Gandharan Buddhist Texts: Rhino Sutra

(Tan Lay) Ancient Gandharan (Proto-Indian) Buddhist text: Rhinoceros Sutra (audiobook)

• Snp 1.3: Khaggavisāṇa Sutta—Ven. Sujato (translation)

First statues of the Buddha

In the years following Alexander the Great’s conquest of the East, a series of empires rose up along the Silk Road. In what is now northern Pakistan, the civilizations in the region called ancient Gandhara became increasingly important centers for the development of Buddhism, reaching their apex under King Kaniska of the Kusanas (Kushan Empire) in the second century CE.

Gandhara has long been known for its Greek-Indian (Greco-Buddhist) synthesis in architecture and statuary, but until about 20 years ago, almost nothing was known about its Buddhist literature (Gandhāran Buddhist texts).

Buddhist Lit of Ancient Gandhara

The insights provided by manuscripts unearthed over the last few decades show that Gandhara was indeed a vital link in the early development of Buddhism, instrumental in both the transmission (Journey to the West, Monkey King) of Buddhism to China and the rise of the Mahayana tradition.

The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara surveys what we know about Gandhara and its Buddhism, and it also provides translations of a dozen different short texts, from similes and stories to treatises on time and reality.

Afghan Buddhas: The Ancient Art of Gandhara || Overlooked Art History

Afghanistan's Buddhas: The Ancient Art of Gandhara || Overlooked Art History

(Athena Art Foundation) Feb. 20, 2023: The history of ancient Gandharan art is a reminder of Afghanistan's diverse and beautiful history, in poignant contrast to its current political turmoil. 🇦🇫 Gandhara was an ancient region located in parts of present-day northeast Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. Gandharan sculpture is characterized by its combination of ancient Greek and Buddhist styles, highly influenced by the conquest of Alexander the Great in 327 BC. #sculptor #arthistory #learnart

• 0:00-0:55 Introduction
• 0:56-1:30 Gandharan history
• 1:31-2:40 First human depictions of the Buddha
• 2:40-3:46 Other subject matter

Gandhara: Pakistan's Buddhist Legacy (exploring Taxila, Takht-i-Bhai, Shindagar (Swat)

• Takht-i-Bahi, Buddhist Afghanistan
• Mes Aynak, Little Copper Well, unexcavated Buddhist temple complex
• Buddhism in Afghanistan, Central Asia
• Buddhism in Central Asia
• Gandhāra (kingdom)
• Buddhism in Pakistan
• Ajina Tepe, Tajikistan
• Greco-Buddhist monasticism

Superiority of Solitude in Early Buddhism: "The Rhinoceros Sutta"

(Doug's Dharma) Nov. 27, 2023: Is solitary practice superior? [The best companionship is with a kalyana-mitta or "noble friend," and the second best, if no such friend can be found, is to go alone.] Let us consider the problem through a look at one of the most powerful and enigmatic early Buddhist poems, the Rhinoceros Sutra. What does it tell us, and who composed it?

• 00:00 Intro — viewer question and a poem
• 02:26 What does the poem say?
• 04:37 The central tension of Buddhist practice: solitude and community
• 08:06 Who composed the poem, when, and why?
• 09:14 Pre-Buddhist origin?
• ["Pre-Buddhist" refers to when there were only silent or non-teaching (pacceka-) buddhas, considered pre-Buddhist because the historical Supremely Enlightened Buddha (samma-sam-buddha) Siddhartha Gautama or Shakyamuni has not yet arisen in the world; however, there have been other supremely awakened teaching buddhas in the distant past. This means there were Buddhists before Buddhism even if they were not called that and a long line of at least 28 teaching-buddhas mentioned by the Buddha as having preceded him.]
• 09:59 Buddhist origin?
• 14:10 Both origins?

📙 BOOK: A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom, with a foreword by Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi. 🧡 Find this material useful? Check out Dr. Doug's Patreon page and get fun benefits like exclusive videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: dougsseculardharma. 🧡 Donate: paypal.me/dougsdharma ☸️ Free mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org. 🎙Check out podcast with Jon Aaron, "Diggin' the Dharma," digginthedharma.com

✅ Books mentioned

• Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.) The Suttanipāta: An Ancient Collection of the Buddha’s Discourses Together with its Commentaries (Wisdom Publications, 2017)
• Richard Salomon, The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra (Wisdom Publications, 2018)
• The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara: An Introduction with Selected Translations (Classics of Indian Buddhism)

NOTE: As an Amazon associate, Dr. Doug earns from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are affiliate links where he will earn a very small commission on purchases made at no additional cost to purchaser. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of making these videos. Thanks!

✅ Video mentioned: The Early Ideal of the "Lone Buddha" or Pacceka-buddha — • The Early Ideal of the "Lone Buddha"...

✅ Sutta mentioned: suttacentral.net/mn122/en/sujato

Webpage: dougsdharma.com. Facebook: onlinedharmainstitute. Mastodon: mindly.social/@dougsdharma. Instagram: dougsdharma. Threads: threads.net/@dougsdharma. Thumbnail photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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• Gandhara: A Forgotten History by Jay Vardhan Singh
• Tan Lay; Doug's Dharma; Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly