Gandavyuha

Seven Leaves from a Manuscript of the Gandavyuha-sutra, Eastern India, Pala period.

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sutra (Tib. sdong po bkod pa'i mdo) is a Buddhist Mahayana Sutra of Indian origin dating roughly c. 200 to 300 CE.[1][2] The term Gaṇḍavyūha is obscure and has been translated variously as Stem Array, Supreme Array, Excellent Manifestation.[3][1][2][4] The Sanskrit gaṇḍi can mean “stem” or “stalk” and “pieces” or “parts” or “sections,” as well as "the trunk of a tree from the root to the beginning of the branches").[3][4] Peter Alan Roberts notes that "as the sūtra is composed of a series of episodes in which Sudhana meets a succession of teachers, the intended meaning could well have been 'an array of parts' or, more freely, 'a series of episodes.'"[4] He also notes that the term gaṇḍa can also mean "great" or "supreme" in some circumstances and thus some translators have rendered this compound as Supreme Array.[4] The Chinese translations indicate that the sutra also went by another title in the 7th century (Chinese: 入法界品) which can be reconstructed into Sanskrit as Dharmadhātu-praveśana (Entry into the Dharmadhatu).[4][5]

The sutra depicts one of the world's most celebrated spiritual pilgrimages, and comprises the 39th chapter of the Buddhāvataṃsaka sutra. The Sutra is described as the "Sudhana's quest for the ultimate truth", as the sutra chronicles the journey of a disciple, Sudhana ("Excellent Riches"), as he encounters various teachings and Bodhisattvas until his journey reaches full circle and he awakens to teachings of the Buddha.

  1. ^ a b Osto, Douglas. The Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra: a study of wealth, gender and power in an Indian Buddhist Narrative, 2004, pg 60
  2. ^ a b Warder, A. K. Warder (2000). Indian Buddhism. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 402. ISBN 978-81-208-1741-8. The title Gaṇḍavyūha is obscure, being generally interpreted as 'array of flowers', 'bouquet'. it is just possible that the rhetorical called gaṇḍa, a speech having a double meaning (understood differently by two hearers), should be thought of here.
  3. ^ a b "Sanskrit and Tamil Dictionaries".
  4. ^ a b c d e Roberts, Peter Alan (trans.). "The Stem Array | 84000 Reading Room". 84000 Translating The Words of The Buddha. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  5. ^ Osto, pg 29