Suramgamasamadhisutra, the Concentration of Heroic Progress

Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2003. — 273 p. The Suramgamasamadhisutra is an early Mahayana Buddhist scripture. Within a narrative framework provided by a dialogue between the Buddha and the bodhisattva Drdhamati, it airs central issues of Mahayana Buddhism by means of philosophical discussion, edifying anecdote, marvelous feat, and drama. At its core is a description of the seeming conversion of Mara, the embodiment of all malign tendencies that obstruct advancement, and the prediction that he too will become a Buddha. Samadhi (concentration) is understood to denote the altered mental states attainable through Buddhist meditation techniques, in particular that in which discursive thought is allayed and the mind is calm and capable of sustained awareness of a single object. The present volume comprises the first full English translation of Kumarajiva’s Chinese translation of the Suramgamasamadhisutra, with an extensive explanatory introduction and annotations. Etienne Lamotte’s French version appeared in 1965 and now Sara Boin-Webb’s English rendering of this work gives the English-speaking world access both to an important Buddhist scripture and a classic work of Buddhist studies scholarship.