this wisdom. PrajñÄpÄramitÄ may also refer to the female deity PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Devi, a personification of the perfection wisdom also known as the “Great Mother” (Tibetan: Yum Chenmo) who was widely depicted in South Asian Buddhist art.WEB, Müller, Petra, Representing PrajñÄpÄramitÄ in Tibet and the Indian Himalayas. The iconographic concept in the Temples of Nako, rKyang bu and Zha lu,www.asianart.com/articles/mueller/index.html, The word PrajñÄpÄramitÄ combines the Sanskrit words prajÃ±Ä “wisdom” (or “knowledge“) with pÄramitÄ “perfection” or “transcendent”. PrajñÄpÄramitÄ is a central concept in MahÄyÄna Buddhism and is generally associated with ideas such as emptiness (ÅÅ«nyatÄ), ‘lack of svabhÄva’ (essence), the illusory (mÄyÄ) nature of things, how all phenomena are characterized by “non-arising” (anutpÄda, i.e. unborn) and the madhyamaka thought of NÄgÄrjuna.Buswell, Robert; Lopez, Donald S. Jr., eds. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University Press, p. 945, “In the PRAJÃÄPÄRAMITÄ literature and the MADHYAMAKA school, the notion of production comes under specific criticism (see: VAJRAKAá¹Ä), with NÄGÄRJUNA famously asking, e.g., how an effect can be produced from a cause that is either the same as or different from itself. The prajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tras thus famously declare that all dharmas are actually ANUTPÄDA, or ‘unproduced’.“King, Richard (1995), Early Advaita VedÄnta and Buddhism: The MahÄyÄna Context of the Gauá¸apÄdÄ«ya-kÄrikÄ, SUNY Press, p. 113, “It is equally apparent that one of the important features of the prajnaparamita position is that of the nonarising (anutpada) of dharmas.” Its practice and understanding are taken to be indispensable elements of the Bodhisattva path.According to Edward Conze, the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tras are “a collection of about forty texts ... composed somewhere on the Indian subcontinent between approximately 100 BC and AD 600.“Conze, E. Perfect Wisdom: The Short Prajnaparamita Texts, Buddhist Publishing Group, 1993. Some PrajnÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tras are thought to be among the earliest MahÄyÄna sÅ«tras.Williams, Paul. Buddhist Thought. Routledge, 2000, p. 131.Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations 2nd edition. Routledge, 2009, p. 47.- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
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History
(File:Enshrined Manjushri with Monks and Deities, Cover of a Prajnaparamita (The Perfection of Wisdom) LACMA M.82.42.5.jpg|thumb|PrajñÄpÄramitÄ illustrated manuscript cover, circa 15th century)(File:Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Image of Prajnaparamita.jpeg|thumb|PrajñÄpÄramitÄ personified. From the {{IAST|Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra}}, a Sanskrit Manuscript of the 8,000 line PP sutra, Nalanda, Bihar, India. Circa 700â1100 CE.)The earliest texts
Western scholars have traditionally considered the earliest sÅ«tra in the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ class to be the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra or “Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines”, which was probably put in writing in the 1st century BCE.Mäll, Linnart. Studies in the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ and other essays. 2005. p. 96 This chronology is based on the views of Edward Conze, who largely considered dates of translation into other languages. This text also has a corresponding version in verse format, called the {{IAST|Ratnaguá¹asaá¹caya GÄthÄ}}, which some believe to be slightly older because it is not written in standard literary Sanskrit. However, these findings rely on late-dating Indian texts, in which verses and mantras are often kept in more archaic forms.BOOK, Nattier, Jan., A few good men : the Bodhisattva path according to The Inquiry of Ugra (UgraparipÌ£rcchÄ), 2003, University of Hawai’i Press, 0-8248-3003-2, 62 n19, 62933513, According to Edward Conze, the PP literature developed in nine stages: (1) An urtext similar to the first two chapters of the Sanskrit Ratnagunasaá¹caya GÄthÄ; (2) Chapters 3 to 28 of the Ratnagunasaá¹caya are composed, along with the prose of the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ. This base text was further expanded with (3) material from the Abhidharma, and (4) concessions to the “Buddhism of Faith” (referring to Pure Land references in the sÅ«tra). This process led to (5) further expansion into larger PP sÅ«tras as well as (6) contraction into the shorter sÅ«tras (i.e. Diamond SÅ«tra, Heart SÅ«tra, down to the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ in One Letter). This expanded corpus formed the basis for the (7) Indian PP Commentaries, (8) Tantric PP works and (9) Chinese Chan texts.BOOK, Conze, Edward, 1904-1979., Thirty years of Buddhist studies : selected essays, 2000, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd, 81-215-0960-2, 123â147, 46913071, Jan Nattier also defends the view that the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ developed as various layers were added over time. However, Matthew Orsborn has recently argued, based on the chiastic structures of the text that the entire sÅ«tra may have been composed as a single whole (with a few additions added on the core chapters).{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|pp=364â365}}A number of scholars have proposed that the MahÄyÄna PrajñÄpÄramitÄ teachings were first developed by the Caitika subsect of the MahÄsÄá¹ghikas. They believe that the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra originated amongst the southern MahÄsÄá¹ghika schools of the Ändhra region, along the Ká¹á¹£á¹a River.Guang Xing. The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory. 2004. pp. 65-66 “Several scholars have suggested that the Prajnaparamita probably developed among the Mahasamghikas in Southern India, in the Andhra country, on the Krsna River.” These MahÄsÄá¹ghikas had two famous monasteries near AmarÄvati Stupa and DhÄnyakataka, which gave their names to the PÅ«rvaÅaila and AparaÅaila schools.Guang Xing. The Concept of the Buddha: Its Evolution from Early Buddhism to the Trikaya Theory. 2004. p. 66 Each of these schools had a copy of the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra in Prakrit. Guang Xing also assesses the view of the Buddha given in the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra as being that of the MahÄsÄá¹ghikas. Edward Conze estimates that this sÅ«tra originated around 100 BCE.In 2012, Harry Falk and Seishi Karashima published a damaged and partial Kharoá¹£á¹hÄ« manuscript of the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ.Harry Falk and Seishi Karashima, iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/ARIRIAB/pdf/ARIRIAB-15.pdf" title="web.archive.org/web/20131004225647iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/ARIRIAB/pdf/ARIRIAB-15.pdf">A firstâcentury PrajñÄpÄramitÄ manuscript from GandhÄra â parivarta 1 (Texts from the Split Collection 1). Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University XV (2012), 19-61. It is radiocarbon dated to ca. 184 BCE to 46 BCE , making it one of the oldest Buddhist texts in existence. It is very similar to the first Chinese translation of the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ by Lokaká¹£ema (ca. 179 CE) whose source text is assumed to be in the GÄndhÄrÄ« language; Lokaká¹£ema’s translation is also the first extant translation of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ genre into a non-Indic language. Comparison with the standard Sanskrit text shows that it is also likely to be a translation from GÄndhÄri as it expands on many phrases and provides glosses for words that are not present in the GÄndhÄrÄ«. This points to the text being composed in GÄndhÄrÄ«, the language of Gandhara (the region now called the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan, including Peshawar, Taxila and Swat Valley). The “Split” manuscript is evidently a copy of an earlier text, confirming that the text may date before the 1st century BCE .In contrast to western scholarship, Japanese scholars have traditionally considered the Diamond SÅ«tra (VajracchedikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra) to be from a very early date in the development of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ literature.Williams, Paul. MahÄyÄna Buddhism: the Doctrinal Foundations. London, UK: Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-02537-0}}. p.42 The usual reason for this relative chronology which places the VajracchedikÄ earlier is not its date of translation, but rather a comparison of the contents and themes.Schopen, Gregory. Figments and Fragments of MahÄyÄna Buddhism in India. 2005. p. 55 Some western scholars also believe that the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra was adapted from the earlier VajracchedikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra.Examining the language and phrases used in both the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ and the VajracchedikÄ, Gregory Schopen also sees the VajracchedikÄ as being earlier than the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ.Schopen, Gregory. Figments and Fragments of MahÄyÄna Buddhism in India. 2005. pp. 31-32 This view is taken in part by examining parallels between the two works, in which the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ seems to represent the later or more developed position. According to Schopen, these works also show a shift in emphasis from an oral tradition (VajracchedikÄ) to a written tradition (Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ).Larger PP sutras
(File:Perfection of Insight, Folio from a Shatasahasrika Prajnaparamita (The Perfection of Wisdom in 100,000 Verses) LACMA M.81.90.8 (2 of 2).jpg|thumb|Illustration from a 100,000 line PP sutra manuscript)The Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄ prajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (T. Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa; C. Mohe bore boluomi jing, æ©è¨¶è¬è¥æ³¢ç¾ èç¶) is one of the largest PP sutras, comprising three volumes of the Tibetan Kangyur (26-28). It was also one of the most important and popular PP sutras in India, seeing as how there are numerous Indian commentaries on this text, including commentaries by Vimuktisena, Haribhadra, Smá¹tijñÄnakÄ«rti, and Ratnakarashanti. The sutra also survives in the original Sanskrit, which was found in Gilgit. It also exists in four Chinese translations.WEB, Perfection of Wisdom {{!, 84000 Reading Room|url=https://read.84000.co/section/O1JC114941JC14665.html|access-date=2021-12-14|website=84000 Translating The Words of The Buddha|language=en}}According to Nattier, the Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄ is basically the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ base text which has been “sliced” up and filled with other material, increasing the length of the text considerably. This process of expansion continued, culminating in the massive ÅatasÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (100,000 lines), the largest of the PP sutras.According to Joseph Walser, there is evidence that the Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (25,000 lines) and the ÅatasÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (100,000 lines) have a connection with the Dharmaguptaka sect, while the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (8,000 lines) does not.Williams, Paul. MahÄyÄna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. 2008. p. 6Other PP texts were also composed which were much shorter and had a more independent structure from the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ. Regarding the shorter PP texts, Conze writes, “two of these, the Diamond SÅ«tra and the Heart SÅ«tra are in a class by themselves and deservedly renowned throughout the world of Northern Buddhism. Both have been translated into many languages and have often been commented upon.”.Conze, Edward. The Short PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Texts. 1973. p. 9 Jan Nattier argues the Heart Sutra to be an apocryphal text composed in China from extracts of the Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄ and other texts c. 7th century.JOURNAL, Nattier, Jan, The Heart SÅ«tra, Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 1992, 15, 2, 153â223, 10.2143/JIABS.15.2.3286001, Red Pine, however, does not support Nattiers argument and believes the Heart Sutra to be of Indian origin.“The Heart Sutra Translation and Commentary”, 2004. p.22-24Esoteric PrajñÄpÄramitÄ texts
