Suhṛllekha
The Suhṛllekha or ‘Friendly Epistle,’ is a letter in the form of a poem written to the South Indian King Gautamiputra by the famous philosopher Nāgārjuna in about 150/250 CE. In the poem’s 123 verses Nāgārjuna instructs the king in basic Buddhist teachings and encourages him to govern with humanity and justice. Although Nāgarjuna was a follower of Mahāyāna, there are only two verses in the poem, 120 and 121, that make any reference to Mahāyāna ideas. Most of the rest draws on concepts, similes and examples from the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka. The Suhṛllekha was composed in Sanskrit but was later translated into many languages. In Tibet, it continues to be read and studied even today.
One of the most popular works attributed to Nāgārjuna is his Letter to a Friend (Suhṛllekha), addressed to a South Indian king. Its Indian original has not survived, but there exist three independent Chinese and one (good) Tibetan translation. Moreover, the Indian commentary by a certain Mahāmati is available in a Tibetan translation. In its main part (stanzas 4-118), the Letter to a Friend summarizes the essential tenets of Hīnayāna doctrine, thus serving as a kind of Buddhist catechism. Its Mahāyāna counterpart is the Necklace of Jewels (Ratnāvalī). Since 1886, the Letter to a Friend has been translated many times into various modern languages: English, German, French, Danish, Russian, Japanese, and others.
Suhrllekha of Nagarjuna, Pema Tenzin,1996
