Mahayana-sutra-alamkara-karika


Mahāyāna Sūtrālamkāra kārikā is a major work of Buddhist philosophy attributed to Maitreya-nātha as dictated to Asanga. The text, written in verse, presents the Mahayana path from the Yogacara perspective. It comprises twenty-two chapters with a total of 800 verses and shows considerable similarity in arrangement and content to the Bodhisattvabhūmiśāstra, although the interesting first chapter proving the validity and authenticity of Mahāyāna is unique to this work. Associated with it is a prose commentary by Vasubandhu and several sub-commentaries by Sthiramati and others; the portions by Maitreya-nātha and Vasubandhu both survive in Sanskrit as well as Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian translations.

In English translation

The Mahayanasutralamkara has been translated into English three times.
  1. In 2004 by Lobsang Jamspal, Robert Thurman and the American Institute of Buddhist Studies translation committee.
  2. In 2014 as The Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee,in particular Thomas Doctor. This includes Mipham Rinpoche's commentary as well as Khenpo Shenga's annotations.
  3. In 2018 as The Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicles by the Padmakara Translation Group. It includes the commentary of Mipham Rinpoche as well as extensive footnotes.