During the later phase of Indian Buddhism, TÄntric PrajñÄpÄramitÄ texts were produced from the 8th century upt to 11th century CE. These later esoteric PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras are generally short texts which contain mantras and/or dhÄraá¹Ä«s and also reference esoteric Buddhist (Mantrayana) ideas. They often promote simple practices based on recitation which lead to the accumulation of merit and help one reach awakening.Bianchini, Francesco (2020). Tradition and Innovation in late South Asian Buddhism: The Impact of Spell Practices on the Recasting of Prajnaparamita Scriptures. St John’s College, The University of Oxford. Esoteric PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras include texts such as the AdhyardhaÅatikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (150 lines), the famous Heart Sutra (PrajñÄpÄramitÄhá¹daya), the EkaÅlokikÄ prajñÄpÄramitÄ, SvalpÄká¹£arÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ, KauÅikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ, SaptaÅlokikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ, the *PrajñÄpÄramitÄnÄmÄá¹£á¹aÅataka and the Candragarbha PrajñÄpÄramitÄ.Bianchini, Francesco (2020). Tradition and Innovation in late South Asian Buddhism: The Impact of Spell Practices on the Recasting of Prajnaparamita Scriptures, pp. 65-75. St John’s College, The University of Oxford. Some of these sources, like the SvalpÄká¹£arÄ, claim that simply reciting the dharanis found in the sutras are as beneficial as advanced esoteric Buddhist practices (with the full ritual panoply of mandalas and abhiseka).Bianchini, Francesco (2020). Tradition and Innovation in late South Asian Buddhism: The Impact of Spell Practices on the Recasting of Prajnaparamita Scriptures, p. 282. St John’s College, The University of Oxford. These scriptures may have been recited in esoteric rituals and two of them remain in widespread use today: PrajñÄpÄramitÄhá¹daya (commonly recited throughout Asia by Buddhists) and the AdhyardhaÅatikÄ (an widely recited text in Shingon Buddhism).Bianchini, Francesco (2020). Tradition and Innovation in late South Asian Buddhism: The Impact of Spell Practices on the Recasting of Prajnaparamita Scriptures, p. 285. St John’s College, The University of Oxford.PrajñÄpÄramitÄ in Central Asia
{{see also|Buddhism in Central Asia}}By the middle of the 3rd century CE, it appears that some PrajñÄpÄramitÄ texts were known in Central Asia, as reported by the Chinese monk Zhu Zixing, who brought back a manuscript of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ of 25,000 lines:Heirman, Ann. Bumbacher, Stephan Peter. The Spread of Buddhism. 2007. p. 100{{blockquote|When in 260 AD, the Chinese monk Zhu Zixing chose to go to Khotan in an attempt to find original Sanskrit sÅ«tras, he succeeded in locating the Sanskrit PrajñÄpÄramitÄ in 25,000 verses, and tried to send it to China. In Khotan, however, there were numerous HÄ«nayÄnists who attempted to prevent it because they regarded the text as heterodox. Eventually, Zhu Zixing stayed in Khotan, but sent the manuscript to Luoyang where it was translated by a Khotanese monk named Moká¹£ala. In 296, the Khotanese monk GÄ«tamitra came to Chang’an with another copy of the same text.}}China
{{Chinese Buddhist Canon}}In China, there was extensive translation of many PrajñÄpÄramitÄ texts beginning in the second century CE. The main translators include: Lokaká¹£ema (æ¯å©è¿¦è®), ZhÄ« QÄ«an (æ¯è¬), Dharmaraká¹£a (竺æ³è·), Moká¹£ala (ç¡åç¾ ), KumÄrajÄ«va (鳩æ©ç¾ ä», 408 CE), Xuánzà ng (çå¥), FÄxián (æ³è³¢) and DÄnapÄla (æ½è·).{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=41}} These translations were very influential in the development of East Asian MÄdhyamaka and on Chinese Buddhism.Xuanzang (fl. c. 602â664) was a Chinese scholar who traveled to India and returned to China with three copies of the MahÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra which he had secured from his extensive travels.Wriggins, Sally Hovey (2004). The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang. Boulder, Colorado: WestviewPress. {{ISBN|0-8133-6599-6}}. p.206 Xuanzang, with a team of disciple translators, commenced translating the voluminous work in 660 CE using the three versions to ensure the integrity of the source documentation. Xuanzang was being encouraged by a number of the disciple translators to render an abridged version. After a suite of dreams quickened his decision, Xuanzang determined to render an unabridged, complete volume, faithful to the original of 600 fascicles.Wriggins, Sally Hovey (2004). The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang. Boulder, Colorado: WestviewPress. {{ISBN|0-8133-6599-6}}. p.207An important PP text in East Asian Buddhism is the Dazhidulun (大æºåº¦è«, T no. 1509), a massive commentary on the Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ translated by KumÄrajÄ«va (344â413 CE). There are also later commentaries from Zen Buddhists on the Heart and Diamond sutra and KÅ«kai’s commentary (9th century) is the first-known Tantric commentary.Tibet
The PP sutras were first brought to Tibet in the reign of Trisong Detsen (742-796) by scholars Jinamitra and Silendrabodhi and the translator Ye shes De.Brunnholzl, Karl; Gone Beyond: The Prajnaparamita Sutras The Ornament Of Clear Realization And Its Commentaries In The Tibetan Kagyu Tradition (Tsadra) 2011, page 42. Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism generally studies the PP sutras through the AbhisamayÄlaá¹ kÄra and its numerous commentaries. The focus on the AbhisamayÄlaá¹ kÄra is particularly pronounced in the Gelug school, who according to Georges Dreyfus “take the Ornament as the central text for the study of the path” and “treat it as a kind of Buddhist encyclopedia, read in the light of commentaries by Je Dzong-ka-ba, Gyel-tsap Je, and the authors of manuals [monastic textbooks].“Dreyfus, Georges B.J. (2003) The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, pp. 175-176. University of California Press.Texts
(file:Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Wellcome L0021449.jpg|thumb|Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 lines)The Main PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tras
File:Diamond Sutra of 868 AD - The Diamond Sutra (868), frontispiece and text - BL Or. 8210-P.2.jpg|thumb|The world’s earliest printed book is a Chinese translation of the VajracchedikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (Vajra Cutter Sutra) from DunhuangDunhuangAn Indian commentary on the MahÄyÄnasaá¹graha, entitled Vivá¹taguhyÄrthapiá¹á¸avyÄkhyÄ (A Condensed Explanation of the Revealed Secret Meaning, Derge No. 4052), lists eight PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tras which were “taught to bodhisattvas” and are seen as superior (from the Sravakayana sutras) because they are superior “in eliminating conceptually imaged forms”.Hamar, Imre. Reflecting Mirrors: Perspectives on Huayan Buddhism. 2007. p. 94 The eight texts are listed according to length and are the following:- TriÅatikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 300 lines, alternatively known as the VajracchedikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra (Diamond SÅ«tra)
- PañcaÅatikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 500 lines
- SaptaÅatikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 700 lines, the bodhisattva MañjuÅrÄ«’s exposition of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ
- SÄrdhadvisÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 2,500 lines, from the questions of SuvikrÄntavikrÄmin Bodhisattva
- Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 8,000 lines
- Aá¹£á¹adaÅasÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 18,000 lines
- Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 25,000 lines.
- ÅatasÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra: 100,000 lines.
