In the years following Alexander the Great’s conquest of the East, a series of empires rose up along the Silk Road. In what is now northern Pakistan, the civilizations in the region called Gandhara became increasingly important centers for the development of Buddhism, reaching their apex under King Kaniska of the Kusanas in the second century CE. Gandhara has long been known for its Greek-Indian synthesis in architecture and statuary, but until about twenty years ago, almost nothing was known about its literature. The insights provided by manuscripts unearthed over the last few decades show that Gandhara was indeed a vital link in the early development of Buddhism, instrumental in both the transmission of Buddhism to China and the rise of the Mahayana tradition. The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara surveys what we know about Gandhara and its Buddhism, and it also provides translations of a dozen different short texts, from similes and stories to treatises on time and reality.
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List of Illustrations Preface Introduction: The Rediscovery of Gandharan Buddhist Literature PART I. CONTEXTS 1. The World of Gandharan Buddhism Gandhara and India's Northwest Frontier The Bloody History of Paradise Early Buddhism and Gandhara Aśoka and the Mauryan Empire The Indo-Greeks The Age of the Scythian Kingdoms The Climax of Gandharan Buddhist Culture under the Kuṣāņa Empire The Decline of Buddhism in Gandhara The Legacy of Gandharan Buddhism 2. Buddhist Manuscripts, Buddhist Languages, and Buddhist Canons Buddhist Texts and Canons The Languages of Buddhism Gāndhārī and Kharosthī Deciphering Gandhārī Documents The Destiny of Gāndhārī and the Triumph of Sanskrit The Gandhārī Hypothesis Further Discoveries of Gandharan Manuscripts The Character of the Scrolls 3. The Buddhist Literature of Gandhara The Scope of Gandharan Buddhist Literature Canonical and Paracanonical Sutras Vinaya Texts Abhidharma and Scholastic Literature Edifying Narratives Mahāyāna Texts Miscellaneous Texts What Did Gandharan Buddhists Read? Oral and Written Texts and Canons Was There a Gāndhārī Canon? The Problem of School Affiliation PART II. TEXTS Sutras in Prose 1. Three Numerically Grouped Sūtras a. The Buddha and the Brahman Dhona b. The Words of the Buddha C.The Four Efforts 2. Five Thematically Grouped Sūtras a. The Four Concentrations b. Not Yours C. Living Full of Disenchantment d. The Adze Handle e. The Parable of the Log Poetic Texts 3. The Rhinoceros Sūtra Translation 4. A Chapter from the Dharmapada The Monk Legends and Previous-Life Stories 5. Songs of Lake Anavatapta a. Mahākāśyapa b. Nanda c. ŚroGa KomiviCśa g. Yaśas e. PiGola Bharadvāja f. Vāgīśa g. Nandika h. Kusuma 6. Six Stories of Previous Lives and Other Legends a. The Story of a Rich Man b. The Previous Life of the Bodhisattva as a Merchant c. The Previous Life of the Bodhisattva as Prince SudacGa d. The Previous Life of Ājñāta KauGinya as a Potter e. The Previous Life of Ānanda as a Prince f. The Monk and the Saka 7. Avadāna Legends a. The Contest between the Black and White Magicians b. The Story of Zadamitra; 8. The Many Buddhas Sūtra Translation Scholarly Commentaries and Debates 9. A Commentary on the Sūtra of Chanting Together a. The Five Faculties b. The Six Roots of Argument 10. A Commentary on Canonical Versesa Trade What Ages b. Endowed with Proper Conduct c. An Angry Man 11. An Abhidharma Treatise on Time and Existence Translation The Emerging Mahāyāna 12. The Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra a. The Practice of the Knowledge of All Forms b. The Teaching on Merit Conclusions State of the Art and Future Prospects What Have We Learned? Appendices 1. Specimen of a Verse in Various Buddhist Languages 2. Specimen of a Gandhāran Buddhist Inscription: The Reliquary of Śatruleka Notes Glossary Bibliography Image Credits Index About the Author
