The MahÄratnakÅ«ta SÅ«tra is one of the five major sutra groups in the MahÄyÄna canon. Of the two great schools of Buddhism; MahÄyÄna has the greatest number of adherents worldwide—it prevails among the Chinese; Japanese; Koreans; Tibetans; and Vietnamese—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 MahÄyÄna scriptures have been scarce and fragmentary; clearly; a comprehensive translation of a major work within the canon was called for.This volume addresses that need. It contains 22 of the 49 SÅ«tras of the MahÄratnakÅ«ta (or "Treasury") SÅ«tra; 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 MÄyÄ and miracles; the teachings on Consciousness; Emptiness; and monastic discipline; the Mystical Light of the TathÄgata; and the devotional practice of Pure Land; making this a comprehensive source book of MahÄyÄna Buddhism hitherto unavailable in English. The book also includes an introduction to provide historical and interpretive guidance; annotations that assist in the comprehension of difficult passages; and an extensive glossary that will be valuable to specialist and layman alike. A team of scholars; working in Taiwan; spent eight years translating the Treasury's million words from Chinese; using Tibetan texts for comparison and checking each SÅ«tra with an international board of scholars. In the course of translating from the original; special effort was made to retain both the devotional style appropriate for religious reading and the precision required by the scholar; while presenting the material with a clarity and flow that would make it accessible to the Western layman. The editors then selected; arranged; and annotated the 22 SÅ«tras presented here.Published in cooperation with The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions.
#1297218 in Books 1997-02-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.31 x 6.00l; 1.56 #File Name: 0271016035384 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. very interestingBy Elenaa very interesting book. Gives a lot of insights into those years. But if you expect to read about the translation-and-interpretation side of the author's life; you will probably be disappointed. The book is mostly about the author's memories and impressions of his life and work at that time; people he met; choices he made.5 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating; detailed account of the final years of the USSRBy K G RAs a former student of languages and translator; and as someone who studied Russian for many years; I frankly thought that this would be more focused on the work of a Russian translator. I was expecting many detailed references to words and phrases that were difficult to translate from one language to another; and other esoteric references to a translator's work. However; this book is really much more of a history and insider's account of the final years of the Soviet Union.As the book's title suggests; it is particularly based on the author's experiences with Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze; and the last leader of the USSR; Mikhail Gorbachev. If you are a serious student of Soviet/Russian history; you will love all the behind the scenes details of Soviet foreign policy. Palazchenko also provides us with many interesting moments from the final months and days of the USSR. Although the book is a memoir of a "Soviet Interpreter"; Palazchenko also held substantive policymaking positions; and thus we learn about many details of Soviet foreign policy making.I do have some critiques of the book. As I mentioned; due to the title I expected the book to be more concerned with translation. Unfortunately (at least for people with interests like mine); there are probably no more than 5-6 times in the whole book where the author details translation issues. I also expected the book to contain more biographical details. But the author ultimately either did not want to include them in the book or is an incredibly private man. There are probably less than 5 pages of material in the whole book about his family; education; and personal life. Treatment of events and history is sometimes haphazard and uneven. Some moments are described in great detail; while whole years/events are glossed over from coverage. The author prefaces the book with a disclaimer that he feels that even though the USSR no longer exists; he feels obliged to maintain his secrecy obligations. Therefore it's not clear if he's omitting materials because he feels he cannot do so ethically; because he feels they are uninteresting; or some other reason.At other times; he seems overly loyal to his former bosses; and particularly Gorbachev. The latter part of the book often seems like a panegyric to Gorbachev.In spite of my criticisms; this book is a must read for all those seriously interested in the final years of the USSR; and particularly its foreign policy. I was also pleasantly surprised at well the book was written; and how easy it was to read; especially considering that it was authored by a non-native English speaker; and published by an academic press.
