This book presents thirteen significant sutras from the Chinese Sa.myuktaagama, with Chinese text and English translation handily set out in parallel columns. It contains also an introduction and notes to the sutra translations. The sutra numbers (according to Taisho vol. 2, text 99) are 236, 293, 262, 300, 297, 301, 296, 299, 287, 335, 273, 249, and 232 (as presented in the book). They all deal with the important early Buddhist teachings of Emptiness and the Middle Way. Of the thirteen sutras, nine have Pali counterparts (seven have counterparts in Sa.myutta-nikaaya, one is in Majjhima-nikaaya, and one in A"nguttara-nikaaya), four have no known Pali counterparts, and eight exist in fragmentary Sanskrit versions (all indicated in footnotes). This small collection opens the way for English and Chinese readers interested in Pali-Chinese comparison in the studies of the early Buddhist canon.
This book also includes two appendixes, titled "Historical and Textual Background of Buddhism" and "Definitions of Ta.nhaa (Craving) in Early Buddhist Sutras".
