Dharmasamuccaya

Summary

A rare palm‑leaf manuscript titled Dharmasamuccaya was discovered in 1922 in Kathmandu by Paṇḍit Siddha Vajraicārya. The work, whose title means ‘compendium of the Law’, is a systematic anthology of Buddhist doctrine compiled by the monk Avalokitasimha. It draws heavily on two Mahāyāna sūtras—the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna and the Vaipulyasāgara—and arranges their teachings in a logical sequence. The author opens with a description of the manuscript’s physical condition, script and provenance, noting that it belongs to a period when Nepalese monasteries preserved extensive Mahāyāna texts. The Dharmasamuccaya summarises the Buddha’s discourses on morality, meditation and wisdom, presenting lists of virtues, stages of the bodhisattva path and parables illustrating compassion and impermanence. Quotations from the text show that it emphasises self‑discipline, the cultivation of good actions and the dedication of merit. Unlike sectarian treatises, it does not argue doctrinal points but serves as a manual for laypersons and monks. The compiler appears to have aimed at making the essence of Mahāyāna ethics accessible by excerpting key passages from lengthy sūtras. The article compares the work with other compendia, pointing out that it preserves early chapters of the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna that are otherwise lost. It also discusses linguistic features indicating a date between the seventh and ninth centuries and speculates on its influence on later Nepalese Buddhism.