Meaning of the Great Wisdom of Lengyan Explained Today

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-10-01
Features: The Leng Yan Jing (Great Top of Buddha's Crown, the Secret Cause of Enlightenment for All Bodhisattvas, the Essential Practice for Attaining Buddhahood) is an important classic revered by Chan (Zen) and Pure Land schools in China. Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been over one hundred commentaries on it, and its recitation, study, and teachings are widely practiced both within and outside temples. The famous "Leng Yan Dharma Assembly" was established based on this text. The full title of the Leng Yan Jing is The Great Top of Buddha's Crown, the Secret Cause of Enlightenment for All Bodhisattvas, the Essential Practice for Attaining Buddhahood, the First of the Ten Thousand Practices of the Leng Yan. It is a ten-volume text translated by the Tang Dynasty monk Panchanmiti. The text primarily discusses the theory of "the unity of roots and dust, and the non-duality of bondage and liberation," as well as the "twenty-five perfect methods of enlightenment." The Ming Dynasty monk Zhixu once praised it as follows: "This is the south of the religion, the essence of the nature and form, the core of the Dharma for one generation, and the true seal for becoming a Buddha and founding a lineage" (Yue Zang Zhi Jin Vol. 11). This book is a modern interpretation of the essence of the Leng Yan Jing by the renowned Taiwanese scholar Nan Huaijin. It includes the original text, annotations, a modern translation, and commentary (indicated in parentheses). The translation strives for faithfulness, elegance, and clarity, presenting ancient wisdom in a contemporary manner, making it a high-quality colloquial reading of the Leng Yan Jing.