The Salistambha sutra : Tibetan original, Sanskrit reconstruction, English translation, critical notes (including Pali parallels, Chinese version, and ancient Tibetan fragments)

The Salistamba Sutra a Mahayana text of great antiquity, has perished in its original Sanskrit form. It is however extensively quoted in Sanskrit commentarial literature which does survive in the original. Moreover the Salistamba survives in several Chinese versions and in Tibetan, includinga seventh century manuscript which represents one of the earliest extant examples of the Tibetan language.The resulting approximation of the Sanskrit text of the sutra is of considerable historical importance with regard of the origins of Mahayana Buddhism and the early history of Buddhism in general.