May refer to a specific genre or style of scholastic Sanskritic literature, or simply to scholastic literature in general. In Buddhist traditions the term śāstra usually signifies a text that was composed by an ordinary human author, as opposed to a text first spoken, composed, or revealed by an awakened being. While the term is often used in reference to the Buddhist commentarial canon, or the Tengyur, the heretical treatises known by Bhadra in The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist would certainly not be Buddhist ones.

May refer to a specific genre or style of scholastic Sanskritic literature, or simply to scholastic literature in general; in Buddhist traditions the term śāstra usually signifies a text that was composed by a human author, as opposed to texts first spoken, composed, or revealed by an enlightened being.

May refer to a specific genre or style of scholastic Sanskritic literature, or simply to scholastic literature in general; in Buddhist traditions the term śāstra usually signifies a text that was composed by a human author, as opposed to texts first spoken, composed, or revealed by an enlightened being. Also translated here as “philosophical texts.”

See “treatise.”

May refer to a specific genre or style of scholastic Sanskritic literature, or simply to scholastic literature in general; in Buddhist traditions the term śāstra usually signifies a text that was composed by a human author, as opposed to texts first spoken, composed, or revealed by an enlightened being.

Commentarial texts.

May refer to a specific genre or style of scholastic literature, or simply to scholastic literature in general. In contrast to scriptural genres like the sūtras, tantras, and so forth, this term is generally applied to works composed by human authors, and can be on either spiritual or secular topics.