Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra Collection

The Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra 大寶積經 / The Great Peak of Jewels is a collection of 49 Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtras, called "assemblies" (會), of varying length and subjects. According to the Nikāyasaṅgraha (a Theravādin text), the Ratnakūṭa Sūtra was composed by the ‘Andhakas,’ meaning the Mahāsāṃghika schools of the Āndhra region. The texts of the sutra seem to have been collected over a number of centuries, and their varying subject matter is suggestive of historical transitions between major eras of Buddhist thought.

Many of the sutras in the Mahāratnakūṭa collection have circulated independently, most notable in English are the Amitabha Sutra (#5) and the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra (#48). Part of the collection was brought to China by Bodhiruci in the 8th century, where he translated some of the texts, and included others which had already been translated into Chinese. This is found in Taisho volumes 11 - 12a. The Mahāratnakūṭa is T. 310, and texts numbered 311 through 373 are alternate translations of some of the sutras contained in the Mahāratnakūṭa.

There is also a Tibetan version of Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra collection, which is currently being translated into English, however, to date there is no complete English translation of this entire collection.

LUSB STANDARDIZED EDITIONS

Alternative Translations

Tibetan Canon sources

Open Philology

There are additional texts added to this section of the Chinese Buddhist canon under the heading Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra including: