Teachings on Sūtra | Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, speaks on The Stem Array (Gandavyuha),  a magnificent and mind-bending major sūtra as soon as it’s translation into English is completed.

The Stem Array tells the beautiful story of the young layman Sudhana’s quest for awakening through encounters with a variety of spiritual teachers, forms the forty-fifth and final chapter of the Buddhāvataṃsaka (A Multitude of Buddhas) Sūtra. This “chapter” concludes with the widely popular Zangchö Mönlam prayer, and the sūtra itself is perhaps most widely recognized as the inspiration for one of the greatest Buddhist monuments ever built: Borobudur in Indonesia. Over 500 of its carved panels illustrate this text.


 

 


Related Reading

The Stem Array (Toh 44-45)

84000’s interview with the translator, Peter Alan Roberts.


The Teachings on Sūtra webinar series draws from our translated collection of the Tibetan Buddhist canon and explores key themes from the sutras. Each event brings in teachers of the Buddhadharma to speak about the theme with reference to specific texts in the Kangyur, and takes place on what are considered to be the four most auspicious days of the Buddhist calendar: Celebration of the Buddha’s Miracles (Chötrul Düchen), Celebration of the Buddha’s Birth, Awakening, and Parinirvana (Saga Dawa), Celebration of the Buddha’s Teachings (Chökor Düchen), and Celebration of the Buddha’s Return from the Realms of the Gods (Lhabab Düchen).


Posted: 22 Oct 2021