The Awakening Of Faith. C. The Threefold : "c. The Threefold Significance Of The Mahyna Explained." Again the quintessence and the attributes of suchness ("bhtatathat") know no diminution or addition, but remain the same in common people ("prthagjana"), rvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. It was not created in the past, n...
Introduction. Chinese Translations : CHINESE TRANSLATIONS OF THE "DISCOURSE ON THE AWAKENING OF FAITH." Let us give here some remarks on the Chinese translations of Avaghosha's principal and best known work "The Awakening of Faith". The Sanskrit original is long lost, probably owing to the repeated persecutions of Buddhism by Chinese...
Introduction. Lists Of Patriarchs : LISTS OF PATRIARCHS. The incorrectness of the Tibetan story, as to the conversion of Avaghosha by ryadeva above referred to, is further shown by a list of the Buddhist patriarchs in India appearing in various Buddhist books either translated from Sanskrit into Chinese or compiled p. 33 in Ch...
The Awakening Of Faith. Discourse : p. 48 DISCOURSE. FOR the purpose of awakening in all beings a pure faith in the Mahyna, 1 of destroying their doubts and attachment to false doctrines, and of affording them an uninterrupted inheritance of Buddha-seeds, I write this Discourse. There is a principle whereby the root of faith...
Title Page : AVAGHOSHA'S DISCOURSE ON THE AWAKENING OF FAITH IN THE MAHYNA BY TEITARO SUZUKI INTRODUCTION BY PAUL CARUS Open Court; Chicago [1900] NOTICE OF ATTRIBUTION Scanned , December, 2004. John Bruno Hare, redactor. This text is in the public domain in the US because it was published prior to 1922. These...
Introduction. As An Artist : AS AN ARTIST. We cannot conclude the accounts concerning Avaghosha without mentioning an anecdote from a Chinese source. 2 The "raddhotpdastra" ("The Awakening" p. 35 "of Faith",) proves he was a philosopher of a high grade; the "Buddhacaritakvya" ("The life of Buddha") and the "Mahlamkrastra"...
Introduction. Works In Chinese Translations : WORKS IN CHINESE TRANSLATIONS. The works ascribed to Avaghosha and still existing in Chinese translations are eight in number. They are: (1) The " Tai shng ch'i hsin lun" ("Mahynaraddhotpdastra"): "discourse on the awakening of" p. 37 "faith in the Mahyna". It is the principal work of Avaghosh...
Introduction. Conversions : CONVERSIONS. A consensus of traditions both Tibetan and Chinese maintains that Avaghosha was in his earlier life a most powerful adherent of Brahmanism, though we are tempted to discredit it on the ground that later Buddhist writers may have wished to exaggerate the superiority of Buddhism to all...
Translator's Preface : p. x TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. THE study of Buddhism has recently made gigantic strides, on this side of the Atlantic as well as on the other. Not only is the importance of the science of comparative religion making itself felt, but the advance of our Pali and Sanskrit knowledge has greatly...
The Awakening Of Faith. Adoration : p. 46 ADORATION. ADORATION to the World-honored Ones ("Bhagavat") 1 in all the ten quarters, who universally produce great benefits, whose wisdom is infinite and transcendent, and who save and guard [all beings]. [Adoration] to the Dharma 2 whose essence and p. 47 attributes are like the oce...
The Awakening Of Faith. 2. The Refutati : "2. The Refutation Of False Doctrines." All false doctrines invariably come out of the tman-conception. If we were liberated from it, the existence of false doctrines would be impossible. There are two kinds of the tman-conception: (1) Belief in the existence of a personal atman [or ego-soul]; (2)...
Introduction. Outlines Of The 'discourse : OUTLINES OF THE "DISCOURSE ON THE AWAKENING OF FAITH." I cannot help saying a few words here about the importance of Avaghosha's main work which is scarcely known in the West, and if so, wrongly. Even Samuel Beal who is considered one of the best authorities on Chinese Buddhism, makes a misleading...
The Awakening Of Faith. I. Introductory : I. INTRODUCTORY. There are eight inducements [to write this Discourse]: 1. A general object, i.e., that the author might induce all beings to liberate themselves from misery and to enjoy blessing, and not that he might gain thereby some worldly advantages, etc. 2. That he might unfold...
The Awakening Of Faith. Iv. Practice Of Faith : IV. PRACTICE OF FAITH. In what does the practice of faith ("raddh") consist? This part of the Discourse is intended for those beings who have not yet entered into the order of constant truth ("samyaktvaniyata-ri"). p. 128 What is meant by faith? How should one practise faith? There are four aspects...
The Awakening Of Faith. A. Five False Views Held : "a. Five False Views Held By Those Who Believe In A Personal Atman." There are five different views springing from it [belief in the ego], which are held by common people ("prthagjana"). First, hearing that it is said in the Stra 2 that the p. 107 [paragraph continues] Dharmakya of the Tathgata is...
