Shurangama Sutra
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The Śūraṅgama Sūtra, often spelled Shurangama Sutra or Surangama Sutra in English, is a Mahayana sutra and one of the main texts used in the Chán school in Chinese Buddhism. Śūraṅ means [of or belonging to] a Hero or a Brave person, Gama means [style of] steps or method [for making progress, for advancing].
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[edit] Etymology
The complete Chinese title is 大佛頂如來密因修證了義諸菩薩萬行首楞嚴經 (Da foding rulai miyin xiuzheng liaoyi zhupusa wanxing shoulengyan jing, Taisho no. 975), which may be translated as "The Summit of the Great Buddha, The Final Meaning of Verification though Cultivation of the Secret Cause of the Tathagata, and [Foremost] Shurangama of All Bodhisattvas' Ten Thousand Practices Sutra." It is also known in Traditional Chinese by shorter versions of the title such as 大佛頂首楞嚴經 (Da foding shoulengyan jing) or simply and more commonly 楞嚴經 (leng yan jing).
[edit] History and Translation
According to tradition, the Shurangama Sutra was translated in 705 by Śramaṇa Pāramiti from Central India and reviewed by Śramaṇa Meghashikara from Oḍḍiyāna. It was given certification by Śramaṇa Huai Di, and then polished and edited by Empress Wu Zetian's recently banished minister Fang Yong.
[edit] Relationship with the Shurangama Samadhi Sutra
The Shurangama Sutra should not be confused with Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra, which means "Sutra of the Samadhi of the Heroic Progression", an entirely different Mahayana sutra. However, both sutras do feature the Shurangama Samadhi, which features importantly in a number of Mahayana sutras.
[edit] Major Themes
Its main themes are the worthlessness of the Dharma when unaccompanied by samadhi power, and the importance of moral precepts as a foundation for the Buddhist practice. Also stressed is the theme of how one effectively combats delusions that may arise during meditation.
[edit] Importance in Chán Buddhism
The Shurangama Sutra has been widely studied and commented on, especially in Chán Buddhism. In the Chinese language alone, there are at least 127 commentaries on the Shurangama Sutra.[1] It was widely used by many Chán masters such as Changshui Zixuan from the Song Dynasty and Hanshan Deqing from the Ming Dynasty. It was also the only sutra that Master Hsu Yun wrote a commentary on.
Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, an important figure in Mahayana Buddhism, was one of the major proponents of the Shurangama Sutra, which he commented and used in his instructions on protecting and supporting the Proper Dharma. He said: "In Buddhism all the sutras are very important, but the Shurangama Sutra is even more important. Wherever the Shurangama Sutra is, the Proper Dharma abides in the world. When the Shurangama Sutra is gone, that is a sign of the Dharma Ending Age. In the Extinction of the Dharma Sutra it says that in the Dharma Ending Age, the Shurangama Sutra will become extinct first. Then gradually the other Sutras will also become extinct. The Shurangama Sutra is the true body of the Buddha; the sarira of the Buddha; the stupa of the Buddha."
Master Hsuan Hua lectured on the entire Shurangama Sutra while he was in the United States. These lectures were recorded in an eight-part series of books containing the sutra and a traditionally rigorous form of commentary that addresses each passage.
[edit] White Umbrella Dharani
In addition to the sutra's contents, the incantation (variously referred to as dharani or mantra) contained therein, known in Chinese as the Lengyan zhou (楞嚴咒), is well-known and popularly chanted in East Asian Buddhism. This dharani is also known as the Śitātapatra or White Umbrella Dharani (Chinese: 大白傘蓋陀羅尼; see nos. 944a/b, 976 and 977 in the Taisho Tripitaka) and is also extant in Sanskrit and Tibetan versions.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Shurangama Sutra text
- Shurangama Sutra: Text, Commentaries, and Articles
- Shurangama Sutra translated by Upāsaka Lu K'uan Yu (Charles Luk), PDF file
- Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the Shurangama mantra
