| Specifications |
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Publisher: Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi |
| Author W. Woodville Rockhill | |
| Language: English | |
| Pages: 241 | |
| Cover: HARDCOVER | |
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9x6 inch |
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Weight 440 gm |
| Edition: 2024 | |
| ISBN: 9789362802040 | |
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HBX772 |
| Delivery and Return Policies |
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Usually ships in 3 days |
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Returns and Exchanges accepted within 7 days |
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In this book, "Udanavarga: A Collection of Verses from the Buddhist Canon" presents a comprehensive exploration of fundamental aspects of Buddhist philosophy and ethics. Divided into four books and spanning thirty-three chapters, the text delves into impermanence, desire, purity, virtuous conduct, and other profound themes. The translation from Tibetan to Sanskrit by the author sheds light on Gautama Buddha's teachings, providing valuable insights into early Buddhism. This work contributes significantly to the understanding of Buddhist scriptures. This rendition aims to facilitate a deeper comprehension of Gautama's wisdom, offering readers a glimpse into the profound spiritual heritage of Buddhism.
William Woodville Rockhill (1854-1914) was a notable American diplomat and expert on China. Known for formulating the U.S.'s Open Door Policy, he was the first American to learn Tibetan. Rockhill's expeditions into Tibet and Mongolia led to significant publications. He served as Ambassador to China and made diplomatic strides during the Boxer Rebellion. His contributions to Sino-American relations and understanding Tibetan culture remain influential today.
THE text here translated is taken from vol. xxvi. of the sutra section of the Bkahh-gyur, folios 329-400. This version has been revised on that of vol. lxxi. of the Bstanhgyur, folios 1-53, which, though generally very incorrect reproducing nearly all the errors of the Bkah-hgyur (be-sides many others of its own), has enabled me to correct and complete my text in many places where it was so much effaced in the copy, I made use of (that of the National Library at Paris) as to be nearly useless.
The work is divided into thirty-three chapters and four books, each of which contains about the same number of verses. Book I. has twelve chapters and 260 verses, Book II. twelve chapters and 249 verses, Book III. six chapters and 248 verses, Book IV. three chapters and 232 verses, making in all 989 verses or udanas, the greater part of which are in verses of seven and nine syllables.1
The title, "Tched-du brjod-pai tsoms," is rendered in Sanskrit by Udanavarga, i.e., chapters of udanas, but the word udâna must not be understood to imply "joyous utterances, hymns of praise," but something nearly approaching "gatha, verse, or stanza," although in some cases, where certain virtues are extolled, the word is employed with its habitual acceptation of "hymn."
Such verses are very generally found at the end of the sermons or sutras of Gautama, and were probably intended to convey to his hearers, in a few easily remembered lines, the essence of his teaching. It appears to me that the founder of Buddhism must have attached great importance to these verses, and that he advocated their use by all his disciples. Take, for example, the history of Cariputra's meeting with Acvadjit shortly after the former's conversion, and we see at once what a single gâtha was able to do in the eyes of early Buddhists, and what role these aphorisms undoubtedly played in the work of their missionaries. As a natural consequence of the importance attributed to these verses, it appeared desirable to the first successors of the Buddha to collect in separate works all such utterances of the Master as might prove especially instructive, and as best answering the purposes of their school. To this plan is undoubtedly due the fact that in both the Southern and Northern canons are numerous works which only contain the pith of more voluminous and older ones attributable to the Buddha. In the Northern canon we know of the Sutra in 42 sectons and the Udanavarga, besides several others in the extra-canonical col-lection (the Bstan hgyur). The Southern canon offers us a much greater number of such works, the best known of which are the Dhammapada and the Sutta Nipata.
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