#Buddhist literature

[crazyfox-archives]

An itinerant monk being guided through the underworld: A scene from the "Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Tenjin Shrine" (北野天神縁起絵巻) dating to the late 13th century

Set of five handscrolls with ink, color, and cut gold on paper from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

[sivavakkiyar]

exciting find for people interested in Buddhist lit: found a PDF of Patrick Olivelle’s translation of Asvaghosa’s Buddhacarita.

it’s one of my favorite versions of the Buddha’s life and that translation is the best imo. Much more significant reasons to give it a look: Asvaghosa was the premier Sanskrit language poet/dramatist pre-Kalidasa, who offers a lot in homage to him, and Ambedkar notes him specifically as an influence for his “The Buddha and His Dhamma” (from his preface: “I would particularly like to mention Ashvaghosha's Buddhavita[=Buddhacharita], whose poetry no one can excel. In the narrative of certain events I have even borrowed his language.”)

this translation is ime difficult to find and is expensive and shouldn’t be locked away to academes. I’m grateful to an old teacher for leaving it to me. It’s rare to have an opportunity to recommend it when I can’t physically loan my copy out so

(it looks longer than it is, it’s a bilingual edition and it’s poetry. really lovely)

[fastlane-freedom]

Mastering the Mind: Exploring the Profound Wisdom of Buddha

Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, is a figure who is revered by millions of people around the world. He is considered to be one of the greatest spiritual teachers in history, whose teachings have had a profound impact on the lives of countless individuals. Buddha’s work to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and inner peace is an ongoing legacy that continues to inspire people to this day. In…

[thepersonalwords]

In temples you find religion, but in hearts you find God.

Matshona Dhliwayo

[snoopypumpkin]

•••…_🪷-I love Journey to the West-🪷_…•••

Hard cover (most recent in my collection.)

Paperback (oldest in my collection)

I’m not joking when I say I’m obsessed with Journey to the West. It has changed my life in ways that I can not begin to describe, the story, characters, atmosphere, everything about the books is perfect.

[teenageascetic]

“When the holy Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara had truly grasped the transcendent wisdom, he realized that visible form is only illusion. The same applies to its perception, to its names and categories, to discriminative intellect and finally even to our consciousness. They are all illusion. With this realizaton he was beyond all sorrow and bitterness.

Disciple Sariputra! The material is not different from the immaterial. The immaterial and the material are in fact one and the same thing. The same applies to perception, concepts, discriminative thinking and consciousness. They are neither existing nor not existing.

Sariputra! All things therefore they are in themselves not good and not bad, they are not increasing and not decreasing.

Therefore one may say there are no such things as form, perception, concepts, thinking process, and consciousness. Our senses such as eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind are misleading us to illusion; thus one may also say there is no reality in visible form, sound, smell, taste, touch and mindknowledge. There are also no such things as the realms of sense from sight up to mind, and no such things as the links of existence from ignorance and its end to old age and death and their end. Also the caturāryasatyāni are nonexistent, just as there is no such thing as wisdom and also no gain.

Because the holy Bodhisattva who relies on transcendent wisdom knows that there is no gain, he has no worries and also no fear. Beyond all illusion he has reached the space of highest Nirvana.

All Buddhas of the past, present and future, found highest perfect knowedge because they relied on transcendental wisdom.

Therefore we ought to know that the great verse of the transcendent wisdom is unsurpassed in its splendor, and that it appeases truly all pain. It reads:

GATE, GATE, PARAGATE, PARASAMGATE BODHISVAHA!”

-The Heart Sutra.

[bernievm]

If you are still heart broken about the destruction of the Alexandria library, you will be happy to hear in a far away world, there’s a vast library hidden from the world for centuries, contains 84,000 books, which are planned to be digitised, translated and share with the world.

The Sakya Monastery in Tibet, founded in 1073 by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, is renowned for its vast library of ancient manuscripts, many of which remain untouched for centuries.

Most of these texts are Buddhist scriptures, meticulously handwritten in various languages like Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Sanskrit. But the depth of this collection is vast. It isn’t limited to religious teachings; it expands into the realms of literature, history, philosophy, the stars above with astronomy, the logic of mathematics, the beauty of art, and even the practical wisdom of agriculture.

