This month the remainder of Chapter 10 of the Ekottarika Āgama (EĀ) was released at Dharma Pearls. Chapter 10 is a set of ten sūtras that revolve around themes of making merit, especially through generosity. This group of sutras, whose subject is often perceived as primarily a concern for lay Buddhists, are directed at both … Continue reading Ekottarika Āgama, Book of Ones, Chapter 10
Category: Agamas
Week 11 Update: Editing, Coding, and Uncertainty
Hello, again, from southern California, where we are gearing up for more rain. The drought is officially over in many parts of the state, which really was in the nick of time. There haven't been any new releases this week. Instead, my time has been devoted to editing and researching translations that have already been … Continue reading Week 11 Update: Editing, Coding, and Uncertainty
Week 10 Update: EĀ Chapters 2-3, 8-9 Released
It's been two months since I posted an update! Time flies sometimes. I will be making an effort to set aside time to blog more frequently in the future. I'm going to shoot for a post once a week, perhaps more. (Which means once a week or biweekly, probably.) The heavenly messengers of birth, illness, … Continue reading Week 10 Update: EĀ Chapters 2-3, 8-9 Released
Week 1 Update: EĀ Ch. 1 Released!
Hello, Everyone! Welcome to a New Year. 2023 is the Year of the Water Rabbit in East Asia, which is good, I suppose. Good-natured, adaptable, intelligent people — yes, the world needs more of them to take the wheel. Good-natured people, especially. The past two months have been a test period for a new translation … Continue reading Week 1 Update: EĀ Ch. 1 Released!
The Ekôttarika Āgama Project Begins
Tomorrow will be the official start of the Ekôttarika Āgama translation project at Dharma Pearls. This project is expected to take approximately two years to complete a well edited release, though actual time is dependent at how difficult the material turns out to be. I will be shooting for a process that translates around five … Continue reading The Ekôttarika Āgama Project Begins
July Update: Remainder of DĀ 30 Released
This month, I released the initial translations of DĀ 30's chapters 8-12. This would also complete the Dīrgha Āgama except for DĀ 19, which will be delayed another month before it's ready for release. With the completion of the rest of DĀ, I'll be taking two or three months to work on polishing existing translations, … Continue reading July Update: Remainder 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
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