This study aims at clarifying the acceptance and development of Prajñāpāramitā Literature via reading the interpretation of commentaries. Especially this deal with Ārya-Śatasāhasrikāpañcavimśatisāhasrikāstādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā-Brhattīkā（9th century, hereafter Brhattīkā）, which explains Prajñāpāramitā Literature from the viewpoint of three gateways and eleven discourses and set out to clarify understanding of bodhisattva in the explanation. The commentaries whose author’s name is unknown and whose translation exists only in Tibetan did not become mainstream of the interpretation of Prajñāpāramitā Literature in later Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Therefore, the study of Buddhism hardly deals with them, and their concept of thought is unclear on many points.
This article presents a tentative translation of expository writing of a total of three parts where there is an explanation of bodhisattva in Brhattīkā, examines how the bodhisattva is understood the explanation and points out the following three points.
1. Brhattīkā understands “bodhisattva” dividing into “samvrtti-bodhisattva” and “paramārtha-bodisattva.” 2. Brhatt īkā explains “ sattva,” “ bodhisattva,” and “ tathāgata” in relation to Tathāgatagarbha theory, based on the explanation, understands that bodhisattva combines both states of “bodhi” and “sattva.” 3. Brhattīkā points out four kinds of “bodhi,” “sattva,” “samvrtti-bodhisattva,” and “paramārtha-bodisattva” as objects of the word “bodhisattva.”
As the result of this article, it can be thought that understanding of bodhisattva by Brhattīkā is likely to be based on Tathāgatagarbha theory of “Bodhisattva-bhūmi” and “Ratna-gotra-vibhāga.” Furthermore, this article confirmed that the similar theory with the understanding of bodhisattva in Brhattīkā is found in Ārya-sarvadharmasvabhāvasa- matāvipañcitasamādhirāja-nāma-mahāyānasūtra-tīkākīrtimālā-nāma written by Mañjuśrīkīrti.
