sutra

A sutra is a term used in Indian religious literature to denote a concise, aphoristic text that encodes essential doctrine and practical instruction. The word sutra comes from Sanskrit and literally means thread or line, implying a compact formula that can be memorized and connected with other texts through commentary. Sutras originated in ancient India and were often transmitted orally before being written down; they typically present core points of doctrine, practice, or law in brief, numbered statements designed to be elaborated by teachers.

In Buddhism, sutras are discourses attributed to the Buddha or his close disciples. They form the core of most Buddhist canons, including the Pali Canon’s Sutta Pitaka and the Sanskrit Agamas, as well as many Mahayana sutras such as the Heart Sutra and the Lotus Sutra. Buddhist sutras aim to transmit ethical precepts, meditation instructions, and insights into phenomena such as emptiness and dependent origination. They are frequently prefaced with phrases like “Thus have I heard” and organized to facilitate memorization and scholarly interpretation.

In Hinduism, sutras are compact manuals that systematize knowledge in areas such as ritual law, philosophy, and logic. Notable examples include the Brahma Sutras (Vedanta), the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Nyaya Sutras, and the Dharmasutras. These texts present foundational aphorisms that later scholars explain through extensive commentaries and school treatises, and they often serve as introductions to larger scriptures like the Upanishads.

Jain literature also uses sutra-style texts, though many canonical Jain works are called Agamas. Some Jain sutras function as concise statements that summarize doctrine, ethics, and cosmology.

Across traditions, sutras are valued for their brevity and as a basis for lineage-based interpretation, study, and practice.