Bhadrapalasutra, Bhadrapala-sutra, Bhadrapālasūtra: 1 definition
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Bhadrapalasutra means something in Buddhism, Pali. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita SastraBhadrapālasūtra (भद्रपालसूत्र) or Pratyutapannasamādhi is the name oof a Mahāyāna-sūtra from the early Mahāyāna period (50–100AD).—A vision of the Buddhas, different from those just described, is set forth in the Pratyutpannabuddha-saṃmukhāvasthitasamādhisūtra, in Tibetan Da ltar gyi saṅs rgyas mṅon sum du bzhugs paḥI tiṅ ṅe ḥdzin (“the concentration of being face to face with the Buddhas of the present”). This sūtra is often designated under the abbreviated title of Pratyutapannasamādhi or also Bhadrapālasūtra because the bodhisattva thus named is the principal interlocutor of the Buddha. This sūtra is known to us by Sanskrit fragments coming from eastern Turkestan, by four Chinese versions and one Tibetan translation.
This [Bhadrapālasūtra] is one of the oldest Mahāyānasūtras. According to one conjecture, it may have been the manual of early Buddhists during the early Mahāyāna period (50–100AD). It is well known to the Chinese and Japanese Buddhists because it refers to worship of the Buddha Amitābha. The assembly where this sūtra was preached was simple, consisting only of 500 bhikṣus and 500 bodhisattvas: this shows that the sūtra goes back to the first days of the Mahāyāna.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Sutra, Bhadrapala.
Full-text: Bhadrapala, Earliest Mahayana-sutras, Pratyutpannasamadhi-sutra.
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Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
The 22 main Bodhisattvas < [Chapter XIII - The Buddha-fields]
III. Acquiring a great entourage < [Part 3 - Acquiring precedence, etc.]
Section C - Third method: practicing the five dharmas < [Part 2 - Means of acquiring meditation]