The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and Aspirations

The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> is a Mahāyāna <i>dharmaparyāya</i> and is the eighth chapter of the great canonical collection of Mahāyāna Buddhism, the <i>Mahāsaṃnipāta</i>. The text is lost in the original Indic, but survives in Chinese and Tibetan translations...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jaehee Han
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/10/849
_version_ 1797513290347184128
author Jaehee Han
author_facet Jaehee Han
author_sort Jaehee Han
collection DOAJ
description The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> is a Mahāyāna <i>dharmaparyāya</i> and is the eighth chapter of the great canonical collection of Mahāyāna Buddhism, the <i>Mahāsaṃnipāta</i>. The text is lost in the original Indic, but survives in Chinese and Tibetan translations, with several passages of the Sanskrit version preserved as quotations in later commentaries. It has been regarded as an authoritative canonical source throughout the intellectual history of Mahāyāna Buddhism, but scant scholarly attention has been paid to this important text. Thus, this paper aims to provide a concise yet comprehensive introduction of the <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i>, including its textual history, its basic structure, and its reception in Indian, Tibetan, and East Asian Buddhist traditions. It also examines how the fundamental concepts of Mahāyāna Buddhism, such as emptiness, endlessness, and imperishability, are signified in the <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> by the image of the sky (Skt. <i>gagana</i>), the central metaphor of the text.
first_indexed 2024-03-10T06:14:36Z
format Article
id doaj.art-b76018d322fb4ad5911a0bdc17608df1
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2077-1444
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-10T06:14:36Z
publishDate 2021-10-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Religions
spelling doaj.art-b76018d322fb4ad5911a0bdc17608df12023-11-22T19:52:04ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-10-01121084910.3390/rel12100849The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and AspirationsJaehee Han0Norwegian Institute of Philology (PHI), 0363 Oslo, NorwayThe <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> is a Mahāyāna <i>dharmaparyāya</i> and is the eighth chapter of the great canonical collection of Mahāyāna Buddhism, the <i>Mahāsaṃnipāta</i>. The text is lost in the original Indic, but survives in Chinese and Tibetan translations, with several passages of the Sanskrit version preserved as quotations in later commentaries. It has been regarded as an authoritative canonical source throughout the intellectual history of Mahāyāna Buddhism, but scant scholarly attention has been paid to this important text. Thus, this paper aims to provide a concise yet comprehensive introduction of the <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i>, including its textual history, its basic structure, and its reception in Indian, Tibetan, and East Asian Buddhist traditions. It also examines how the fundamental concepts of Mahāyāna Buddhism, such as emptiness, endlessness, and imperishability, are signified in the <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> by the image of the sky (Skt. <i>gagana</i>), the central metaphor of the text.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/10/849<i>Gaganagañja</i><i>Mahāsaṃnipāta</i>Mahāyāna literaturesky symbolismmetaphor studies
spellingShingle Jaehee Han
The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and Aspirations
Religions
<i>Gaganagañja</i>
<i>Mahāsaṃnipāta</i>
Mahāyāna literature
sky symbolism
metaphor studies
title The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and Aspirations
title_full The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and Aspirations
title_fullStr The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and Aspirations
title_full_unstemmed The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and Aspirations
title_short The <i>Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā</i> and the Sky as a Symbol of Mahāyāna Doctrines and Aspirations
title_sort i gaganaganjapariprccha i and the sky as a symbol of mahayana doctrines and aspirations
topic <i>Gaganagañja</i>
<i>Mahāsaṃnipāta</i>
Mahāyāna literature
sky symbolism
metaphor studies
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/10/849
work_keys_str_mv AT jaeheehan theigaganaganjapariprcchaiandtheskyasasymbolofmahayanadoctrinesandaspirations
AT jaeheehan igaganaganjapariprcchaiandtheskyasasymbolofmahayanadoctrinesandaspirations