མདོ། | Glossary of Terms

Literally “thread,” and generally used for pithy statements, rules, and aphorisms, on which are strung a commentary. Within Buddhism it refers generally to the Buddha’s nontantric teachings. In terms of the subdivisions into twelve aspects of the Dharma, it means the teachings given in prose.

The Buddha’s spoken discourses. Together with vinaya and abhidharma, sūtra constitutes one of the three classical divisions of the Buddha’s teachings. It is also often used as a category to contrast with the teachings of tantra.

Literally meaning “a thread,” this was an ancient term for teachings that were memorized and orally transmitted in an essential form. Therefore it can mean “pithy statements,” “rules,” and “aphorisms.” In Buddhism it refers to the Buddha’s teachings, whatever their length, and in terms of the three divisions of the Buddha’s teachings, it is the category of teachings other than those on the vinaya and abhidharma. It is also used as a category to contrast with the tantra teachings, though a number of important tantras have sūtra in their title. Another very specific meaning is when it is classed as one of the nine or twelve aspects of the Dharma. In that context sūtra means “a teaching given in prose,” and as such is one aspect of what is generally called a sūtra.

Generally used for pithy statements, rules, and aphorisms, for the Buddha’s non-tantric teachings in general, and as one of the twelve aspects of the Dharma, it means “teaching given in prose.”

Primarily within Buddhism it refers to the Buddha’s nontantric teachings in general. Literally it means “thread.” It is also used in other contexts for pithy statements, rules, and aphorisms, on which are strung a commentary and terms of the subdivisions of a sūtra into twelve aspects of the Dharma; in that case, sūtra then means only the prose part of a sūtra.

In general Indian usage, the word for a highly condensed arrangement of verses that lends itself to memorization, serving as a basic text for a particular school of thought. In Buddhism, a scripture, in as much as it records either the direct speech of the Buddha, or the speech of someone manifestly inspired by him.

In Buddhism it refers to the Buddha’s teachings, whatever their length, and in terms of the three divisions of the Buddha’s teachings, it is the category of teachings other than those on the Vinaya and Abhidharma. It is also used as a category to contrast with the tantra teachings. Another very specific meaning is when it is classed as one of the nine or twelve aspects of the Dharma. In that context sūtra means “discourse.”

In Indian literature, originally an orally transmitted memorized text, often a series of central points in concentrated form, and hence, called a sūtra, which means “thread.” In Buddhism, particularly with the lengthy Mahāyāna sutras, it came to mean any teaching of the Buddha, and later specifically those that were not part of the tantra tradition, even though a number of texts with the title of sūtra are classed as tantras. In the division of the Buddha’s teachings into twelve kinds, sūtra then has the specific meaning of any prose passages within a sūtra, tantra, or vinaya text.

In Indian literature, originally an orally transmitted memorized text, often a series of central points in concentrated form, and hence, called a sūtra, which means “thread.” In Buddhism, particularly with the lengthy Mahāyāna sutras, it came to mean any teaching of the Buddha, and later specifically those that were not part of the tantra tradition, even though a number of texts with the title of sūtra are classed as tantras. In the division of the Buddha’s teachings into twelve kinds, sūtra then has the specific meaning of any prose passages within a sūtra, tantra, or vinaya text.