- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Columbia University Press; New edition edition (Nov 16 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0231106572
- ISBN-13: 978-0231106573
- Product Dimensions: 21.7 x 13.9 x 1.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#458,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #36 in Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Sutras
- #45 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Sutras
- See Complete Table of Contents
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"A new translation of any of the classics... from the hand of Burton Watson is an event to be welcomed with gratitude." -- "Journal for Asian Studies"
Book Description
One of the most popular Asian classics for roughly two thousand years, the Vimalakirti Sutra stands out among the sacred texts of Mahayana Buddhism for its conciseness, its vivid and humorous episodes, its dramatic narratives, and its eloquent exposition of the key doctrine of emptiness or nondualism. Unlike most sutras, its central figure is not a Buddha but a wealthy townsman, who, in his mastery of doctrine and religious practice, epitomizes the ideal lay believer. For this reason, the sutra has held particular significance for men and women of the laity in Buddhist countries of Asia, assuring them that they can reach levels of spiritual attainment fully comparable to those accessible to monks and nuns of the monastic order. Esteemed translator Burton Watson has rendered a beautiful English translation from the popular Chinese version produced in 406 C.E. by the Central Asian scholar-monk Kumarajiva, which is widely acknowledged to be the most felicitous of the various Chinese translations of the sutra (the Sanskrit original of which was lost long ago) and is the form in which it has had the greatest influence in China, Japan, and other countries of East Asia. Watson´s illuminating introduction discusses the background of the sutra, its place in the development of Buddhist thought, and the profundities of its principal doctrine: emptiness.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The gate to nondualism,
By
This review is from: The Vimalakirti Sutra (Hardcover)
This is a very important Mahayana Buddhist text, particularly if you're interested in Zen/Chan. In it Vimalakirti, the perfect example of the Buddhist layman, displays his profound wisdom and wonderworking powers. In order to benefit others Vimalakirti displays symptoms of an illness at which point Lord Buddha requests that one if his disciples go visit him and see how he is faring. It is quite entertaining and enlightening how each one of Buddha's disciples and bodhisattvas present in the assembly refuses to go visit the layman because of some past encounter with him which intimidated some and dumbfounded others. Finally, Manjushri, the Crown Prince of the Dharma, agrees to visit the ill Vimalakirti. It is at this point that the main body of the sutra begins with Vimalakirti teaching about emptiness and most important of all non-duality. If you are a student of the Mahayana and have not read this I highly recommend that you do. It is profound and sublime as only Buddhist scripture can be.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The lay person's Way,
By
This review is from: The Vimalakirti Sutra (Hardcover)
Vimalakirti is the name of an ordinary householder who managed to achieve the bodhisattva level of enlightenment without ever renouncing his family life. In this sutra, many thousands of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to hear the teachings offered by this maverick sage. His achievements fly in the face of the customary buddhist injunctions to leave the world and take up the monastic life in order to reach enlightenment. This ancient text has always been one of Buddhism's most popular sutras. And it is easy to see why. Not only does Vimalakirti champion the lifestyle lived by the majority of Buddhists--the laity--he delivers his teachings in a way that is often quite humorous, sometimes bordering on a blatent disrespect for the status quo of the buddhist monastic institution. This is a great book to use in classes on Buddhism, as well as those on folk/popular religious traditions. Watson's translation makes for very enjoyable reading!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring Story of a Great Layman,
By
This review is from: The Vimalakirti Sutra (Paperback)
Vimalakirti was a deeply enlightened layman who lived during the time of the Buddha. As previous reviewers have emphasized, this particular sutra is greatly important to all of Mahayana Buddhism. This sutra opens with a pretty amazing scene in which Vimalakirti grows ill, and the Buddha sends his utmost students to convey Buddha's greetings to him. Many arhats and bodhisattvas gathered together in Vimalakirti's home, where they all tried to express the Dharma of "not two", which as a previous reviewer noted, was to show the point which is not made by dualistic thinking. One bodhisattva said, "The sky and ground are not two." Another said , "Good and bad are not two." Still another, "Coming and going are not two." They all had many explanations of "not two" ; it was an extremely remarkable exchange.Finally Manjushri said, "If you speak or don't speak, it's still not two." Everybody thought, "What a wonderful teaching." Then Manjushri turned to Vimalakirti and said, "What is your view of the Dharma of not two?" And Vimalakirti just sat there, not opening his mouth at all. Thus, Vimalakirti provided the best answer of them all. It's the most complete and deepest answer; for if you open your mouth, it's already NOT not-two; you would already be making two things. Just like Buddha nature, words and speech simply cannot touch it. Burton Watson has translated many important works for us all, including the saying of Zen master Lin Chi in book format. This particular translation is concise and in-line with the majority of other translations I have looked over of this monumental sutra; therefore based on this viewpoint, I feel this is a really good place to get your information for this sutra. You'll get a lot out of it, and I think you'll truly enjoy it. Take care!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
