Editions: 1st ed. Series: Vintage spiritual classics. With a new preface by Judith Simmer-Brown. Originally published: London: George Allen & Unwin, 1958.
Edward Conze (1904-1970) was born in England but was educated in Germany through postdoctoral studies in Bonn and Hamburg. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Conze returned to England and taught for the better part of three decades, until 1960, at Oxford and London Universities. His subjects included psychology, comparative religion, and philosophy. A lifelong commitment to the translation, explication, and propagation of the classic scriptural texts of Buddhism was the hallmark of his achievement.
A landmark publication that offers Western readers a unique combination of what Buddhists worldwide consider the holiest of holy texts, The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra.
The Diamond Sutra, or the Perfection of Wisdom, which cuts like a thunderbolt, is one of the cornerstone texts of Mahayana Buddhism and provides a summary of the core concepts of the Buddha. The Heart Sutra, perhaps the most important of all Buddhist texts, sets out to formulate the very heart, or essence of perfect wisdom and is studied with special reverence in Zen monasteries and the Tibetan Buddhist lamaseries.
Edward Conze, who was until his death in 1979 a powerful force for introducing Buddhism and its sacred texts to the West, has provided these translated key texts with an extensive commentary for the easiest possible appreciation phrase by phrase. For this new edition, Judith Simmer-Brown, a well-known American scholar of Buddhism, has contributed a lively, context-setting introduction.
In the annals of spirituality, certain books stand out both for their historical importance and for their continued relevance. The Vintage Spiritual Classics series offers the greatest of these works in authoritative new editions, with specially commissioned essays by noted contemporary commentators. Filled with eloquence and fresh insight, encouragement and solace, Vintage Spiritual Classics are incomparable resources for all readers who seek a more substantive understanding of mankind’s relation to the divine.
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THE DIAMOND SUTRA Introductory Note Translation and Commentary 1. INTRODUCTION a. The Convocation of the Assembly b. Subhuti makes a request 2. THE BODHISATTVA'S CAREER a. The Vow of a Bodhisattva b. The Practice of the Perfections c. Buddhahood and the thirty-two Marks d. Buddhahood and the dharmabody 3. THE RANGE OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE a. The four Great Saints b. The Bodhisattva's thought of Enlightenment c. The Bodhisattva and his Pure Land d. The Bodhisattva's Final Nirvana e. The merit derived from Perfect Wisdom 4. THE FIRST ENDING 5. TRANSCENDENTALITY a. The dialectical nature of reality b. The supreme excellence of this teaching c. Selfless Patience and perfect inner freedom d. The existence and nonexistence of beings e. Truth and Falsehood f. The Merit Acquired, its presuppositions and results 6. THE BODHISATTVAS a. The Bodhisattva's Vow b. The Bodhisattva's state of mind when he met Dipankara c. The Bodhisattva at the end of his career d. The Bodhisattva's attitude to his tasks 7. THE BUDDHAS a. The Buddha's Five Eyes b. The Buddha's superknowledge of others' thoughts c. The Buddha's Merit is no Merit d. The Buddha's Physical Body e. The Buddha's teaching f. The Buddha's Dharma g. Once more about the Buddha's Merit h. The Buddha as a savior, and the nature of emancipation i. The true nature of a buddha j. The effectiveness of Meritorious deeds 8. ADVICE TO THE IMPERFECT a. The material world b. Views and Attitudes c. The key to supreme knowledge 9. THE SECOND CONCLUSION APPENDIX: The Frontispiece to the Tun Huang Print THE HEART SUTRA I. THE INVOCAITON II. THE PROLOGUE III. THE DIALECTICS OF EMPTINESS. FIRST STAGE IV. THE DIALECTICS OF EMPTINESS. SECOND STAGE V. THE DIALECTICS OF EMPTINESS. THIRD STAGE VI. THE CONCRETE EMBODIMENT OF FULL EMPTINESS, AND ITS PRACTICAL BASIS VII. FULL EMPTINESS IS THE BASIS ALSO OF BUDDHAHOOD VIII. THE TEACHING BROUGHT WITHIN THE REACH OF THE COMPARATIVELY UNENLIGHTENED
