Bodhisattva Virtuous Precepts Sutra (菩薩善戒經)

About 菩薩善戒經

Liu Song · Source text translated by 求那跋摩

77,938 · about 260 min

The Sutra on the Excellent Precepts of the Bodhisattva was translated into Chinese during the Liu Song dynasty by the eminent Indian monk Guṇavarman. This scripture is an essential text of the Yogācāra school, detailing the precepts and wholesome dharmas that a bodhisattva must cultivate from the initial arousal of bodhicitta through the attainment of buddhahood. It systematically expounds the stages of practice and the requirements of mental cultivation on the bodhisattva path. Emphasizing the threefold training in precepts, meditation, and wisdom, the sutra concretely prescribes the standards of conduct for bodhisattvas and methods for nurturing the bodhicitta, providing the core theoretical foundation for the bodhisattva precept system in Chinese Buddhism. Not only is this scripture an authoritative classic on Mahāyāna Buddhist discipline, it has also profoundly influenced later practices of the bodhisattva path, holding an indispensable position among Buddhist canonical texts.