BUDDHIST SUTRAS Buddhist sutras, or literally, "discourses," are religious texts that preserve the Buddha's teachings and insights. In the early centuries, sutras were only committed to memory and transmitted orally, all starting with the words, "Thus have I heard." Their written codification gradually started in Pali, Sanskrit and other languages around 2,000 years ago. They were translated into different languages after that. For a teaching to be a "sutra," it has to be attributed to the Buddha directly or indirectly, such as through the inspired, anonymous writings of later disciples. The Nirvana Sutra that forms the core of Shinnyo-en's doctrine is one such example. Just before he passed away, the Buddha Shakyamuni tried to console his followers by saying, "Don't grieve for me after my passing. The teachings will be your master." In this way, many Buddhists look to sutras to find the spirit of the Buddha even if they were not given directly by the Buddha known as Shakyamuni.

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