Mahaparinirva?a-Sutra

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MAHĀPARINIRVĀṆA-SŪTRA

The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra (Pāli, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta; Great Discourse on Extinction) recounts the final months of the Buddha's life, his last acts and sermons to his disciples, his death, and the distribution of his relics. A canonical text, it was one of the early building blocks of the Buddha's biography, and versions exist in Pāli, Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese. It should not be confused with the later MahĀyĀna sūtra of the same name.

See also:Buddha, Life of the; Nirvāṇa Sūtra

Bibliography

Walshe, Maurice, trans. "Mahāparinibbāna Sutta: The Great Passing." In Thus Have I Heard: The Long Discourses of the Buddha. London: Wisdom, 1987.

John S. Strong