Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes “preliminary note on the ten concepts (dasha-samjna)” 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.
Preliminary note on the ten concepts (daśa-saṃjñā)
Various partially overlapping lists of saṃjñā have already been mentioned above, p. 1311F.
1. The Pāli Nikāyas:
In the Pāli Nikāyas, there are two different lists of ten saññās: the first, in Dīgha, III, p. 291; Saṃyutta, V, p. 132–133; Anguttara, V, p. 105, 309; the second in Anguttara, V, p.109.
1st list
- asubha-
- maraṇa
- āhāre paṭikkūla-
- sabbaloke anabhirati-
- anicca-
- anicce dukkha-
- dukkhe anatta-
- pahāna-
- virāga-
- nirodha-saññā.
2nd list
- anicca-
- anatta-
- asubha-
- ādīnava-
- pahāna-
- virāga-
- nirodha-
- sabbaloke anabhirati-
- sabbasaṅkhāresu anicca-
- ānāpānasati-saññā.
The saññās 1–7 of the first list are defined in Anguttara, IV, p. 46–53; the second list is explained in Anguttara, V, p. 109–112.
2. The Prajñāpāramitā.
In the Prajñāpāramitā, the Sanskrit list in Pañcaviṃśati (ed. Dutt, p. 20, l. 5–8) mentions ten saṃjñās; on the other hand, the Sanskrit list in the Śatasāsrikā (ed. Ghosa, p. 60, l. 15–61, l. 6) mentions only six:
a. Ten saṃjñās according to the Pañcaviṃṣati:
- anitya-
- duḥkha-
- anātma-
- aśuci-
- maraṇa-
- sarvaloke ’nabhirati-
- sarvaloke ‘viśvāsa-
- patijaya-
- saṃvṛti-
- yathāruta-saṃjñānam.
b. Six saṃjñās according to the Śatasāhasrika:
- anitya-
- duḥkha-
- anātma-
- aśubha-
- sarvalokānabhirati-
- aviśvāsa-saṃjñā.
3. Chinese version of the Pañcaviṃśati:
Ten saṃjñās also appear in the Chinese version of the Pañcaviṃśati by Kumārajīva (T 223, k. 1, p. 219a11–13) and in the Chinese versions of all the Prajñāpāramitās by Hiuan-tsang (T 220, col. V, k. 3, p. 12a22–23; T 220, vol. V, k. 37, p. 204a18–19; T 220, vol. VII, k. 402, p. 7c1–3):
a. Ten saṃjñās according to the Pañcaviṃṣati by Kumārajīva:
- anitya-
- duḥkha-
- anātma-
- āhāre pratikūla-
- sarvaloke ’nabhirati-
- maraṇa-
- aśuci
- prahāṇa-
- virāga-
- nirodha-saṃjñā.
b. Ten saṃjñās according to the Pañcaviṃṣati by Hiuan-tsang:
- anitya-
- duḥkha-
- anātma-
- aśuci-
- maraṇa-
- sarvaloke ’nabhirati-
- āhāre pratikūla-
- prahāṇa-
- virāga-
- nirodha-saṃjñā.
4. The Sarvāstivādin-Vaibhaṣika Abhidharmas:
It is probable that, from their divergence from the original Sanskrit of the Prajñāpāramitās, the Chinese versions were modeled on the list of ten saṃjñās appearing in the Sarvāstivādin-Vaibhaṣika Abhidharmas (Jñanaprasthāna, T 1543, k. 27, p. 894b27–29;T 1013, k. 18, p. 1013c18–20; Vibhāṣā, T 1545, k. 166, p. 836c20–22):
- amityā-,
- anitye duḥkha-,
- duḥkhe ’nātma-,
- aśuci-,
- āhāre pratikūla-,
- sarvaloke ’nabhirati-.
- maraṇa-,
- prahāṇa-,
- virāga-,
- nirodha-saṃjñā.