Mahayana sutras
Mahayana sutras are a very broad genre of
Buddhist scriptures that began to be composed from the first century BCE. They form the basis of the various
Mahayana schools.
It should be noted that the Mahayana sutras form only one part of the
Mahayana Canon, the other part being the
Agamas, which correspond to the Theravadin
Pali Canon, and other non-Mahayana texts. The Mahayana Canon also has complete recensions, in Chinese or Tibetan translation, of the Vinayas of several early schools such as
Mulasarvastivada and
Dharmaguptaka.
Mahayana Buddhists believe that the Mahayana sutras, with the exception of those with an explicitly Chinese provenance, are an authentic account of teachings given during the Buddha's lifetime. However,
Theravada Buddhists believe them to be later inventions of monks striving to change the original teachings of Buddha, and consider the Mahayana sutras apocryphal. Generally, scholars conclude that the Mahayana scriptures were composed from the first century CE onwards, with some of them having their roots in other scriptures, composed in the first century BCE.
The Mahayana sutras were thus probably composed in the first century CE, at the time when the various overtly Mahayana-oriented groups began to appear. The Mahayana sutras are thus not included in the more ancient
Agamas, nor in the
Sutta Pitaka of the
Theravada, both of which represent an older stratum of Buddhist scriptures, which some claim can be historically linked to
Gautama Buddha himself.
Mahayana beliefs on the Mahayana Sutras
The tradition in Mahayana is that the Mahayana sutras were written down at the time of the Buddha and stored for five hundred years in the realm of the dragons (or
Nagas). The tradition further claims that the teachings of the Mahayana sutras are higher than the teachings contained in the
Agamas and the
Sutta Pitaka, and that people were initially unable to understand the Mahayana sutras at the time of the Buddha (500 BCE). This is the reason given, according to some Mahayna accounts, for the need to store these sutras in the realm of the dragons for 500 years, until suitable recipients for these teachings arose amongst humankind.
One Mahayana tradition holds (based on the
Sandhi-nirmocana Sutra) that Gautama Buddha's teachings may be divided into three general hierarchical categories, known as the "three turnings of the wheel of dharma"--the Hinayana turning, and two Mahayana turnings: the
Prajna Paramita (
Perfection of Wisdom), and
Yogacara. The Mahayana Sutras would thus belong to the two later turnings, and not form part of the 'Hinayana' turning.
* Texts of Indian origin
**
Lalitavistara Sutra**
Lankavatara Sutra**
Lotus Sutra(妙法"華")
**
Perfection of Wisdom sutras (Prajnaparamita sutras)
***
Diamond Sutra(金剛")
***
Heart Sutra(心")
**
Ten Stages Sutra**
Vimalakirti-nirdesa Sutra(維摩詰")
* Texts of Chinese origin
**
Perfect Enlightenment Sutra (
Yuanjue Jing)
**
Platform Sutra (
Liuzutan Jing)
* Other texts
**
Amitabha Sutra (
Smaller Pure Land Sutra)
**
Avatamsaka Sutra (
Flower Garland Sutra)
**
Contemplation Sutra**
Infinite Life Sutra(無量壽") (
Large Pure Land Sutra)
**
Mahaparinirvana Sutra(大涅槃")
**
Shurangama Sutra**
Sutra in Forty-Two Sections**
Sutra of Golden Light**
Sutra of The Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (地藏菩薩本願")
**
Ullambana Sutra
