| rdfs:comment | - The Nirvana Sutra, or Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (Chinese: Niepan Jing (涅槃經); Japanese: Nehankyō (涅槃経); Tibetan: myang 'das kyi mdo).) is a major Mahayana sutra, which its English-translator, Kosho Yamamoto, has described as "one of the three great masterpieces of Mahayana Buddhism". It is one of several Buddhist texts having approximately the same title, another well-known text being (the Mahaparinibbana Sutta), part of the Pali Canon. However, both for historical reasons and for the sake of clarity, the former is generally referred to by its full Sanskrit title, Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Mahā-sūtra (or simply "Nirvana Sutra") in cases where confusion may arise, the latter by its Pali title, Mahaparinibbana Sutta.
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| abstract | - The Nirvana Sutra, or Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (Chinese: Niepan Jing (涅槃經); Japanese: Nehankyō (涅槃経); Tibetan: myang 'das kyi mdo).) is a major Mahayana sutra, which its English-translator, Kosho Yamamoto, has described as "one of the three great masterpieces of Mahayana Buddhism". It is one of several Buddhist texts having approximately the same title, another well-known text being (the Mahaparinibbana Sutta), part of the Pali Canon. However, both for historical reasons and for the sake of clarity, the former is generally referred to by its full Sanskrit title, Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Mahā-sūtra (or simply "Nirvana Sutra") in cases where confusion may arise, the latter by its Pali title, Mahaparinibbana Sutta. Although the Nirvana Sutra, mentions some of the well-known episodes in the final months of the life of the Buddha, the sutra uses these narratives merely as a convenient springboard for the expression of standard Mahayana ideals. Both in style and in content, the Nirvana Sutra displays a disregard for historic particulars and a fascination with the supernatural and the ideals which characterize Mahayana writings in general. Though not a specialist on this text, Paul Williams opines that as Mahayana sutra, it is of rather late date (after the second century CE). In contrast to this view, specialist scholars believe that the compilation of the core portion (corresponding to the Faxian and Tibetan translations) must have occurred at an earlier date, during or prior to the second century CE, based internal evidence and on Chinese canonical catalogs. Likewise, the Buddhist scholar and translator of the Tibetan version of the sutra, Stephen Hodge, speculates that it could well date from around 100CE to 220CE. Standard studies of the Buddha's life use the Mahaparinibbana Sutta as the principal source of reference.
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