sutra

The Buddha said: 'One who studies the Buddha's Way should believe in and accord with all that the Buddha says. When you eat honey, it is sweet on the surface and sweet in the center; it is the same with my sutras.' (S42 #39)

The sutras are records of the conversations of the Buddhas and/or the Bodhisattvas or other enlightened disciples of the Buddha.

'The Buddha spoke the Sutras to cause all of us living beings

To go back to the origin and return to the source,

To turn away from confusion and take refuge with enlightenment.

That is also:

To turn our backs on the mundane dust and unite with enlightenment.

Otherwise, if no living beings listened to the Sutras the Buddha spoke, the Sutras would be useless. Therefore, if there were no living beings, there would be no Sutras; and without Sutras, there would be no way to teach living beings to become Buddhas.' (FAS-PII(1) 23)

'Sutras provide a road to travel in cultivation. Going from the road of birth and death to the road of no birth and death, the common person penetrates to sagehood--to Buddhahood. One who wishes to walk that road must rely on the Dharma to cultivate. The Dharma is in the Sutras.' (VS 8)

(Source: Epstein, 2003: p. 193)

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1) Chinese Mandarin: jing , jing dyan ; 2) Sanskrit: sutra; 3) Pali: sutta, 4) Alternate Translation: scripture.

See also: Tripitaka (1. Sutras, 2. Vinaya, 3. Shastras or Abhidharma, or Tantra), Taisho Catalog Numbering System, Dharma, and names of individual sutras (such as Shurangama Sutra, Avatamsaka Sutra [Flower Adornment Sutra], Lotus Sutra [Wonderful Dharma Flower Sutra], Earth Store Sutra, Dharani Sutra, Brahma Net Sutra, Medicine Master Buddha Sutra, Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra, Vajracchedika Prajna Paramita Diamond, Sixth Patriarch Platform Sutra, Sutra in 42 Sections, Sutra on the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching, Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra, et al.   Schools: Hwa-Yen School, Tyan-tai School

Buddhist Text Translation Society (http://www.BTTSonline.org) References: SPV 21; HS 11-12; VS 8; S42 80; FAS-VP 37-38; FAS-PII(1) 7-26; AS 12-14.
 

To help English readers interested in learning more about Mahayana Buddhism, here is a collection of links leading to English translations of Mahayana Buddhist Sutras.

The merits of making these sutras available belong to all the translators. I shall accept neither credit nor reward for this compilation, not from anyone and never in any time. My sincerest thanks to the translators for spreading the words of the Dharma.

One of the Five Precepts of Buddhist practice is to make no statement that is untrue; therefore:

• Please inform me if you discover slander of the Triple Jewels (The Buddha, The Dharma, and The Sangha) in any hosting site; upon verification, I will remove the corresponding link immediately.
• Please inform me if any of the links is wrong or obsolete.
• Please inform me of any error you observe.
• Please forgive me if there are errors in the translations which I have no control over. I do not necessarily agree with the philosophies presented by these hosting sites, but I sincerely appreciate their kindness in making the translations available.

Also, please inform me of other English translations for sutras spoken by the Buddha that are missing from this compilation.

Finally, if you are new to reading a particular Sutra, please read all the different versions to absorb the essential teachings. I humbly recommend the translations from the Buddhist Text Translation Society, with respect to their accuracy and completeness.

Best wishes and thank you for visiting.

• The Amitabha Sutra Translated by Dr. Ron Epstein of The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Amitabha Sutra Translated by J.C. Cleary
• The Amitabha Sutra Translated by The Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple
• The Amitabha Sutra Translated by Hisao Inagaki (copyrighted material)

• The Smaller Pure Land Sutra Translated by F. Max Muller
• The Smaller Pure Land Sutra Translated by Charles Patton
• The Smaller Pure Land Sutra Translated by Hisao Inagaki
• The Smaller Pure Land Sutra Translated by Nishu Utsuki

• The Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra), Chapter 39 (excerpt) Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra), Chapter 11 (excerpt) Translated by Thomas Cleary
• The Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra), excerpts of Chapter 1 Provided by the Da HuaYen Monastery
• The Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra), Chapter 40 (excerpts) Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra), Chapter 40 (excerpts) (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Upasika Chihmann
• The Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra), (various excerpts, including Chapter 1) Provided by The Buddhist Information Society of North America
• The Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra), (excerpts from Chapter 1,2,33) Translated by Benjamin Root (WARNING: downloading of .chm file required)

• The Sutra On The Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Sutra On The Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching Provided by SUNY Stony Brook BSPG

• The Brahma Net Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society

• The Sutra Of Casket Seal Dharani From The Secrete Whole Bodies Relics Of All Buddhas' hearts Translated by Jian-Shan Lin

• The Compassionate Lotus Sutra Translated by Silfong Chen

• The Diamond Sutra Translated by The Buddhst Text Translation Society
• The Diamond Sutra Translated by E.B. Cowell, F. Max Mulller, and J. Takakusu
• The Diamond Sutra Provided by the Dharma Treasury of the Mandala Society
• The Diamond Sutra (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Charles Patton
• The Diamond Sutra Translated by A.F.Price and Wong Mou-Lam
• The Diamond Sutra (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Geshe Michael Roach
• The Diamond Sutra Provided by The Plum Village and SUNY Stony Brook BSPG
• The Diamond Sutra (Incomplete as of 1/2001) Translated by John William

• The Eight Enlightenment Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Eight Enlightenment Sutra Provided by The Dragon Gate Temple
• The Eight Enlightenment Sutra Translated by Dr. Tetcheng Liao
• The Eight Enlightenment Sutra Translated by Truong Giam Tan and Carole Melkonian

• The Perfect Enlightenment Sutra Translated by by Ven. Guogu Bhikshu (copyrighted material)

• The Sutra of Forty-Two Sections Translated by John Blofeld
• The Sutra of Forty-Two Sections (rough draft version) Translated by The BTTS with commentaries by Ven. Master Hsuan Hua
• The Sutra of Forty-Two Sections Translated by Kasyapa Matanga and Gobharana
• The Sutra of Forty-Two Sections Translated by Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
• The Sutra of Forty-Two Sections Translated by T.D. Suzuki (copyrighted material)

• The Heart Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Heart Sutra Translated by E. Conze
• The Heart Sutra Translated by The Dragon Flower Ch'an Temple
• The Heart Sutra Translated by Allen Ginsberg
• The Heart Sutra Translated by Leon Hurtz
• The Heart Sutra Translated by Truc Huy
• The Heart Sutra Translated by Eric Larson
• The Heart Sutra (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Charles Patton
• The Heart Sutra Translated by Jerry Pevahouse
• The Heart Sutra (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Geshe Michael Roach
• The Heart Sutra Translated by Dharma Master Lok To

• The High King Avalokitesvara Sutra Provided by Silfong Chen

• The Hundred Parables Sutra Translated by Tetcheng Liao

• Sutra on the Great Dragon Krkala's Defeating the Exterior-Path Practitioners Translated by Ivan Taniputera

• The Great Vehicle Infinite Life Sutra Translated by F. Max Mueller

• The Infinite Life Sutra (a.k.a The Larger Pure Land Sutra) Translated by Hisao Inagaki

• The Sutra on the Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Lifespan Translated by J. Takakusu; edited by Richard St. Clair
• The Sutra on the Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Lifespan Translated by The Cloud Water Zendo
• The Sutra on the Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Lifespan Traanslated by Hisao Inagaki
• The Sutra on the Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Lifespan (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Charles Patton

• The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra Translated by Yih-Mei Guo
• The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra Translated by Pitt Chin Hui
• The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra Translated by K'un Li Shih

