The Brahmā's Net Sutra

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***{{i|9. The Mental State of Joy|12}}
 
***{{i|9. The Mental State of Joy|12}}
 
***{{i|10. The Summit Mental State|12}}
 
***{{i|10. The Summit Mental State|12}}
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**{{i|The Ten Nourishing Mental States|13}}
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***{{i|1. The Mental State of Kindness|13}}
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***{{i|2. The Mental State of Pity|13}}
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***{{i|3. The Mental State of Joy|14}}
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***{{i|4. The Mental State of Nonattachment|14}}
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***{{i|5. The Mental State of Giving|15}}
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***{{i|6. The Mental State of Caring Speech|15}}
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***{{i|7. The Mental State of Beneficence|15}}
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***{{i|8. The Mental State of Sameness|16}}
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***{{i|9. The Mental State of Concentration|16}}
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***{{i|10. The Mental State of Insight|16}}
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**{{i|The Ten Adamantine Mental States|17}}
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***{{i|1. The Mental State of Faith|17}}
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***{{i|2. The Mental State of Mindfulness|18}}
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***{{i|3. The Profound Mental State|18}}
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***{{i|4. The Mental State of Penetrating Illumination|18}}
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***{{i|5. The Direct Mental State|19}}
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***{{i|6. The Mental State of Nonretrogression|19}}
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***{{i|7. The Mental State of the Great Vehicle|19}}
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***{{i|8. The Markless Mental State|20}}
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***{{i|9. The Mental State of Wisdom|20}}
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***{{i|10. The Indestructible Mental State|21}}
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**{{i|The Ten Grounds|21}}
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***{{i|1. The Ground of the Equality of the Essence|21}}
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***{{i|2. The Ground of the Skillful Wisdom of the Essence|23}}
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***{{i|3. The Ground of the Luminosity of the Essence|25}}
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***{{i|4. The Ground of the Knowability of the Essence|26}}
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***{{i|5. The Ground of the Wisdom-illumination of the Essence|28}}
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***{{i|6. The Ground of the Floral Radiance of the Essence|29}}
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***{{i|7. The Ground of the Completion of the Essential Nature|31}}
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***{{i|8. The Ground of the Buddha’s Roar of the Essential Nature|32}}
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***{{i|9. The Ground of the Flower Ornamentation of the Essence|34}}
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***{{i|10. The Ground of Entry into the Buddha Realm of the Essential Nature|35}}
 
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Revision as of 13:32, 27 July 2021

The Brahmā's Net Sutra
Book
Book

The Brahmā’s Net Sutra is the primary extant vinaya text that articulates a set of precepts from a Mahayana perspective, mainly intended for "bodhisattva practitioners" primarily householders, rather than renunciant monks or nuns. Before the appearance of this text the monastic rules and regulations in East Asian Buddhism were defined fully by the "Hinayana" vinaya, most importantly the Four-part Vinaya associated with the Dharmaguptaka school in India. With the appearance of the Brahmā’s Net Sutra many East Asian schools diversified their precept practices, with some groups of practitioners taking up either set of precepts, often utilizing both.

Composed in China around 420, the Brahmā’s Net Sutra is based on various contemporary Mahayana and Hinayana vinaya writings and includes extensive discussion of indigenous Chinese moral concepts such as filial piety, etc. The text is based in the same mainstream Mahayana thought of the Flower Ornament Sutra (Huayan jing), the Nirvana Sutra (Niepan jing), and the Sutra for Humane Kings (Renwang jing). In fact, the extent of the Brahmā's Net Sutra's agreement with the Flower Ornament Sutra is so pronounced that it is regarded as the "concluding sutra" of the latter.

Long thought to be the Skt. Brahmajāla-sūtra translated by Kumārajīva into the Chinese as Fanwang jing (梵網經), the work is now seen within modern scholarship as composed in China around 420, based on various Mahayana and Hinayana vinaya writings available at that time. 2 fascicles. (Source: BDK America)

Citation Muller, A. Charles, and Kenneth K. Tanaka, trans. The Brahmā's Net Sutra: (Taishō Volume 24, Number 1484). Moraga, CA: BDK America, 2017.