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.

The Buddha's definitive teachings on how we should understand the ground of enlightenment and the nature and qualities of buddhahood. All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature—the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. Thus there is neither any reason for conceit nor self-contempt. This is obscured by veils that are removable and do not touch the inherent purity and perfection of the nature of the mind. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the “Five Treatises” said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha’s definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood. This seminal text details with great clarity the view that forms the basis for Vajrayana, and especially Mahamudra, practice.