Brahmajāla Sūtra facts for kids
The Brahmajāla Sūtra (which means Brahma's Net Sutra) is an important Buddhist text. It belongs to Mahayana Buddhism. This sutra teaches about special rules called Vinaya for people who want to become Bodhisattvas. A Bodhisattva is someone who aims to become a Buddha to help all living things.
You can find this sutra in different translations. The Chinese version is in the Taishō Tripiṭaka. The Tibetan version is in the Peking (Beijing) Kangyur collection. From Tibetan, it was also translated into Mongolian and Manchu languages. Sometimes, it is also called the Brahmajāla Bodhisattva Śīla Sūtra.
The Brahmajāla Sūtra is connected to a famous idea in Huayan Buddhism. This idea is called Indra's net.
It is important to know that this sutra is not related to the Brahmajala Sutta from Theravada Buddhism. They have similar names but are different texts.
Contents
History of the Sutra
People traditionally believe that the Brahmajāla Sūtra was first written in Sanskrit. Then, a famous translator named Kumārajīva translated it into Chinese in the year 406.
However, some experts think the sutra might have been written in East Asia. They believe unknown authors created it around the mid-5th century. This would make it a Buddhist apocryphal text. This means it might not be an original teaching from the Buddha. The sutra itself says it is part of a much longer Sanskrit text. But this longer text has never been found.
Despite this, many Mahayana Buddhist monks and some scholars believe the sutra is not apocryphal. They think it was indeed translated from Sanskrit.
What the Sutra is About
This sutra introduces a very important Buddha named Vairocana. It explains how Vairocana is connected to Gautama Buddha.
The sutra also lists special rules for Bodhisattvas. These are called the ten major precepts (Chinese: 十重戒) and 48 minor precepts. Following these rules helps a person move forward on the Bodhisattva path.
In China, these Bodhisattva precepts became a higher set of ethics. Monks would follow them after their first ordination vows. In Japan, these ten precepts became very important. They almost completely replaced older monastic rules, especially with Saichō and the rise of the Tendai school.
The Brahma's Net Idea
The sutra's name comes from a beautiful image. It describes a huge net that the god Brahma has in his palace. Each jewel in this net reflects the light of every other jewel. It shows how everything in the universe is connected.
The sutra explains this idea:
At that time, he [Shakyamuni Buddha] thought about the amazing Jewel Net in Lord Brahma's palace. He then taught the Brahmajala Sutta to the large group. He said: "The countless worlds in the universe are like the eyes of the net. Every single world is different, with endless variety. The same is true for the Dharma Doors (ways of practice) taught by the Buddhas."
Vairocana Buddha
The sutra is also special because it describes who Vairocana is. Vairocana is seen as the personification of the dharma (the teachings) or the Dharmakāya (the truth body of a Buddha).
It says:
Now, I, Vairocana Buddha, am sitting on a lotus seat. On a thousand flowers around me are a thousand Sakyamuni Buddhas. Each flower holds a hundred million worlds. In each world, a Sakyamuni Buddha appears. All of them sit under a Bodhi-tree. All of them become Buddhas at the same time. All these countless Buddhas have Vairocana as their original body.
This means Vairocana is like the main source or true form of all other Buddhas.
Bodhisattva Precepts
The Brahmajāla Sūtra contains a list of ten major rules and forty-eight minor rules. These are known as the Bodhisattva Precepts. In Buddhist studies, they are often called the "Brahma Net Precepts" (Chinese: 梵網戒; pinyin: Fànwǎng Jiè). Other Buddhist texts also have different sets of Bodhisattva precepts. But in East Asian Mahayana traditions, usually only the 10 Major Precepts are considered the main Bodhisattva Precepts.
The Ten Major Bodhisattva Precepts
Here is a summary of the ten major Bodhisattva Precepts:
- Do not kill or encourage others to kill.
- Do not steal or encourage others to steal.
- Do not use false words or speech, or encourage others to do so.
- Do not spread bad stories or faults about the Buddhist community, nor encourage others to do so.
- Do not praise yourself and speak badly of others, or encourage others to do so.
- Do not be stingy (not wanting to share), or encourage others to be stingy.
- Do not hold onto anger or encourage others to be angry.
- Do not speak badly of the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings), or the Sangha (community of monks and nuns). This is also called the Triple Jewel. Do not encourage others to do so.
Breaking any of these major precepts is considered a very serious offense.
