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Buddhist Yoga: A Comprehensive Course
The word yoga has many meanings, including "meditation," "method," and "union." While the physical exercises of Hindu yoga are familiar to Westerners, the subtle metaphysics and refined methods of spiritual development that characterize Buddhist yoga are not yet well known. This volume presents a landmark translation of a classical sourcebook of Buddhist yoga, the Sandhinirmochana-sutra , or "Scripture Unlocking the Mysteries," a revered text of the school of Buddhism known as Vijnanavada or Yogachara. The study of this scripture is essential preparation for anyone undertaking meditation exercise. Linking theory and praxis, the scripture offers a remarkably detailed and thorough course of study in both the philosophical and pragmatic foundation of Buddhist yoga, and their perfect, harmonious union in the realization of Buddhist enlightenment.
- GenresBuddhismNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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About the author
Thomas Cleary
245 books279 followersDr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 26, 2021
Cleary's book is a shortened translation of the not-so-well known Samdhinirmocana sutra which is thought to have been the first to describe itself as expounding the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. This sutra is also thought to be the original text of what was to become the Yogacara school of Buddhism appearing prior to the five treatises of Maitreiya Buddha as given to Asanga, texts which established him as the founder of the Yogacara.
Cleary's translation is so readable, clear, and fluid - there's little sense that you're reading a 2,000 year old text. I thought I would be disappointed by not getting to read the sutra in its entirety, that a shortened version would spoil its message. Not so. This is a gorgeous translation of a profound teaching on the yoga or practice of Buddhism and is going on my favorites shelf next to Lex Hixon's sublime translation of the 8,000 line prajnaparamita sutra Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra. I'm also finding a lot of language in this text that is similar to Cleary's translation of the massive The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra. It's also amazing to read the lines in this text and think that they were composed by some monk in India in the 3rd or 4th centuries CE with such wit, humor, clarity, and profundity.
If you are looking for a short yet very subtle teaching on the ultimate nondual truth and how to practice it in your life, don't hesitate with this book. It took me many years to finally find this sutra and translations of it. It is not a translation like the Diamond, Heart, Lotus, and other translations that have been around for a long time. Amazing find!
Cleary's translation is so readable, clear, and fluid - there's little sense that you're reading a 2,000 year old text. I thought I would be disappointed by not getting to read the sutra in its entirety, that a shortened version would spoil its message. Not so. This is a gorgeous translation of a profound teaching on the yoga or practice of Buddhism and is going on my favorites shelf next to Lex Hixon's sublime translation of the 8,000 line prajnaparamita sutra Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra. I'm also finding a lot of language in this text that is similar to Cleary's translation of the massive The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra. It's also amazing to read the lines in this text and think that they were composed by some monk in India in the 3rd or 4th centuries CE with such wit, humor, clarity, and profundity.
If you are looking for a short yet very subtle teaching on the ultimate nondual truth and how to practice it in your life, don't hesitate with this book. It took me many years to finally find this sutra and translations of it. It is not a translation like the Diamond, Heart, Lotus, and other translations that have been around for a long time. Amazing find!
March 19, 2024
As has been noted by other reviewers, this is a translation of the aryasaṃdhinirmocanasūtra, a formative text of the Mahāyāna Yogācāra school of Buddhist philosophy and praxis.
What it is not is a book about Buddhist—as opposed to Hindu or Vedic—yoga in the sense of āsana and physical exercises. This is the "yoga" of the mind, not so much of the body, so if you're looking for postures, stretches, or anything that smacks of a workout regimen, look elsewhere. Rather a bit of false advertising in my opinion, but the old saw about judging books by covers should have been enough of a warning.
In any case, this is quite a serviceable starting point for the aspect of Buddhadharma that begins the "third-turning" of the wheel, though without getting into the truly esoteric aspects of tantra. It is in places abstruse and abstract, but it does not go so far as "taking the poisons as the path" or other such developments in Vajrayana praxis. It does, however, introduce the philosophical positions that form a necessary underpinning for such development, as later modified, expanded, and refined by the madhyamaka systems.