The scale of this library is staggering. Picture traditional bookshelves stretching 200 feet and soaring to 33 feet, all packed with a whopping 84,000 books! Among these, there’s a standout: a single scripture that tips the scales at a massive 1,100 pounds, claiming the title of the heaviest in the world. Thanks to the region’s dry climate, the library also boasts a collection of delicate palm-leaf manuscripts, preserved in near-perfect condition.

The library is not open to the general public but is accessible to members and visiting scholars with permission. Efforts are underway to digitize these manuscripts, making them more widely available for research and study. This initiative highlights the library's role as a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern scholarship, offering invaluable insights into Tibetan culture and knowledge.

Now, these precious papers give us a peek into Tibet’s history. They show us how people lived, what they believed, and how they dreamed. Thanks to the Sakya Monastery, a whole world has been brought back to life from long ago. Everyone can learn and be amazed by the wonders of the past.

[Sources]:

*Earthly Mission: Tibet's Great Sakya Library (https://earthlymission.com/tibet-great-sakya-library-84000-scrolls-heaviest-scripture-world/)

*History Enhanced: Unveiling the Unseen (https://historyenhanced.com/unveiling-the-unseen-84000-unread-manuscripts-from-sakya-librarys-timeless-tales-discovered/)

*The Historians: The Secrets of Sakya Monastery Library (https://thehistorians.org/2023/12/24/the_secrets_of_sakya_monastery_library_in_tibet/)

[thesonorousone]

Pray for no reason, for you, for the moments.

Pray for the closed ones for no reason, for whoever needs the healing ⸺ Praying transcends the fascination and a faith for prospering into the material world. Not like, magically but watering the seed of positive moving into the soil of subconscious. So, we intentionally moves with kindness and forth. It's like manifestations. The energy put onto it. It makes the inner-self glow. Pray to the most high, the universe

[wisdom-and-such]

“Let one mold himself in accordance with the precepts he teaches…”.

Section 12: verse 3

Dhammapada (oldest surviving sayings attributed directly to the Shakyamuni Buddha).

(This version translated from the Pali Cannon by Ananda Maitreya).

[jamelalatise]

my silly pet peeve is when people ask for book recommendations but don’t say what kind of books or topics or genres interest them

[crazyfox-archives]

A depiction of Seishi Bodhisattva (勢至菩薩) appearing to the monk Hōnen (法然) as he chants the nenbutsu (念仏), a scene from the seventh scroll of “The Deeds of Saint Hōnen, Illustrated” (法然上人行状絵図) dating to the 14th century in the collection of Chion’in Temple (知恩院) in Kyoto

Image from the temple’s official website

[luuney]

waiting for the day i become a pet in all sense of the word

[bardozek]

"Most of our actions are socially or economically determined and do not come from our LIFE . . . I don't know whether you have had the experience I have had, but as you get older, the claims of the environment upon you are so great that you hardly know where the hell you are. . . You are always doing something that is required of you . . . Where is your bliss station? . . . Get a phonograph and put on the music that you really love, the music no one else likes or respects, or that book you have always wanted to read, get it done and create a place where you can do it." --Joseph Campbell, Sacrifice and Bliss

All reactions:

1John O'Neil

[julianworker]

Living in the Moment: Lessons from a Cat's Diary - 3

This is Page 3 from the book Diary of a Buddhist Cat ============================================================== When John brought me to the house where I live now, he let me out of the cat carrier and I couldn’t believe there were places to run to, other rooms and there was an outside through the windows. They even let me go out of the front door, into the outside world, and I miaowed with…

[qbdatabase]

Daily Book - Love and Rage by Lama Rod Owens: White supremacy in the United States has long necessitated that Black rage be suppressed, often as a means of survival. In Love and Rage, Lama Rod Owens shows how this unmetabolized anger--and the grief, hurt, and transhistorical trauma beneath it--needs to be respected to heal from heartbreak and walk the path of liberation. ..... View the full summary and rep info on wordpress!

[teenageascetic]

The love doctor★彡