This study explains how Indian Buddhists accepted the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtras such as the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā on the basis of the understandings shown in commentaries. This article especially deals with “the proof of the authenticity of the Mahāyāna teachings” referred to in the Bhagavaty-āmnāyānusāriṇī-nāma-vyākhyā, which was written as a commentary to the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā during the Pāla period in the 12th century.
For a discussion about the proof of the authenticity of the Mahāyāna teachings held by Buddhists in India, traditional study results explain many things, but the discussion referred to in the Bhagavaty-āmnāyānusāriṇī-nāma-vyākhyā has not been paid attention to so far. The author of the Vyākhyā argues again that Mahāyāna should be recognized as legitimate Buddhism, based on the discussions found in previous works, such as the Vyākhyāyukti and Tarkajvālā. Thus, it is thought that Mahāyāna Buddhists had to claim that their standpoint was more legitimate than non-Mahāyāna Buddhists even in the 12th century, the last stage of Indian Buddhism.
