Studies in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā and Other Essays

Book excerpt: A considerable part of the book is devoted to the study of the Astasaharika Prajnaparamita one of the most important scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism. This text marks a breakthrough in Buddhism since it provides an explanation for the emergence of written texts, which gradually replaced the previously predominant oral tradition. The analysis of the text is based on the key terms of the sutra: dharma, bodhisattva and prajnaparamita.Also some non-Buddhist texts are treated in the book the Bhagavadgita and the Daodejing are compared as the `light path` and the `dark path`, respectively; the Daodejing is separately analysed as a schematic text what offers new possibilities of translation.