The Bodhicitta Sutra

The Great Perfection, also known as the Atiyoga or Dzogchen (rDzogs chen), is a tradition of esoteric Buddhism that espouses instantaneous enlightenment. This tradition arrived in Tibet in the Eighth Century of the Common Era and has been maintained up until the present. The literature of the Great Perfection has been divided into three groups or sections: The Mind Section (Sems sde), the Space Section (kLong sde), and the Upadesha Instruction Section (Man ngag sde). The Bodhicitta Sutra is a source work of the Mind Section, and is here translated in full for the first time. The Bodhicitta Sutra is famed in Tibetan literature as the "Do Chu" (mDo bcu), which means The Ten Sutras. The first of the Ten Sutras is the Bodhicitta Sutra, and the next nine sutras are commentaries on it. There is an eleventh Sutra, which is a discussion of the commentarial tradition active in this work. The complete collection of eleven Sutras is therefore also called both "The Bodhicitta Sutra," and "The Ten Sutras."

The Inquiry of Ugra (Ugrapariprccha) is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras, preserved and transmitted in both India and China over many centuries and actively quoted in treatises on the bodhisattva path. It is, nevertheless, one of the most neglected texts in Western treatments of Buddhism. The Ugra appers to be one of the earliest bodhisattva scriptures to come down to us, and as such it offers a particularly valuable window on the process by which the bodhisattva path came to be seen as a distinct vocational alternative within certain Indian Buddhist communities. The Bodhisattva Path is a study and translation of the Ugra that will fundamentally alter previous perceptions of the way in which Mahayana was viewed and practiced by its earliest adherents. To achieve a better understanding of the universe of ideas, activities, and institutional structures within which early self-proclaimed bodhisattvas lived, the author first considers the Ugra as a literary document, employing new methodological tools to examine the genre to which it belong, the age of its extant versions, and their relationships to one another. She goes on to challenge the dominant notions that the Mahayana emerged as a reform of earlier Buddhism and offered lay people an easier option. On the contrary, the picture that emerges is of the early Mahayana as a more difficult and demanding vocation, initially limited to a small contingent of monastic males. Combining a detailed critical study and translation of an important Buddhist scripture with a sweeping re-examination of the relationship between the Buddha and the practitioners alike and other interested in the history of Indian Buddhism and the formation of Mahayana.

Teachings and Commentary on the Sutra of Infinite Meanings is compiled from the teachings expounded during the seven-day Buddhist retreats in 1972 and 1973. Master Cheng Yen explained the sutra word by word, verse by verse, and complemented it with many analogies and real-life stories, connecting matters to principles.The book is organized as follows: The first volume includes the Preface, which describes the background of the teachings and Master Cheng Yen’s karmic affinity with the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, as well as her commentary on the first chapter of the sutra, “Chapter on Virtues.” The second volume includes the commentary on the second and third chapters of the sutra, “Chapter on Expounding the Dharma,” and “Chapter on the Ten Merits.” As for the last passage in the “Chapter on the Ten Merits,” “At this time, Great Magnificent Bodhisattva-Mahasattva and the eighty thousand bodhisattva-mahasattvas then rose from their seats” to, “At this time, all in the assembly rejoiced. They paid their respects to the Buddha and accepted and upheld the teachings as they departed,” the audio tape of Master Cheng Yen’s teaching on this section has been lost. Therefore, only the sutra passages have been kept without any additions.《無量義經講述》編纂依據一九七二年及一九七三年佛七開示《無量義經》內容，證嚴上人逐字逐句講述經文，輔以較多譬喻、生活點滴，事理相應。此書章節編輯，將上人與《無量義經》因緣、背景等段落，輯成「前言」一章，而〈德行品〉、〈說法品〉、〈十功德品〉，則各自獨立成章。第一冊包含了「前言」以及〈德行品〉；第二冊則包含了〈說法品〉以及〈十功德品〉。唯〈十功德品〉最後一段經文「是時大莊嚴菩薩摩訶薩，與八萬菩薩摩訶薩，即從坐起，……爾時大會皆大歡喜，為佛作禮，受持而去」，因錄音帶佚失，闕漏當時開示此段經文的內容，故僅保留經文未作增補。

This rare sutra, ancient but timely, has long been treated with circumspection because of its liberal attitude toward sexuality and other ethical concerns. One of the original statements of the early Mahayana School, it is here collated from Chinese and Tibetan translations, and from passages that remain in the original Sanskrit. Originally part of a larger sutra on the six perfections that included the well-known perfection of Wisdom sutra, the Skill in Means sutra explicates the other five perfections of the bodhisattva. The translator has traced its source to verses of the Ratnagunasamcaya-gatha that have no counterpart in the Perfection of Wisdom. The Skill in Means is also found as part of the Ratnakuta collection of sutras, under the title The Question of Jnanottara`.In Part One, this Sutra establishes the liberal, even anti-monastic observance of Bodhisattva ethics, especially in matters of sexual involvement, introducing `skill in means` into the fabirc of Buddhist ethical life. Parts Two and Three constitute a reinterpretation of the life of the Buddha, demonstrating his motivation by `skill in means`; this is a primary source for the Buddhology of the Mahayana.The older and newer versions are translated side by side; extant Sanskrit passages are included. An introduction places the text in historical and literary prospective. There are copious notes, indexes and a bibliography.

This chapter of the Brahma Net Suttra contains the Ten Major and Forty-eight minor Bodhisattva Precepts. Commentary is by the late Dharma Master Hui Seng.

This Sutra tells how Earth Store Bodhisattva became known as Foremsot in Vows. Also called the Suttra of Filial Piety, this text describes several of the Bodhisattva's past lives. It is a clear, practical manual for how to handle the circumstances of life, death, and rebirth.

Previous ed. published as: Buddhism: pure and simple. 2001.