Toh 359aThe Sūtra of the Forty-Two Sections
Pāli / Sanskrit:dum bu zhe gnyis pa'i mdo/
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An Exposition of the Sūtra of the Forty-Two Sections
Background
The Sūtra of the Forty-Two Sections, the Sūtra in Forty-Two Chapters, is a scripture belonging to the Mahāyāna tradition and preserved in the Kangyur, the Northern Transmission canon, as Toh 359a. This sūtra is not a translation from an original Sanskrit text of the classical Mahāyāna sūtras, but an early work compiled during the spread of Buddhism into China, perhaps from the first to the second century CE.
According to tradition, this sūtra was taught by the Blessed One, Śākyamuni, to guide students newly beginning spiritual practice. Its fitting context lies in answering the profound questions of bodhisattvas and disciples, helping them clearly understand the nature of practice and awakening on the Mahāyāna path. This sūtra became one of the scriptures widely taught in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese Buddhist monasteries, especially in the Chan and Zen traditions.
Main Contents
The Sūtra of the Forty-Two Sections is structured as forty-two short textual sections, each addressing an important aspect of the Buddha’s Dharma. These sections include teachings on the nature of cutting off craving (tṛṣṇā), understanding the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the disciplines to be cultivated in order to attain liberation.
The sections in this sūtra are often presented in the form of questions and answers or as profound corresponding reflections. They emphasize that the Buddhist path is not the pursuit of strenuous pleasures or extreme austerities, but balanced practice (majjhimā paṭipadā). The sūtra reminds us that in order to transcend the cycle of birth and death in saṃsāra, the practitioner must cut the bonds of the mind, develop transcendent wisdom (prajñapti), and cultivate limitless compassion (karuṇā).
One notable point of the sūtra is its emphasis on the importance of faith, diligence, mindfulness (smṛti), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā), the five faculties of wholesome roots (pañca indriyani).
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