Xuánzà ng’s PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Library
File:Illustrated_frontispiece_to_the_Mahaprajnaparamita_Sutra,_12th_century,_Honolulu_Museum_of_Art6.JPG|thumb|Illustrated frontispiece to the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Japan, Heian period, late 12th century, handscroll, gold on blue paper, Honolulu Museum of ArtHonolulu Museum of ArtThe Chinese scholar and translator Xuánzà ng (çå¥, 602-664) is known for his translation of a massive Sanskrit collection of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras called “the Xuánzà ng PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Library” or “The Great PrajñÄpÄramitÄsÅ«tra” (è¬è¥ æ³¢ç¾ è å¤ ç¶, pinyin: bÅrÄ bÅluómì duÅ jÄ«ng).Muller, Charles A. (1995). 大 è¬è¥ æ³¢ç¾ è å¤ ç¶ Basic Meaning: MahÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ-sÅ«tra. Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (é»å ä½æ è¾å ¸), July 1995. Xuánzà ng returned to China with three copies of this Sanskrit work which he obtained in South India and his translation is said to have been based on these three sources.Wriggins, Sally Hovey (1997). Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim on the Silk Road, p. 206. Westview Press, October 9, 1997. {{ISBN|978-0-8133-3407-3}}. In total it includes 600 scrolls, with 5 million Chinese characters.This collection consists of 16 PrajñÄpÄramitÄ texts:Lancaster, Lewis, R .; Park, Sung-bae (2004). K 1 (T. 220) (H. 219). The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalog, 2004.- PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra in 100,000 verses (scrolls 1-400)
- PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra in 25,000 verses (scrolls 401-478)
- PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra in 18,000 verses (scrolls 479-537)
- PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutra in 8,000 verses (scrolls 538-555)
- An abridged version of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra in 8,000 verses (scrolls 556-565)
- DevarÄjapravara prajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra - a part of the Questions of SuvikrÄnta (scrolls 566-573)
- PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra in 700 verses (scrolls 574-575)
- NÄgaÅripa-priccha PrajñÄpÄramitÄ (scroll 576)
- The Diamond Sutra (scroll 577)
- PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sÅ«tra in 150 verses (scroll 578)
- Ärya pañcapÄramitÄnirdeÅa nÄma mahÄyÄna sÅ«tra (bokrull 579-592)
- The Questions of SuvikrÄnta (scroll 593-600)
In the Tibetan Kangyur
(file:Tibetan - Buddha Shakyamuni and Prajnaparamita - Walters W8561 (2).jpg|thumb|Tibetan prajñÄpÄramitÄ manuscript depicting Sakyamuni Buddha and PrajñÄpÄramitÄ devi, 13th century){{Tibetan Buddhist Canon}}In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the AbhisamayÄlaá¹ kÄra is traditionally said to be a commentary to seventeen PrajñÄpÄramitÄ (PP) source texts. These are seen as the most important PP sutras and they collectively known as the “Seventeen Mothers and Sons” (Wyl. yum sras bcu bdun).Karma Phuntsho (2005). Mipham’s Dialectics and the Debates on Emptiness: To Be, Not to Be or Neither, p. 232. Routledge.The Six Mothers are:WEB, Perfection of Wisdom {{!, 84000 Reading Room |url=https://read.84000.co/section/O1JC114941JC14665.html |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=84000 Translating The Words of The Buddha |language=en}}- The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines (Sanskrit: ÅatasÄhasrikÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ, Wylie: sher phyin stong phrag brgya pa/ (’bum/)), Tohoku (Toh) Catalogue 8.
- The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines (Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄÂprajñÄpÄramitÄ, sher phyin stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa/ (nyi khri/)), Toh 9.
- The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines (Aá¹£á¹ÄÂdaÅasÄhasrikÄÂprajñÄÂpÄramitÄ, sher phyin khri brgyad stong pa), Toh 10.
- The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines (DaÅasÄhasrikÄÂprajñÄÂpÄramitÄ, shes phyin khri pa), Toh 11.
- The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ, sher phyin brgyad stong pa/), Toh 12.
- The Verses that Summarize the Perfection of Wisdom (PrajñÄpÄramitÄsaá¹cayagÄthÄ, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa tshigs su), Toh 13.
- The Perfection of Wisdom in Seven Hundred Lines (saptaÅatikÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 24.
- The Perfection of Wisdom in Five Hundred Lines (pañcaÅatikÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 15.
- The Illustrious Perfection of Wisdom in Fifty Lines (bhagavatÄ«ÂprajñÄpÄramitÄpañcÄÅatikÄ), Toh 18.
- The Principles of the Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred and Fifty Lines (prajñÄpÄramitÄnayaÅatapañcaÅatikÄ), Toh 17.
- The Twenty-five Entrances to the Perfection of Wisdom (pañcaviá¹ÅatikÄprajñÄpÄramitÄmukha), Toh 20.
- The Perfection of Wisdom in a Few Syllables (svalpÄká¹£araprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 22.
- The Perfection of Wisdom Mother in One Syllable (ekÄká¹£arÄ«mÄtÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 23.
- The Perfection of Wisdom for KauÅika (kauÅikaprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 19
- The Perfection of Wisdom Teachings “The Questions of SuvikrÄntavikrÄmin” (suvikrÄntavikrÄmiparipá¹cchÄÂprajñÄpÄramitÄnirdeÅa), Toh 14.
- The SÅ«tra on the Perfection of Wisdom “The Diamond Cutter” (vajracchedikÄ), Toh 16.
- The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Blessed Mother (BhagavatÄ«ÂprajñÄÂpÄramitÄÂhá¹daya), Toh 21.
- The Hundred and Eight Names of the Perfection of Wisdom (prajñÄpÄramitÄnÄmÄá¹£á¹aÅataka), Toh 25.
- The Perfection of Wisdom for SÅ«ryagarbha (sÅ«ryagarbhaprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 26.
- The Perfection of Wisdom for Candragarbha (candragarbhaprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 27.
- The Perfection of Wisdom for Samantabhadra (samantabhadraprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 28.
- The Perfection of Wisdom for VajrapÄá¹i (vajrapÄá¹iprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 29.
- The Perfection of Wisdom for Vajraketu (vajraketuprajñÄpÄramitÄ), Toh 30.
