Buddhist Mahyna TextsThe Buddhist Mahyna is a series of poems written in the first century AD that tell the legendary history of the life of the Buddha. The last four books of this version of the text were written by a Nepalese author in the 1830s in an attempt to reconstruct lost books. Buddhists and anyone interested in religious studies and comparative mythology will be delight in this hagiographic account of the life of the foundational figure of one of the world's great religions. English scholar EDWARD BYLES COWELL (1826-1903), who lived in Calcutta from 1856 to 1867, is most famous for his translations of the poetry of Hafez. German author FRIEDRICH MAX MULLER (1823-1900) combined the studies of language, culture, and religion to create the discipline of comparative mythology. Among his many works are The Sacred Books of the East, India: What Can It Teach Us?, and Wisdom of the Buddha: The Unabridged Dhammapada. |
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Contents
BOOKS IXVI1 I | 203 |
Introduction v | v |
The Larger SukhavatIvvuha 1 | 1 |
Index of Names and Subjects 105 | 105 |
Translated by F Max MLLER | 157 |
The Amitaturdhyanasutra | 202 |
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Common terms and phrases
actions Ananda appear attained beauty become believe Bhagavat Bhikshu birth blessed Bodhi Bodhisattvas body born bright Buddha country called cause colour death desire dwelling earth enlightened entered evil excellent existence eyes five flowers forest four fruits fully give gods gold ground hands happiness hear heard heaven heavenly highest perfect knowledge holy hundred thousand idea jewels kalpas kinds king known lapis lazuli leaves light living lord means merit mind nature never noble objects obtain the highest obtained pain pleasure possessed preached prince produced pure quarters rays Sanskrit Sariputra seems seen senses seven signs soul sound spoke stock of merit Subhuti Sutra Tathagata thee things thou thought Tibetan translation trees true turned uttered various whole wisdom wise wish women worship XVII
Popular passages
Page 5 - Like the sun bursting from a cloud in the morning, — so he too, when he was born from his mother's womb, made the world bright like gold, bursting forth with his rays which dispelled the darkness.
Page 97 - O .Sariputra, as from a heavenly musical instrument consisting of a hundred thousand ko/is of sounds, when played by Aryas, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds from those rows of palm-trees and strings of bells moved by the wind. And when the men hear that sound, reflection on Buddha arises in them, reflection on the Law, reflection on the Church.
Page 160 - Maras together with ignorance and the Asravas have been conquered by me ; and perfect wisdom has been attained able to deliver the world. 10. ' I too, resolved to follow the teaching of the former Buddhas, remained four whole weeks in the fulfilment of my inauguration V 11. Then Mara, utterly despondent in soul, thus addressed the Tathagata, ' O holy one, be pleased to enter Nirvaťa, thy desires are accomplished.
Page 11 - This is the true way in which those seerkings of old, rejecting through duty all trivial riches1, have ever flung them away as was right, — being poor in outward substance but rich in ascetic endurance. 62. ' But hear now the motive for my coming and rejoice thereat ; a heavenly voice has been heard by me in the heavenly path, that thy son has been born for the sake of supreme knowledge.
Page xiv - ... Eastern and Western, but if we were always to translate dharma by law, it seems to me that the whole drift of our treatise would become unintelligible. What our treatise wishes to teach is that all objects, differing one from the other by their dharmas, are illusive, or, as we should say, phenomenal and subjective, that they are in fact of our own making, the products of our own mind.
Page 171 - When this perception has been formed, thou shouldst meditate on its (constituents) one by one and make (the images) as clear as possible, so that they may never be scattered and lost, whether thine eyes be shut or open. Except only during the time of thy sleep, thou shouldst always keep this in thy mind. One who has reached this (stage of) perception is said to have dimly seen the Land of Highest Happiness (Sukhavati).
Page 98 - Then again all beings, O Sariputra, ought to make fervent prayer for that Buddha country. And why? Because they come together there with such excellent men. Beings are not born in that Buddha country of the Tathagata Amitayus as a reward and result of good works performed in this present life.
Page 91 - O Sariputra, there is neither bodily nor mental pain for living beings. The sources of happiness are innumerable there. For that reason is that world called Sukhavati (the happy).
Page 100 - Thus also in the West do other blessed Buddhas, led by the Tathagata Amitayus, the Tathagata Amitaskandha, the Tathagata...
Bibliographic information
| Title | Buddhist Mahyna Texts |
| Translated by | Friedrich Max Muller, Edward Byles Cowell, J. Takakusu |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Cosimo, Inc., 2007 |
| ISBN | 1602063818, 9781602063815 |
| Length | 456 pages |
| Subjects | › › Religion / Buddhism / History Religion / Buddhism / Sacred Writings |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |