Wisdom Beyond Words : The Buddhist Vision of Ultimate Reality

Contents: Editor\'s preface. General introduction: i. The perfection of wisdom tradition. The Heart Sutra: i. The Sutra. ii. Commentary. The Diamond Sutra: Introduction. The Sutra. 1. A strangely ordinary beginning. 2. The essential revolution. 3. The nature of giving. 4. How to recognize a Buddha. 5. The raft of the Dharma. 6. Insight with a capital. 7. Hallowed ground. 8. Stretching the mind to its limits. 9. A sense of the sublime. 10. The perfection of patience. 11. A breath of nonsense. 12. Cut down to size. 13. The reality of the Buddha. 14. Seeing through illusions. The Ratnaguna-Samcayagatha: Introduction: the Greater Mandala. The Sutra. 1. For heroic spirits intended. 2. The voice of the Buddha. 3. No wisdom can we get hold of. 4. A leap of faith. 5. The nature of the Bodhisattva. 6. The unfathomable individual. 7. Topsy-turvy views. 8. The facts of existence. Notes and references. Further reading. Index.

"It is all very well to expect Buddhism to be meaningful to where we are here and now--but where is here and when is now?

Ever since the Buddha\'s lifetime, people have been trying to express the ultimate meaning of Buddhism in a form that makes complete, rational sense.

The Prajnaparamita, or \'Perfection of Wisdom\', teachings offer a giddying counterbalance to this exercise, and a sophisticated slap in the face to anyone undertaking it.

Emerging two thousand years ago as the core-teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, texts such as the Ratnaguna-samcayagatha, the Diamond Sutra, and the Heart Sutra were to give new impetus to the ideal of the Bodhisattva: one whose entire energies are dedicated to the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of all beings. They are unique, extraordinary teachings, addressing the practical, everyday concerns of Buddhists, but in a way that can leave the rational mind spinning." (jacket)