Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2Eliot, Charles
Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2
Eliot, Charles
Asia -- Religion; Buddhism; Hinduism
7. Tathâgata-guhyaka. This work is known by the analysis of
Rajendralala Mitra from which it appears to be a Tantra of the worst
class and probably late. Its proper title is said to be
Śrîguhyasamaja. Watanabe states that the work catalogued by Nanjio
under No. 1027 and translated into Chinese about 1000 A.D. is an
expurgated version of it. The Śikshâsamuccaya cites the
Tathâgata-guhya-sûtra several times. The relations of these works to
one another are not quite clear.
8. Samâdhirâja[140] is a Vyâkaraṇa or narrative describing different
forms of meditation of which the Samâdhirâja is the greatest and best.
The scene is laid on the Vulture's Peak and the principal
interlocutors are Śâkyamuni and Candraprabha, a rich man of
Râjagṛiha. It appears to be the same as the Candrapradîpa-sûtra and
is a complete and copious treatise, which not only expounds the topic
from which it takes its name but incidentally enumerates the chief
principles of Mahayanism. Watanabe[141] states that it is the
Yüeh-têng-san-mei-ching (Nanjio, 191) translated about 450 and again
in 557 A.D.
9. Daśabhûmîśvara.[142] An account of the ten stages in the career of
a Bodhisattva before he can attain to Buddhahood. The scene is laid in
the paradise of Indra where Śâkyamuni was temporarily sojourning and
the principal interlocutor is a Bodhisattva named Vajragarbha. It is
said to be the same as the Daśabhûmika-sûtra first translated into
Chinese about 300 A.D. (Nanjio, 105 and 110) but this work appears to
be merely a portion of the Gaṇḍa-vyûha or Avataṃsaka mentioned
above.
These nine works are all extant in Sanskrit and are known in Nepal as
the nine Dharmas, the word Dharma being an abbreviation for
_Dharmaparyâya_, revolution or exposition of the law, a term
frequently used in the works themselves to describe a comprehensive
discourse delivered by the Buddha. They are all quoted in the
Śikshâsamuccaya, supposed to have been written about 650 A.D. No
similar collection of nine seems to be known in Tibet or the Far East
and the origin of the selection is obscure. As however the list does
not include the Svayambhû Purâṇa, the principal indigenous scripture
of Nepal, it may go back to an Indian source and represent an old
tradition.
Besides the nine Dharmas, numerous other sûtras exist in Sanskrit,
Chinese, Tibetan and the languages of Central Asia. Few have been
edited or translated and even when something is known of their
character detailed information as to their contents is usually
wanting. Among the better known are the following.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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