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Two Commentaries on the Samdhinirmocana-Sutra by Asanga and Jnanagarbha

Author: 
Year:
Pages:156
ISBN:0-7734-9477-4
978-0-7734-9477-0
Price:$139.95
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.

Reviews

"Anyone interested in the history of Yogacara in India is bound to devote considerable attention to the study of the Samdhinirmocana-sutra. . . . Powers' goal has been to prepare a translation, one that mirrors the original as closely as possible given the differences between the original text and the limitations that English grammar, vocabulary, and syntax place on the translator. This he does very well." - Chr. Lindtner in The Adyar Library Bulletin