The editing of the Description of the World Sūtra (DĀ 30) continues, but I've released Chapters 1-7 of this large, multi-chapter sūtra that collects Buddhist cosmology and mythology into a single large text. This version that's found in the Dīrgha Āgama (DĀ) is one of four Chinese translations of this sūtra which are dated between … Continue reading June Update: First Half of DĀ 30 Released
April/May Update: Parinirvāṇa Sūtra Released
This month's releases represent an important milestone for me as a translator. I've released translations of both the Mahāvadāna Sūtra (DĀ 1) and the Parinirvāṇa Sūtra (DĀ 2). I first read and considered translating these two large sūtras that begin the Dīrgha Āgama about 15 years ago when I first became seriously interesting in translating … Continue reading April/May Update: Parinirvāṇa Sūtra Released
March-April Update
I have great news. The Dīrgha Āgama is completely drafted, all 22 fascicles of it (which comes to about 235,000 words of English). The past few months have been non-stop drafting, and at times it’s been quite challenging, especially DĀ 19’s mysterious transliterations and the long tract in DĀ 30 about all the various Hells, which puts … Continue reading March-April Update
The Noble Fivefold Samadhi – A Parallel Sutra Quote to AN 5.28
An important sutta in modern discourse about the four jhānas in Theravāda Buddhism is AN 5.28, which contains material that appears to have been subsumed into the larger Mindfulness of the Body Sutta (MN 119). To date, no parallel has been found in the four Chinese Āgama collections; however, a full quote of a parallel to this … Continue reading The Noble Fivefold Samadhi – A Parallel Sutra Quote to AN 5.28
February Update: Two More DĀ Sutras Added
Wow, it's been three months since my last update! Yes, it's true, I'm still working my way through the Dīrgha Āgama. It's been quite a couple of months, drafting the Mahâvadāna (DA 1 ~ DN 14) and Parinirvāṇa (DA 2 ~ DN 16) sutras, which that I've been dreaming of translating for nearly 20 years. … Continue reading February Update: Two More DĀ Sutras Added
Four Cultivations of Samādhi: A Parallel to AN 4.41 Quoted in the Abhidharma Dharmaskandha
In the process of researching parallels to the four similes found in MN 119/MĀ 81 (the Mindfulness of the Body Sutra), I happened upon a quotation in the Sarvâstivāda’s Abhidharma Dharmaskandha that’s a direct parallel to AN 4.41. Below is a translation and comparison of the two texts. To give some background on the source of this quotation, … Continue reading Four Cultivations of Samādhi: A Parallel to AN 4.41 Quoted in the Abhidharma Dharmaskandha
September-October 2021 Update
Hello, everyone! It’s been a couple months since my last update. It seems like longer time than that! I traveled in September and visit family I hadn’t seen in over a year, which included an adventurous roadtrip as well as a less enjoyable time flying. It feels more like four or six months after going … Continue reading September-October 2021 Update
August 2021 Update: Dīrgha and Madhyama Sutras Added
This month’s update includes two new Dīrgha Āgama sutras, bringing the total to 21. I also decided to begin editing and releasing Madhyama Āgama sutras that are sitting in draft form. In between these projects, I edited another story from the Chinese commentary on the Dharmapāda. DĀ 3 Govinda [DN 19] In this classic Jataka tale, a gandharva visits the Buddha … Continue reading August 2021 Update: Dīrgha and Madhyama Sutras Added
August Update: Four More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras released
It’s been a little more than a month since the last update, and I’ve released four more initial translations from the Dīrgha Āgama, which tally up to about 23,500 words in English. I recently decided to total up how many words in English that Dharma Pearls has published so far, and I was a bit … Continue reading August Update: Four More Dīrgha Āgama Sutras released
July 2021 Update: Five More DĀ Sutras Translated
Hi, everyone. I skipped a month for these updates, largely because the number of texts I’m releasing in a given month will be going down sharply as I focus on larger Dīrgha Āgama sutras. At this point, I’ve now released English translations of 15 DĀ sutras (out of 30), which brings the project to about 25% completed … Continue reading July 2021 Update: Five More DĀ Sutras Translated
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