Powers, John

Two Commentaries on the Samdhinirmocana-Sutra by Asanga and Jnanagarbha

1992 0-7734-9477-4
This work contains the first English translation of these commentaries, along with discussions of problems connected with their authorship, respective places in Indian Buddhist literature, and hermeneutical approaches. It brings together a wide range of materials to advance the present state of scholarship on Yogacara, one of the two main philosophical schools of Indian Mahayana Buddhism. Use of Tibetan oral and written materials is particularly important, indicating how these texts have been used by Buddhist scholars and the issues they raise. The first, attributed to Asanga, provides an overview of the sutra and examines the thought of some difficult sections. The second, attributed to Jnanagarbha, comments on the eighth chapter which is mainly concerned with meditation.