The Shurangama Sutra with Commentary, Vol. 2

For over a thousand years, the Surangama Sutra has been held in great esteem in the Mahayana Buddhist countries of East and Southeast Asia and has been as popular as the Lotus, Heart and Diamond Sutras. 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 Sutra has been regarded as a complete and practical manual for spiritual practice that will lead to enlightenment. It gives instruction in the correct understanding of the Buddha-nature, which is the potential within all beings for becoming a Buddha. The Sutra explains how and why this true nature is hidden and how we can uncover this nature and recognize that it is our own true mind. The Sutra also explains that personal integrity and purity of conduct are prerequisites for spiritual awakening. It presents the principles of meditation, and provides guidelines for discerning what practices are correct a