Toh 82The Sūtra of the Chapter of the Bodhisattva Jñānottara's Questions
Pāli / Sanskrit:Jñānottarabodhisattvaparipṛcchāparivartasūtra
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Exposition of the Jnanottarabodhisattvapariprccha Sutra (The Sutra of the Questions of the Bodhisattva Transcendent Wisdom)
Background
The Jnanottarabodhisattvapariprccha is an important work in the Tibetan Northern canon, composed within the tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. This scripture records the profound dialogue between the Buddha and the bodhisattva Jnanottara (Transcendent Wisdom), who is especially praised for his wisdom and profound inquiry into the bodhisattva path.
The setting of this scripture reflects the characteristic structure of Mahayana sutras: the Buddha is surrounded by a great assembly of bodhisattvas, arhats, gods, humans, and various other beings, all gathered to listen to the wondrous teachings. The choice of the bodhisattva Jnanottara as the questioner is not accidental. In the Tibetan Northern tradition, such bodhisattvas are regarded as representatives of the practical needs and search for truth of all beings.
Main Content
This scripture centers on profound questions concerning the nature of the bodhisattva path, the path of practice of those who arouse the mind for the benefit of all beings. The bodhisattva Jnanottara poses questions not to express doubt, but to clarify subtle points in the teaching, so that other beings may also be awakened.
The main themes of the scripture revolve around how to practice the Bodhisattva-yana, including matters such as the nature of bodhicitta, the mind of aspiration for awakening for the sake of all beings, the paramitas, the perfections that carry one beyond, namely the six perfections, and the path of practice leading to a Buddha-field. In the Tibetan Northern tradition, scriptures of this kind often emphasize the interaction between emptiness (sunyata) and compassion (karuna) as the foundation of all bodhisattva activity.
In this scripture, the Buddha does not merely answer questions, but also reveals subtle truths about the nature of mind, the form body, and the entire cosmos from the Mahayana perspective.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.