• The Lankavatara Sutra(Chapter 16) Translated by Silfong Chen
• The Lankavatara Sutra Translated by Suzuki and Goddard
• The Lankavatara Sutra Translated by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki

• The Dharani Sutra on Longevity, The Extinction of Offences, And the Protection of Young Children Provided by Alan Khoo

• The Lotus Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Lotus Sutra Translated by H. Kern
• The Lotus Sutra (Chap. 2, 14, 16, 21, 23) Translated by Leon Hurvitz
• The Lotus Sutra Translated by Burton Watson (copyrighted material)

• The Maha-Cundi Dharani Sutra Provided by Silfong Chen

• The Mahaparinirvana Sutra (Chapters 1-6; PDF Reader Required) Translated by Charles Patton
• The Mahaparinirvana Sutra Translated by Kosho Yamamoto

• The Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra Translated by Silfong Chen

• Manjusri speaks the Inconceivable State of Buddhahood Sutra (excerpts) Provided by PurifyMind.Com

• The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata Translated by Professor Chow Su-Chia
• The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata Translated by Dr. Yutang Lin
• The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Minh Thanh

• The Sutra On The Merit Of Bathing The Buddha Provided by Silfong Chen

• The Parable Sutra (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Charles Patton

• The Sutra about The Parents' Deep Kindness and The Difficulty in Repaying It Translated by Upasika Terri Nicholson

• The Prajna Paramita Sutra on the Buddha-Mother's Producing the Three Dharma Treasuries Translated by Richard Babcock

• The Samantabhadra Contemplation Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society

• The Sanghata Sutra (excerpts) Translated by Silfong Chen
• The Sanghata Sutra (PDF Reader Required) Provided by Damcho Diana Finnegan

• The Shurangama Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society
• The Shurangama Sutra (PDF Reader Required) Translated by Charles Luk

• The Srimala Simhanada Sutra (Chapter 4) Translated by Anzan Hoshin
• The Srimala Simhanada Sutra Translated by Alex and Hideko Wayman

• Tathagata-garbha Sutra Translated by William H. Grosnick

• The Tathagata's Inconceivable State Sutra Translated by Silfong Chen

• The Ten Wholesome Ways of Actions Sutra Translated by Saddhaloka Bhikkhu

• Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded, Great-Compassionate Heart Dharani Sutra Translated by Silfong Chen

• The Ullambana Sutra Translated by The Buddhist Text Translation Society

• The Sutra of Unmeasured Principles Provided by The Buddhist Information Society of North America

• The Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra Provided by Sunway Buddhist Society

• The Vajra Samadhi Sutra Translated by K. C. Oon

• The Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra Translated by Robert A. F. Thurman (copyrighted material)

Mahayana Sutras are emphasized in this site because they are ones which I am familiar with, such that I can uphold them properly. I am shallow and ignorant in my knowledge and I try to not incur malicious karma by misinforming. There are Theravada Sutras which are studied by Mahayana students, and those which I am fortunate enough to be acquainted with will be presented here.

• Digha Nikaya of the Agama Sutta Presented by Access to Insight (John Bullitt)
• Majjhima Nikaya of the Agama Sutta Presented by Access to Insight (John Bullitt)
• Samyutta Nikaya of the Agama Sutta Presented by Access to Insight (John Bullitt)
• Anguttara Nikaya of the Agama Sutta Presented by Access to Insight (John Bullitt)
• Khuddaka Nikaya of the Agama Sutta Presented by Access to Insight (John Bullitt)

If you read Chinese and your system supports BIG5 encoding, then you may want to check out the comprehensive sutra collections provided by Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association or National Taiwan University
 

Source: http://www4.bayarea.net/~mtlee/

(NOTE: Numerous corrections and enhancements have been made under Shastra tradition and "Fair Use" by an Anonymous Buddhist Monk Redactor (Compiler) of this Online Buddhist Encyclopedia Compilation)