Toh 121The Sūtra of the Great Parinirvāṇa

Explanation of the Great Parinirvāṇa Sūtra

Background

The Great Parinirvāṇa Sūtra (Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra) is a supremely important scripture of Mahāyāna Buddhism, preserved in the Northern Transmission canon, the Kangyur, under the catalog number Toh 121. This sūtra was taught when Śākyamuni Buddha was about to enter final passing (parinirvāṇa), in the city of Kuśinagara, before his disciples and bodhisattvas.

In the Mahāyāna tradition, especially the Northern Transmission, the Great Parinirvāṇa Sūtra is not only an account of a spiritual historical event, but also contains profound teachings on the nature of buddha-nature, the eternity of the true Dharma, and the path of practice of bodhisattvas. This is one of the scriptures most highly esteemed by the Bodhisattva Guardians of the Northern Transmission.

Main Content

The Great Parinirvāṇa Sūtra proclaims that all beings possess buddha-nature, the nature of Buddhahood that is neither born nor ever destroyed. The fundamental distinction of the Mahāyāna from the Hīnayāna lies here: nirvana is not annihilation or unconsciousness, but complete liberation from delusions, the attainment of unsurpassed wisdom (anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi), where buddha-nature is fully revealed.

This sūtra affirms that the Buddha did not truly “pass away” in the ordinary sense; he merely disappeared from the world in order to teach in another way. The Buddha’s form body (rūpakāya) may no longer remain, but the eternal dharmakāya is always present, guiding all beings on the path to awakening. The sūtra also teaches that all beings, including those who have committed the gravest misdeeds, have the capacity to become buddhas, the universalism of buddha-nature.

In the Mahāyāna context, bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra are encouraged to uphold this Dharma method after the Buddha’s parinirvana, in order to protect and propagate the true Dharma in future centuries.