As usual, Cleary provides a clear and readable, if idiosyncratic, translation, more geared (in my opinion) to the newcomer than to the veteran reader of Buddhist philosophy. There is precious little of Sanskrit remaining in the text, and even use of the glossary left me wondering at times what original term of art was meant to underlie his colorful terminology. For example, you will not read about "Bodhisattvas" here, at least not in such terms. Instead, you will find copious reference to "enlightening beings," which—while not wrong—I certainly found… curious. And a bit awkward.
Thus, for the reader who has no Sanskrit, they are likely to have no problems here, aside from the difficulty of some of the more subtle points being made regarding "essencelessness" and the like. The reader who does have some Sanskrit, and particularly those who prefer common technical terms to be left untranslated, may want to keep some references close at hand. It sure would be nice if there was an online resource for cross-indexing various translators attempts to render these often highly technical terms into English. The closest I am aware of is the THL tool, but that is focused on Tibetan and doesn't help very much with the underlying Sanskrit unless the Tibetan version is available, which is not the case here.
What it is not is a book about Buddhist—as opposed to Hindu or Vedic—yoga in the sense of āsana and physical exercises. This is the "yoga" of the mind, not so much of the body, so if you're looking for postures, stretches, or anything that smacks of a workout regimen, look elsewhere. Rather a bit of false advertising in my opinion, but the old saw about judging books by covers should have been enough of a warning.
In any case, this is quite a serviceable starting point for the aspect of Buddhadharma that begins the "third-turning" of the wheel, though without getting into the truly esoteric aspects of tantra. It is in places abstruse and abstract, but it does not go so far as "taking the poisons as the path" or other such developments in Vajrayana praxis. It does, however, introduce the philosophical positions that form a necessary underpinning for such development, as later modified, expanded, and refined by the madhyamaka systems.
As usual, Cleary provides a clear and readable, if idiosyncratic, translation, more geared (in my opinion) to the newcomer than to the veteran reader of Buddhist philosophy. There is precious little of Sanskrit remaining in the text, and even use of the glossary left me wondering at times what original term of art was meant to underlie his colorful terminology. For example, you will not read about "Bodhisattvas" here, at least not in such terms. Instead, you will find copious reference to "enlightening beings," which—while not wrong—I certainly found… curious. And a bit awkward.
Thus, for the reader who has no Sanskrit, they are likely to have no problems here, aside from the difficulty of some of the more subtle points being made regarding "essencelessness" and the like. The reader who does have some Sanskrit, and particularly those who prefer common technical terms to be left untranslated, may want to keep some references close at hand. It sure would be nice if there was an online resource for cross-indexing various translators attempts to render these often highly technical terms into English. The closest I am aware of is the THL tool, but that is focused on Tibetan and doesn't help very much with the underlying Sanskrit unless the Tibetan version is available, which is not the case here.
May 11, 2013
This is an excellent abridged translation of the famous Mahayana text Samdhinirmocana Sutra. It is a concise presentation of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings. A very good book!
May 16, 2023
This is a book that I would like to read again, many times. The contents on Buddhist yoga were so very different than I expected having studied Hindu yoga for many years. In this, my first reading, understanding of the content was akin to setting up a file cabinet in my mind with several folders. Some folders now have labels, some do not. The contents of the folders are still as brief or as empty as my understanding. Another in depth reading. slow enough to contemplate every page, will clarify some of the folders' contents.
July 17, 2018
Very well informed translation, less clouded by bias and ignorance than most.
January 3, 2015
It's a bit esoteric, I read iut for research purposes. But informative toward my purpose and the translation is easy to read.
February 20, 2023
The title seems a little misleading since this is a wonderful translation of a Mahayana Sutra.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews