A monumental work and Indian Buddhist classic, the Ornament of the Mahāyāna Sūtras (Mahāyānasūtrālamkāra) is a precious resource for students wishing to study in-depth the philosophy and path of Mahāyāna Buddhism. This full translation and commentary outlines the importance of Mahāyāna, the centrality of bodhicitta or the mind of awakening, the path of becoming a bodhisattva, and how one can save beings from suffering through skillful means.
This definitive composition of Mahāyāna teachings was imparted in the fourth century by Maitreya to the famous adept Asanga, one of the most prolific writers of Buddhist treatises in history. Asanga’s work, which is among the famous Five Treatises of Maitreya, has been studied, commented upon, and taught by Buddhists throughout Asia ever since it was composed.
In the early twentieth century, one of Tibet’s greatest scholars and saints, Jamgön Mipham, wrote A Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle, which is a detailed explanation of every verse. This commentary has since been used as the primary blueprint for Tibetan Buddhists to illuminate the depth and brilliance of Maitreya’s pith teachings. The Padmakara Translation Group has provided yet another accessible and eloquent translation, ensuring that English-speaking students of Mahāyāna will be able to study this foundational Buddhist text for generations to come. (Source: Shambhala Publications)
| Citation | Gethin, Stephen (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. A Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle: An Explanation of the Ornament of the Mahāyāna Sūtras; Maitreya's Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra with a Commentary by Jamgön Mipham. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2018. |
|---|---|
- Maitreya, Asaṅga. Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkārakārikā (theg pa chen po mdo sde'i rgyan zhes bya ba'i tshig le'ur byas pa). D 4020, sems tsam, phi 1b1-39a4. In bstan 'gyur (sde dge), Vol. 123: 1-79. Delhi: delhi karmapae choedhey, gyalwae sungrab partun khang, 1982-1985.
- Mi pham rgya mtsho. Theg pa chen po mdo sde'i rgyan gyi dgongs don rnam par bshad pa theg mchog bdud rtsi'i dga' ston. In Sde-dge dgon-chen Prints of the Writings of ’Jam-mgon ’Ju Mi-pham-rgyam tsho. Edited by Dilgo Khyentse. Vol. 2. Kathmandu: Shechen Monastery, n.d.?
