Review
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"I am delighted that Karl Brunnhölzl’s new
translation of Asanga’s Mahāyānasamgraha and its Indian and
Tibetan commentaries is being published. An important text in the
Sanskrit Yogācāra tradition, the Mahāyānasamgraha and several of
its commentaries were translated into Tibetan. However, it never
gained as prominent a position in the Tibetan tradition as it had
held in Sanskrit or in the Chinese Buddhist tradition. For this
reason, this translation, which contains resources from the
Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese traditions, is especially helpful.
The inclusion of Chinese materials is particularly valuable as it
was in China that the text spread most widely and had the
greatest influence. I am delighted that it is now available for
students to study and contemplate in English." —Khenchen Thrangu
Rinpoche, author of Luminous Clarity
"Mitra Karl Brunnhölzl has devoted many years to the study and
practice of a broad spectrum of Buddhist topics and practices.
Additionally, Karl has studied extensively under my teacher, the
renowned yogi-scholar Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, making
him duly qualified to offer this groundbreaking study on the
topic of Yogācāra. This complete translation of
Asanga’s Mahāyānasamgraha, the first of its kind in the English
language, along with a number of its commentaries translated for
the first time into any modern language, will be of genuine
benefit for practitioners and scholars alike. I am grateful to
Karl for this monumental undertaking." —Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche,
author of Rebel Buddha
"It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of this massive
work to the study of Indian Yogācāra Buddhism. Karl Brunnhölzl
not only provides reliable translations of
the Mahāyānasamgraha and its major commentaries, a long-standing
desideratum in the field, he also offers twenty substantive
appendices that illuminate difficult issues in Yogācāra theory,
such as the ālayavijñāna and its (bīja), the concept of
mere cognizance (vijñaptimātra), and evolving s of the
Three Natures. Even more important is the sustained argument,
based on this thorough study of the relevant textual sources,
that classical Yogācāra did not postulate mind or consciousness
as a truly existing entity, but rather used its critical analyzes
of cognitive construction to explain how delusion arises and is
then remedied on the path to awakening. This study thus provides
a historically contextualized interpretation of Yogācāra that
challenges the largely ahistorical doxographical models—the
‘received tradition’ accepted in India, Tibet, and most Western
circles—that have long characterized Yogācāra as a form of
metaphysical idealism. This work could hardly be more timely. We
must applaud Karl Brunnhölzl for once again offering students of
mahāyāna Buddhist thought a treasure trove of crucial texts,
cogent interpretations, and focused appendices." —William S.
Waldron, Professor of Religion, Middlebury College
"Brunnhölzl’s A Compendium of the Mahāyāna is a remarkable
achievement. More than a splendid translation of
the Mahāyānasamgraha along with its commentaries and numerous
related texts, these volumes serve as a detailed and
comprehensive primer on mahāyāna theory and practice, especially
as viewed by Yogācāra, one of the two Indian mahāyāna schools. It
is clearly written so that it is accessible to serious novices
and practitioners, and rich in details that will satisfy and
instruct scholars. The Mahāyānasamgraha has been influential in
India, East Asia, and Tibet, and now its treasures along with the
contexts that help unlock its depths are available in an English
edition that will remain the standard work for many years to
come." —Dan Lusthaus, Research Associate, Harvard University
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About the Author
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ASANGA (fourth century C.E.) is recognized as a
preeminent luminary of the Buddhist mahayana tradition and one of
its greatest philosophical innovators. He is credited with having
authored the main texts of the Yogacara canon, which exerted an
immense influence not only in the Indian subcontinent but also
throughout most of Central and East Asia.
KARL BRUNNHÖLZL was trained as a physician and presently works as
a Tibetan translator and Buddhist teacher. He studied Tibetology,
Buddhology, and Sanskrit at Hamburg University and Tibetan
language and Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Marpa
Institute for Translators in Kathmandu. Currently he works as a
translator and interpreter for Nalandabodhi and the Nitartha
Institute. He is the author and translator of over 10 volumes on
Buddhist philosophy.
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