In Elucidating the Intent, the Buddha gives a systematic overview of his three great cycles of teachings (tridharmacakra), explains what his intent was in each of these cycles, and declares this foundational third-cycle sutra to be a presentation of his definitive intent. In this sutra, through a series of dialogues, the Buddha offers a complete and systematic teaching on the Great Vehicle (Mahāyanā), elucidating many difficult points regarding the ultimate and relative truths, the nature of reality, and the contemplative methods conducive to the attainment of complete and perfect awakening.
This sutra, authoritative for all Mahāyāna traditions, and especially fundamental for the Yogācāra tradition, deals with the theory and practice of the entire bodhisattva path. Topics covered include: the secrets of mind (citta), thought (manas), and cognition (vijñāna); the practices of mental stillness (śamatha) and insight (vipaśyanā); as well as the uniquely third-cycle concepts of “subliminal cognition” (ālayavijñāna), and the three defining characteristics of phenomena: the imaginary defining characteristic (parikalpitalakṣaṇa), the other-dependent defining characteristic (paratantralakṣaṇa), and the actual defining characteristic (pariniṣpannalakṣaṇa).
Combining philological and philosophical accuracy in light of recent international scholarship, Gregory Forgues’s translation marks a significant advance over prior versions. This new rendering, with a brief introduction and extensive glossary, introduces a new generation of scholars and practitioners to its rich offerings.
This volume is part of the Treasury of the Buddhist Sciencesseries, copublished by the American Institute of Buddhist Studies (AIBS) and Wisdom Publications in association with the Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US. You can learn more about the series here.
About the Author
Dr. Gregory Forgues is Director of Research at the Tsadra Foundation, prior to which he served as a member of the Open Philology Project at the University of Leiden. He completed his doctorate at the University of Vienna and in 2024 published the monograph Radical Nonduality: Ju Mipham Namgyal Gyatso’s Discourse on Reality.
- Hardcover
- 256 pages, 6 x 9 inches
- ISBN 9781949163292