Sacred Texts
Buddhism
Açvaghosha's Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahâyâna
tr. by Teitaro Suzuki
[1900]
Asvaghosa's The Awakening of Faith is one of the most concise
works on Mahayana Buddhism, and was translated at an early date
from the Sanskrit to the Chinese.
The original Sanskrit text is lost.
The Awakening of Faith has been used as a
textbook for Buddhist priests.
This translation was the first into English;
it is by Teitaro Suzuki, one of the principal
writers on Buddhism of the 20th century.
Suzuki, a Zen Buddhist scholar,
manages to convey the difficult sense of
this work, which sometimes requires inventive English neologisms.
For the perplexed, there is a glossary
at the end of the book.
Production notes: This text requires a unicode-compliant browser.
For more information see the Unicode page.
Chinese characters have been converted to image files and embedded
in the text.--John Bruno Hare 12/9/2004
Title Page
Publisher's Preface
Translator's Preface
Table of Contents
Note on Transliteration
Introduction
Introduction
Date
Nativity and Peregrinations
Appellations
Conversions
Lists of Patriarchs
As an Artist
Works in Chinese Translations
Chinese Translations of the ''Discourse on the Awakening of Faith.''
Outlines of the ''Discourse on the Awakening of Faith.''
The Awakening of Faith
Adoration
Discourse
I. Introductory
II. General Statement
III. The Explanation
1. The Revelation of the True Doctrine
A. The Soul as Suchness
B. The Soul as Birth-and-Death
C. The Threefold Significance of the Mahâyâna Explained
2. The Refutation of False Doctrines
A. Five False Views Held by Those Who Believe in a Personal Atman
B. Belief in the Existence of Atman in Things
3. Ways of Practising the Right Path
IV. Practice of Faith
V. Benefits
Glossary
Corrigenda