The ''Ajitasena-vyakarana-nirdesa sutra'' ("Explanation of prophecy
or kingAjitasena") is a 'proto-Mahayana'
sutra, found near
Gilgit in 1931. The manuscript itself dates to about the sixth or seventh centuries CE.
[Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism, the doctrinal foundations'', page 27.]
Outline
This sutra shows elements of
Mahayana sutras
The Mahāyāna sūtras are a broad genre of Buddhist scriptures (''sūtra'') that are accepted as canonical and as ''buddhavacana'' ("Buddha word") in Mahāyāna Buddhism. They are largely preserved in the Chinese Buddhist canon, the Tibet ...
such as the belief that an
Arahant
In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...
can see all the
Buddha fields and a practice which allows one to see with the eyes of the Buddha and receive teachings from him. Yet there is no clear differentiation made between
Mahayana
''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...
and
Sravaka teachings, which are seen as inferior in later Mahayana texts. The word Mahayana does not appear in it. Therefore this sutra is seen as dating from a period before the Buddhists that held "Mahayanist" views began to see themselves as distinct from mainstream Buddhism.
One of the central themes of the sutra is the importance of practicing
Dāna
Dāna (Devanagari: दान, IAST: Dānam) is a Sanskrit and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity, charity or giving of alms in Indian philosophies.
In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, dāna is the practice of cultivati ...
(giving to the community of monks) by the laity. In the sutra a beggar woman attempts suicide because she has nothing to give and is presented with gifts from a god which she gives to the monks; the sutra predicts that she will attain Buddhahood because of her almsgiving and gain a good rebirth. This story presents the idea that all people have access to Buddhahood.
One of the main characters in the sutra is Nandimitra, who is sent by the Buddha as an adviser to king Ajitasena (whose son is the reborn woman above) to teach the king about the importance of almsgiving. The prince decides to ordain as a monk and becomes an Arhat. As an enlightened Arhat he is able to see the Buddha fields (Skt. buddha-kṣetra) where Buddhas live and teach. According to Paul Williams, the development of early Mahayana may have been influenced by the desire to access Buddha fields in visions and dreams.
The sutra also teaches that recitation of the name of the Buddha can save one from suffering and hell. The sutra ends in a fashion similar to later Mahayana sutras by stating that those who teach the sutra will attain good rebirths and Buddhahood and those who listen to even one verse it will become
Bodhisattvas
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
, while those who condemn the sutra will go to hell.
[Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism, the doctrinal foundations'', page 29.] Hence this sutra shows only an opposition to those who deny the teachings presented in the sutra, not to mainstream practitioners working towards Arhatship.
See also
*
Mahayana sutras
The Mahāyāna sūtras are a broad genre of Buddhist scriptures (''sūtra'') that are accepted as canonical and as ''buddhavacana'' ("Buddha word") in Mahāyāna Buddhism. They are largely preserved in the Chinese Buddhist canon, the Tibet ...
References
{{Buddhism topics
Mahayana sutras