The Ten Stages Sutra (Sanskrit: Daà Âabhà «mika Sà «tra; ; ) also known as the Daà Âabhà «mika Sà «tra, is an early, influential Mahayana Buddhist scripture. The sutra also appears as the 26th chapter of the . Modern Buddhist studies scholars generally hold that these Mahayana sà «tras first began to appear between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE. They continued being composed, compiled and edited until the decline of Buddhism in India.
In the Daà Âabhà «mika Sà «tra, the Buddha describes ten stages of development that a bodhisattva must progress through in order to accomplish full Enlightenment and Buddhahood, as well as the subject of Buddha-nature and the awakening of the aspiration for Enlightenment.
There is a commentary which survives in Chinese called the Daà Âabhà «mikavibhÃÂá¹£ÃÂ, it is attributed to Nagarjuna.
Another commentary on the Daà Âabhà «mika Sà «tra, the Dasabhà «mikabhÃÂsya, was written by Vasubandhu in Sanskrit and translated into Chinese by Bodhiruci and others during the 6th century CE.
A Daà Âabhà «mikàschool said to have existed in China at one time, which centered on this sutra, but was later absorbed by the Huayan school, as the Huayan school's principal sutra, the ', already contains the Daà Âabhà «mika Sà «tra. The Daà Âabhà «mika Sà «tra can also be found in modified form in the thirty-ninth chapter as part of the journey of the bodhisattva Sudhana. Huayan remains a major tradition in contemporary Chinese Buddhism, and its doctrines also provides major foundational teachings for other existing Mahayana traditions, such as Chan/Zen.