AABS. Australasian Association of Buddhist Studies
On Wednesday 1st of June 2011 the AABS will host a presentation by Bhikshu Chang Tzu titled 'The employment and significance of the Sadaprarudita’s Jataka story in different Buddhist traditions.'
The seminar will be held in the Woolley Common Room in the John Woolley Building at the University of Sydney, starting at 5.30pm ending at 7pm.
We do hope you can attend.
Kind regards,AABS Executive
The employment and significance of the Sadaprarudita’s Jataka story in different Buddhist traditions.
The jataka story of the Bodhisattva Sadaprarudita (literally meaning “Ever Weeping”), the most well known version of which is found in the Astasahasrika prajñaparamita sutra, is an interesting story that has been used in different ways in various Buddhist traditions that flourished in India, Central Asia, China and Tibet. For example, the story is quoted and discussed in quite a few commentarial works in Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan and it is found in the Prasannapada by Candrakirti, the Siksasamuccaya by Santideva, and the works attributed to Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, Rechungpa, Tsongkhapa. In some works Sadaprarudita is presented as the paragon of one who searches for pajñaparamita, and in others he is the model for those who desire to serve their gurus. In China, moreover, during the early stage of the Pure Land tradition, Sadaprarudita was regarded as the preeminent exemplar of one practicing buddhasmrti (recalling the Buddha). This paper will examine the story of Sadaprarudita as it is preserved in different sources, and will address its significance and the possible reasons for its employment.