Great Nirvana Sutra (Upper and Lower)

Author: Jiang Zifu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features: The Great Nirvana Sutra, also known as the Nirvana Sutra or the Great Nirvana Sutra, is translated into 40 volumes in Chinese, translated by Tanwumen of Northern Liang. It is listed as one of the five major Mahayana scriptures by scripture compilers. This scripture is divided into 13 chapters: Life Span, Diamond Body, Names and Merits, Buddha Nature, Questions from the Great Assembly, Illness Manifestation, Holy Conduct, Worldly Conduct, Infant Conduct, Bodhisattva Light-Universal Illuminating Noble King, Bodhisattva Lion's Roar, Bodhisattva Kasyapa, Ananda, and others.
The Great Nirvana Sutra is rich in profound meaning. Its key points are to address the Hinayana view of "extinguishing body and wisdom" and elucidate the concept of the Buddha's body being eternal, joyful, self, and pure. It differs from the Mahayana theory of the Three Vehicles and Five Clans, instead demonstrating that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, and even those who are irredeemable (alavikas), hearers (shravakas), and solitary realizers (pratyekabuddhas) can attain great awakening. It also extensively discusses all the Dharma practices of the Bodhisattvas related to Nirvana. Thus, this scripture can be considered the pinnacle of Mahayana Buddhism.
The Great Nirvana Sutra is grand in scope and profound in meaning, and since its translation, it has had a significant impact on the Buddhist community in China. Emperor Xianwen of the Liang Dynasty personally lectured on this scripture, writing works such as the Lecture Commentary on the Nirvana Sutra and the Meaning Commentary on the Nirvana Sutra, which he distributed to Funan and Paekche. He also wrote the Proclamation Against Drinking and Eating Meat, gathering monks and nuns in front of the Hualin Hall, instructing Foguang Temple's Fuyun to lecture on it, thus pioneering vegetarianism for Chinese monks and nuns. Additionally, the Great Nirvana Sutra has had a profound influence on the development of Chinese theories of human nature. The Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties, particularly the Mind School of Lu Wang, strongly advocated the theory of becoming sages and worthy men, viewing it as absolute truth. This was fundamentally because Chinese scholars had long been deeply influenced by Buddhism. Since the Great Nirvana Sutra addresses philosophical questions about human nature, it holds a significant place not only in the history of Buddhist thought but also in the history of Chinese mind-nature philosophy.
The translation of the Great Nirvana Sutra dates back to the Northern Liang period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Although the language used is mostly colloquial at the time, due to the passage of time, the obscurity of the original text, and the differences in ancient Chinese and Indian modes of thinking, the scripture is not easy to understand. As a result, lectures of varying scales emerged as early as ancient times. This book is a selected translation of some of the most important chapters of the Great Nirvana Sutra, with a focus on the scripture's Buddhist theory.
This translation adheres to the principle of faithfulness to the original text, avoiding subjective speculation or inference. The colloquial translation is clear and easy to understand, with lucid explanations. For passages that are difficult to express or have multiple meanings, a literal translation is primarily used. Mantras in the scripture are not translated. The notes are not exhaustive but aim to be detailed and clear.
We hope that as long as the original meaning is not distorted, even a small contribution to the readers will bring us great joy. At the same time, we sincerely hope for the readers' serious criticism and corrections.