Sūtra

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[[File:03_diamond_sutra.jpg|thumb|250px|Diamond Sutra)] Sūtra (Sanskrit: Template:SanskritBig, Pāli: sutta, Ardhamagadhi: sūya) is an aphorism (or line, Template:Wiki, formula) or a collection of such Template:Wiki in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a text in Hinduism or Buddhism. The teachings of Buddha that are open to everyone to practise without the need for empowerment. These include Buddha’s teachings of the three turnings of the Wheel of Dharma. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including Template:Wiki suere and English to sew, all ultimately deriving from PIE *siH-/syuH- 'to sew'), as does the Template:Wiki term "suture." The word "sutra" was very likely meant to apply quite literally to these texts, as they were written down in books of palm leaves sewn together with thread. This distinguishes them from the older sacred Vedas, which until recently were only memorised, never committed to paper.

In Template:Wiki Indian Template:Wiki, sutra denotes a Template:Wiki type of Template:Wiki composition, based on short aphoristic statements, generally using various technical terms. This Template:Wiki form was designed for concision, as the texts were intended to be memorized by students in some of the formal methods of scriptural and scientific study (Sanskrit: svādhyāya). Since each line is highly condensed, another Template:Wiki form arose in which commentaries (Sanskrit: bhāṣya) on the sutras were added, to clarify and explain them.

In Brahmin lineage, each family is supposed to have one Gotra, and one Sutra, meaning that a certain Veda (Śruti) is treasured by this family in way of Template:Wiki by heart.

One of the most famous definitions of a sutra in Indian Template:Wiki is itself a sutra and comes from the Vayu Template:Wiki:

alpākṣaraṃ asandigdhaṃ sāravad viśvatomukham
astobhaṃ anavadyaṃ ca sūtram sūtravido viduḥ
Of minimal syllabary, unambiguous, pithy, comprehensive,
continuous, and without flaw: who knows the sūtra knows it to be thus.

In Jainism, sūtra refers to canonical sermons of the Mahavira contained in the Jain Agamas, and to some later (post-canonical) normative texts.

In Buddhism, the sūtra refers mostly to canonical scriptures, many of which are regarded as records of the oral teachings of Gautama Buddha. In Template:Wiki, these are known as (pinyin: jīng). These teachings are assembled in part of the Tripitaka which is called Sutra Pitaka. There are also some Buddhist texts, such as the Platform Sutra, that are called sūtras despite being attributed to much later authors.

In the book "Template:Wiki Buddhism", Geshe Kelsang Gyatso defines sūtra as "The teachings of Buddha that are open to everyone to practice without the need for empowerment. These include Buddha's teachings of the three turnings of the dharma wheel.

Some scholars consider that the Buddhist use of sūtra is a mis-Sanskritization of Prakrit or Pali sutta, and that the latter represented Sanskrit sūkta, "well spoken", "good news" (as the Buddha himself refers to his speech in his first Template:Wiki; compare the original meaning of Template:Wiki), which would also resolve as sutta in Pali. The early Buddhist sutras do not Template:Wiki the aphoristic, nearly cryptic nature of the Hindu sutras, even though they also have been designed for Template:Wiki purposes in an oral tradition. On the contrary, they are most often lengthy, with many repetitions which serve the Template:Wiki Template:Wiki of the audience. They share the character of sermons of "good news" with the Jaina sūtras, whose original name of sūya (in Ardhamagadhi language) can derive from Sanskrit sūkta, but hardly from sūtra.

The Pali form of the word, sutta is used exclusively to refer to the scriptures of the early Pali Canon, the only texts recognized by Theravada Buddhism as canonical.


Sutras primarily associated with Hinduism[edit | edit source]

Vedanga[edit | edit source]

Hindu philosophy[edit | edit source]

Sutras primarily associated with Buddhism[edit | edit source]

Further information: Buddhist texts and List of suttas

Sutras primarily associated with Jainism[edit | edit source]

Jain philosophy[edit | edit source]

Sutra(Skt. sūtra; Tib. Template:BigTibetan, do; Wyl. mdo) — the Sanskrit literally means ‘something that was heard from someone else’ and usually connotes ‘a Template:Wiki’.

External Links[edit | edit source]

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