The Outline of Maha Prajna Paramita Sutra

The Outline of Maha Prajna Paramita Sutra

The Rev. Master Xuanzang translated Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra during 660-663 A. D.(commonly called Maha Prajna Paramita Sutra). According to the narration of American scholar Sally Honey Wriggins in his book Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim on the Silk Road, Westview Press, 1966, "Xuanzhang returned to China with three copies of the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra. Xuanzang, with a team of disciple translators, commenced translating the voluminous work in 660 A. D., using all three versions to ensure the integrity of the source documentation " .( P.206 )

The Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra translated by Xuanzang, is composed of 600 volumes, 4 places and 16 assemblies, 200,000 verses all together.

Assembly one consist of total 132,600 verses, 79 chapters, 400 volumes. The first book of 100,000-verses' Satasahasrika Prajnaparamita mentioned above by Dharma Master Dongchu is not completely the same as Assembly I of this 400 volumes newly translated by Xuanzang.

After Xuanzang completed translation of Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra in 664 A. D., he said, "This sutra is the foundation for governing a country and a great treasure for the human and heaven beings." Afterwards, Master went on to translate and spread the basic thoughts, sutras and shastras of Dharma Nature School. Three Shastra, Tiantai and Chan Sect in China, which belong to the School of Non being (Emptiness), are all derived from Prajna thoughts; Consciousness Only, Huayan and Tantra sects, which belong to the School of Being, are derived partly from Prajna thoughts and partly from Yogachara ideas.

The compiler of this "Digest of Maha Prajna Paramita Sutra " is Victor Chiang who is the founder of Buddhist Tripitaka Foundation, a researcher at Dept. of Religious Studies of Peking University(2008) and visiting professor at China Min Zhu University(2008) .