Elucidating the Intent

“Following upon the ground-breaking Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, the Samdhinirmocana explicates the aim or “intent” of emptiness in its classic paradigm of the three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma. The influence of this sutra can hardly be overstated. Nor can the quality of this work of scholarship. [It] reflects painstaking textual analysis, and offers meticulous translations into clear, contemporary English. This is a deep, and challenging, dive into the implicit “intention” of the Buddha’s teachings, one that repays repeated and sustained immersion. I cannot recommend this text too highly.“–William Waldron, Middlebury College
“Gregory Forgues has done what seemed, if not impossible, at least extremely challenging: he has produced a highly readable yet at the same time philologically responsible rendering of a famously difficult text, the Samdhinirmocana. Cast as a scripture, the work’s character is rather that of a philosophical treatise. Preceded by a lucid and thoughtful introduction, Forgues’s new translation, amply annotated, makes the text accessible as never before. It must be warmly welcomed!”–Jonathan Silk, Leiden University
“The Samdhinirmocana Sutra is a very important sutra. I believe that translating such texts is similar to explaining them. I would have sutras like the Samdhinirmocana translated by someone who really venerates and has genuine admiration for the teachings of the Buddha, not only through feelings, but with an analytical mind and attitude. I have known Greg for a long time. I believe that in the process of translating this sutra, he has worked with a lot of good intention, if not bodhicitta. And that, in today’s time, is a priceless thing. I hope that this text will be read and that readers will gain some understanding and appreciate the infinite, ocean-like teachings of the Buddha, and that they will benefit countless sentient beings.”–Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Dr. Gregory Forgues is Director of Research at the Tsadra Foundation. Prior to this role, he was 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.

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