Agama Sutra - Agonkyo

A general term for the earliest Buddhist scriptures, the oldest of all Buddhist materials. It is a transliteration of the original language (both Sanskrit and Pali) Āgama. Āgama means "transmitted" and refers to a sutra that has been handed down from generation to generation. It contains the words and deeds of Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni), as well as those of his disciples. The original was compiled shortly after the Buddha's death, and many things were added during the tradition. The existing sutras were created quite late. The Chinese translation of the four agamas is called the Long Agama, the Middle Agama, the Miscellaneous Agama, and the Extraordinary Agama, each of which contains many sutras of various lengths. There are also different translations of these and some independent sutras, all of which are included in the two volumes of the Agama section of the Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo. Pali texts were introduced to southern Buddhism, and similar texts are called Nikayas. Of these, the Long, Middle, Proportionate and Extrapolated sections correspond to the four Agamas mentioned above, and although they have many commonalities, there are also differences. The Nikayas also contain 15 minor sutras, including ancient and important sutras. The ideas of Gautama Buddha and early Buddhism can only be learned through the four Agamas and five Nikayas. Among the books excavated along the Silk Road (especially in Turfan), there are Sanskrit versions of parts of the Agama sutras, which have been organized, edited and published in Germany after the Second World War.

[Mitsunori Saegusa]

"Introduction to the Agama Sutra by Tomomatsu Entei (1981, Kodansha Academic Library)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏教の全資料のうち最古の初期仏教経典の総称。原語（サンスクリット語もパーリ語も同じ）のアーガマĀgamaの音写。アーガマは「伝来」を意味し、代々伝承されてきた経をいう。ゴータマ・ブッダ（釈迦(しゃか)）の言行を収め、仏弟子たちのも混じる。原型はブッダ入滅後まもなくまとめられ、伝承の間に多くのものを付加した。現存の経の成立はかなり遅い。漢訳された全体は、長阿含(じょうあごん)、中阿含(ちゅうあごん)、雑阿含(ぞうあごん)、増一阿含(ぞういちあごん)の四阿含と称し、各々が長短多数の経を含む。ほかにそれらの異訳や一部の独立経典もあり、それらすべては『大正新脩大蔵経(たいしょうしんしゅうだいぞうきょう)』阿含部2巻に収められている。南方仏教にはパーリ語テキストが伝わり、同類のものをニカーヤ（部）とよぶ。そのうち、長部、中部、相応部、増支部は、前記の四阿含に対応しあい、共通の箇所も多いが、また相違点もある。ニカーヤにはほかに小部の15経があり、古い重要な経を含む。ゴータマ・ブッダおよび初期仏教の思想その他は、以上の四阿含と五ニカーヤとを資料としてのみ、学び知ることができる。なおシルク・ロード（とくにトゥルファン）出土本に、阿含経の一部のサンスクリット本があり、整備、校訂されて、第二次世界大戦後ドイツから出版されている。

［三枝充悳］

『友松圓諦著『阿含経入門』（1981・講談社学術文庫）』

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