The Vimalakirti Sutra Hardcover - 1996

Name: The Vimalakirti Sutra
Price: 29.50 EUR
Availability: InStock
Author: Watson, Burton (translator)
ISBN: 9780231106566

by Burton Watson (Translator)

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From the publisher

Originally written in Sanskrit, this sutra is one of the most influential works in the Mahayana canon. This beautiful translation of Kumarajiva's popular Chinese version highlights the sutra's frequent touches of humor, the liveliness of its episodes, and its eloquent, orderly exposition of basic Mahayana tenets. Watson includes a brief history of early Buddhism and an introduction to the doctrine of non-dualism, a key tenet in Mahayana thought.

From the rear cover

The Vimalakirti Sutra, one of the most influential works of the Mahayana Buddhist canon, is of particular importance in the Ch'an or Zen sect. Originally written in Sanskrit, probably in the first century c.e., it claims to record events more than four hundred years earlier. Noted for its eloquent, orderly exposition of the basic tenets of Mahayana, the text is also remarkable for the liveliness of its episodes and frequent touches of humor, rarities in a religious work of this type. The Vimalakirti Sutra is unusual in that its central figure is not a Buddha or Buddhas, but a wealthy townsman, Vimalakirti, who epitomizes the ideal lay believer. For this reason, and because of the sutra's enduring literary appeal, it has been particularly popular among lay Buddhists in China, Japan, and the other Asian countries where Mahayana doctrines prevail, and has exercised a marked influence on literature and art.

Details

Title The Vimalakirti Sutra
Author Burton Watson (Translator)
Binding Hardcover
Edition First Edition
Pages 192
Volumes 1
Language ENG
Publisher Columbia University Press, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date 1996-11-21
ISBN 9780231106566 / 0231106564
Weight 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
Dimensions 8.54 x 5.72 x 0.69 in (21.69 x 14.53 x 1.75 cm)
Themes
- Cultural Region: Asian - General
- Ethnic Orientation: Asian - General
- Religious Orientation: Buddhist
Library of Congress Catalog Number 96018578
Dewey Decimal Code 294.385

About the author

Burton Watson is one of the world's best-known translators from the Chinese and Japanese. His translations include The Lotus Sutra, Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings, Rykan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan, Saigy Poems of a Mountain Home, and The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From Early Times to the Thirteenth Century, all published by Columbia.