Commentaries
There are various Indian and later Chinese commentaries on the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras, some of the most influential commentaries include:- MahÄprajñÄpÄramitopadeÅa (大æºåº¦è«, T no. 1509) a massive and encyclopedic text translated into Chinese by the Buddhist scholar KumÄrajÄ«va (344â413 CE). It is a commentary on the Pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ. This text claims to be from the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna (c. 2nd century) in the colophon, but various scholars such as Ãtienne Lamotte have questioned this attribution. This work was translated by Lamotte as Le Traité de la Grande Vertu de Sagesse and into English from the French by Gelongma Karma Migme Chodron.Lamotte, Etienne; Gelongma Karma Migme Chodron. THE TREATISE ON THE GREAT VIRTUE OF WISDOM OF NÄGÄRJUNA (MAHÄPRAJÃÄPÄRAMITÄÅÄSTRA) VOL. I CHAPTERS I â XV COMPOSED BY THE BODHISATTVE NÄGÄRJUNA AND TRANSLATED BY THE TRIPIṬAKADHARMÄCÄRYA KUMÄRAJIVA OF THE LAND OF KOUTCHA UNDER THE LATER TS’IN
- AbhisamayÄlaá¹ kÄra (Ornament of clear realization), the central PrajñÄpÄramitÄ shastra in the Tibetan tradition. It is traditionally attributed as a revelation from the Bodhisattva Maitreya to the scholar Asanga (fl. 4th century CE), known as a master of the Yogachara school. The Indian commentary on this text by Haribadra, the Abhisamayalankaraloka, has also been influential on later Tibetan texts. There is also another Indian commentary to the AA by Vimuktisena.
- ÅatasÄhasrikÄ-pañcaviá¹ÅatisÄhasrikÄá¹£á¹ÄdaÅasÄhasrikÄ-prajñÄpÄramitÄ-bá¹haá¹á¹Ä«kÄ, often attributed to Vasubandhu (4th century).Karl Brunnhölzl “PrajñÄpÄramitÄ, Indian “gzhan ston pas”, And the Beginning of Tibetan gzhan stong” (2011) 197p.www.istb.univie.ac.at/cgi-bin/wstb/wstb.cgi?ID=78&show_description=1
- Satasahasrika-paramita-brhattika, attributed to Daá¹á¹£á¹rÄsena.
- DignÄga’s Prajnaparamitarthasamgraha-karika.
- RatnÄkaraÅÄnti’s PrajñÄpÄramitopadeÅa.
Themes in PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras
Core themes
missing image!
- “Rabjor or (Subhuti)” 1882 art detail, from- Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (IA journalofasiatic5111asia) (page 95 crop).jpg -
A Tibetan illustration of Subhuti (Tib. Rabjor), a major character in the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ literature, who is proclaimed as the foremost “dweller in non-conflict” (araá¹avihÄrÄ«naá¹) and “of those worthy of offering” (dakkhiá¹eyyÄnaá¹)
- “Rabjor or (Subhuti)” 1882 art detail, from- Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (IA journalofasiatic5111asia) (page 95 crop).jpg -
A Tibetan illustration of Subhuti (Tib. Rabjor), a major character in the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ literature, who is proclaimed as the foremost “dweller in non-conflict” (araá¹avihÄrÄ«naá¹) and “of those worthy of offering” (dakkhiá¹eyyÄnaá¹)
The Bodhisattva and PrajñÄpÄramitÄ
A key theme of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras is the figure of the Bodhisattva (literally: awakening-being) which is defined in the 8,000-line PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutra as:
“One who trains in all dharmas [phenomena] without obstruction [asakti, asaktatÄ], and also knows all dharmas as they really are.“{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=159}}
A Bodhisattva is then a being that experiences everything “without attachment” (asakti) and sees reality or suchness (TathÄtÄ) as it is. The Bodhisattva is the main ideal in Mahayana (Great Vehicle), which sees the goal of the Buddhist path as becoming a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings, not just yourself:
They make up their minds that ‘one single self we shall tame ... one single self we shall lead to final Nirvana.’
A Bodhisattva should certainly not in such a way train himself.
On the contrary, he should train himself thus: “My own self I will place in Suchness [the true way of things], and, so that all the world might be helped,
I will place all beings into Suchness, and I will lead to Nirvana the whole immeasurable world of beings.“BOOK, Conze, Edward, The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary, 1973, Four Seasons Foundation, 978-0-87704-048-4, 163,
A central quality of the Bodhisattva is their practice of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ, a most deep (gambhÄ«ra) state of knowledge which is an understanding of reality arising from analysis as well as meditative insight. It is non-conceptual and non-dual (advaya) as well as transcendental.Williams, Paul; Mahayana Buddhism, the doctrinal foundations, pages 49-50. Literally, the term could be translated as “knowledge gone to the other (shore)”,{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=176}} or transcendental knowledge. The Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra says:
This is known as the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ of the bodhisattvas; not grasping at form, not grasping at sensation, perception, volitions and cognition.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=201}}
A further passage in the 8,000-line PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutra states that PrajñÄpÄramitÄ means that a Bodhisattva stands in emptiness (shunyata) by not standing (âsthÄ) or supporting themselves on any dharma (phenomena), whether conditioned or unconditioned. The dharmas that a Bodhisattva does “not stand” on include standard listings such as: the five aggregates, the sense fields (ayatana), nirvana, Buddhahood, etc.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=149}} This is explained by stating that Bodhisattvas “wander without a home” (aniketacÄrÄ«); “home” or “abode” meaning signs (nimitta, meaning a subjective mental impression) of sensory objects and the afflictions that arise dependent on them. This includes the absence, the “not taking up” (aparigá¹hÄ«ta) of even “correct” mental signs and perceptions such as “form is not self”, “I practice PrajñÄpÄramitÄ”, etc. To be freed of all constructions and signs, to be signless (animitta) is to be empty of them and this is to stand in PrajñÄpÄramitÄ.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|pp=180â181}} The PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras state that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the past have practiced PrajñÄpÄramitÄ. PrajñÄpÄramitÄ is also associated with Sarvajñata (all-knowledge) in the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras, a quality of the mind of a Buddha which knows the nature of all dharmas.missing image!
