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The Awakening of Faith (2005)

Translation of Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna

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Taishō 1666
Volume 32

This treatise, The Awakening of Faith, sometimes known by the longer title of The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, presents a concise synopsis of both the theoretical and practical aspects of the central ideas of Mahāyāna Buddhism, and has therefore been widely read as an introduction to this branch. A short work, it remains extremely important in the history of Buddhism, having exerted influence in China and Japan on the schools of Hua-yen (Jp. Kegon), T'ien-t'ai (Jp. Tendai), Chan/Zen, Pure Land (Ch. Jìngtǔzōng; Jp. Jōdo Bukkyō), Chên-yen (Jp. Shingon), and more.

However, many questions remain concerning the author and place of composition, including whether it was composed in India or China, and whether the attributive author Aśvaghoṣa lived before or after Nāgārjuna.

Source Skt. *Mahāyānaśraddhotpāda-śāstra, attributed to Aśvaghoṣa. Brought into the Chinese by Paramārtha as Dasheng qixin lun (大乘起信論). 1 fascicle.

Editor’s Note: This is a reprint of the sutra as translated by the late Dr. Yoshito S. Hakeda and originally published by Columbia University Press. This reprint edition retains Dr. Hakeda's chapter and subdivision headings and his commentaries, which are set in italicized paragraphs within the text itself. (Source: BDK America)

Citation	Hakeda, Yoshito S., trans. The Awakening of Faith. Attributed to Aśvaghoṣa. Translated from the Chinese of Paramārtha (Taishō vol. 32, no. 1666). BDK English Tripiṭaka 63, no. 4. Berkeley, CA: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2005. Reprint of the first edition, 1967.

ContentsSources

• Contents

• A Message on the Publication of the English Tripiṭaka by NUMATA Yehanv
• Editorial Foreword by MAYEDA Sengakuvii
• Publisher’s Foreword by Francis H. Cookix
• Note on the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series Reprint Editionxi
• Foreword to the Original Edition by Wm. Theodore de Baryxvi
• Preface to the Original Edition by Yoshito S. Hakedaxix
• Translator’s Introduction by Yoshito S. Hakedaxxi

• The Awakening of Faith

• Invocation3
• The Contents of the Discourse3
• Part One. The Reasons for Writing5
• Part Two. Outline7
• Part Three. Interpretation11
• Chapter I. Revelation of True Meaning11
  • I. One Mind and Its Two Aspects11
    • A. The Mind in Terms of the Absolute12
      • 1. Truly Empty14
      • 2. Truly Nonempty15
    • B. The Mind in Terms of Phenomena16
      • 1. The Storehouse Consciousness16
        • a. The Aspect of Enlightenment17
          • (1) Original Enlightenment17
          • (2) The Process of Actualization of Enlightenment17
            • (a) Purity of Wisdom20
            • (b) Suprational Functions21
          • (3) The Characteristics of the Essence of Enlightenment21
        • b. The Aspect of Nonenlightenment23
        • c. The Relationships between Enlightenment and
          Nonenlightenment25
          • (1) Identity25
          • (2) Nonidentity26
      • 2. The Cause and Conditions of Humankind’s Being in Samsara26
        • a. Mind27
        • b. Consciousness29
        • c. Defiled States of Mind31
        • d. Comments on the Terms Used in the Foregoing Discussion32
      • 3. The Characteristics of Beings in Samsara34
        • a. Permeation of Ignorance36
        • b. Permeation of Suchness37
          • (1) Permeation through Manifestation of the Essence of Suchness39
          • (2) Permeation through Influences41
            • (a) The Specific Coordinating Causes41
            • (b) The General Coordinating Causes42
  • II. The Essence Itself and the Attributes of Suchness, or the Meaning of Mahå44
    • A. The Greatness of the Essense of Suchness44
    • B. The Greatness of the Attributes of Suchness44
    • C. The Greatness of the Influences of Suchness46
  • III. From Samsara to Nirvana51
• Chapter II. The Correction of Evil Attachments53
  • I. The Biased Views Held by Ordinary People53
  • II. The Biased Views Held by the Hinayanists57
• Chapter III. Analysis of the Types of Aspiration for Enlightenment, or the Meanings of Yåna59
  • I. The Aspiration for Enlightenment through the Perfection of Faith60
  • II. The Aspiration for Enlightenment through Understanding and Deeds65
  • III. The Aspiration for Enlightenment through Insight66
• Part Four. On Faith and Practice71
  • On Four Faiths71
  • On Five Practices72
  • The Practice of Cessation74
  • The Practice of Clear Observation78
• Part Five. Encouragement of Practice and the Benefits Thereof81
• Notes83
• Glossary91
• Bibliography95
• Index99
• A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripiṭaka (First Series)

1. Aśvaghoṣa. Mahāyānaśraddhotpādaśāstra. (Dasheng qixin lun). 63 (4), Taisho Volume 32, No. 1666