Sutra

Sutra are explanations and clarifications of the teachings within the Tao of Shinsei. The original sutra were lectures taught by Shinsei himself, but many new ones have been written over the centuries. The various sects of Shinseism often form because one group of monks places a higher importance on one sutra over any others.

Origin
The original sutra were taught by Shinsei himself. After instructing Shiba to leave the Tao in Gisei Toshi, Shinsei still had to travel with the Thunders south, through the whole of Rokugan, before they could enter the Shadowlands. Along their way, as word of his conversation with Hantei spread across the Empire, people began to follow him and beg him to be their sensei. Eventually, Shinsei stopped for four nights and lectured beneath a pine. The lessons he taught in thouse four nights were the original sutra.

Varying texts
The lectures that Shinsei gave were often written down by his students. Some were chronicled immediately after the scribe heard the Little Teacher, and some versions were not written until decades afterward. As a result, many of Shinsei's lectures have several different recorded accounts. This situation is made more difficult because monks who are writing sutra will often adopt the name of a previous master as a pseudonym, often confusing the actual age of the document. Since the near-destruction of the original text (see below), it has become difficult to determine what teachings were originally Shinsei's and which come from his followers over the centuries.

Accepted sutra
The Shinsei Sutra are five sutra that are widely accepted to have been taught by Shinsei himself. The Diamond Sutra is the text emphasized by the Shingon sect; Shingon monks believe this sutra to be given by Shinsei, but the remainder of the Brotherhood of Shinsei generally disagrees.