- Gandhara, rilievo col buddha shakyamuni che medita nella grotta indrashala e il buddha dipankara, II-III secolo.jpg -
280xGandharan depiction of the Bodhisattva (the future Buddha Shakyamuni) prostrating at the feet of the past Buddha Dipankara
According to Karl Brunnholzl, PrajñÄpÄramitÄ means that “all phenomena from form up through omniscience being utterly devoid of any intrinsic characteristics or nature of their own.“Brunnholzl, Karl; Gone Beyond: The Prajnaparamita Sutras The Ornament Of Clear Realization And Its Commentaries In The Tibetan Kagyu Tradition (Tsadra) 2011, page 28. Furthermore, “such omniscient wisdom is always nonconceptual and free from reference points since it is the constant and panoramic awareness of the nature of all phenomena and does not involve any shift between meditative equipoise and subsequent attainment.“Brunnholzl, Karl; Gone Beyond: The Prajnaparamita Sutras The Ornament Of Clear Realization And Its Commentaries In The Tibetan Kagyu Tradition (Tsadra) 2011, page 30.Edward Conze outlined several psychological qualities of a Bodhisattva’s practice of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ:Conze, Edward; The Ontology of the Prajnaparamita, Philosophy East and West Vol.3 (1953) PP.117-129, University of Hawaii Press - Gandhara, rilievo col buddha shakyamuni che medita nella grotta indrashala e il buddha dipankara, II-III secolo.jpg -
280xGandharan depiction of the Bodhisattva (the future Buddha Shakyamuni) prostrating at the feet of the past Buddha Dipankara
- Non-apprehension (anupalabdhi)
- No settling down or “non-attachment” (anabhinivesa)
- No attainment (aprapti). No person can “have,” or “possess,” or “acquire,” or “gain” any dharma.
- Non-reliance on any dharma, being unsupported, not leaning on any dharma.
- “Finally, one may say that the attitude of the perfected sage is one of non-assertion.”
Other Bodhisattva qualities
File:Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Nalanda.jpeg|thumb|AvalokiteÅvara. {{IAST|Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra}} manuscript. NÄlandÄ, Bihar, IndiaIndiaThe PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras also teach of the importance of the other pÄramitÄs (perfections) for the Bodhisattva such as Ksanti (patience): “Without resort to this patience (ká¹£Änti) they [bodhisattvas] cannot reach their respective goals”.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=124}}Another quality of the Bodhisattva is their freedom from fear (na vtras) in the face of the seemingly shocking doctrine of the emptiness of all dharmas which includes their own existence. A good friend (kalyanamitra) is useful in the path to fearlessness. Bodhisattvas also have no pride or self-conception (na manyeta) of their own stature as Bodhisattvas.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|pp=139â140}} These are important features of the mind of a bodhisattva, called bodhicitta. The PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras also mention that bodhicitta is a middle way, it is neither apprehended as existent (astitÄ) or non-existent (nÄstitÄ) and it is “immutable” (avikÄra) and “free from conceptualization” (avikalpa).{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=141}}The Bodhisattva is said to generate “great compassion” (maha-karuá¹Ä) for all beings on their path to liberation and yet also maintain a sense of equanimity (upeká¹£Ä) and distance from them through their understanding of emptiness, due to which, the Bodhisattva knows that even after bringing countless beings to nirvana, “no living being whatsoever has been brought to nirvana.” Bodhisattvas and MahÄsattvas are also willing to give up all of their meritorious deeds for sentient beings and develop skillful means (upaya) in order to help abandon false views and teach them the Dharma. The practice of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ allows a Bodhisattva to become:“a saviour of the helpless, a defender of the defenceless, a refuge to those without refuge, a place to rest to those without resting place, the final relief of those who are without it, an island to those without one, a light to the blind, a guide to the guideless, a resort to those without one and....guide to the path those who have lost it, and you shall become a support to those who are without support.“{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=271}}TathÄtÄ
missing image!
- The Buddha’s Descent from Heaven at Samkashya (top; a), The Story of the Bodhisattva Sadaprarudita (middle; b), The Buddha Preaching to the Assembled Gods (bottom; c), Three Folios from LACMA M.86.345.11a-c (4 of 4).jpg -
280xIllustration of Bodhisattva SadÄprarudita (Ever weeping), a character in the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra Avadana section, which is used by the Buddha as an exemplar of those who seek PrajñÄpÄramitÄ
TathÄtÄ (Suchness or Thusness) and the related term DharmatÄ (the nature of Dharma), and TathÄgata are also important terms of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ texts. To practice PrajñÄpÄramitÄ means to practice in accord with ‘the nature of Dharma’ and to see the TathÄgata (i.e. the Buddha). As the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra states, these terms are generally used equivalently: “As the suchness (tathatÄ) of dharmas is immovable (acalitÄ), and the suchness (tathatÄ) of dharmas is the TathÄgata.“{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=233}} The TathÄgata is said in the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra to “neither come nor go”. Furthermore, the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra includes a list of synonyms associated with TathÄgata as also being “beyond coming and going”, these include: 1. Suchness (tathatÄ); 2. Unarisen (anutpÄda); 3. Reality limit (bhÅ«takoá¹i); 4. Emptiness (“ÅÅ«nyatÄ“); 5. Division (yathÄvatta); 6. Detachment (virÄga); 7. Cessation (nirodha); 8. Space element (ÄkÄÅadhÄtu). The sutra then states:Apart from these dharmas, there is no TathÄgata. The suchness of these dharmas, and the suchness of the TathÄgatas, is all one single suchness (ekaivaiá¹£Ä tathatÄ), not two, not divided (dvaidhÄ«kÄraḥ). ... beyond all classification (gaá¹anÄvyativá¹ttÄ), due to non-existence (asattvÄt).{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=233}}Suchness then does not come or go because like the other terms, it is not a real entity (bhÅ«ta, svabhÄva), but merely appears conceptually through dependent origination, like a dream or an illusion.Edward Conze lists six ways in which the ontological status of dharmas is considered by the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ: - The Buddha’s Descent from Heaven at Samkashya (top; a), The Story of the Bodhisattva Sadaprarudita (middle; b), The Buddha Preaching to the Assembled Gods (bottom; c), Three Folios from LACMA M.86.345.11a-c (4 of 4).jpg -
280xIllustration of Bodhisattva SadÄprarudita (Ever weeping), a character in the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra Avadana section, which is used by the Buddha as an exemplar of those who seek PrajñÄpÄramitÄ
- Dharmas are non-existent because they have no own-being (svabhava).
- Dharmas have a purely nominal existence. They are mere words, a matter of conventional expression.
- Dharmas are “without marks, with one mark only, ie., with no mark.” A mark (laksana) being a distinctive property which separates it from other dharmas.
