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A) The Mahayana Canon - Chinese Canon The Chinese Tripitaka offers the following: (a) Agamas: All four Agamas
belong to the Bhava division. The Madhyamagama and Samyuktagama were translated from the texts of the Sravastivada school
while the Dirghagama and Ekottaragama were translated from those of the Mahasamghika or Vibbajyavada schools. Though admittedly
it does not contain a complete set of the sutras of any single school, (the Pali Tripitaka does present a more complete set),
a textual conglomeration of many schools does have its merits (The Tibetan Tripitaka contains no Agama at all). (b)
Vinayas: The Tibetan Tripitaka contains only the new rules of the Tamrasatiya sect, while the Chinese Vinaya contains all
the following: (i) The Mahasamghika Vinaya of the Mahasamghika school. (ii) The five divisions of the Mahisasaka
Vinaya, the four divisions of the Dharmagupta Vinaya, the pratimoksa of Mahadasyapiyah, and the Sudarsana Vinaya of Tamrasatiya.
All these are rules of the Vibbajyavada school. (iii) The old Sravastivada Vinaya and the new Mulasarvasti vadanikaya
Vinaya, both of the Sarvastivada school. (iv) The Twenty-Two-Points-Of-Elucidation Sastras of the Sammatiya sect
of the Vatsiputriyas school. This rich collection of materials from different sources greatly facilitates comparative
studies of sectarian Buddhism. (c) Abhidharmas: This body of scripture is common to the three main schools of Theravada
Buddhism, namely, the Vibhajyavadins, the Sarvastivadins, and the Vatsiputriyas. In the Tibetan Tripitaka there are only the
Prajnapti of the Jnanaaprasthanasatpadabhidharma and the later Abhidarmakosa. The Pali Tripitaka contains seven Sastras.
While the Chinese Tripitaka has an especially large collection of the work of the Sarvastivada school, it also possesses the
Abhidharma work of practically all sects. The Chinese Tripitaka contains: i) The Samgitiparyaya, the Dharmaskandha,
the Prajnapti, the Vijnanakaya, the Dhatukaya, the Prakaranapada, the Jnanaprasthana, the Mahavibhasa, the Abhidharma-hrdaya
-vyakhya, the Abhiraharmananyanyanusara and the Abhidharmasamayapradipika Sastras of the Sarvastivada school. ii)
Of the works of Vibhajyavadins, it includes the Abhidharma Sastra of Sariputa, which is the only important work that links
up the Southern and Northern Abhidharmas. iii) It also contains the Vimmuttimagga which is a different version of
the Pali Visuddhimagga. iv ) It further contains the Sammitiya Sastra of the Vatsiputriya School. v) The
renowned Abhidharmakosa of the third to fourth century which combines the best teachings of the Sarvastivada and Sautrantika
schools, and the Satyasiddi Sastra of Harivarman which greatly influenced Chinese Buddhism. All these treasures of
the Abhidharma may be found in the Chinese Tripitaka. It can thus be seen that although the works of earlier dates in the
Tripitaka were not given the full respect due them by the majority of Chinese Buddhists, the wealth of information they contain
will be of great reference value to anyone interested in tracing the divisions of the Sravaka schools and the development
of the Bodhisattva ideal from the Sravakayana. If these scriptures are ignored, I will say that it would definitely not be
possible for anyone to fulfil the responsibility of coordinating and linking the many branches of world Buddhism. (d)
Mahayana scriptures of the Sunyavada. (e) Mahayana scriptures of the noumenon school, or the school of eternal-reality,
are very complete in the Chinese Tripitaka. These scriptures are very similar to those found in the Tibetan Tripitaka. The
four great Sutras, the Prajnaparamita, the Avatamsaka, the Mahasamghata, and the Mahaparinirvana (to which may be added the
Maharatnakuta Sutra, making five great sutras), are all tremendously voluminous works. Here it may be pointed out that the
Chinese scriptures are particularly notable for the following characteristics: (i) The different translations of
the same Sutra have been safely preserved in the Chinese Tripitaka in their respective original versions without their being
constantly revised according to later translations, as was the case with Tibetan scriptures. From a study of the Chinese translations
we can thus trace the changes in content which the majority of scriptures have undergone over time and reflect upon the changes
in the original Indian texts at different points in time. Thus we have the benefit of more than one version for reference,
recording the evolution of the scriptures. (ii) The Chinese Mahayana scriptures that were translated before the Tsin
Dynasties (beginning 265 C.E.) are particularly related to the Buddhism of Chinese Turkestan with its centre in the mountain
areas of Kashmir. These scriptures form a strong nucleus of Chinese Buddhist thinking. The translations of the Dasabhumika
Sastra and Lankavatara Sutra all possess very special characteristics. (f) Madhyamika: The Madhyamika texts of the
Chinese Tripitaka are considerably different from the Tibetan renditions of the same system of thought. The Chinese collection
consists mostly of earlier works, particularly those of Nagarjuna, such as the Mahaprajnaparamita Sastra and the Dasabhumikavibhasa
Sastra, which not only present Madhyamika philosophy of a very high order but also illustrate extensively the acts of a Bodhisattva.
