DESCRIPTION
Rather than a single authoritative scripture, Buddhism recognizes hundreds up to thousands of texts as sacred, literature known as sūtras. The term ‘sūtra’ has come to be used widely throughout Indian culture to describe various kinds of collections of sayings, however, Buddhists sūtras are unique in many ways. Remarkably, these poetic narratives all follow a consistent structure: each begins with the phrase, 'Thus have I heard,' followed by details about the location, audience, and the specific occasion—usually a question posed to the Buddha—that led to the teaching. While many sūtras appear to be simply historical records of things that were said and perhaps done in response to questions, the majority of sūtras, especially those of the Mahāyāna traditions of Central and East Asia, are literary marvels weaving together complex tapestries of allegory, symbolism, and philosophical discourse.
This course provides the key to reading any sūtra and gives a broad overview of the history, translation, and transmission of Buddhist sūtras, from what is known of their origins up to their availability in the modern world. The course also investigates areas still shrouded in mystery, including sūtras that remain lost, forgotten, untranslated, or yet to be studied.
Suggested Reading
Kōgen Mizuno, Buddhist Sutras: Origin, Development, Transmission (Tokyo; Kosei Publishing, 1982)