Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Buddhism - Sacred Writings

The Hearth Sutra, a Buddhist classic and the most popular sutra in China, comprises only two hundred and sixty two words in the Chinese translation. However, it is said that the essence of the Prajnaparamita Sutra, and even the entire Mahayana teaching, is contained within it.

The Heart Sutra concisely elucidates the philosophy of sunyata (emptiness), which teaches that not only the self (atman) but also all dharmas - the elements that make up our world - are empty and ultimately nonexistant. The fact that all things in the phenomenal world are constantly changing indicates that they...

This thirteenth-century text by Nichiren extols the Lotus Sutra and critiques the other schools of Japanese Buddhism active at that time. Nichiren was arrested by the Kamakura government in 1271 and sentenced to exile on Sado Island. There he was in constant danger of assassination, and wrote the Kaimokusho to convince his remaining followers to follow his example in Buddhism.

To do this, Nichiren criticized religions other than Buddhism, and then Buddhist sutras other than the Lotus Sutra. He asked the question Am I not the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra and answered this question...

This volume contains The Adamantine Pinnacle Sutra and The Susiddhikara Sutra, two important texts in the corpus of Buddhist Tantric literature. These texts include a general introduction in the conventional format of Buddhist scriptures and a supplementary introduction that describes the nature of Mahavairocana, equatable with the Dharma-body, first primarily from the perspective of his aspect as the essence of the Sixteen Bodhisattvas in the Dharma, Great, and Samaya Mandalas, and then in his capacity as the essence of the Dharma-realm.

The body describes the samadhis...

This volume contains two works by the founder of the Nichiren Shu school.

The Risshoankokuron takes the form of a dialogue betweeen a traveler and a master about the troubled state of affairs in the country. It prophesies an invasion from the sea and is sharply critical of the regent at the time.

Kanjinhonzonsho was written to reveal the Most Venerable One as Nichiren conceived it.

This volume includes three texts.

The Larger Sutra on Amitayus relates how a certain mendicant monk by the name of Dharmakara, when practicing under the tutelage of the Tathagata Lokesvararaja, made 48 vows to save all suffering people; to fulfill these vows he created a paradise in the west called Sukhavati, and he himself thus became the Buddha Amitayus. The sutra states, furthermore, that if anyone believing in these 48 vows should chant the name of Amitayus, he will be born in the paradise of Sukhavati and there become a buddha. This sutra being the longest of the three basic...

This volume includes five texts by Kukai (On the Differences between the Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings; The Meaning of Becoming a Buddha in This Very Body; The Meanings of Sound, Sign, and Reality; The Meanings of the Word Hum; The Precious Key to the Secret Treasury), and two by Kakuban (The Illuminating Secret Commentary on the Five Cakras and the Nine Syllables; The Mitsugonin Confession).

On the Differences between the Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings aims to highlight the differences between Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism and explain why the latter is superior to the former....

This volume includes four separate texts from the Ch'an/Zen tradition.

Essentials of the Transmission of Mind repeatedly espouses a single vision of religious training: one's own mind, just as it is and without any qualification whatsoever, is the Buddha. And to be a Buddha is to act in constant recognition of that fact, without ever generating any thoughts, intentions, or inclinations based on selfish dualistic conceptualization. It insists that the only task of true religious practice is to simply cease discriminating between ordinary person and sage, between sentient being and...

There are two titles in this volume.

The Sutra of Queen Srimala is an important early Mahayana text. It is a unique development within the Buddhist tradition because of its egalitarian and generous view concerning women, portraying, on the one hand, the dignity and wisdom of a laywoman and her concern for all beings, and, on the other, the role of woman as philosopher and teacher. The major philosophical emphases of the text are the theories of the womb of the Buddha and the One Vehicle.

The Vimalakirti Sutra is a well-known sutra that deals extensively with the doctrines of...

The Awakening of Faith is one of the basic texts of Mahayana Buddhism, used by most of its major schools. The popularity of the text in East Asian Buddhism is well attested by the numerous works written on it throughout the ages in China, Korea, and Japan. It is hoped that this translation of the work will prove of value to Western readers in increasing their understanding of the basic tenets and practices of Mahayana Buddhism.

This book includes extensive commentary within the text to illuminates the meaning of many passages in this important treatise.

The Lotus Sutra, as it is generally known in the West, is one of the most important of all the Mahayana sutras, and especially in Japan, where it is popularly known as the Ho-ke-kyou, it has been held in high regard ever since Prince Shoutoku included a commentary on it in his set of commentaries on three Mahayana sutras (San-gyou-gi-sho).

It is a work of great literary merit, including as it does many sections of verse and various parables, but at the same time it has earned a lasting place in the history of Buddhism owing to the superior quality of its philosophical content. The...

Ancient words of the Buddha ("awakened one") that can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.

The Dhammapada ("Path of the Buddha's Teachings") is a daily inspiration for millions of Buddhists all over the world and for people of all spiritual traditions who have been impressed by its beauty and power. These words believed to have been spoken by the Buddha himself over 2,500 years ago contain most of Buddhism's central teachings.

Originally composed in the ancient language of Pali, this timeless text concisely and inspirationally portrays the route a...

The Noble Eightfold Path the Buddha s first teaching is a timeless truth. One starts with a vision, a moment of insight, then transformation of thoughts, and follows in the light of that truth.

This teaching is explored in relation to every aspect of life and is a treasury of wisdom and practical guidance. The reader is taken deeper than in most introductions, while always remaining practical, inspiring, and accessible. This is the first in a new series, Buddhist Wisdom for Today.

Sangharakshita is a leading Western Buddhist teacher and a popular author of more than...

In Knowing How to Live, Sangharakshita delves into Nagarjuna s Precious Garland text and extracts the gems of wisdom relevant to the Buddhist practitioner of today, from the beginner to one who is more experienced. The text, originally written for King Satavahana, a spiritual disciple of Nagarjuna s, is a layman s guide to Enlightenment. Though originally intended to be studied by a leader of men, in this democratic era Buddhists of all walks of life can learn from the insights of this enlightened teacher of the past.

Principally, readers will learn that the path to...