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Summary: The Best Translation of Middle Length Discourses
Review: Once I see this book, I bought a few copies irregardless of the price! This book is a beautiful printout and appears in lucid modern english. In finding texts containing middle length discourses of Lord Buddha, besides this book we find the ones of Pali Text Society which is in old english language. This book is appealing to modern readership because of its better typeset and readable translation. I recommend it to anyone seriously in search of the original teachings of the Lord Buddha. This book is a very authentic and it is of high historical value. Meditators will not want to go without it.
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Summary: Bible
Review: One of the books of the Tipitaka, the buddhist bible. If you would like to know the basis of buddhism, this book from which this translation is derived is part of the THE original source of a religion or philosophy or way of life that struck a cord with millions of people for the past 2500 years up to now and probably into the future. You will begin to understand what buddhism is and what it is not. Why hear 2nd hand accounts when you can read the real thing, albeit a translation. The introduction sections before delving into the text itself provide ample academic background into the buddhist world and background. The introduction alone constitute a good reason to read this book.
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Summary: A central pillar for the teachings of the Buddha
Review: The books presents an excellent translation, from the same English translator of the Visuddhimagga, of the collection of middle length discourses of the Buddha. Moreover the text makes extensive use in the notes of the main commentary of the text by the same Buddhagosa whose masterpiece was the Visuddhimagga itself!
Given those premises I would suggest, as I am currently doing, to read the book along with the Visuddhimagga: this latter book will in fact give a framework for the teachings in the Majihma that otherwise could appear a bit scattered and sometimes obscure, while the former will give to the Middle Age manual some "fresh air" while, at the same time, providing the essential canonical underpinning.
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Summary: Priceless
Review: The distillation of some of the greatest teachings and ideas of the one true Great Man and Sage of this world cycle.
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Summary: The best edition freely available in print
Review: There are three translations of this I'm aware of. The version by the Pali Text Society translated by Horner is the only real competitor this book has.The venerable Thanissaro from California (Geoff. Graff) has been doing some rather fashionable translating recently in his "Wings to Awakening", but this book was invaluable in making sense of his rather more complicated translations of some suttas proving its value in scholarship. It is a great pity that repitions are avoided and we have to make up the breaks when we read this aloud. Here the PTS edition has a strength as at least it gives a better idea of length. This book is hence very concentrated. Nanamoli was one of the best translators and this book excels in authority.
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Summary: The best edition freely available in print
Review: There are three translations of this I'm aware of. The version by the Pali Text Society translated by Horner is the only real competitor this book has. The venerable Thanissaro from California (Geoff. Graff) has been doing some rather fashionable translating recently in his "Wings to Awakening", but this book was invaluable in making sense of his rather more complicated translations of some suttas proving its value in scholarship. It is a great pity that repitions are avoided and we have to make up the breaks when we read this aloud. Here the PTS edition has a strength as at least it gives a better idea of length. This book is hence very concentrated. Nanamoli was one of the best translators and this book excels in authority.
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Summary: Inspiring and close to the source
Review: These are sutras from the Therevadan traddition of Buddhism. This book contains many of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. They are translated from the Pali Cannon, which is a collection of teachings initially passed on verbally by rote by the early Buddhist monks. It was spoken monk to monk, teacher to learner in the Pali language of ancient India for many years before being written down. As far as I can tell, this is a good translation (I don't speak Pali and haven't read more than one translations of most of these teachings), but it is easily readable. The book itself is very well presented - as befits a sacred text. I, as a buddhist, find it very moving. The teachings are very direct, both in terms of being passed person to person through a continuous lineage of monks from the Buddhas own disciples and in terms of the teachings are there for you to read and reflect on for yourself without a teacher/guru. However, they do contain much of the ritualistic frills and formalities common to original Buddhist sutras (eg. most of them start with "Thus I have heard...", contain much repetition and end by whoever is the subject being converted/becomming enlightenned. I sometime wish I had them as a .txt document so I could cut them down to their essence. However, I find them an Inspiring and Sacred text - And this book has made a big difference to the depth of my going for refuge :-)
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Summary: A journey into the discovery of Buddhist teachings
Review: This book is a great gift to anyone who wanted to know more about the teachings of the Buddha. The book received the 1995 Outstanding Academic Book Award- (Choice Magazine and the Tricycle Prize) for Excellence in Buddhist Publishing for Dhamma Discourse. In my own journey into the discovery of Buddhist teachings, it became a powerful raft. It has indeed made a significant difference to my deep understanding of Buddhism. This is a one that anyone interested in Buddhism must read with out fail!
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Summary: A truly great book.
Review: This is one of the few truly great Buddhist books ever published in English. It would be hard to improve upon, and there will be no need for anyone to try their hand at this again in the future unless the English language changes substantially. The subject matter is sublime, a large collection of the original sutra teachings of Buddha, and the translators are the best in their field, scholar-practitioners with a long history of producing the clearest writings in this difficult field. And simply as a book it is of the highest quality, with exceptional binding, quality paper and excellent typesetting. You can't go wrong here.
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Summary: Supreme & Sublime
Review: This is the CORE of Buddhism in its most pristine, exact, direct & subtle expression. Excellent Translation by Venerable Nyanamoli, which enable the Blessed Buddha to speak across 2500 years. Probably the most important book around to day! Not likely to ever be superseeded...
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