Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes “recollection of the community (samganusmriti)” as written by Nagarjuna in his Maha-prajnaparamita-sastra (lit. “the treatise on the great virtue of wisdom”) in the 2nd century. This book, written in five volumes, represents an encyclopedia on Buddhism as well as a commentary on the Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita.
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III. Recollection of the community (saṃgānusmṛti)
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Recollection of the Community (saṃgānusmṛti). – “The Community of disciples of the Buddha (śrāvakasaṃgha) is completely endowed with the discipline element (śīlaskandhasaṃpanna), is completely endowed with the concentration element (samādhiskandha), the wisdom element (prajñāskandha), the deliverance element (vimuktiskandha), and the ‘knowledge and vision of deliverance’ element (vimuktijñānadarśanaskandha).[1] It includes the four pairs of individuals (catvāri puruṣayugāni) or the eight individuals (aṣṭau puruṣapudgalāḥ). It is worthy of alms (dakṣīṇīya), worthy of homage (pūjanīya), worthy of veneration (arcinīya). It is the supreme field of merit for the world (anuttaraṃ puṇyakustraṃ lokasya).”
The yogin should recollect the Community celebrated by the Buddha in these words and meditate on the qualities (guṇa) of the śrāvakasṃgha, the pratyekabuddhasaṃgha and the bodhisattvasaṃgha making up the Holy Community (āryasaṃgha).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
These five anāsrvaskandhas are not mentioned in the canonical formulation of the saṃghānusmṛti.