A New Translation with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua – The Surangama Sutra

By practicing the surangama Samādhi, anyone who maintains purity of conduct and develops right understanding can gain awakening. Regarded as a complete and practical manual that leads to enlightenment, it gives instruction in the understanding of the Buddha-nature, the potential within all beings for becoming a Buddha.

In much of the sutra the buddha sakyamuni instructs the young monk Ānanda, teaching him to turn the attention of his sense-faculties inward in order to achieve a focused state of meditation known as samādhi. For more a thousand years, the surangama shurangama sutra — the "Sutra of the Indestructible” has been held in great esteem in the Mahāyāna Buddhist countries of East and Southeast Asia.

At the heart of the Sutra is the Surangama Mantra. Due to its wealth of theoretical and practical instruction the Surangama Sutra has often been the first major text to be studied by newly ordained monks in China, particularly those of the Chan School. The practice of this mantra can eliminate internal or external obstacles that lie in the way of spiritual progress.

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The Lankavatara Sutra: Translation and Commentary

Passed down from teacher to student ever since, this is the only Zen sutra ever spoken by the Buddha. Having translated the diamond sutra and the Heart Sutra, and following with The Platform Sutra, Red Pine now turns his attention to perhaps the greatest Sutra of all. Zen’s first patriarch, bodhidharma, gave a copy of this text to his successor, Hui-k’o, and told him everything he needed to know was in this book.

. The lankavatara Sutra is the holy grail of Zen. Although it covers all the major teachings of mahayana buddhism, it contains but two teachings: that everything we perceive as being real is nothing but the perceptions of our own mind and that the knowledge of this is something that must be realized and experienced for oneself and cannot be expressed in words.

In the words of chinese zen masters, these two teachings became known as “have a cup of tea” and “taste the tea. This is the first translation into english of the original text used by Bodhidharma, which was the Chinese translation made by Gunabhadra in 443 and upon which all Chinese Zen masters have relied ever since.

In addition to presenting one of the most difficult of all Buddhist texts in clear English, Red Pine has also added summaries, explanations and notes, including relevant Sanskrit terms on the basis of which the Chinese translation was made. This promises to become an essential text for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding or knowledge of Zen.

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The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

Known in chinese as hua-yen and in japanese as kegon-kyo, the Avatamsaka Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture, is held in the highest regard and studied by Buddhists of all traditions. This one-volume edition contains thomas cleary's definitive translation of all thirty-nine books of the sutra, and Cleary's translation of Li Tongxuan's seventh-century guide to the final book, along with an introduction, the Gandavyuha, a glossary, "Entry into the Realm of Reality.

". Through its structure and symbolism, as well as through its concisely stated principles, it conveys a vast range of Buddhist teachings.


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The Heart Sutra

Divided into four parts and broken into thirty-five lines to make it easier to study or chant, terms, and texts, and containing a glossary of names, The Heart Sutra is a wise book of deep teaching destined to become the standard edition of this timeless statement of Mahayana truth. Although the original author is unknown, he was clearly someone with a deep realization of the Dharma.

For this new english translation, award-winning translator of Chinese poetry and religious texts, Red Pine, has utilized various Sanskrit and Chinese versions, refining the teachings of dozens of ancient teachers together with his own commentary to offer a profound word-for-word explication. The heart sutra is Buddhism in a nutshell.

It has had the most profound and wide-reaching influence of any text in Buddhism. This short text covers more of the Buddha’s teachings than any other scripture, and it does so without being superficial or hurried.


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The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng

The platform sutra occupies a central place in Zen Ch’an Buddhist instruction for students and spiritual seekers worldwide. A zen buddhist masterpiece, winner of the 2018 Thornton Wilder Prize for Translation. It is often linked with the heart sutra and The Diamond Sutra to form a trio of texts that have been revered and studied for centuries.

He adds remarkable commentary to a translation that, and notes, combined with the full Chinese text, a glossary, results in a Mahayana masterpiece sure to become the standard edition for students and seekers alike. However, the controversial 6th patriarch of zen,  the platform Sutra presents the autobiography of Hui-neng, unlike the other sutras, which transcribe the teachings of the Buddha himself, and his understanding of the fundamentals of a spiritual and practical life.

Hui-neng’s instruction still matters—the 7th-century school of Sudden Awakening that he founded survives today, continuing to influence the Rinzai and Soto schools of contemporary Zen. Red pine, whose translations of the heart sutra and The Diamond Sutra have been celebrated and widely received, now provides a sensitive and assured treatment of the third and final sutra of the classic triumvirate.

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A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma: The Abhidhammattha Sangaha

Originally written in the 11th or 12th century, the Sangaha has served as the key to wisdom held in the Abhidhamma. This modern translation of the Abhidhammattha Sangaha Manual of Abhidhamma offers an introduction to Buddhism's fundamental philosophical psychology. A detailed, explanatory guide with more than 40 charts and tables lead readers through the complexities of Adhidhamma.

. Concisely surveyed are abhidhamma's central themes, dependent arising, the material world, the functions and processes of the mind, including states of consciousness and mental factors, and the methods and stages of meditation. This presents an exact translation of the Sangaha alongside the original Pali text.

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The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya The Teachings of the Buddha

This volume offers a complete translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, the third of the four great collections in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon. The present work begins with an insightful general introduction to the Samyutta Nikaya as a whole. Each of the five parts is also provided with its own introduction, intended to guide the reader through this vast, ocean-like collection of suttas.

