Sutra of The Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva - History

History

The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra was first translated from the Sanskrit into Chinese in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty by the Tripiṭaka master Śikṣānanda, a Buddhist monk from Khotan who also provided a new translation of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. However, some scholars have suspected that instead of being translated, this text may have originated in China, since no Sanskrit manuscripts of this text have been found. Part of the reason for suspicion is that the text advocates filial piety, which was stereotypically associated with Chinese culture. Since then, other scholars such as Gregory Schopen have pointed out that Indian Buddhism also had traditions of filial piety. Currently there is no clear evidence indicating either an Indian or Chinese origin for the text.

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