In the years following Alexander the Great's conquest of the East, a series of empires rose up along the Silk Road. In what is now northern Pakistan, the civilizations in the region called Gandhara became increasingly important centers for the development of Buddhism, reaching their apex under King Kaniska of the Kusanas in the second century CE. Gandhara has long been known for its Greek-Indian synthesis in architecture and statuary, but until about twenty years ago, almost nothing was known about its literature. The insights provided by manuscripts unearthed over the last few decades show that Gandhara was indeed a vital link in the early development of Buddhism, instrumental in both the transmission of Buddhism to China and the rise of the Mahayana tradition. The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara surveys what we know about Gandhara and its Buddhism, and it also provides translations of a dozen different short texts, from similes and stories to treatises on time and reality.


The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara: An Introduction with Selected Translations, Richard Salomon, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 2018, 456 pp, $29.95

Professor Richard G. Salomon of the University of Washington is a leading figure in the field of early Buddhist studies. He directs the Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project and is general editor of the Gandharan Buddhist Texts series published by the University of Washington Press. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

List of Illustrations	xiii
Preface	xvii
Introduction: The Rediscovery of Gandharan Buddhist Literature	1
PART I. CONTEXTS
1. The World of Gandharan Buddhism	11
Gandhara and India's Northwest Frontier	11
The Bloody History of Paradise	12
Early Buddhism and Gandhara	16
Asoka and the Mauryan Empire	17
The Indo-Greeks	24
The Age of the Scythian Kingdoms	28
The Climax of Gandharan Buddhist Culture under the Kusana Empire	36
The Decline of Buddhism in Gandhara	45
The Legacy of Gandharan Buddhism	47
2. Buddhist Manuscripts, Buddhist Languages, and Buddhist Canons	51
Buddhist Texts and Canons	51
The Languages of Buddhism	59
Gandhari and Kharosthi	62
Deciphering Gandhari Documents	68
The Destiny of Gandhari and the Triumph of Sanskrit	72
The Gandhari Hypothesis	73
Further Discoveries of Gandharan Manuscripts	76
The Character of the Scrolls	79
3. The Buddhist Literature of Gandhara	83
The Scope of Gandharan Buddhist Literature	83
Canonical and Paracanonical Sutras	84
Vinaya Texts	86
Abhidharma and Scholastic Literature	86
Edifying Narratives	87
Mahayana Texts	88
Miscellaneous Texts	90
What Did Gandharan Buddhists Read?	91
Oral and Written Texts and Canons	95
Was There a Gandhari Canon?	99
The Problem of School Affiliation
PART II. TEXTS
Sutras in Prose
1. Three Numerically Grouped Sutras	105
a. The Buddha and the Brahman Dhona	114
b. The Words of the Buddha	116
c. The Four Efforts	117
2. Five Thematically Grouped Sutras	121
a. The Four Concentrations	145
b. Not Yours	147
c. Living Full of Disenchantment	148
d. The Adze Handle	149
e. The Parable of the Log	153
Poetic Texts
3. The Rhinoceros Sutra	157
Translation	175
4. A Chapter from the Dharmapada	183
The Monk	193
Legends and Previous-Life Stories
5. Songs of Lake Anavatapta	199
a. Mahakasyapa	219
b. Nanda	221
c. Srona Kotivimsa	222
d. Yasas	223
e. Pindola Bharadvaja	225
f. Vagisa	226
g. Nandika	227
h. Kusma	228
6. Six Stories of Previous Lives and Other Legends	229
a. The Story of a Rich Man	236
b. The Previous Life of the Bodhisattva as a Merchant	237
c. The Previous Life of the Bodhisattva as Prince Sudasna	240
d. The Previous Life of Ajnata Kaundinya as a Potter	246
e. The Previous Life of Ananda as a Prince	250
f. The Monk and the Saka	254
7. Avadana Legends	257
a. The Contest between the Black and White Magicians	259
b. The Story of Zadamitra	261
8. The Many Buddhas Sutra	265
Translation	285
Scholarly Commentaries and Debates
9. A Commentary on the Sutra of Chanting Together	295
a. The Five Faculties	304
b. The Six Roots of Argument	306
10. A Commentary on Canonical Verses	309
a. Trade What Ages	315
b. Endowed with Proper Conduct	306
c. An Angry Man	318
11. Abhidharma Treatise on Time and Existence	321
Translation	331
The Emerging Mahayana
12. The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra	335
a. The Practice of the Knowledge of All Forms	347
b. The Teaching on Merit	353
Conclusions	359
State of the Art and Future Prospects	359
What Have We Learned	362
Appendices
1. Specimen of a Verse in Various Buddhist Languages	369
2. Specimen of a Gandharan Buddhist Inscription: The Reliquary of Satruleka	373
Notes	379
Glossary	405
Bibliography	419
Image Credits	433
Index	435
About the Author	457