Toh 446The Questions of the Four Goddesses
Pāli / Sanskrit:Caturdevīparipṛcchā
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An Exposition of The Questions of the Four Goddesses (Caturdevīparipṛcchā)
Context
The Questions of the Four Goddesses (Caturdevīparipṛcchā) belongs to the Kangyur—the collection of the Buddha’s teachings in the Northern Mahayana canonical tradition, preserved and transmitted through ancient Tibetan translations. It is one of the scriptures that reflects the profound participation of goddesses (devī) in Dharma dialogues, expressing the Mahayana view of the equality of mind’s nature and the capacity of all sentient beings to attain awakening, without distinction of gender.
This sutra was composed within the context of the development of the Mahayana, when shorter sutras emphasized the roles of women, female bodhisattvas, and goddesses in the journey of practice and teaching. The appearance of the four goddesses posing questions is not merely a narrative element but also carries profound symbolic significance, representing a comprehensive inquiry into the Dharma from different dimensions of reality.
Main Content
In this sutra, four goddesses—who may represent different aspects of nature, wisdom, or various domains of the phenomenal world—approach the Buddha to pose profound questions concerning the Dharma. These questions are not superficial inquiries but concern difficult points at the very foundation of understanding the Buddhadharma: the nature of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), the absence of inherent existence (śūnyatā), and the bodhisattva path (bodhisattvayāna).
Through his teachings, the Buddha makes clear that these questions arise from wisdom and faith. The goddesses are not obstacles to practice but exemplars of genuine inquiry into the Dharma. Through their dialogue with the Buddha, these divine beings realize the truths of the Buddhadharma and thereby enter the bodhisattva path, vowing to liberate sentient beings.
The principal content centers on such matters as the nature of mind (citta), the relationship between phenomena and nonphenomena, the means of transcending dualistic distinctions, and the path of practice for attaining bodhicitta. The sutra emphasizes that wisdom makes no distinction of gender,
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