Of the late Madhyamika works, i.e. works produced by the disciples of Nagarjuna after the rise of the Yogacara system,
only the Prajnapradipa Sastra of Bhavaviveka has been rendered into Chinese. The Chinese Tripitaka does not contain works
or as many schools of this system as the Tibetan Tripitaka. The Mahayanavataraka Sastra of Saramati and the Madhyayata Sastra
of Asanga clearly indicate the change of thinking from the Madhyamika to the Yogacara system. (g) Yogacara-Vijnanavada:
The Chinese Tripitaka contains a very complete collection of this system of thought. It includes important scriptures such
as the Dasabhumika, Mahayanasamparigraha Sastra, and Vijnaptimatrasiddhi Sastra. While the Tibetan system was mainly founded
on the teachings of Sthiramati which are more akin to the Mahayanasamparigraha school of Chinese work, the Chinese students
of orthodox Vijnanavada follow the teachings of Dharmapala. The Vinaptimatrasiddhi Sastra, which represents the consummation
of the Dignaga-Dharmapala-Silabhadra school of thought, is a gem of the Chinese Tripitaka. The Hetuvidya which is closely
connected with Vijnanavada, is not fully translated in the Chinese Tripitaka and cannot compare favourably with the works
of Dignaga and Dharmakirti collected in the Tibetan Tripitaka. This seems to indicate that the Chinese people were
not logically inclined, and gives no weight to engagements in verbal gymnastics and debates. In times past this had relegated
the position of Sastra masters in China to one of relative unimportance. (h) The esoteric Yoga: The Chinese Tripitaka
includes Chinese translations of both the Vairocana Sutra of the practical division, and the Diamond Crown Sutra of the Yoga
division of the Tantric school of Buddhism. The only esoteric scriptures that are missing are those of the Supreme Yoga division
which, as they arrived in China at a time of national chaos, did not have much chance to circulate widely. Its very nature
of achieving enlightenment through carnal expressions also made Tantrism unacceptable to the Chinese intellectuals. However,
the texts of esoteric Yoga are abundant in the Tibetan Tripitaka.
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B) The Vajrayana Canon - Tibetan Canon The Tibetan Canon which consists of two parts: (1) the bKngjur ("Translation
of the Word of the Buddha"), pronounced Kanjur, and (2) the bStan-'gyur ("Translations of the Teachings") pronounced
Tanjur. Because this latter collection contains works attributed to individuals other than the Buddha, it is considered only
semi-canonical. The first printing of the Kanjur occurred not in Tibet, but in China (Beijing), being completed in 1411. The
first Tibetan edition of the canon was at sNar-tang with the Kanjur appearing in 1731, followed by the Tanjur in 1742. Other
famous editions of the canon were printed at Derge and Co-ne. (a) bKngjur (Kanjur): Translation of the Word of the
Buddha; 98 Volumes (according to the Narthang edition). Vinaya: 13 Volumes. Prajnaparamita: 21 Volumes. Avatamsaka:
6 Volumes. Ratnakuta: 6 Volumes. Sutra: 30 Volumes. 270 texts, 75% of which are Mahayana, 25% Hinayana (prominence
and precedence being invariably given to Mahayana sutras). Tantra: 22 Volumes. Contains more than 300 texts. The
second, the Tanjur (bStan-'gyur) is a supplement to the former, or in other words, continuation of the tradition of the Kanjur.
Among its contents are a collection of stories, the commentaries on the Tantra section of the Kanjur and the commentaries
on the sutra section. There are also works relating to Abhidharma and Vinaya as well as Madhyamika and Vijnanavada. Works
coming under the sutra section of the Tanjur are not necessarily commentaries on the texts contained in the Mdo-section of
the Kanjur. They are believed to be authoritative works, some of which, however, are not even Buddhist in character. They
deal with logic, grammar, lexicography, poetry and drama, medicine and chemistry, astrology and divination, painting and biographies
of saints. Their inclusion in this part of the Tibetan Canon is perhaps justified on the acceptance of the position that they
are necessary aids and accompaniments in the practice of the religion. (b) bStan-'gyur (Tanjur): Translations of
the Teachings 224 Volumes (3626 texts) according to the Beijing edition. A. Sutras ("Hymns of Praise"):
1 Volume; 64 texts. B. Commentaries on the Tantras: 86 Volumes; 3055 texts. C. Commentaries on Sutras; 137 Volumes;
567 texts. Prajnaparamita Commentaries, 16 Volumes. Madhyamika Treatises, 29 Volumes. Yogacara Treatises,
29 Volumes. Abhidharma, 8 Volumes. Miscellaneous Texts, 4 Volumes. Vinaya Commentaries, 16 Volumes. Tales
and Dramas, 4 Volumes. Technical Treatises, 43 Volumes.
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Advice: All buddhist traditions be it Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana leads to the path of Nirvana.
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