The Perfection of Wisdom, Illustrated with Ancient Sanskrit Manuscripts

Rating:
Summary: Telling Them About Buddha
Review: Deep among the treasures of Cambridge University Library, England are to be found two Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts which illustrate, through text and pictures, the life and philosophy of Gautama the Buddha in especially moving and powerful form. Both are about a thousand years old, and one is thought to be the oldest dated Indian illustrated manuscript extant anywhere in the world (997 CE); both share the title 'Astasahasrikaprajnaparamita', or 'The Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines'. They were probably produced during the reign of Mahipala I (992-1042 CE) over a territory approximately including parts of present-day northern India and Nepal.

Craig Jamieson's new volume is not a complete English translation of 'The Perfection of Wisdom' (that has already been done by other hands), but an attempt to bring this remarkable material to a wider audience through a judicious selection of text - newly translated - and pictures. As such, it succeeds admirably.

The volume begins with a foreword by no less an authority than H.H. the Dalai Lama, who tells us that 'in ancient India and later in Tibet, it was considered an act of virtue to honour the practice of "The Perfection of Wisdom" by creating or sponsoring the creation of elaborate and illustrated editions'. Craig Jamieson contributes a brief but informative introduction; the illustrations are explained in detail at the end, and a glossary and bibliography are provided. All the necessary apparatus is there for the reader to approach the tenets of Buddhism through the vehicle of the mind; meantime, the body of the book sets brief text extracts against full-colour pictures in such a way that those who choose may simply feel their way towards enlightenment instead.

It would be presumptuous for the non-initiate to attempt a commentary on the ideas, intuitions and paradoxes that leap to the eyes from the perusal of these pages. I shall therefore let a few of those thoughts speak for themselves:

'The perfection of wisdom is neither form nor other than form.'

'Where there is no consciousness, no names, no words, no designations, that is called the perfection of wisdom.'

'A mass of words, a mass of sentences, a mass of syllables, Ananda, that is bound by a limit, but this perfection of wisdom is bound by no limit.'

The illustrations are all taken from the two manuscripts; indeed, in the case of the older manuscript every illustration is reproduced. The technical quality of the reproductions is excellent. Red and gold tints gleam richly in the artists' hieratic visions of Bodhisattvas and Taras (male and female characters seeking enlightenment), lions, elephants or lotuses. Text and illustrations complement each other admirably.

The millennium-old Buddhist world of these manuscripts might seem alien or impenetrable to many English-speaking readers today; the days of instant enlightenment for Westerners, of what the writer Gita Mehta calls 'karma cola', have receded into the past. However, anyone with a serious interest in understanding the philosophies of the Indian subcontinent, whether on the path to enlightenment or for purposes of mere knowledge, should derive pleasure and profit from owning this beautifully-produced and eminently readable volume.

Christopher Rollason, M.A., Ph.D.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this book! It's going to be a collectors item!
Review: Now I know that I should write a review illustrating how good this book is, and how practical its advice is, and how lucid the prose is, (all of which is true), but the thing that made me buy this book was 10 little words:

"Introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama" and "Printed in China."

Yep. *That* China.

I don't know how long this edition of the book will be in print, but it's definitely unique.

Having bought the book I would agree that of all the Mahayana texts I've read, this is quite accessible, with beautiful illustrations, and should be read by anyone who wants to seriously study Buddhism. Of course, the tale told is mythical/metaphorical, but the logic and wisdom is profound.

One minor quibble: I'd have appreciated a bit more of a scholarly preface and historical background.

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeously illustrated introduction to "Emptiness"
Review: This book is a selection of excerpts from The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Verses (or Astasahasrika Prajna Paramita in Sanskrit), the first in a series of Mahayana Buddhism's sacred texts on The Perfection of Wisdom (or Prajna Paramita). The Perfection of Wisdom texts, which include the much shorter Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika Prajna Paramita Sutra) and Heart Sutra (Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra), essentially expand and go beyond the Buddhist concept of "no-self" to the more profound idea that all of existence is itself fundamentally empty.

Basically, the concept of "no-self" states that no one has an absolute or fixed "self" because the five aggregates that collectively make up an individual is ever changing i.e. a person changes from moment to moment and is never the same "self" yesterday, today or tomorrow. Since the "self" is an illusion, the clinging of the "self" to pleasant things (belongings, fame, pleasure, etc.) can be ended. Likewise, the tendency of the "self" to avoid unpleasant things (criticism, pain, discomfort, etc.) can also be ended. Complete equanimity can be achieved, leading to the cessation of desire and to the achievement of Nirvana (release from existence i.e. Samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth).

The Perfection of Wisdom texts go further and propose that all of existence is itself empty i.e. everything we experience here in this world, in this universe, is nothing but an illusion - everything is essentially void. Since existence is itself void, Nirvana is therefore no different from Samsara. As the Heart Sutra explains, "There is no suffering, origin, cessation or path; no exalted wisdom, no attainment and also no non-attainment. Therefore, because there is no attainment, all bodhisattvas rely on and abide in the perfection of wisdom; their minds have no obstructions and no fear." The obsession with attaining Nirvana can itself obstruct our view of the truth that Nirvana is here with us because such obsession is itself a form of clinging. Thus, only those who can see the true nature of all existence can be free from fear.

Richly illustrated with pictures of the historical Buddha as well as various Bodhisattvas from ancient texts, this book is a worthy addition to any library.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful And Intelligent
Review: This is a wonderful book. It drew me in with wonderfully reproduced graphics taken from the collection of Cambridge University. However, while browsing the pictures I found myself reading, and entranced by, the text. The translation and explanatory notes by Mr. Jamieson take this far beyond being a mere coffee-table book. It is a book which can please both visually and intellectually.