Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c10.s1.7

c10.s1.7

If we are to rely on the Tibetan traditions, we should regard the Aṣṭa. as the oldest, for it was the first Prajñāpāramitā preached by Maitreya.⁴ Adding to this the opinion of Profs. Nanjio and Walleser about the identity of the Daśa. and the Aṣṭa., it would not be wide of the mark to hold that the Aṣṭa. was the oldest. The Nepalese tradition, however, makes it to be the latest abridgment made from the original Prajñāpāramitā, which extended over a hundred and twenty-five thousand ślokas,⁵ the earliest abridgment being the Śata. followed by the Pañcaviṃśati. and the Aṣṭa.