Wisdom Of Buddha: The Samdhinirmochana Sutra

Wisdom of Buddha The Samdhinirmocana Sutra Translated by John Powers Dharma Publishing TIBETAN TRANSLATION SERIES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Calm and Clear The Legend of the Great Stupa Mind in Buddhist Psychology Golden Zephyr (Nāgārjuna) Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Parts 1-3 Elegant Sayings (Nāgārjuna, Sakya Pandita) The Life and Liberation ofPadmasambhava Buddha's Lions: Lives of the 84 Siddhas The Voice of the Buddha (Lalitavistara Sūtra) The Marvelous Companion (Jātakamālā) Mother of Knowledge: Enlightenment ofYeshe Tshogyal The Dhammapada (Teachings on 26 Topics) The Fortunate Aeon (Bhadrakalpika Sūtra) Master of Wisdom (Nāgārjuna) Joy for the World (Candrakīrti) Wisdom of Buddha (Samdhinirmocana Sūtra) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tripkaka. Samdhini^mocanasūt^a. English Wisdom of Buddha : the Samdhinirmocana Sūtra / translated by John Powers. p. cm. - (Tibetan translation series.) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-89800-247-8. - ISBN 0-89800-246-X (pbk.) I. Title. II. Series BQ2092.E5 1994 294.3'85-dc20 94-25023 CIP Copyright ©1995 by Dharma Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including text, art, reproductions, and illustrations, may be copied, reproduced, published, or stored electronically, photographically, or optically in any form without the express written consent of Dharma Publishing, 2425 Hillside Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704 USA Frontispiece: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift of Joseph H. Heil, 1970 (1970.298.1) This publication was sponsored by a generous donation from Michael Gray. Printed in the United States of America by Dharma Press Typeset in ITC Zapf Book Light with WP Murray Hill initials 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 May this meritorious action liberate all sentient beings from samsāra and establish them on the Bodhisattva path Contents Preface Introduction xiii xv The Setting and Chapter One: The Chapter of Gambhīrārthasamdhinirmocana 3 Chapter Two: The Questions of Dharmodgata 23 Chapter Three: The Questions of Suviśuddhamati 33 Chapter Four: The Questions of Subhūti 51 Chapter Five: The Questions of Viśālamati 67 Chapter Six: The Questions of Gunākara 79 Chapter Seven: The Questions of Paramārthasamudgata 93 Chapter Eight: The Questions of Maitreya 147 Chapter Nine: The Questions of Avalokiteśvara 219 Chapter Ten: The Questions of Mañjuśrī 273 Notes 313 Abbreviations 371 Bibliography 373 Glossary 384 Index 386 Preface /^TNuddhism teaches that life is precious. If we wish to use O our limited time on earth to create a truly meaningful existence, there is no better foundation than the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha taught for almost fifty years, and although many of his teachings have been lost over the millennia, thousands of texts have been preserved in Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, and Chinese, bringing the wisdom of the Dharma to many lands. Only a few hundred of these texts have been translated into Western languages. Each new translation reveals further aspects of the Buddha's realization, confirming the value of the Dharma and the depth and richness of the teachings. With this publication, the Samdhinirmocana Sūtra becomes available in its entirety in English for the first time. Considered a Sūtra of definitive meaning, the Samdhinirmocana is among the extraordinary teachings that the Buddha gave to the advanced Bod