Selected Works of Nan Huaijin (Volume 9) - Brief Explanation of the Lotus Sutra · Initial Practice of Samatha and Prajna · Interpretation of the Meaning of the Lengya Sutra

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-17
Features: The Diamond Sutra (Huiyuan Jing) is an important classic practiced by the Huayan sect in the Tang Dynasty. Its full title is The Great Wisdom Sutra of Perfect Illumination, translated by Buddha-Dharmaraja in the Tang Dynasty. The scripture presents the Buddha teaching the twelve Bodhisattvas, including Manjushri, in a sequential manner, elaborating on the theory of "permanently cutting off ignorance through the phase of perfectly illuminating purity" and the practices of "meditation," "contemplation," and "zen." The fifth patriarch of the Huayan sect, Zongmi, said he "encountered the Southern School of Zen in meditation and encountered the Diamond Sutra in teaching," meaning he attained enlightenment in the scriptures. Later, he wrote works such as The Great Commentary on the Diamond Sutra, The Great Commentary and Summary on the Diamond Sutra, and The Ritual for Meditation and Practice in the Diamond Sutra, to promote the Diamond Sutra, which thus became renowned in the Buddhist world. This book is a lecture record by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin on the Diamond Sutra. It was originally serialized in Buddhist magazines and later compiled into a book. With his profound academic foundation, the author explains the original text of the Diamond Sutra sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph, transforming the difficult into the accessible and the profound into the simple, making it highly readable. "Sila" (precepts), "Samadhi" (meditation), and "Prajna" (wisdom) are the three main components of all Buddhist teachings. Sila is used to prevent evil and stop wrongdoing; Samadhi is used to calm the mind and eliminate distractions; Prajna is used to cut off afflictions. They complement each other and together form the fundamental content of Buddhist study. This book includes a series of Buddhist lectures by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin. The first three chapters are summaries of discussions on the cultivation of "Sila, Samadhi, and Prajna" (the first chapter, Meditation and Contemplation with the Gateless Gate, was written by Nan Huaijin's teacher, Yuan Huaxian). The remaining six chapters are the author's popular explanations of the Sutra on Contemplating Amida Buddha (one of the fundamental scriptures of the Pure Land sect), Zen contemplation, Prajna direct contemplation, the Guanyin method, and the Pure Land method. The Lengya Sutra is one of the fundamental scriptures of the Yogacara sect, known as "the Six Scriptures and Eleven Treatises," and an important scripture revered by early Zen Buddhism (early Zen masters were thus called "Lengya masters"). It has had a broad influence on the history of Buddhism in China. Its full title is The Lengya Abhidharmako?a-bhā?ya, consisting of four volumes, translated by Paramārtha in the 20th year of the Yuangai era (443). The scripture presents the Buddha answering 108 questions posed by the Bodhisattva Mahāpraj?ā on Lengya Mountain by the southern shore of the sea, discussing the "Five Dharmas," "Three Self-natures," "Eight Consciousnesses," "Two Non-Selfs," and "Four Types of Samadhi," with the "Alaya-vij?āna" (i.e., "storehouse consciousness") as the conclusion. This book is a modern interpretation of the essence of the Lengya Sutra by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin. It includes the original text, a modern translation, and a connected explanation (marked with parentheses or separate paragraphs). The entire work is both profound and accessible, with fluent sentences, making it a unique and distinctive edition of the Lengya Sutra that blends academic rigor with popular readability.