History of Buddhist Sanskrit Literature (Set of 2 Volumes)

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Karunesh Shukla (Born 1940), Ph.D. is a former Professor and Chairman of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages Department and Dean, Faculty of Arts, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University, a Fellow and a Senior Fellow of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi and Department of Culture, Government of India and a Shastracudamani scholar of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi. He is the General Secretary, Nagarjuna Buddhist Foundation, a MCC under National Manuscript Mission and is its Co-ordinator since 2005, Worked as member of the various government committees. He has visited Rome, Vienna, London, Kathmando and Tononto on scholarly expeditions.

He has chaired sessions of the national and international conferences and has lectured in several Indian universities and international forums. He has extensively contributed to indological journals and academic publications, including dictionaries and encyclopedias in the field of Indian literature, philosophy and Buddhist studies.

His works include besides more than 150 research papers and contributions to academic publications in the field, śravkabhūmi (2 vols). Gaudapada aur Pracina Vedanta, Kanādasūtranibandha (ed.) by Bhatta Vadindra, Gleanings From the Buddhist Heritage, Some Trends in Indology, Hetutattopadeśa of Jitäri, Tarkasopana by Vidyakaradanti (ed.), Catuḥstavasmäsärtha by Nagarjuna Amartākara, Sankarācārya, Manuscript and Manuscriptology (ed.), At Handlist and Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Possession of Nagarjuna Buddhist Foundation (ed.), Meghasansdeśadipaka and Tattvajñā Commentaries on the Meghadūta etc.

His forthcoming works include: Sünyatäsaptatikārikā, by Nagarjuna (Hindi Tr.) Herukasadhanapañjikä by Kambalpäda. (ed.), Kälacakra Tantra (ed.), the Vimalaprabhātikā (ed.) and some other Buddhist texts as well as studies such as Nagarjuna aur Sankara, Mahāyāna, Nāgārjuna, the Vaišesika Sutra etc.

He is also associated as a contributor to the PHIPSC project of the Centre for Studies in Civilizations, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, New Delhi.

He was awarded by the Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Akademi, honoured by Sampurananand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalya, Varanasi and several other institutions of repute, including the Vipassana Research Institute, Nashik, Maharashtra.

The Buddhist Sanskrit texts form the source and nucleus of Mahayana. Search and discovery of the Buddhist Sanskrit texts first commenced during the 19 Century. This was a result of the various schemes and projects taken up by the western and eastern scholars, Indologists and Buddhologists, which had mainly in its background the institution of the Boden Chair on 11 August, 1811 at the University of Oxford' with Prof. Harold Horace Wilson as its first occupant,which was intended for a study of Sanskrit and Indology on modern lines with a basic scientific methodology. Accordingly, steps were taken up for a proper study of Sanskrit and Indological themes and subjects.'

With this began the search and discovery of Sanskrit and other oriental manuscripts in general and the Buddhist Sanskrit texts in particular.

But all this effort was directed in a Jesuit spirit and manner with a view to attract natives of the Indian peninsula and other countries, through translations and study of these texts and mainly to project Christiandom and occidental lore more ancient and important, civilized and cultured-formed and fine, having influence and deep impact on the oriental religio-cultural tradition, philosophy and literary trends and disciplines in their various aspects.

This methodology and the works produced were intended to show that what the civilized west had achieved during the last two centuries, the 'barbaric' east could not achieve during the last serveral millennia. All that is modern and civilized is due to the Western progressive civilisation.

The Western methodology provided an impetus to the discovery, study and research of these texts. Consequently, a vigorous search for Sanskrit and Buddhist Sanskrit works was made in India, Nepal, Tibet and the Central Asian countries.

As a result a good number of Sanskrit texts were discovered in Berar, Bombay Presidency and the Southern states, besides North India with the zealous efforts of George Bühler, Prof. R.G. Bhandarkar, some Jesuit priests and other scholars.

The religio-spiritual and the esoteric traditions of India are enshrined in the texts that have come down to us through the oral and written transmissions down the ages and form the core of our national literary heritage.' It was through the philosophia perrenis handed down and transmitted from generation to generation that the sacred knowledge was preserved throughout the ages. In their primary stages these texts were orally transmitted. This is the case not only of Indian lore, but as the spiritual traditions of the Middle East and Europe, to name with, the Hebrew, the Graeco-Roman, the Christian, the Islamic and the traditions of the East, the texts were initially handed down and transmitted to posterity through oral transmission. The Vedic texts are called śruti, the knowledge transmitted through the hearing form, par excellence (anusravo ravah) as the oral tradition of transmission of knowledge to different generations."

The Buddhist Pali Tripitaka' and the Mahayana Sutras as well as the Jaina Agamas were also orally handed down to posterity and their texts were finalised in written form at a later date. It is in the second Mahasangiti and the later Sangitis that the Abhidhamma Pitaka and other Pali texts were almost settled (i.e., their sangayana took place) and in the fourth Sarigiti, held in Srilanka in the first century B.C. the Pali Tripitaka was committed to writing in the time of King Vattagamani. In recent past, the fifth and the sixth Sangayanas of the Pali Tripitaka were held in Mynmar where the textual readings were finalised. The Pali Suttas as well as the Mahayana canonical texts contain the preliminary remark at the beginning of each Sutta/Sutra: evam me sutam or evam mayā śrutam. Thus I have heard. The Buddhist tradition records that Lord Buddha gave his sermon(s) at the three (or four) dharmacakrapravarttanas, Swinging of the Law at Sarnatha, Grdhrakūta parvata and Dhanyakataka," which only indicates that the spiritual teachings of the Buddha, as also of other religious prophets were initially transmitted orally.

The Jaina Agamas containing in enclaves the text of Vardhamana Mahavira's teachings were finally written down after the Vacană, literally, reading and pronouncing the Great Master's teachings and finalizing it for recording after a consensus opinion of the munis, monks and scholars such as Bhadrabahu and others. This vicand, the tradition records, took place at a much later date." Thus, the entire Indian textual tradition was oral in its primary stage and this tradition continues even today in some form.

Though an evidence of writing in the initial sûkta stage may be referred to the Aksasükta of the Rg-Veda Samhita, läväsya Upanisad, (Sukla Yajurveda Samhita, XI) along with the Mundaka Upanisad" and Nirukta," point to the Agamic tradition, mostly oral, amongst the ris and later scholarly tradition also confirms this." These texts have survived the vissitudes of time. The perennial philosophy and the cultural tradition inherited through the Vedic, the Agamic and the Śramanic folds represent the core of our esoteric sadhana which aims at self- revelation as the goal of all spiritual quest.

The Buddhist textual tradition represents the teachings of Lord Buddha as analysed and presented in the matrix of systems and sub-systems. This system comprises, besides canonical Pali texts, the Mahayana Sutras, the Prajñāpāramitā texts, the canonical tantric literature, the stotras, the mantras, the dharanis, the mandalas and the sadhanas besides the literary and the critical texts, the kavyas, the avadanas, the dramatic compositions, prosody, letters, eulogies, philosophical expositions, texts and treatises. Later tantric texts, treatises, compendia and compositions of eighty-four Siddhas and commentators of the various traditional texts follow them.

Though quantitatively the number of the works traditionally handed down, written or produced was huge and it included the canons of the eighteen Buddhist sects and their sub-sects," to-day only a fraction of this literary heritage is available.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages