Sutra of the Rhinoceros Horn

E520872

The Sutra of the Rhinoceros Horn is an early Buddhist text that extols the virtues of solitary practice and renunciation, using the image of a rhinoceros wandering alone as its central metaphor.

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Statements (41)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Buddhist scripture
Pali Canon text
sutta
associatedWith early Buddhist monastic ideal of the forest renunciant
category Buddhist renunciation literature
centralMetaphor rhinoceros wandering alone
circulatesIn Theravada countries NERFINISHED
emphasizes avoidance of entangling social ties
freedom from worldly obligations
personal effort on the path to awakening
focusesOn detachment from family and society
individual liberation
genre verse discourse
hasAlternativeName Khaggavisana Sutta NERFINISHED
Rhinoceros Horn Sutta NERFINISHED
hasAudience monastics
serious lay practitioners
hasKeyImage single-pointed rhinoceros horn
hasNameInPali Khaggavisāna Sutta NERFINISHED
historicalPeriod early Buddhism
influenced later Buddhist reflections on solitude
language Pali NERFINISHED
partOf Khuddaka Nikaya NERFINISHED
Pali Canon NERFINISHED
Sutta Nipata NERFINISHED
preservedIn Pali Canon NERFINISHED
various modern translations
relatedWork other suttas in the Sutta Nipata
studiedBy scholars of early Buddhism
studiedIn Buddhist studies
symbolizes going forth alone
unified, undistracted practice
teaches benefits of living alone like a rhinoceros horn
theme non-attachment
renunciation
seclusion
solitary practice
spiritual independence
tradition Theravada Buddhism NERFINISHED
usedFor contemplation of renunciation
monastic instruction

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gandhari birch-bark manuscripts containsTextOf Sutra of the Rhinoceros Horn