The Maharatnakuta Sutra is one of the five major sutra groups in the Mahayana canon. Of the two great schools of Buddhism, Mahayana has the greatest number of adherents worldwide-it prevails among the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Tibetans, and Vietnames-and contains within it a number of movements, notably Zen which have been of growing interest in the West in recent decades. Yet despite this increased attention and enormous following, translations of Mahayana scriptures have been scarce and fragmentary; clearly, a comprehensive translation of a major work within the canon was called for.
The Mah&_ratnak&_ta S&_tra is one of the five major sutra groups in the Mah&_y&_na canon. Of the two great schools of Buddhism, Mah&_y&_na has the greatest number of adherents worldwide&—it prevails among the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Tibetans, and Vietnamese&—and contains within it a number of movements, notably Zen, which have been of growing interest in the West in recent decades. Yet despite this increased attention and enormous following, translations of Mah&_y&_na scriptures have been scarce and fragmentary; clearly, a comprehensive translation of a major work within the canon was called for. This volume addresses that need. It contains 22 of the 49 S&_tras of the Mah&_ratnak&_ta (or &"Treasury&") S&_tra, many translated for the first time in a Western language, selected and arranged to give the modern reader a progressive introduction to one of the world's major religious traditions. Subjects covered include M&_y&_ and miracles, the teachings on Consciousness, Emptiness, and monastic discipline, the Mystical Light of the Tath&_gata, and the devotional practice of Pure Land, making this a comprehensive source book of Mah&_y&_na Buddhism hitherto unavailable in English. The book also includes an introduction to provide historical and interpretive guidance, annotations that assist in the comprehension of difficult passages, and an extensive glossary that will be valuable to specialist and layman alike. A team of scholars, working in Taiwan, spent eight years translating the Treasury's million words from Chinese, using Tibetan texts for comparison and checking each S&_tra with an international board of scholars. In the course of translating from the original, special effort was made to retain both the devotional style appropriate for religious reading and the precision required by the scholar, while presenting the material with a clarity and flow that would make it accessible to the Western layman. The editors then selected, arranged, and annotated the 22 S&_tras presented here. Published in cooperation with The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions.
The Mah&_ratnak&_ta S&_tra is one of the five major sutra groups in the Mah&_y&_na canon. Of the two great schools of Buddhism, Mah&_y&_na has the greatest number of adherents worldwide&—it prevails among the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Tibetans, and Vietnamese&—and contains within it a number of movements, notably Zen, which have been of growing interest in the West in recent decades. Yet despite this increased attention and enormous following, translations of Mah&_y&_na scriptures have been scarce and fragmentary; clearly, a comprehensive translation of a major work within the canon was called for. This volume addresses that need. It contains 22 of the 49 S&_tras of the Mah&_ratnak&_ta (or &"Treasury&") S&_tra, many translated for the first time in a Western language, selected and arranged to give the modern reader a progressive introduction to one of the world's major religious traditions. Subjects covered include M&_y&_ and miracles, the teachings on Consciousness, Emptiness, and monastic discipline, the Mystical Light of the Tath&_gata, and the devotional practice of Pure Land, making this a comprehensive source book of Mah&_y&_na Buddhism hitherto unavailable in English. The book also includes an introduction to provide historical and interpretive guidance, annotations that assist in the comprehension of difficult passages, and an extensive glossary that will be valuable to specialist and layman alike. A team of scholars, working in Taiwan, spent eight years translating the Treasury's million words from Chinese, using Tibetan texts for comparison and checking each S&_tra with an international board of scholars. In the course of translating from the original, special effort was made to retain both the devotional style appropriate for religious reading and the precision required by the scholar, while presenting the material with a clarity and flow that would make it accessible to the Western layman. The editors then selected, arranged, and annotated the 22 S&_tras presented here. Published in cooperation with The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions.
An illuminating in-depth study of one of the most well-known and recited Buddhist texts, by a renowned modern translator The Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra is among the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. Chanted daily by many Zen practitioners, it is also studied extensively in the Tibetan tradition, and it has been regarded with interest more recently in the West in various fields of study—from philosophy to quantum physics. In just a few lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release of suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi’s guide to the Heart Sutra is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning of the text and then analyzes it line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the non-specialist—yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. This book includes a fresh and meticulous new translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax.
