A Buddhist Bible

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

A Buddhist Bible

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Dwight Goddard's compilation offers essential Zen and Mahayana Buddhist texts, presenting the finest available translations of scriptures like the Diamond Sutra and the Platform Sutra. This edition skillfully adapts ancient Indian philosophy for modern readers, emphasizing mind-control, rationality, and compassionate service to address contemporary spiritual problems.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in 1932, *A Buddhist Bible* by Dwight Goddard serves as a seminal collection curating the core scriptures of Zen Buddhism, specifically the Chinese adaptation known as Ch'an. Goddard begins with a historical overview of Buddhism's journey from India to China, detailing its synthesis with Confucianism and Taoism. He argues that early Western interpretations often mischaracterized Buddhism as atheistic or pessimistic, whereas the Sanskrit texts reveal a profound metaphysics centered on the Dharmakaya (Truth-body) and Noble Wisdom. The volume features extensive excerpts from the *Lankavatara Sutra* and the *Diamond Sutra*, exploring concepts such as Prajna (Wisdom), Karuna (Compassion), and the nature of the Tathagata. A significant portion is dedicated to the *Platform Sutra* of the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-Neng. Through dialogues and discourses, Hui-Neng challenges rigid meditation postures and dualistic thinking, asserting that enlightenment is an inherent realization of one's own mind-essence rather than an external attainment. The book concludes with the Patriarch's final teachings and death, emphasizing non-duality, the cessation of disputes, and the transmission of the Dharma through understanding rather than physical relics. Goddard's editorial notes clarify key Sanskrit terms and the psychological stages of the Bodhisattva path, making these profound teachings accessible and inspiring for spiritual guidance. The text defines essential terms like Dharma (Law/Truth), Dharmakaya (Truth-body), and Prajna (active Wisdom), distinguishing them from common misconceptions. It explains that the Tathagata is neither born nor destroyed, existing beyond the four propositions of being and non-being. The work highlights the unity of defilement and wisdom, teaching that the mind is by nature pure and requires no craving or giving up. Ultimately, the book presents Zen Buddhism as a practical, efficient rule of life capable of meeting the problems of a materialistic age, offering a path of mind-control, dispassionate rationality, and self-giving service.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Religion
• Philosophy