Introduction. Date : DATE. Let us first decide the date, which varies according to different authorities from three hundred to six hundred years after the Parinirvna of Buddha. I. The "li tai san pao chi" ("fas". 1), 2 quoting the Record of the Sarvstivdin school, says: "Avaghosha Bodhisattva was born a Brahm...
The Awakening Of Faith. B. Belief : "b. Belief In The Existence Of Atman In Things." As the World-honored One ("Bhagavat"), considering the inferior intellectual calibre of rvakas and Pratyekabuddhas, taught them only the doctrine of non-personal tman, [and did not make any further p. 112 demonstration of the doctrine], the people...
The Awakening Of Faith. B. The Soul As Birth : "b. The Soul As Birth-and-Death." The soul as birth-and-death (samsra) comes forth [as the law of causation] from the Tathgata's womb ("Tathgatagarbha"). But the immortal [i.e., such-ness] p. 61 and the mortal [i.e., birth-and-death] coincide with each other. 1 Though they are not identical, they...
Publisher's Preface : p. iii PUBLISHER'S PREFACE. AVAGHOSHA is the philosopher of Buddhism. His treatise on "The Awakening of Faith" is recognised by all Northern schools and sects as orthodox and used even to-day in Chinese translations as a text-book for the instruction of Buddhist priests. The original Sanskrit text...
The Awakening Of Faith. Iii. The Explanation : III. THE EXPLANATION. In what does the explanation of the general statement consist? This part consists of three subdivisions: 1. The Revelation of the True Doctrine. 2. The Refutation of False Doctrines. 3. The Practice of the Right Path.
The Awakening Of Faith. A. The Soul As Suchness : "A. The Soul As Suchness." What is meant by the soul as suchness ("bhtatathat"), is the oneness of the totality of things ("dharmadhtu"), 2 the great all-including whole, the quintessence p. 56 of the Doctrine. For the essential nature of the soul is uncreate and eternal. All things, simply...
The Awakening Of Faith. 1. The Revelati : "1. The Revelation Of The True Doctrine". In the one soul we may distinguish two aspects. The one is the Soul as suchness ("bhtatathat"), the other is the soul as birth-and-death ("samsra"). Each in itself constitutes all things, and both are so closely interrelated that one cannot be separated...
Introduction. Introduction : p. 1 INTRODUCTION. AVAGHOSHA, the first expounder of the Mahynistic doctrine and one of the deepest thinkers among the Buddhist patriarchs, is known to most Western Buddhist scholars simply as the author of the "Buddha-caritakvya", 1 the famous poem on the life of Buddha. The accounts of his life...
Introduction. Nativity And Peregrinations : NATIVITY AND PEREGRINATIONS. There is not so much discordance in the traditions about the wanderings of Avaghosha as about his date, though indeed we do not have as yet any means of ascertaining his birth-place, other than the statements p. 18 of discordant authorities. According to Trantha, 1 he...
Note On Transliteration : p. xvi NOTE. The method of transliteration for Sanskrit words adopted in the present book is one used in Whitney's Sanskrit Grammar, but from lack of type "sh" has been substituted for "ṣ", "r" for the vowel "ṛ", "n" for all the different kinds of nasal "n"'s, and "m" for c" and " are...
The Awakening Of Faith. 3. Ways Of Practising : "3. Ways Of Practising The Right Path." By this we mean that all Bodhisattvas, by their aspiration ("cittotpda") 1 and discipline ("carycarana"), will be able to attain to the reason that made all Tathgatas perceive the path ("mrga"). Briefly stated, there are three kinds of aspiration: (1)...
Glossary : p. 151 GLOSSARY. Activity-consciousness " yeh shih", "karmavijna"? the assertion of the "Will to Live." Affectional hindrance " fan nao chang", "klevarana", hindrance to the attainment of Nirvna, arising from the assertion of the "Will to Live." Affirmation, or Non-emptiness, " pu k'ung", "anyat"...
The Awakening Of Faith. V. Benefits : V. BENEFITS. In what does this part [treating] of the benefits consist? Such as above presented is the spiritual significance of the Mahayana, and I have finished elucidating it. Those who, desiring to produce pure and spotless faith in, and knowledge of, the deepest spiritual condition p. 147...
Introduction. Appellations : APPELLATIONS. The author of the "Mahynaraddhotpdastra" ("Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahyna") is most commonly known in the Chinese Buddhist literature by the name of Avaghosha. But according p. 21 to his "Life" he was also called Kung-t-jih " (i.e., merit-sun; in Sanskrit...
Corrigenda : p. 154 CORRIGENDA. "This is a short list of corrections from the original book. All of these have been corrected in this etext, or were not found in the text of the book JBH". Page 3, line 2, read "gth" for "ghts". 5, 8, "Fo" for "Fa". 12, 13, "peace" for "piece". 12, 20, 3 for 1. 18, 22...
The Awakening Of Faith. Ii. General Statement : II. GENERAL STATEMENT. In what does the general statement consist? The Mahyna can be briefly treated as to two aspects, namely, What it is, and What it signifies. 1 p. 53 What is the Mahyna? It is the soul 1 of all sentient beings ("sarvasattva"), that constitutes all things in the world...
