The Surangama Sutra

The Surangama Sutra has been held in great esteem in the Mahayana Buddhist countries of East and Southeast Asia for over a thousand years. Its appeal lies in the broad scope of its teachings and in the depth and clarity of its prescriptions for contemplative practice. Its wealth of theoretical and practical instruction in the spiritual life often made it the first major text to be studied by newly ordained monks, particularly in the Chan School. The new translation, prepared by members of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, is enhanced by excerpts from the commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (Xuanhua).


Reviews of the print version

A must for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the Buddhist teaching. --Huston Smith, author of The Worlds Religions and Why Religion Matters


When people ask about the Buddhas teachings on meditation, in addition to the core texts on the subject in the Pali Canon (the scriptures of the Southern School), I frequently cite the Surangama Sutra as being of inestimable value. It spells out certain aspects of the meditative process in uniquely clear and helpful ways. ...In particular I have employed the Sutra's teachings concerning the meditation on hearing as a central element of my spiritual training for more than twenty-five years.... This lucid, accessible and reliable translation of the Surangama Sutra, with its commentarial notes by the highly esteemed Master Hsuan Hua, will be a distinctive and precious addition to the bookshelves of not only those interested in Buddhist philosophy as an academic discipline but, more importantly, to those who wish to liberate their own hearts and minds for the benefit of themselves and all other living beings. --Ajahn Amaro Bhikkhu, co-abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery


The Buddhist Text Translation Society has given us a greatly improved rendering of one of the most important and profound Mahayana texts in the entire Buddhist Canon. During the past thousand years, the Surangama Sutra has been used perhaps more than any other single text in the transmission of the Dharma by Chinese and other East Asian masters. This eminently readable and clearly annotated English translation constitutes a significant contribution not only to the study but also to the practice of Buddhism in the West. --Bill Porter ( Red Pine ), translator of the works of Chinese poets and Buddhist masters, including The Collected Poems of Cold Mountain and The Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma