1
: a precept summarizing Vedic teaching
also
: a collection of these precepts
2
: one of the discourses of the Buddha that constitute the basic text of Buddhist scripture
Examples of sutra in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet, over the years, former internees and their family and friends returned to the site of their incarceration—to clean the cemetery, offer sutras to the dead and reminisce.
—
Rachel Ng, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
Arguments and accusations of blasphemy regarding teaching yoga sutras rather than Bible scripture are rife within the Black yoga community.
—Tamika Caston-Miller, Outside Online, 26 Feb. 2025
This sutra clearly states that thought disturbances can manifest as irregularities in breath, shakiness or restlessness of the body or its movements, changes in facial expressions and/or mental pain.
—Joseph Sudhip, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Delve into the asanas of hatha yoga, the foundations of pranayama breathwork, and the sutras for a deeper understanding of the practice.
—Julia Eskins, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024
Too bad photography is not permitted inside amid an astonishing collection of Tibetan relics, including the tombs of eight Dalai Lamas and thousands of thangka scrolls, murals, sculptures, and sutras.
—Jordan Riefe, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2024
My first was in my own community Feb. 9, 2023
To honor the victims, officials also held a candlelit vigil at Monterey Park City Hall, where surviving family members chanted the sutras — words of the Buddha — to bring peace and harmony and heaven.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
But the scribes who copied the canonical scriptures called sutras during the first centuries of Japanese Buddhism employed a more generic style.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
The sutras themselves were thought to have supernatural powers and were sometimes deployed as protective talismans.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rachel Ng, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
Arguments and accusations of blasphemy regarding teaching yoga sutras rather than Bible scripture are rife within the Black yoga community.
—Tamika Caston-Miller, Outside Online, 26 Feb. 2025
This sutra clearly states that thought disturbances can manifest as irregularities in breath, shakiness or restlessness of the body or its movements, changes in facial expressions and/or mental pain.
—Joseph Sudhip, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Delve into the asanas of hatha yoga, the foundations of pranayama breathwork, and the sutras for a deeper understanding of the practice.
—Julia Eskins, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024
Too bad photography is not permitted inside amid an astonishing collection of Tibetan relics, including the tombs of eight Dalai Lamas and thousands of thangka scrolls, murals, sculptures, and sutras.
—Jordan Riefe, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2024
My first was in my own community Feb. 9, 2023
To honor the victims, officials also held a candlelit vigil at Monterey Park City Hall, where surviving family members chanted the sutras — words of the Buddha — to bring peace and harmony and heaven.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
But the scribes who copied the canonical scriptures called sutras during the first centuries of Japanese Buddhism employed a more generic style.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
The sutras themselves were thought to have supernatural powers and were sometimes deployed as protective talismans.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Sutra.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sutra. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share