|
Sutra
|
Other
Names
|
Notes
|
|
Amitabha
|
Shorter
Amitabha Sutra.
Smaller Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra.
Sutra
of Amida.
|
One
of the three sutras that form the doctrinal basis of the
Pureland School - the two others are Meditation Sutra and
Longer Amitabha Sutra. It describes the Blessings and Virtues
of Amitabha Buddha and his Pureland, and discusses rebirth.
|
|
Avatamsaka
|
Flower
Ornament Sutra.
Flower Garland Sutra.
Flower Adornment Sutra. Gandavyuha Sutra. |
Second
longest sutra in the Mahayana Canon, (40 chapters). It consists
of large important, independent sutras, namely: Gandavyuha
Sutra, Dashabhumika Sutra, Amitayurdyhana Sutra. It records
the higher teaching of the Buddha to Bodhisattvas and other
high spiritual beings.
|
|
Brahma
Net
|
Brahmajala
Sutra. |
This
contains the Ten Major Precepts of Mahayana followers, and
the Bodhisattva Precepts.
|
|
Diamond
|
Vajracchedika
Prajnaparamita Sutra. |
One
of the two most famous scriptures in the Prajnaparamita
group of sutras (the other is the Heart Sutra). The Diamond
Sutra sets forth the doctrines of Sunyata (emptiness) and
Prajna (wisdom).
|
|
Heart
|
Prajnaparamita-Hrdaya
Sutra. |
One
of the smallest sutras, and with the Diamond Sutra, one
of the most popular of the 40 sutras, in the vast Prajnaparamita
literature. Its emphasis is on emptiness. |
|
Heroic
Gate
|
Surangama
Sutra. |
Emphasises
the power of Samadhi (meditation) and explains various methods
of emptiness meditation. A key text of the Ch'an and Zen
traditions.
|
|
Jewel
Heap
|
Ratnakuta
Sutra. |
One
of the oldest sutras, which belongs to the Vaipulya group
of 49 independent sutras.
Summary:
The philosophy of the middle is developed, which later
becomes the basis for the Madhyamaka teaching of Najarjuna.
It contains sutras on transcendental wisdom (Prajnaparamita
Sutra) and the Longer Amitabha Sutra.
|
|
Lankavatara
|
|
A
scriptural basis of the Yogacara and Zen Schools. It teaches
subjective idealism based on the Buddha's enlightenment,
and doctrines of emptiness and mind only.
|
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Longer
Amitabha
|
Larger
Amitabha Sutra.
Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra.
Sutra of Infinite Life. |
One
of the three core Pueland texts. It explains cause and effect,
and describes the Pureland.
|
|
Lotus
|
Saddharma
Pundarika Sutra.
Lotus of the Good Law. |
A
major text, of which the Tendai (T'ien T'ai) use as a main
scripture. It teaches the identification of the historical
Buddha, with the Transcendental Buddha.
|
|
Meditation
|
Amitayurdyhana
Sutra. |
One
of the three core texts of the Pureland school. It teaches
meditation and visualisation.
|
|
Ten
Stages Chapter
|
Dasabhumika
Sutra.
Sutra on the Ten Stages. |
This
sutra is the 26th chapter of Avatamsaka Sutra, and is also
an independent sutra. It establishes the ten stages of cultivation
that the Bodhisattva must traverse on the path to enlightenment.
|
|
Vimalakirti
|
|
This
is a philosophic dramatic discourse, in which basic Mahayana
principles are presented in the form of a conversation between
famous Buddhist figures, and the householder, Vimalakirti. |
