Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra

The Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra (Sanskrit; traditional Chinese: 首楞嚴三昧經; simplified Chinese: 首楞严三昧经; pinyin: Shǒuléngyán Sānmèi Jīng; Wade–Giles: Shou-leng-yen San-mei Ching; Vietnamese: Kinh Thủ Lang Nghiêm Tam Muội) is an early Mahayana sutra of Indian origin which focuses on the transcendental nature, supernatural powers, and transformational feats bestowed upon the meditation practitioner by the state of meditation called the "Śūraṅgama Samādhi" or the "Samādhi of the Heroic Progression."

History

The Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra was translated from the Sanskrit into Chinese by Kumārajīva probably between 402 and 409 C.E. Sengyou's sutra catalogue entitled Chu sanzang ji ji (出三藏記集), which was produced in 515 CE, credits Lokakṣema with first translating this text considerably earlier in the 2nd century C.E.; however, it was already considered lost at the time of Sengyou's work. It was later translated into Tibetan by Sakyaprabha and Ratnaraksita at the beginning of the 9th century.

Contents

The nature of the Buddha

Professor Lamotte describes the nature of the Buddha in this sutra as follows:

This is Sakyamuni in Heroic Progress, a pure ray of wisdom and power, who manifests himself simultaneously in our little universe of four continents, in the Great Cosmos ... and in all the great cosmic systems ...; there, he is some divinity .... He is the same as the Buddha Vairocana.

Powers of the Buddha

The sutra describes the 100 powers and abilities which the Buddha or 10th-level Bodhisattvas can perform, while operating from within this samādhi state.

Amongst the wonders which the Buddha can perform whilst in this state of Śūraṅgama Samādhi are:

The projection or conjuration of 84,000 other Buddhas, identical replicas of himself and equally real

Complete purification of individual mind and ability to purify the mind of others

Universal omniscience

True knowledge regarding the mechanism of cause and effect without mental obstruction

Knowledge regarding the dissipation of mental defilement, such as anger and lust

Elimination of unnecessary mental activity and complete elimination of defilements

Harmonious renunciation of worldly life

Being able to access and understand different existential forms

Being able to change sex at will without mental confusion

Always knowing the right moral path to proceed

Placing immense Buddha Paradises (universes) into a single pore of the skin

Always presiding over the superknowledges (abhijna)

Always emitting rays of light over all universes without exception

Being able to speak and understand all languages of all universes

Completely avoiding all evil paths

Possessing a knowledge which is profound and unfathomable

Knowledge of the Dharmadhatu

Part of that profound and unfathomable knowledge is that all dharmas (things) have their basis in the dharma-dhatu - the element of phenomena. In this sense, there is non-duality that characterises everything, since everything is possessed of the 'one flavour' of the dharma-dhatu. The Buddha states:

A bodhisattva knows that all dharmas rest eternally on the fundamental element (dharmadhatu) without coming or going.

Attributes of a Buddha

The Buddha remarks in the Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra that any being who cultivates this samadhi will be able to know through pratyatmajnanam, "through personal experience," through knowing directly within oneself, all the attributes of a buddha.