Thank you for visiting. This article is the fourth installment in a series explaining the original texts of Buddhism.
Last time (Article 3), I explained the thought of Mahayana Buddhism (bodhisattva, emptiness, consciousness-only). This time, I look one by one at the major Mahayana sutras themselves in which that thought came to fruition. The Heart Sutra of “form is emptiness,” the Lotus Sutra, the “king of sutras,” and the three Pure Land sutras of “Namu Amida Butsu” — most of the Buddhist words most familiar to Japanese people were born from these sutras.
For an overview map of Buddhism’s original texts as a whole, please see this summary article.
What Kind of Original Texts Are the Mahayana Sutras
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Formation | Formed in stages in India, from around the turn of the era over several centuries |
| Language | Mainly Sanskrit. Later translated into Chinese and to East Asia |
| Character | A body of sutras unfolding the spirit of the Buddha’s teaching with new thought and story |
| Position | The fundamental scripture of Japanese Buddhist sects such as Tendai, Nichiren, Pure Land, and Zen |
The Mahayana sutras are a new body of scriptures produced one after another from around the turn of the era over several centuries. Historically they are not the Buddha’s direct words themselves, but the Mahayana people believed these very ones convey the Buddha’s true intent. Translated into Chinese by the fine translations of Kumarajiva, Xuanzang, and others (Article 2), East Asian Buddhism came to be built upon these Mahayana sutras.
In this article, I explain the especially important five bodies of sutras among them.
An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Buddhist StatuesView on Amazon →
A Complete History of Philosophy and ReligionView on Amazon →
The Major Mahayana Sutras
Mahayana Buddhism, to convey this new thought, produced many grand sutras. Let us look at the representative ones.
| Sutra | Central theme |
|---|---|
| Prajnaparamita (Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra) | The thought of emptiness |
| Lotus Sutra | The one vehicle (all people can become buddhas) |
| Three Pure Land sutras | Amitabha, rebirth in paradise, the nembutsu |
| Avatamsaka Sutra | One-is-all, the grand world of infinite interrelation |
| Vimalakirti Sutra | The teaching of emptiness and non-duality by a layman |
Prajnaparamita — the Heart Sutra of “Form Is Emptiness”
The “Prajnaparamita Sutra” is a group of sutras preaching the aforementioned “emptiness” and the wisdom (prajna) that sees through it. There are various lengths, from ones of enormous volume to ones that condense their essence.
Among them, what condensed the teaching of emptiness into less than 300 characters is the “Heart Sutra,” the most widely recited in Japan. Its core is an all-too-famous phrase.
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
“That which has form (form) has no substance (emptiness). Precisely because it has no substance, it appears as that which has form.” These words, vividly expressing the way of being of existence, show the very essence of Mahayana Buddhism. Also, the “Diamond Sutra,” named for cutting off delusion sharply like a sword, is an important Prajnaparamita sutra valued in the Zen school.
The Lotus Sutra — All People Can Become Buddhas
The “Lotus Sutra” is a sutra praised in East Asia as the “king of sutras,” holding tremendous influence.
Its central idea is the “one vehicle.” Until then, it had been held that there are several stages in the path (vehicle) to enlightenment, but the Lotus Sutra preached that “those are all only expedient means (devices) to lead to the one true teaching (the one vehicle), and every person can equally become a buddha.”
That the Lotus Sutra was loved by people lies also in the point of preaching its teaching with skillful parables. Most famous among them is the “parable of the burning house.” It is a story in which a father, to lure out children absorbed in play who would not flee a blazing house, said, “there are rare carts outside (carts of goat, deer, and ox),” and in fact gave them all the finest, great cart. The burning house is this world full of delusion and suffering, the father is the Buddha, the three carts are the teaching as expedient means, and the great white-ox cart given at the last represents the “one vehicle.” It splendidly depicts the Buddha’s compassion, trying to save all the children (sentient beings) even by exhausting expedient means.
Further, the Lotus Sutra preaches that the Buddha did not pass into nirvana, but is an eternal being who has existed from the far distant past and still keeps guiding people (the eternal Buddha). Also, the chapter (the Kannon Sutra) that preaches the working of “Kannon Bodhisattva,” who hears the voice of suffering people and saves them, is part of this Lotus Sutra. In Japan, the Tendai and Nichiren sects valued this Lotus Sutra as their fundamental scripture.
The Three Pure Land Sutras — Rebirth in Paradise Through the Nembutsu
The “three Pure Land sutras” are three sutras preaching the salvation of Amitabha Buddha, and are the fundamental scriptures of Japan’s Pure Land sect and Shin Buddhism.
- Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life: preaches how the bodhisattva Dharmakara once made “48 vows,” practiced, became Amitabha Buddha, and built the “Pure Land of Bliss” in the west
- Contemplation Sutra: preaches the method of visualizing the Pure Land of Bliss in the mind (contemplation)
- Amitabha Sutra: preaches the splendor of the Pure Land of Bliss and rebirth through the nembutsu
The core of its teaching is that “one who believes in Amitabha Buddha’s salvation and recites his name (chants the nembutsu ‘Namu Amida Butsu’) is, after death, reborn into the Pure Land of Bliss without suffering.” This teaching of “other-power (relying on the buddha’s power),” by which even common people who cannot do severe practice are saved, spread explosively in Japan.
The Avatamsaka Sutra — the Grand Cosmos of One-Is-All
The “Avatamsaka Sutra” is a sutra that depicts the grandeur of the world of enlightenment on a dynamic scale.
What symbolizes its worldview is “one-is-all” — the thought that all is contained within one, and one is reflected within all. It preaches how all existences illuminate one another and interrelate infinitely (infinite mutual interpenetration). The buddha at the center of this sutra is “Vairocana,” who embodies the cosmos itself, and the Great Buddha of Todai-ji in Nara is this Vairocana.
The Vimalakirti Sutra — Enlightenment Preached by a Lay Householder
The “Vimalakirti Sutra” is a sutra known for its unique setting. Its protagonist is not a renunciant monk, but a lay believer (householder), “Vimalakirti.”
The Buddha’s leading disciples and bodhisattvas who came to visit the bedridden Vimalakirti are, one after another, argued down by Vimalakirti’s deep wisdom. And to the ultimate question “what is truth,” Vimalakirti answered with silence alone. This scene, showing the truth beyond words (non-duality) by silence, is praised as “Vimalakirti’s single silence, like thunder.” In the point of showing that one can reach deep enlightenment as a layman, without renouncing the world, it is a sutra characteristic of Mahayana.
How Strong Are the Characters? — the Strongest Ranking
The central buddha of the Avatamsaka Sutra, Vairocana, is identified with Mahavairocana in esoteric Buddhism. He is also introduced in order of strength in the “Mythology, Religion, and Legend Strongest Ranking,” so please enjoy both his figure in the original texts and his “strength.”
To Learn More
Here are some related books. Reading them alongside this series lets you savor this world even more deeply.
Living Buddha, Living Christ (new edition)View on Amazon →
The Origins of Religion: Why We Needed a ‘God’View on Amazon →
Conclusion
In this article, I explained the major Mahayana sutras one by one, following the original texts. How was it?
The Heart Sutra, preaching “form is emptiness”; the Lotus Sutra, promising the buddhahood of all people; the three Pure Land sutras of “Namu Amida Butsu”; the Avatamsaka Sutra, depicting the grand cosmos; and the Vimalakirti Sutra, showing truth by silence — I think you have felt that many of the Buddhist words and faith near us derive from these sutras.
In the next Article 5, I will clearly explain the worldview of Buddhism (the six realms of rebirth, nirvana) and the many buddhas and bodhisattvas that these sutras depict.
I hope you’ll read the next article too.
📚 Series: The Original Texts of Buddhism (5/7)
