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The Brahmajala Sutra (meaning, "The Discourse on the Net of Brahma") is the spurious Sanskrit title of a text of the Chinese Mahayana Buddhist canon called Fanwang Jing.[1] It is not related to the Brahmajala Sutta of the Theravada Buddhist Pali Canon. This sutra features both Vairocana Buddha and Shakyamuni Buddha and states the 10 major precepts for Bodhisattvas and the 48 minor precepts. The language of the text implies that these precepts are directed toward monastics who choose to become Bodhisattvas. The name of the sutra derives from the vast net that the Hindu god, Brahma, hangs in his palace[2]:
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At that time, he [Shakyamuni Buddha]contemplated the wonderful Jewel Net hung in Lord Brahma's palace and preached the Brahmajala Sutta for the Great Assembly. He said: "The innumerable worlds in the cosmos are like the eyes of the net. Each and every world is different, its variety infinite. So too are the Dharma Doors (methods of cultivation) taught by the Buddhas. |
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The sutra is also noteworthy for describing who Vairocana Buddha is, as the personification of the Dharma itself, or more specifically the Dharmakaya or Truth-Body of Buddhism[2]:
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Now, I, Vairocana Buddha am sitting atop a lotus pedestal; on a thousand flowers surrounding me are a thousand Sakyamuni Buddhas. Each flower supports a hundred million worlds; in each world a Sakyamuni Buddha appears. All are seated beneath a Bodhi-tree, all simultaneously attain Buddhahood. All these innumerable Buddhas have Vairocana as their original body. |
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[edit] References
- ^ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, Volume One, article on Fanwang jing
- ^ a b Brahma Net Sutra