This book is a translation of the first part of Jigme Lingpa’s Treasury of Precious Qualities, which in a slender volume of elegant verses sets out briefly but comprehensively the Buddhist path according to the Nyingma school. The concision of the root text and its use of elaborate poetic language, rich in metaphor, require extensive explanation, amply supplied here by the commentary of Kangyur Rinpoche. The present volume lays out the teachings of the sutras in gradual stages according to the traditional three levels, or scopes, of spiritual endeavor. It begins with essential teachings on impermanence, karma, and ethics. Then, from the Hinayana standpoint, it describes the essential Buddhist teachings of the four noble truths and the twelve links of dependent arising. Moving on, finally, to the Mahayana perspective, it expounds fully the teachings on bodhichitta and the path of the six paramitas, and gives an unusually detailed exposition of Buddhist vows.
From the root text: If you write in gold The Array of Sukhavati Pure Land you will be reborn in Sukhavati for 100,000 eons. If you write it in gold and silver, you will be reborn in Sukhavati for 10,000 eons. If you write it in silver, you will be reborn in Sukhavati for 1,000 eons. If you write it in vermillion, you will be reborn in Sukhavati for 100 eons. If you write it in black ink, you will be reborn in Sukhavati for 10 eons. You will be reborn in the pure realm of Dharmakaya Boundless Light. This is the essence of the ultimate. It is the pith of the dharmata. It is the king of all confessions of misdeeds. If you write and recite this, you will definitely be purified even if you kill insects and creatures, such as 100 people, 100 horses, 100 snakes, 100 dogs, 100 women, 100 cattle, 100 fish, 100 pigs, 100 monkeys, and 100 sheep; curse others; poison others; engage in miserliness and deceit; are the owner of a dog that kills deer; have degenerated your promises and commitments and then engage in sexual misconduct; kill your guru, abbot, or teacher; or do any of the ten nonvirtues. When someone dies, the best is to have a lama do this ritual for the corpse on the morning of the cremation; the middling is for a geshe to do it; and the last is for a monk to do it. If that isn’t possible, at least someone who knows how to read should do it. If it is recited three times and then tapped on the corpse’s head three times, without doubt that person will become a buddha. In this eon, all Dharma practices that are sealed with this prayer of dedication are greatly meritorious. If those who write, recite, keep, or disseminate it, read or recite it three times, they will not experience sickness or (untimely) death. May all of their wishes be fulfilled, and may they meet with those who are propitious and endowed with the fortunate karma to be reborn in Sukhavati Pure Land. 2020 edition.
"Book presents the English translations of six sautras selected from the Chinese Buddhist Canon. Sautra 1, the Mahaavaipulya Sautra of the Tathaagata Store ... Sautra 2, the Sautra of Neither Increase Nor Decrease ... Sautra3, the Sautra of aSraimaalaa's Lion's Roar ... Sautra 4, the Mahaayaana version of the Sautra of Acngulimaalika ... Sautra 5, the Sautra of the Unsurpassed Reliance. Sautra 6, the Sautra of the Vajra Samaadhi"--Page ix.
The Mah&_ratnak&_ta S&_tra is one of the five major sutra groups in the Mah&_y&_na canon. Of the two great schools of Buddhism, Mah&_y&_na has the greatest number of adherents worldwide&—it prevails among the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Tibetans, and Vietnamese&—and contains within it a number of movements, notably Zen, which have been of growing interest in the West in recent decades. Yet despite this increased attention and enormous following, translations of Mah&_y&_na scriptures have been scarce and fragmentary; clearly, a comprehensive translation of a major work within the canon was called for. This volume addresses that need. It contains 22 of the 49 S&_tras of the Mah&_ratnak&_ta (or &"Treasury&") S&_tra, many translated for the first time in a Western language, selected and arranged to give the modern reader a progressive introduction to one of the world's major religious traditions. Subjects covered include M&_y&_ and miracles, the teachings on Consciousness, Emptiness, and monastic discipline, the Mystical Light of the Tath&_gata, and the devotional practice of Pure Land, making this a comprehensive source book of Mah&_y&_na Buddhism hitherto unavailable in English. The book also includes an introduction to provide historical and interpretive guidance, annotations that assist in the comprehension of difficult passages, and an extensive glossary that will be valuable to specialist and layman alike. A team of scholars, working in Taiwan, spent eight years translating the Treasury's million words from Chinese, using Tibetan texts for comparison and checking each S&_tra with an international board of scholars. In the course of translating from the original, special effort was made to retain both the devotional style appropriate for religious reading and the precision required by the scholar, while presenting the material with a clarity and flow that would make it accessible to the Western layman. The editors then selected, arranged, and annotated the 22 S&_tras presented here. Published in cooperation with The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions.
