The ''Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

; ) is an early Mahayana sutra of Indian origin which focuses on the transcendental nature, supernatural powers, and transformational feats bestowed upon the meditation practitioner by the state of meditation called the "Śūraṅgama

Samādhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

" or the "Samādhi of the Heroic Progression."

History

The ''Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra'' was translated from the

into Chinese by

Kumārajīva Kumārajīva (Sanskrit: कुमारजीव; , 344–413 CE) was a Buddhist monk, scholar, missionary and translator from the Kingdom of Kucha (present-day Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China). Kumārajīva is seen as one of the greatest ...

probably between 402 and 409 C.E. and was later translated into Tibetan by Sakyaprabha and Ratnaraksita at the beginning of the 9th century.

The nature of the Buddha

Professor Lamotte describes the nature of the Buddha in this sutra as follows:

Powers of the Buddha

The sutra describes the 100 powers and abilities which the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

or 10th-level Bodhisattvas can perform, while operating from within this samādhi state. Amongst the wonders which the Buddha can perform whilst in this state of Śūraṅgama Samādhi are: * The projection or conjuration of 84,000 other Buddhas, identical replicas of himself and equally real * Complete purification of individual mind and ability to purify the mind of others * Universal omniscience * True knowledge regarding the mechanism of cause and effect without mental obstruction * Knowledge regarding the dissipation of mental defilement, such as anger and lust * Elimination of unnecessary mental activity and complete elimination of defilements * Harmonious renunciation of worldly life * Being able to access and understand different existential forms * Being able to change sex at will without mental confusion * Always knowing the right moral path to proceed * Placing immense Buddha Paradises (universes) into a single pore of the skin * Always presiding over the superknowledges (''abhijna'') * Always emitting rays of light over all universes without exception * Being able to speak and understand all languages of all universes * Completely avoiding all evil paths * Possessing a knowledge which is profound and unfathomable

Knowledge of the Dharmadhatu

Part of that profound and unfathomable knowledge is that all ''

dharmas The Abhidharma are ancient (third century BCE and later) Buddhist texts which contain detailed scholastic presentations of doctrinal material appearing in the Buddhist ''sutras''. It also refers to the scholastic method itself as well as the f ...

'' (things) have their basis in the '' dharma-dhatu'' - the element of phenomena. In this sense, there is non-duality that characterises everything, since everything is possessed of the 'one flavour' of the ''dharma-dhatu''. The Buddha states:

Attributes of a Buddha

The Buddha remarks in the ''Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra'' that any being who cultivates this samadhi will be able to know through ''pratyatmajnanam'', "through personal experience," through knowing directly within oneself, all the attributes of a buddha. Amongst those attributes is sovereignty over all humans and gods. The Buddha states of great bodhisattvas and buddhas who possess this samadhi: A bodhisattva who is immersed in this samadhi also rises beyond birth and death. The Buddha comments:

Blessings

Even the writing down, studying and teaching of this Śūraṅgama Samādhi by a master of Dharma will bestow immense blessings, twenty in number. These include: * Inconceivable knowledge and wisdom, * Inconceivable vision of all the buddhas, and * Inconceivable virtues and sovereign powers. One of these powers is demonstrated by the future Buddha, Maitreya, who transforms himself into innumerable different types of leading spiritual personages in countless world-systems at the same time. Commenting on the great qualities of those such as Maitreya who preside over the Śūraṅgama Samādhi, a whole host of great Bodhisattvas declare in the presence of the Buddha:

''Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra''

This particular samadhi is equally praised in the ''

Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra The ''Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra'' (Sanskrit; , ; Vietnamese: ''Kinh Đại Bát Niết Bàn'') or ''Nirvana Sutra'' is Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra of the Buddha-nature genre. Its precise date of origin is uncertain, but its early form ...

'', where the Buddha explains that this samadhi is the essence of the nature of the Buddha, and is indeed the "mother of all Buddhas." The Buddha also comments that the ''Śūraṅgama Samādhi'' additionally goes under several other names, specifically: * '' Prajñāpāramitā'' (Perfection of Wisdom) * ''Vajra Samadhi'' (Diamond Samadhi) * ''Simhanada Samadhi'' (Lion's Roar samadhi) * ''Buddhasvabhava'' (Buddha essence).

References

Sources

* * Harrison, Paul; McRae, John, trans. (1998)
The Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sutra and the Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sutra
Berkeley, Calif.: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.

External links

Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, The Concentration of Heroic Progress: An Early Mahayana Buddhist Scripture
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{Buddhism topics Mahayana sutras