Overview
In a single volume, here are two fascinating works that each in its own way serves as a window into a unique development in Indian Buddhism. The Sutra That Expounds the Descent of Maitreya Buddha and His Enlightenment is an important representation of a number of texts on Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha who is predicted to appear in a distant future. The Sutra of Mañjuśrī’s Questions brings multiple topics to sharp focus, giving voice to key issues among the students of Buddha’s teaching.
About
Two important works in Indian Buddhism.
Taishō 454
Volume 14
The Sutra That Expounds the Descent of Maitreya Buddha and His Enlightenment
Maitreya Buddha begins to figure in Āgama sutras compiled after the first century C.E. As in this text, Maitreya is most often depicted as a future Buddha, who appears to restore the Dharma after the original teachings have fallen into decline. The sutra is one of three texts that constitute the Maitreya Triple Sutra.
Source
Skt. *Maitreyavyākaraṇa, translated by Kumārajīva into the Chinese as Mile xiasheng chengfo jing (彌勒下生成佛經).
Translator(s): Shōtarō Iida and Jane Goldstone
Taishō 468
Volume 14
The Sutra of Mañjuśrī’s Questions
This work is said to have been translated into the Chinese during the sixth century C.E., sometime after the most well-known Mahayana scriptures. The range of topics addressed in the text reflect the vibrant state of Indian Buddhism during what was perhaps its most creative period and imparts a lasting impression of the concerns of the Indian Mahayana community. That the topics discussed were to become popular in China, and that no Sanskrit or Tibetan versions exist, raises the question, suggests the English translator John R. McRae, whether the text might have been compiled in China from Indian sources.
Source
Skt. *Mañjuśrīparipṛcchā, purportedly translated into the Chinese by Saṃghabhadra as Wenshushili wen jing (文殊師利問經). 2 fascicles.
Translator(s): John R. McRae
Table of Contents
A Message on the Publication of the English Tripiṭaka NUMATA Yehan v
Editorial Foreword MAYEDA Sengaku vii
Publisher’s Foreword A. Charles Muller ix
The Sutra That Expounds the Descent of Maitreya Buddha and His Enlightenment
Translator’s Introduction [Shōtarō Iida and Jane Goldstone] 5
The Sutra That Expounds the Descent of Maitreya Buddha and His Enlightenment 13
Notes 25
The Sutra of Mañjuśrī’s Questions
Translator’s Introduction [John R. McRae] 31
The Sutra of Mañjuśrī’s Questions 35
Notes 141
Glossary 145
Bibliography 151
Index 153
A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripiṭaka (First Series) 165