A Treasury of Mahayana Sutras: Selections from the Maharatnakuta Sutra (Translated from the Chinese

The Maharatnakuta Sutra is one of the five sutra groups in the Mahayana Canon. Of the two great schools of Buddhism, Mahayana has the greatest number of adherents worldwide – and contains within it a number of movements, notably Zen, which have been of growing interest in the West in recent decades. Yet, despite this increased attention and enormous following, translations of Mahayana scriptures have been scarce and fragmentary. This volume addresses that need. It contains 22 of the 49 Sutras of the Maharatnakuta (or “treasury”) Sutra, many translated for the first time in a Western language, selected and arranged to give the modern reader a progressive introduction to one of the world’s major religious traditions. Subjects covered include maya and miracles, the teachings on consciousness, emptiness, monastic discipline, the mystical light of the Tathagata and the devotional practice of pure land, making this a comprehensive source book of Mahayana Buddhism hitherto unavailable in English.