Kauśika prajñāpāramitā

Kauśika prajñāpāramitā. (T. Sshes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa kau shi ka zhes bya ba). In English, The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika”.

The UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group states:

The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika” is a brief text barely four Tibetan folios in length and, just as in the case of The Heart Sūtra (Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya, Toh 21), this prajñāpāramitā scripture also incorporates elements of both sūtra and tantra (in the form of mantra). It has therefore been variously classified in the Tibetan Kangyur, where it is included in both the Perfection of Wisdom section and the Tantra section.

The figure of Kauśika/Śakra also features as an important interlocutor in the larger prajñāpāramitā sūtras, and The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika” presents a short summary of some of the elements found in those larger sūtras. Nevertheless, there does not appear to be a direct relationship between The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika” and the dialogues with Kauśika that appear elsewhere in the prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

Notably, the last part of the teaching contains a concluding verse that also appears verbatim in The Vajra Cutter Sūtra (Vajracchedikā, Toh 16) and two further verses that match the opening homage in Nāgārjuna’s Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, Toh 3824).

In the Tibetan tradition, this text is one of the so-called 'six mother scriptures' of the Prajnaparamita.

Text

This text is included in the Tibetan Kangyur, where it is included in both the Perfection of Wisdom section and the Tantra section.

The UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group states:

In addition to the Tibetan translation, the sūtra also exists in Sanskrit and Chinese. The extant Sanskrit text is a Central Asian manuscript that was edited by Conze (1956) and later reprinted by Vaidya (1961). The dating of the Sanskrit text is uncertain, but, as noted by Conze, it largely patterns with the Chinese translation that can be dated to the late tenth or early eleventh century ᴄᴇ. This suggests a relatively late date for the extant Sanskrit manuscript, perhaps even later than the Tibetan translation. Unlike the Tibetan translation, which only contains a single mantra at the conclusion of the teaching, the Sanskrit text (and the Chinese translation) ends with several additional mantras that likely represent later accretions. For the reader’s convenience, we have in the appendices included a diplomatic edition of the Sanskrit text and a complete English translation from the Sanskrit.

The colophon to the Chinese translation (Taishō 249) notes that the sūtra was translated on imperial command by Dānapāla (Shihu 施護, ?–1017 ᴄᴇ), an Indian scholar-monk from Uḍḍiyāna who translated over one hundred works into Chinese. Just like the Sanskrit text, the Chinese translation has a slightly different textual structure and content than the Tibetan...

Translations

• UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group (2023), The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika”, 84000 Reading Room
• Conze, Edward, trans. Perfect Wisdom: The Short Prajñāpāramitā Texts. Buddhist Publishing Group, 1973. (Includes a translation and brief introduction by Conze.)