The Perfection of Wisdom in First Bloom - by Bhikkhu Analayo (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In this work we have a rare perspective on the early history of Mahayana Buddhism and the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita). With his characteristic clarity and precision, Bhikkhu Analayo critically analyzes early Perfection of Wisdom literature by comparing two of the earliest versions of the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita, or the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, one in Chinese and the other in Gandhari, one of the oldest-if not the oldest-surviving Mahayana manuscripts discovered to date, along with its parallels and similar texts in Pali, Tibetan, and Sanskrit. With an astonishing command of the languages of the ancient Buddhist world, scholar-monk Bhikkhu Anåalayo sifts through the layers of history and unveils new perspectives on the ideas and figures in early Perfection of Wisdom and Mahåayåana literature, from the emerging bodhisattva ideal and its relationship with Jåataka tales to the status of women as seen in Perfection of Wisdom texts. In doing so, Bhikkhu Anåalayo reveals fresh insights into how Mahåayåana traditions developed, the motivations of their authors and supporters, and just how porous the distinctions between Mahåayåana and non-Mahåayåana were from the beginning. This is a rare opportunity to peer through a window at the very beginnings of Mahåayåana thought-before the traditions had coalesced into their familiar, modern form"--

Book Synopsis

See the formative years of Mahayana Buddhist literature through the lens of the Perfection of Wisdom, expertly analyzed by the venerable scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo.

In this work we have a rare perspective on the early history of Mahayana Buddhism and the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita), as far as this is still accessible in surviving texts. With his characteristic clarity and precision, Bhikkhu Analayo critically analyzes early Perfection of Wisdom literature based on the earliest extant versions of the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita, or the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, one in Chinese and the other in Gandhari--one of the oldest surviving Mahayana manuscripts discovered to date. In reading this text from the viewpoint of early Buddhist literature, the author shows that what has generally been considered a sharp rupture in the formation of the Mahayana turns out to be more of a gradual evolution.

With his command of the languages of the ancient Buddhist world, scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo sifts through the layers of history and unveils new perspectives on the ideas and figures in early Perfection of Wisdom and Mahayana literature, covering such topics as the rhetoric of emptiness and the emerging bodhisattva ideal, as well as the status of women and the practice of self-immolation. In doing so, Bhikkhu Analayo reveals fresh insights into the gradual development that informs the emergence of early Perfection of Wisdom literature. This is a rare opportunity to peer through a window at the beginnings of Mahayana thought--before the traditions had coalesced into the familiar forms we see today.

Review Quotes

"Bhikkhu Analayo has devoted much of his career to the study, translation, and explication of early Buddhism, with the result that he is eminently qualified for this undertaking. A deep and wide-ranging conversation between the Agamas and the Perfection of Wisdom, The Perfection of Wisdom in First Bloom challenges conventional scholarship and opens up new horizons. The 'new early Buddhism' of The Perfection of Wisdom in First Bloom is a step toward revitalizing an 'old early Buddhism' that has lost its bearings, encouraging us to gaze afresh and appreciate the beauty and diversity of the plants that flower in the abundant gardens of Buddhist ideas. New textual and ideational colligations/juxtapositions open new pathways of understanding. Clearly and persuasively written, well-grounded in the philology of the possible, The Perfection of Wisdom in First Bloom captures the spirit of the remarkable moment in which we all live."--Peter Skilling, author of Buddha's Words for Tough Times

"In this ground-breaking study, the Venerable Analayo turns his attention to the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines), commonly thought to be the fountainhead of the Perfection of Wisdom tradition. Taking us on a tour through the entire work in the form of its two earliest witnesses, the Gandhari fragment and the first Chinese translation by Lokaksema--in effect, the Asta before it was the Asta--Analayo stops repeatedly to illuminate points of interest along the way, highlighting the continuities with the Nikayas and Agamas of the pre-existing Buddhist tradition while contextualizing the innovations. Written in lucid and persuasive prose and packed with insight and erudition, this study will prove an indispensable guide for any reader of this foundational Mahayana sutra."--Paul Harrison, George Edwin Burnell Professor of Religious Studies, Stanford University

About the Author

Bhikkhu Analayo is a scholar of early Buddhism and a meditation teacher. He completed his PhD research on the Satipatthanasutta at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, in 2000 and his habilitation research with a comparative study of the Majjhima Nikaya in the light of its Chinese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan parallels at the University of Marburg, Germany in 2007. His over five hundred publications are for the most part based on comparative studies, with a special interest in topics related to meditation and the role of women in Buddhism.