The Dīrgha Āgama ( 长阿含经 )
It may come as a surprise for newcomers to Buddhism that the Mahayana tradition has a functionally equivalent collection of sutras as those found in the Pali Canon of the Theravada school, the only surviving school of the Śrāvakayāna. The Dīrgha Āgama is equivalent to the Pali Dīgha Nikāya, although some sutras found in both collections remain unique.
One of the sutras that is only found in the Dīrgha Āgama that passed on to China is Sutra #30, the Agrajña Sūtra (世记经). Although its title is the Sanskrit form of the Aggañña Sutta (which we cover on another page), its contents are far more comprehensive.
Six translations of this sutra were conducted over the course of China’s Buddhist history, but only four are extant. The version shared here was preserved by the Dharmaguptaka school and is part of a complete Dīrgha Āgama collection translated by Buddhayaśas (佛陀耶舍) and Zhu Fonian (竺佛念) during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420 CE).
This sutra covers many topics about the structure of the universe, such as cosmology, the nature of the many varieties of sentient beings, as well as the standard model explaining the origin and development of human civilization.
It is broken down into 12 chapters which cover the following topics:
Chapter 1: Jambudvīpa (阎浮提州品第)
Describes the shape of the world along with Mt. Sumeru and Lake Anavatapta.
Chapter 2: Uttarakuru (欝单曰品第二)
Describes life in the utopian northern continent of Uttarakuru .
Chapter 3: Cakravartin King (转轮圣王品第三)
Describes the nature and rulership of the Cakravartin (Wheel-Turning) King.
Chapter 4: Hell (地狱品第四)
Describes the hell realm and the nature of King Yama.
Chapter 5: Nāgas and Garudas (龙鸟品第五)
Describes the nature and relationship between the dragons and thunderbirds.
Chapter 6: Asura (阿须伦品第六)
Describes the world of the asuras.
Chapter 7: Four Heavenly Kings (四天王品第七)
Describes the first heaven on the slopes of Mt. Sumeru.
Chapter 8: Heaven of the 33 (忉利天品第八)
Describes the second heaven on the summit of Mt. Sumeru. This chapter contains a great deal of other classifications such as the skin colour shared among humans, devas and asuras, lifespan and height among humans and other beings, 4 types of food beings eat, means of sex among spiritual beings, observance of posadha, guardian spirits that reside in all things, the nature of people who dwell on the four continents, the Buddha's conversion of the goddesses of the four elements, four kinds of clouds, four kinds of lightning, and five factors affecting rainfall.
Chapter 9: Three Calamities (三灾品第九)
Describes the three causes of the world's destruction: fire, water, and wind. Also includes the world's regeneration.
Chapter 10: War (战鬪品第十)
Describes the wars between the gods and the asuras.
Chapter 11: Three Intermediate Kalpas (三中劫品第十一)
Describes the events that nearly destroy human civilization in certain eras, which are war, famine, and pestilence.
Chapter 12: Origin of the World (世本縁品第十二)
Describes the appearance of life at the beginning of a world cycle and details the palaces of the sun and moon, as well as the origin of human civilization. This chapter includes content that is similar to what is found in the Pali Aggañña Sutta.
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Two English translations of the Sutra can be found at the following links:
Dharma Pearls’ translation (listed at the bottom of the page):
DĀ 30 Description of the World
BDK America’s translation (page 171 in the PDF layout):
The Canonical Book of the Buddha’s Lengthy Discourses, Vol. III