Description
Book SynopsisEarly issues of The Eastern Buddhist contain short translations from various Buddhist texts, some of them quite important and all of considerable interest. Since they are set unobtrusively between modern statements and arguments about the nature of Buddhism, and in any case are difficult to locate, they have often gone unnoticed by students. Assembled here is a selection of those texts which have stood the test of time. Derived from Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese originals, they illustrate the importance of lay spirituality for Japanese Buddhists, both in the nenbutsu tradition and in the wider context of Mahayana Buddhism. Drawing them together into one volume brings out the fact that these varied Buddhist traditions are intricately related to each other. The result is an unusual and fascinating reader which would grace many a course in Buddhist studies.
Table of ContentsPreface with Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Conventions on Names, Titles and Scripts 1 Introduction Part One: The Teaching of Vimalakirti 2 Vimalakirti's Discourse on Emancipation Izumi Hokei (trans.) Part Two: Related Strands in Early Mahayana Buddhism 3 The Heart Sutra (Prajna-paramita-hṛdaya-sutra) Shaku Hannya 4 Nagarjuna's Mahayana-viṁsaka Yamaguchi Susumu (trans.) 5 Outline of the Avataṃsaka Sutra (Kegonkyo) Beatrice Lane Suzuki 6 The Hymn on the Life and Vows of Samantabhadra Izumi Hokei (trans.) Part Three: Hints of Laity in the Esoteric Tradition 7 Fudo the Immovable Beatrice Lane Suzuki 8 Ceremonies for Disciples on Mount Koya Beatrice Lane Suzuki Part Four: Revisiting Masters of the Nenbutsu 9 The Pure Land Doctrine in Shoku's "Plain Wood" Nenbutsu Sugihira Shizutoshi 10 Myoe's Critique of Honen Bando Shojun 11 Ippen Shonin and the Nenbutsu Yanagi Soetsu 12 Shinran and his Song on Amida Beatrice Lane Suzuki 13 On Steadfast Holding to the Name Kakunyo Shonin 14 Rennyo the Restorer Kaneko Daiei 15 Asahara Saichi the Myokonin Sato Taira 16 The Rite of Reception into Jodo Shinshu Dan Bornstein Synoptic List of Text Titles Character List for Historical Persons Original Publication Details A Note on The Eastern Buddhist
