..續本文上一頁s and, in places very obscure. The purpose of the present Versions is to provide an easier and more inspiring reading. For scholarly study students are expected to refer to the more precise translations of linguists.

　　The rules that have been followed in preparing these Versions are as follows:

　　To omit all matter not bearing directly upon the theme of the Sutra.

　　To arrange into a more orderly sequence.

　　To interweave and condense cognate teachings.

　　To interpret obscure words and teachings.

　　p. 12

　　The need. for this course will be apparent to any earnest minded person who goes to the Scripture for spiritual guidance, inspiration and comfort.

　　In the Sutras there are certain Sanskrit words that are of great importance to the understanding of the teaching that are difficult to translate in single words. It seems advisable to speak about them at this time.

　　DHARMA: Law, Truth. Specifically Dharma has come to be used for the Buddha”s teaching as a whole, and also as Truth in its universal aspect.

　　DHARMAKAYA: Truth-body, Truth-principle, Truth-essence. It is used synonymously with such terms as: Buddhahood, Tathagatahood, Nirvana, Noble Wisdom, Universal or Divine Mind, to refer to Ultimate Reality as being universal, undifferentiated, harmonious, inscrutable.

　　BUDDHA: The Perfectly Enlightened One; the One who has fully attained the goal of spiritual unification.

　　TATHAGATA: The One who has "thus come." It is used synonymously with Buddha to express the highest personification of Reality. The two terms may be differentiated in the sense that Buddha is the "ingoing" aspect of spiritual attainment, while Tathagata is the "forth-going" aspect of spiritual self-giving and service, both being manifestations of Dharmakaya.

　　p. 13

　　PRAJNA: the active aspect of Dharmakaya; Ultimate Principle of unified Love and Wisdom. It is commonly translated Wisdom but it means far more than that as it includes both the differentiating principle of intellection and the integrating principle of Love. In significance it resembles the Chinese Tao.

　　ARYA-PRAJNA: Noble Wisdom, synonymous with all other terms denoting Ultimate Reality.

　　TATHAGATA-GARBHA: The Womb from which emerge all manifestations and all inpiduations. It is used synonymously with Universal or Divine Mind. Dharmakaya refers to the universal, or pure essence, or "such-ness" of Reality, in contrast to the transformations of the Tathagata.

　　ALAYA-VIJNANA: Universal, or Divine Mind, or all-conserving Mind. It is used synonymously with Tathagata-garbha and Noble Wisdom.

　　ARYA-JNANA: that which transcends knowledge, or Transcendental Intelligence. It is used synonymously with Arya-prajna, but signifies the realisation-aspect of Noble Wisdom.

　　BODHI: is the wisdom content of Prajna.

　　KARUNA: is the love or compassion content of Prajna.

　　JNANA: is the knowledge, or cognition, or thinking content of Prajna.

　　p. 14

　　MANAS: the intuitive mind; the connecting link between Universal Mind and the inpidual, or conscious, or discriminating, mind.

　　MANO-VIJNANA: the conscious, perceiving, discriminating, thinking, intellectual, mind.

　　VIJNANA: the principle of discrimination; the sense-minds.

　　CITTA: mind in general.

　　DWIGHT GODDARD.

　　Thetford, Vermont, U. S. A.

　　1932.

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