The Essence of Scholasticism Abhidharmahrdaya. T1550 (Revised Edition with a Completely New Introduction)

$38
FREE Delivery
Quantity
Delivery Ships in 1-3 days
Item Code: IHE044
Publisher: MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PVT. LTD.
Author: Charles Willemen
Edition: 2006
ISBN: 8120830946
Pages: 360
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 8.7 " X 5.7"
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
23 years in business
23 years in business
Book Description
From the jacket

The Essence of Scholasticism is a meditation manual, leading to arhatship. It is the central text of the westernmost part of the Gandharan cultural area, i.e. Bactria. Probably composed in the first century BCE, it was commented on and elaborated in several sastras, the best known being the Abhidharmakosabhasya of the fifth century. The Essence and the Astagrantha are the basic treatises of the non-vaibhasika sarvastivadins, i.e. of the sautrantikas, of the Gandharan cultural area. These texts were translated in China in the fourth century by Samghadeva from Jibin, i.e. the Gandharan area. The mahasamghikas and prajna-yoga reacted against such literature and practices of jnana-yoga. Vijnanavada developed from this kind of Buddhism to vijnana-yoga, taking in the earlier prajna-yoga reaction. Samghadeva is also linked with the introduction of pudgalavada in China. The work of Samghadeva is of crucial importance for Buddhism in East Asia. The Essence contains a completely new introduction taking into account the new insights since 1975, when the first English study appeared in Brussels.

Charles Willemen, M.A. in classics (Latin and Greek), M.A. and ph. D. in oriental studies, all in Belgium, where he has been a full professor since 1977. He is lifelong member of the Belgian Royal academy of sciences, and has been visiting professor in Nalanda, Benares, Santineketan, Beijing, shanghai, Xi’an, Calgary. He has written extensively about the spread of Buddhism from India to East Asia, both in books and in such periodicals as the Indian International Journal of Buddhist studies, etc.

Preface

Since my study of the Chinese Abhidharmahrdaya in 1975, our knowledge of Sarvastivada literature has significantly increased. We now know that the Gandharan cultural area is the area from where Buddhism traveled to China, and ultimately to Japan. Although I was fully aware of that fact in 1975, our knowledge has advanced, and many questions have been raised and solved. But much is still hypothetical. This nevertheless has the advantage of being able to explain seemingly unrelated events. The process of trial and error, action and reaction, will advance our knowledge.

A new edition of the Hrdaya became increasingly necessary. Not my translation of the text itself has changed much, but the introduction had to be completely rewritten. The Chinese text is still based on the Japanese edition Taishu 1550, pp.809a-833b (numbers in the translation refer to these pages and columns), but the interpretation is new, and I have clearly identified the 250 stanzas. To do this, I have used a dunhuang manuscript and I have paid more attention to the variant readings, especially of the so-called three editions, i.e. Sixi or Huzhou edition, puning edition, and yongle edition. As the work was prepared in Shanghai, simplified characters are used.

Contents

Abbreviations ix
Preface xi
Introduction 1
Chapter I.The Elements (1-14) 21
Chinese34
Chapter II.Formations(15-32) 37
Chinese55
Chapter III.Actions(33-64)59
Chinese83
Chapter IV.Urges(65-96)89
Chinese112
Chapter V.The Noble(97-122)119
Chinese141
Chapter VI.Knowledge(123-147)147
Chinese174
Chapter VII.Concentration(148-175)181
Chinese210
Chapter VIII.Scriptural Texts(176-215)217
Chinese256
Chapter IXMiscellaneous(216-224)265
Chinese288
Chapter X.Discourse(241-250)295
Chinese299
List of Sanskrit Terms301
Chinese-Sanskrit-English glossary315
Concordance333
Bibliography341
Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q. What locations do you deliver to ?
    A. Exotic India delivers orders to all countries having diplomatic relations with India.
  • Q. Do you offer free shipping ?
    A. Exotic India offers free shipping on all orders of value of $30 USD or more.
  • Q. Can I return the book?
    A. All returns must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the delivery date. All returned items must be in new and unused condition, with all original tags and labels attached. To know more please view our return policy
  • Q. Do you offer express shipping ?
    A. Yes, we do have a chargeable express shipping facility available. You can select express shipping while checking out on the website.
  • Q. I accidentally entered wrong delivery address, can I change the address ?
    A. Delivery addresses can only be changed only incase the order has not been shipped yet. Incase of an address change, you can reach us at help@exoticindia.com
  • Q. How do I track my order ?
    A. You can track your orders simply entering your order number through here or through your past orders if you are signed in on the website.
  • Q. How can I cancel an order ?
    A. An order can only be cancelled if it has not been shipped. To cancel an order, kindly reach out to us through help@exoticindia.com.
Add a review
Have A Question

For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy

Book Categories