- Dharmas are isolated (vivikta), absolutely isolated (atyantavivikta).
- Dharmas have never been produced, never come into existence; they are not really ever brought forth, they are unborn (ajata).
- Non-production is illustrated by a number of similes, i.e., dreams, magical illusions, echoes, reflected images, mirages, and space.
Negation and emptiness
Most modern Buddhist scholars such as Lamotte, Conze and Yin Shun have seen ÅÅ«nyatÄ (emptiness, voidness, hollowness) as the central theme of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|pp=107â108}} Edward Conze writes:It is now the principal teaching of PrajñÄpÄramitÄ with regard to own-being that it is “empty.” The Sanskrit term is svabhÄva-ÅÅ«nya. This is a tatpuruá¹£a compound (one in which the last member is qualified by the first without losing its grammatical independence), in which svabhava may have the sense of any oblique case. The Mahayana understands it to mean that dharmas are empty of any own-being, i.e.,that they are not ultimate facts in their own right, but merely imagined and falsely discriminated, for each and every one of them is dependent on something other than itself. From a slightly different angle this means that dharmas, when viewed with perfected gnosis, reveal an own-being which is identical with emptiness, i.e in their own-being they are empty.The PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras commonly use apophatic statements to express the nature of reality as seen by PrajñÄpÄramitÄ. A common trope in the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras is the negation of a previous statement in the form ‘A is not A, therefore it is A’, or more often negating only a part of the statement as in, “XY is a Y-less XY”.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=171}} Japanese Buddhologist, Hajime Nakamura, calls this negation the ‘logic of not’ (na prthak).JOURNAL, Nagatomo, Shigenori, The Logic of the Diamond Sutra: A is not A, therefore it is A, Asian Philosophy, November 2000, 10, 3, 213â244, 10.1080/09552360020011277, 13926265, An example from the Diamond Sutra of this use of negation is:
As far as ‘all dharmas’ are concerned, Subhuti, all of them are dharma-less. That is why they are called ‘all dharmas.’Harrison, Paul. Vajracchedika Prajñaparamita Diamond Cutting Transcendent Wisdom
The rationale behind this form is the juxtaposition of conventional truth with ultimate truth as taught in the Buddhist two truths doctrine. The negation of conventional truth is supposed to expound the ultimate truth of the emptiness (ÅÅ«nyatÄ) of all reality - the idea that nothing has an ontological essence and all things are merely conceptual, without substance.The PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras state that dharmas should not be conceptualized either as existent, nor as non existent, and use negation to highlight this: “in the way in which dharmas exist (saá¹vidyante), just so do they not exist (asaá¹vidyante)”.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=192}}MÄyÄ
The PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras commonly state that all dharmas (phenomena), are in some way like an illusion (mÄyÄ), like a dream (svapna) and like a mirage.Williams, Paul; Mahayana Buddhism, the doctrinal foundations, pages 52. The Diamond Sutra states:
“A shooting star, a clouding of the sight, a lamp, An illusion, a drop of dew, a bubble, a dream, a lightning’s flash, a thunder cloudâthis is the way one should see the conditioned.“Harrison, Paul (trans.) Vajracchedika Prajñaparamita Diamond Cutting Transcendent Wisdom,hyanniszendo.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/diamondsutra_lettersize1.pdf
Even the highest Buddhist goals like Buddhahood and Nirvana are to be seen in this way, thus the highest wisdom or prajña is a type of spiritual knowledge which sees all things as illusory. As Subhuti in the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra states:
“Even if perchance there could be anything more distinguished, of that also I would say that it is like an illusion, like a dream. For not two different things are illusions and NirvÄá¹a, are dreams and NirvÄá¹a.“Shi Huifeng. Is “Illusion” a PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Creation? The Birth and Death of a Buddhist Cognitive Metaphor. Fo Guang University. Journal of Buddhist Philosophy, Vol. 2, 2016
This is connected to the impermanence and insubstantial nature of dharmas. The PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras give the simile of a magician (mÄyÄkÄra: ‘illusion-maker’) who, when seemingly killing his illusory persons by cutting off their heads, really kills nobody and compare it to the bringing of beings to awakening (by ‘cutting off’ the conceptualization of self view; Skt: Ätmadá¹á¹£á¹i chindati) and the fact that this is also ultimately like an illusion, because their aggregates “are neither bound nor released”.{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|p=193}} The illusion then, is the conceptualization and mental fabrication of dharmas as existing or not existing, as arising or not arising. PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sees through this illusion, being empty of concepts and fabrications.Perceiving dharmas and beings like an illusion (mÄyÄdharmatÄ) is termed the “great armor” (mahÄsaá¹naha) of the Bodhisattva, who is also termed the ‘illusory man’ (mÄyÄpuruá¹£a).{{sfn|Orsborn|2012|pp=165â166}}Sutra worship
According to Paul Williams, another major theme of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras is “the phenomenon of laudatory self referenceâthe lengthy praise of the sutra itself, the immense merits to be obtained from treating even a verse of it with reverence, and the nasty penalties which will accrue in accordance with karma to those who denigrate the scripture.“Williams, Paul; Mahayana Buddhism, the doctrinal foundations, page 46.Later developments
According to Edward Conze, later PrajñÄpÄramitÄ sutras added much new doctrinal material. Conze lists the later accretions as:Conze, Edward, THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM IN EIGHT THOUSAND LINES & ITS VERSE SUMMARY,huntingtonarchive.org/resources/downloads/sutras/02Prajnaparamita/Astasahasrika.pdf- Increasing sectarianism, with all the rancor, invective and polemics that that implies
- Increasing scholasticism and the insertion of longer and longer Abhidharma lists
- Growing stress on skill in means, and on its subsidiaries such as the Bodhisattva’s Vow and the four means of conversion, and its logical sequences, such as the distinction between provisional and ultimate truth
- A growing concern with the Buddhist of faith, with its celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattva and their Buddha-fields;
- A tendency towards verbosity, repetitiveness and overelaboration
- Lamentations over the decline of the Dharma
- Expositions of the hidden meaning which become the more frequent the more the original meaning becomes obscured
- Any reference to the Dharma body of the Buddha as anything different from a term for the collection of his teachings
- A more and more detailed doctrine of the graded stages (bhÅ«mi) of a Bodhisattva’s career.
