What do you think?
Rate this book
Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight: T'ien-T'ai Chih-I's Mo-Ho Chih-Kuan
The Mo-ho chih-kuan (Great cessation-and-contemplation) by T’ien-t’ai Chih-i (538–597) is among the most influential treatises in the long history of Buddhist scholarship. In Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight, one of today’s foremost scholars on T’ien-t’ai (Tendai) Buddhism offers the first complete, fully annotated translation of this significant work. The full scope of Buddhist tradition and its practices is illuminated: from sitting or walking in meditation to chanting the Buddha’s name, to defining the tenets of ethical living—and its teachings; from the “Hīnayāna” Āgama texts to Mahāyāna sutras and treatises, to various Buddhist and non-Buddhist (indigenous Chinese) beliefs.
Extensive annotation accompanying the translation (volumes 1 and 2) will help readers understand the original text and implications of various crucial passages and ideas, as well as the place the Mo-ho chih-kuan occupies in the development of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese Buddhism and its critical importance for figures such as Nichiren. Volume 3 contains ample supplementary materials, including translations of related texts, a comprehensive glossary, and a list of Buddhist sources.
Extensive annotation accompanying the translation (volumes 1 and 2) will help readers understand the original text and implications of various crucial passages and ideas, as well as the place the Mo-ho chih-kuan occupies in the development of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese Buddhism and its critical importance for figures such as Nichiren. Volume 3 contains ample supplementary materials, including translations of related texts, a comprehensive glossary, and a list of Buddhist sources.
2256 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2017
4 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 5, 2023
This is a monumental achievement - a full English translation and detailed commentary of the most important foundational text of one of East Asia's most sophisticated philosophical schools - that of Chinese Tiantai Buddhism.
Weighing in at 2,220 pages in three volumes, Swanson's translation of 6th century Tiantai Zhiyi's Mohezhiguan, (Chinese for the Sanskrit Maha Shamatha-Vipassana) is the equivalent for Tiantai Buddhism as Nagarjuna's foundational Mulamadhyamaka-karika or Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way is for Mahayana Buddhism. Not the same of course but whereas Nagarjuna's text establishes the Two Truths, Zhiyi's text establishes the Three Truths of the Tiantai philosophical system, a gorgeous extension and elaboration on Nagarjuna's Middle Way Two Truths.
This translation-commentary is so huge, dense, and complex (and pricey) that very few will get around to reading it in its entirety... it's just not that sort of book. It's more like a compendium of Chinese Buddhist practice and philosophy, a treasure trove to absorb for a lifetime.
Swanson published a book of companion essays that he wrote over the many years he worked on this massive project, entitled In Search of Clarity: Essays on Translation and Tiantai Buddhism. This book is more accessible and gives the reader context and understanding for approaching the Mohezhiguan.
Unfortunately, this massive three-volume set uses the out-dated Wade-Giles Chinese transliteration system (notice the title T'ien-T'ai Chih-I's Mo-Ho- Chih-Kuan) instead of the long-time standard Pinyin system of transliteration (same title = Tiantai Zhiyi's Mohezhiguan). Fortunately, in Swanson's In Search of Clarity, he finally adopts the Pinyin system.
And, for an excellent contemporary approachable book on the Chinese Tiantai School (in Japan, Tendai), I can highly recommend Brook Ziporyn's Emptiness and Omnipresence: An Essential Introduction to Tiantai Buddhism. See my review.
Weighing in at 2,220 pages in three volumes, Swanson's translation of 6th century Tiantai Zhiyi's Mohezhiguan, (Chinese for the Sanskrit Maha Shamatha-Vipassana) is the equivalent for Tiantai Buddhism as Nagarjuna's foundational Mulamadhyamaka-karika or Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way is for Mahayana Buddhism. Not the same of course but whereas Nagarjuna's text establishes the Two Truths, Zhiyi's text establishes the Three Truths of the Tiantai philosophical system, a gorgeous extension and elaboration on Nagarjuna's Middle Way Two Truths.
This translation-commentary is so huge, dense, and complex (and pricey) that very few will get around to reading it in its entirety... it's just not that sort of book. It's more like a compendium of Chinese Buddhist practice and philosophy, a treasure trove to absorb for a lifetime.
Swanson published a book of companion essays that he wrote over the many years he worked on this massive project, entitled In Search of Clarity: Essays on Translation and Tiantai Buddhism. This book is more accessible and gives the reader context and understanding for approaching the Mohezhiguan.
Unfortunately, this massive three-volume set uses the out-dated Wade-Giles Chinese transliteration system (notice the title T'ien-T'ai Chih-I's Mo-Ho- Chih-Kuan) instead of the long-time standard Pinyin system of transliteration (same title = Tiantai Zhiyi's Mohezhiguan). Fortunately, in Swanson's In Search of Clarity, he finally adopts the Pinyin system.
And, for an excellent contemporary approachable book on the Chinese Tiantai School (in Japan, Tendai), I can highly recommend Brook Ziporyn's Emptiness and Omnipresence: An Essential Introduction to Tiantai Buddhism. See my review.
April 3, 2025
This set of books is a truly extraordinary accomplishment by Swanson. I came into these volumes with a background in Zen, and broader study of Buddhism for several years. From that context I've found the text quite enjoyable to read.
The material is intuitive for someone who's already studied Chinese Buddhism, but it's not quite like anything that exists in the Zen canon. T'ien-T'ai was a school that focused on scripture, which is counter-posed to how Zen did things. So it's a fascinating text for someone who's learned in Chinese Buddhism and Zen but who hasn't engaged with this school.
I also wouldn't let the size of the set intimidate, a good proportion of the books are made up of Swanson's annotations. The annotations are well written, but assuming a strong background in Buddhism you might not need to refer to them that often. When I did want an explanation they were helpful. All of that being said it's not out of the question to read the three volumes from end-to-end.
Lastly, I wouldn't recommend these books for beginners, but given the price and subject material of the set it's unlikely that a beginner would be interested in them.
Many thanks to the author for bringing this project to completion.
The material is intuitive for someone who's already studied Chinese Buddhism, but it's not quite like anything that exists in the Zen canon. T'ien-T'ai was a school that focused on scripture, which is counter-posed to how Zen did things. So it's a fascinating text for someone who's learned in Chinese Buddhism and Zen but who hasn't engaged with this school.
I also wouldn't let the size of the set intimidate, a good proportion of the books are made up of Swanson's annotations. The annotations are well written, but assuming a strong background in Buddhism you might not need to refer to them that often. When I did want an explanation they were helpful. All of that being said it's not out of the question to read the three volumes from end-to-end.
Lastly, I wouldn't recommend these books for beginners, but given the price and subject material of the set it's unlikely that a beginner would be interested in them.
Many thanks to the author for bringing this project to completion.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews