Toh 3815Untitled
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Commentary on the Prajnaparamita Sutra (Toh 3815)
Background
This sutra belongs to the Prajnaparamita Sutras of the Northern Mahayana Canon, one of the most profound genres of canonical literature concerning transcendent wisdom. The Prajnaparamita collection comprises many different sutras, ranging from the longest versions, such as the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra (120 fascicles), to more concise texts, each focusing on an aspect of liberating wisdom (prajnaparamita).
The setting generally involves Shakyamuni Buddha or other Buddhas teaching bodhisattvas and disciples about the selflessness (śūnyatā) of all phenomena. The Northern Canon tradition regards the Prajnaparamita collection as the philosophical foundation of all Mahayana schools, especially Madhyamaka and Yogācāra. The sutra teaches that to attain awakening, practitioners must transcend every mistaken conception of self, phenomena, and even this wisdom itself.
Main Content
Although the title is not clearly recorded in the descriptive information, Prajnaparamita sutras generally explore such essential themes as these: All phenomena are selfless (anātman) and possess no enduring intrinsic nature (svabhāva). There is no distinction between the cognizing subject and the cognized object. Prajnaparamita—wisdom that has gone beyond—is not a wisdom possessed by any subject, but the inherently present, lucid nature of awakening.
This sutra teaches that bodhisattvas following the Prajnaparamita path must practice the six perfections (paramitā): generosity, ethical discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Only when all these actions are practiced without the thought, “I am doing this,” without an agent, an action, or any merit being accumulated, do they truly constitute the practice of Prajnaparamita. This is called the “inconceivable prajnaparamita” (anirvacanya-prajnaparamita).
The sutra may also teach the levels of bodhisattva awakening (bhūmi) and how bodhisattvas gradually eliminate the cognitive obscurations (jñeyāvaraṇa), ultimately attaining buddhahood.
Practical Significance
For those who practice the Mahayana today,
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