Alex Wayman - 1977 - Yoga of the Guhyasamaja Tantra - The Arcane Lore of Forty Verses (400p).pdf

Alex Wayman - 1977 - Yoga of the Guhyasamaja Tantra - The Arcane Lore of Forty Verses (400p).pdf

Series: Buddhist Tradition Series
Hardcover: 388 pages
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Pub (March 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 812080872X
ISBN-13: 978-8120808720

Alex Wayman has done a great service to both the academic world and to those of us interested in root documents of buddhist traditions. If you are looking for a complete translation of the Guhyasamaja Tantra, this is not it. Wayman has translated the 40 nidana verses, as well as chapters 6 and 12 of the root tantra, (which he considers the most important in terms of existing commentary on the tantra), along with Candrakirti's Pradipoddyotana commentary on these two chapters. Additionally, Wayman provides us with brief excerpts from all other chapters of the Guhyasamaja, with the exception of chapter 14 (unless I missed it), portion's of (the tantric) Nagarjuna's Pancakrama, and additional relevent quotations from various other as yet untranslated scripture and commentaries. He does all this in a very scholarly manner, using this work to discuss the ideas presented in chapters 6 and 12, as well as the 40 nidana

Alex Wayman is by far and away one of the great towering edifices of Western Mahayana Buddhist scholarship, whose works have covered the ground all the way from sutra/shastra up to the highest Mahayoga Tantra

Alex Wayman became Professor of Sanskrit at Columbia University in 1967 and has the title professor Emeritus of Sanskrit, effective July 1991. Among his awards are the honorary D.Litt at Nalanda University, India.