The first, the book with Verses, is a compilation of suttas composed largely in verse. The samyutta nikaya consists of fifty-six chapters, each governed by a unifying theme that binds together the Buddha's suttas or discourses. This book ranks as one of the most inspiring compilations in the Buddhist canon, showing the Buddha in his full grandeur as the peerless "teacher of gods and humans.

The other four books deal in depth with the philosophical principles and meditative structures of early Buddhism. Among the four large nikayas belonging to the pali Canon, the Samyutta Nikaya serves as the repository for the many shorter suttas of the Buddha where he discloses his radical insights into the nature of reality and his unique path to spiritual emancipation.

This collection, was directed mainly at those disciples who were capable of grasping the deepest dimensions of wisdom and of clarifying them for others, it seems, and also provided guidance to meditators intent on consummating their efforts with the direct realization of the ultimate truth. The chapters are organized into five major parts.

To further assist the reader, the translator has provided an extensive body of notes clarifying various problems concerning both the language and the mean.


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The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya The Teachings of the Buddha

If we want to find out what the Buddha himself actually said, these are the most ancient sources available to us. At the heart of the Buddha's teaching were the suttas Sanskrit sutras, his discourses and dialogues. The anguttara arranges the Buddha's discourses in accordance with a numerical scheme intended to promote retention and easy comprehension.

. The suttas were compiled into collections called "Nikayas, " of which there are four, each organized according to a different principle. The present volume, which continues Wisdom's famous Teachings of the Buddha series, contains a full translation of the Anguttara Nikaya. In the theravada buddhist tradition, which prevails in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, these records are regarded as the definitive "word of the Buddha.

Preserved in pali, an ancient indian language closely related to the language that the Buddha spoke, this full compilation of texts is known as the Pali Canon. The digha nikaya consists of longer discourses; the Majjhima Nikaya of middle-length discourses; the Samyutta Nikaya of thematically connected discourses; and the Anguttara Nikaya of numerically patterned discourses.

In an age when writing was still in its infancy, this proved to be the most effective way to ensure that the disciples could grasp and replicate the structure of a teaching. To ensure that his legacy would survive the ravages of time, his direct disciples compiled records of the Buddha's teachings soon after his passing.

Like the river ganges flowing down from the himalayas, the entire Buddhist tradition flows down to us from the teachings and deeds of the historical Buddha, who lived and taught in India during the fifth century B. C.


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Early Buddhist Meditation Studies

He compares parallel versions of the discourses in a variety of languages which offers a window on the earliest stages in the development of these Buddhist teachings. This book is a joy to read! it offers a pragmatic and accessible analysis of the role of mindfulness, tranquility, and the brahmaviharas in the early discourses of the Buddha.

Shaila catherine"this book is a dharma treasure of scholarship and discernment, opening up new possibilities for our own practice and realization. Joseph goldstein"readers will find this a fascinating and thought-provoking book that informs, illuminates, and challenges. The main topics he takes up are mindfulness, absorption, the path to awakening, and the brahmaviharas.

In this book, scholar and meditation teacher, examines central aspects of Buddhist meditation as reflected in the early discourses of the Buddha, Bhikkhu Analayo, based on revised and reorganized material from previously published articles. It is a rich resource that enables both scholars and meditators to reflect more deeply on issues relating to meditation in early Buddhism.

Peter Harvey.


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The Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra: A General Explanation

Included are detailed analyses of the prerequisites for becoming enlightened, biographical anecdotes about the Buddha’s disciples, and interpretations of allegorical passages. Tripitaka master hua presents a complete overview of Buddhism’s fundamental teachings with a profound understanding and clarity that speak to newcomers and experienced Buddhists alike.

This translation of the amitabha sutra, the pure land text which describes Amitabha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss, which explain the essential principles of Pure Land and Orthodox Buddhism, incorporates the lectures of the Tripitaka Master Hua, and follows the traditional Chinese Buddhist system.

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The Suttanipata: An Ancient Collection of the Buddha's Discourses Together with Its Commentaries The Teachings of the Buddha

The commentary, the Paramatthajotika, relates the background story to each sutta and explains each verse in detail. This landmark volume in the teachings of the Buddha series translates the Suttanipata,  a text that matches the Dhammapada in its concise power and its centrality to the Buddhist tradition.

The suttas are primarily in verse, though several are in mixed prose and verse. The atthakavagga advocates a critical attitude toward views and doctrines. The volume includes numerous excerpts from the niddesa, the Parayanavagga, an ancient commentary already included in the Pali Canon, which offers detailed expositions of each verse in the Atthakavagga, and the Rhinoceros Horn Sutta.

Celebrated translator Bhikkhu Bodhi illuminates this text and its classical commentaries with elegant renderings and authoritative annotations. The suttanipata, or “group of discourses” is a collection of discourses ascribed to the Buddha that includes some of the most popular suttas of the Pali Canon, among them the Discourse on Loving-Kindness Sutta.

Other suttas, such as the discourse on Downfall and the Discourse on Blessings, establish the foundations of Buddhist lay ethics. The last two chapters—the atthakavagga chapter of Octads and the Parayanavagga The Way to the Beyond—are considered to be among the most ancient parts of the Pali Canon.

The suttanipata contains discourses that extol the figure of the muni, the illumined sage, who wanders homeless completely detached from the world. Translator bhikkhu bodhi provides an insightful, a list of parallels to the discourses of the Suttanipata, a guide to the individual suttas, in-depth introduction, extensive notes, and a list of the numerical sets mentioned in the commentaries.




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