What is the Surangama Sutra?

The Surangama Sutra (楞嚴經) is a representative Mahayana Buddhist scripture that specifically presents the principles of Buddhism and methods of practice. Its original name is 『Great Buddha, the Tathagata, and the Secret Causes of Cultivation and Achievement of the Meaning of All Bodhisattvas, the Beginning of Surangama Sutra (大佛頂如來密因修證了義諸菩薩萬行首楞嚴經)』, and is abbreviated as Surangama Sutra or Surangama Sutra.

 

Main contents and features

• It explains in detail the fundamental principles of Buddhism, the nature of the mind, and methods of practice.

• The Buddha explains the nature of the mind and the importance of practice based on an incident where Venerable Ananda almost forgot the precepts and fell into temptation.

• It emphasizes that all living beings originally have the seed of enlightenment (Buddha nature) based on the idea of Tathagatagarbha.

• It contains 427 mantras (Neng-yom-ju), and has strong esoteric characteristics, and has been valued in both Seon Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism.

• It strongly emphasizes the practice of precepts and meditation in actual practice.

 

Position in Korean Buddhism

• It is one of the four major subjects of Korean Buddhist courses along with the Diamond Sutra, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahayana Awakening Faith, and is a sutra that must be learned by ordained practitioners.

• It has been widely recited for a long time, with various editions and commentaries by great monks.

 

Summary

The Surangama Sutra is a representative scripture of Mahayana Buddhism that logically and systematically explains the nature of the mind, the path of practice, and the method of reaching enlightenment, and occupies a very important position in Korean Buddhist practice and teachings.