Toh 222The Sūtra of the Chapter on [Tib:] the Great Drum [Skt:] the Bearer of the Great Drum
Pāli / Sanskrit:Mahābherīhārakaparivartasūtra
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An Exposition of the Great Drum Sutra (Mahābherīhārakaparivartasūtra)
Background
The Great Drum Sutra (Mahābherīhārakaparivartasūtra) is an important part of the Northern Transmission canon of Mahāyāna Buddhism, recorded in the Kangyur, corresponding to the Tibetan Sutra Basket. This sutra belongs to the Mahāyāna branch, a lineage of practice that emphasizes the bodhisattva path and the vast means of liberating sentient beings.
The title of the sutra (Mahābherīhārakaparivarta) contains a symbolic image: the “Great Drum” (mahābheri) in Buddhism often represents the call to awakening, the sound of the Dharma spreading throughout the ten directions, without discrimination and without distortion. This image evokes the equality of the Buddha-Dharma toward all sentient beings, regardless of origin or karma.
This sutra was translated into Tibetan during the second period of the development of Tibetan Buddhism (ninth to eleventh centuries), when the Mahāyāna sutras were systematized. It reflects early Buddhist thought on emptiness (sunyatā) and the aim of the bodhisattva.
Main Content
The Great Drum Sutra reveals the power of the Dharma stream that is transmitted without obstruction. Through the image of a great drum being struck, its sound resounding everywhere without wavering or preference, it becomes a symbol of the pure and universal Buddha-Dharma.
The sutra teaches that, just as the sound of a drum has no intention of selecting who may hear it and who may not, so too is the Buddha-Dharma. All sentient beings, from advanced bodhisattvas to beings in the lower realms, have the opportunity to encounter the teaching. The difference lies in the degree of wisdom of the one who receives it, not in the Dharma itself.
The sutra also emphasizes the importance of retaining, proclaiming, and teaching the Dharma. These are fundamental practices of a bodhisattva: not only to realize awakening oneself, but also to transmit the light of the Dharma to those still in darkness. In this way, the image of the great drum is elevated into a symbol of the bodhisattva’s mission.
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