Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature (Mahayanasutralamkara) (Together with its Commentary (Bhasya) by Vasubandhu)

This volume is an authoritative early Indian Buddhist guide to the ideal of compassion expressed by the figure of the bodhisattva, making it essential reading for anyone interested in any Buddhist tradition or the application of compassion in action.

The Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature (Mahayanasutralamkara) was transmitted from the bodhisattva Maitreyanatha to Arya Asanga, the fourth-century Indian Buddhist scholar-adept. The most foundational of the set of the famous “Five Teachings of Maitreya,” the Discourse Literature is considered the wellspring of what the Tibetans call the “magnificent deeds trend of the path,” the compassion side, which balances the “profound view trend of the path,” the wisdom side. The Discourse Literature is also considered to be metaphysically aligned with and foundational for the Idealist (Vijnanavadin) school of Mahayana thought. Translated from Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese by Lobsang Jamspal, Robert Thurman, and the AIBS team, the present work, the second edition, contains a fully annotated, critical English rendition of the Discourse Literature along with its commentary (bhasya) by Asanga’s brother, Vasubandhu. It also includes an introduction covering essential historical and philosophical topics, a bibliography, and a detailed index. Unlike recent translations of the source text and related volumes that rely on recent Tibetan commentaries, this translation relies on the early Indian commentarial literature, not only Vasubandhu’s included herein but also Sthiramati’s, which is heavily referenced in the extensive notes.