978-0-87773-709-4}}| Buddhist Society, London| Portions of various Perfection of Wisdom sutras| 1978 |
0-520-05321-4}}| University of California| Mostly the version in 25,000 lines, with some parts from the versions in 100,000 and 18,000 lines| 1985 |
0-04-440259-7}}| Unwin| The Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra with commentaries| 1988 |
81-7030-405-9}}| Four Seasons Foundation| The earliest text in a combination of strict translation and summary| 1994 |
0-946672-28-8}}| Buddhist Publishing Group, Totnes. (Luzac reprint)| Most of the short sutras: Perfection of Wisdom in 500 Lines, 700 lines, The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra, one word, plus some Tantric sutras, all without commentaries.| 2003 |
Tashi Tsering (Jamyang Buddhist Centre)>Geshe Tashi Tsering | 978-0-86171-511-4}}| Wisdom Publications| A guide to the topic of emptiness from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, with English translation of the Heart Sutra| 2009 |
0-8356-0689-9}}| Quest| Selected verses from the Prajnaparamita in 8,000 lines| 1993 |
978-0-670-88934-1}}| Penguin Viking| Foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama; illustrated with Cambridge University Library Manuscript Add.1464 & Manuscript Add.1643 | 2000 |
978-1-4783-8957-6}}| Jackson Square Books| Clear translations and summaries of the most important texts with essays| 2012 |
The New Heart of Wisdom>Heart of Wisdom {{ISBN|0-948006-77-3}}| Tharpa| The Heart Sutra with a Tibetan commentary| 2001 |
0-691-00188-X}}| Princeton| The Heart Sutra with eight complete Indian and Tibetan commentaries| 1998 |
0-88706-590-2}}| SUNY | History of Buddhism in India>Indian commentaries| 1987 |
0-86171-010-X}}| Wisdom | Tibetan Buddhism>Tibetan commentary| 1983 |
0-938077-11-2}}| Parallax Press | Chinese Chán#Thiá»n in Vietnam>Vietnamese Thiá»n commentary| 1988 |
0-938077-51-1}}| Parallax Press| The Diamond Sutra with a Vietnamese Thiá»n commentary| 1992 |
Red Pine (author)>Red Pine | 1-58243-256-2}}| Counterpoint | Chinese Chán>Chán/Zen commentary| 2001 |
Red Pine (author)>Red Pine | 978-1-59376-009-0}}| Counterpoint| Heart Sutra with commentary| 2004 |
978-0-86171-284-7}}| Wisdom Publications| Heart Sutra with commentary by the 14th Dalai Lama| 2005 |
978-1-61429-053-7}}| Wisdom Publications| English translation of the Heart Sutra with Korean Seon commentary| 2013 |
978-1-61180-096-8}}|Shambhala Publications| English translation of the Heart Sutra with history and commentary| 2015 |
978-1-62787-456-4}}| Wheatmark| Unabridged English translation of Xuanzang’s Chinese rendition (fascicles 1-20)| 2017 |
978-1-62787-582-0}}| Wheatmark| Unabridged English translation of Xuanzang’s Chinese rendition (fascicles 21-40)| 2018 |
978-1-62787-747-3}}| Wheatmark| Unabridged English translation of Xuanzang’s Chinese rendition (fascicles 41-60)| 2019 |
KumÄrajÄ«va>Kumarajiva’s 5th century translation of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines.|2018 |
SÅka University>Soka University, Bibliotheca philologica et philosophica buddhica, v. 8.||2005 |
References
{{Reflist}}Literature
- BOOK
, Karashima
, Seishi
, 2010
,iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf
, A Glossary of Lokaká¹£ema’s translation of the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄprÌamitÄ
, Bibliotheca philologica et philosophica Buddhica
, XI
, The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka Univ
, 978-4-904234-03-7
, dead
,iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf" title="web.archive.org/web/20140108134404iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf">web.archive.org/web/20140108134404iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf
, 2014-01-08
, , Seishi
, 2010
,iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf
, A Glossary of Lokaká¹£ema’s translation of the Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄprÌamitÄ
, Bibliotheca philologica et philosophica Buddhica
, XI
, The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka Univ
, 978-4-904234-03-7
, dead
,iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf" title="web.archive.org/web/20140108134404iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf">web.archive.org/web/20140108134404iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/Publications/BPPB/pdf/BPPB-11.pdf
, 2014-01-08
- Müller, F. Max, trans (1894). Buddhist Mahâyâna texts Vol.2, Oxford, Clarendon Press (the Vagrakkedikâ, the larger Pragñâ-pâramitâ-hridaya-sûtra, the smaller Pragñâ-pâramitâ-hridaya-sûtra).
- THESIS, Orsborn, Matthew Bryan, Chiasmus in the early PrajñÄpÄramitÄ: literary parallelism connecting criticism & hermeneutics in an early MahÄyÄna sÅ«tra, 2012, 10.5353/th_b4775259, 2024-04-12,
- THESIS, Qing, Fa, 2001, The development of Prajna in Buddhism from early Buddhism to the Prajnaparamita system: With special reference to the Sarvastivada tradition, PhD Dissertation, University of Calgary, Advisor: Kawamura, Leslie S., 0-612-64836-2, 1880/40730
- BOOK, Vaidya, P.L, 1960, Aá¹£á¹asÄhasrikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ with Haribhadra’s Commentary Called Äloka, Buddhist Sanskrit Texts, 4, Darbhanga, The Mithila Institute
External links
{{wikisource|VajracchedikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra}}{{wikisource|Shorter PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Há¹daya SÅ«tra}}{{wikisource|Longer PrajñÄpÄramitÄ Há¹daya SÅ«tra}}{{Commons category inline|Prajnaparamita}}- MahÄprajñÄpÄramitÄ MañjuÅrÄ«parivarta SÅ«tra: English Translation, Lapis Lazuli Texts
- users.rcn.com/dante.interport/prajna.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20120129205655users.rcn.com/dante.interport/prajna.html">The Prajnaparamita Literature Bibliography of the Prajnaparamita Literature
- Lotsawa House Translations of several Tibetan texts on the Prajnaparamita
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