Perfect Wisdom: The Short Prajnaparamita Texts

For anyone with a genuine interest in the path to awakening this is a most worthwhile collection. However Edward Conze's style of translating, which values literalness over readability, takes some getting used to. And make no mistake, the texts presented here are dense and deep, requiring careful reading and much contemplation.I strongly recommend, as a first purchase, the wonderful 'A Treasury of Mahayana Sutras' edited by Garma C.C Chang. Here you will find a greater and more varied selection of sutras, which have been beautifully translated and make for more enjoyable reading. And indeed, all of the depth of the Prajnaparamita is here, yet the Ratnacuta sutras are more colourful, and easier to understand.Then again, if you are earnest in your seeking of awakening, you'll want to read both books.

Difficult read but worth it

It would take years to fully examine the contents of this book. It's scriptural richness is immense... however some might find it difficult to understand. I was very grateful to have found this book, and a book called 'Buddhist Yoga' (Cleary) which is a good translation of the Sandhinirmocana Sutra. Together these two books are a very valuable collection of the finest of the Sakyamuni Buddha's remnants.

good book

Dr. Conze has collected a large number of short versions of the Prajnaparamita texts. They are informative and valuable especially regarding what Buddhists refer to as Emptiness. Indeed, the Tibetan Buddhists in addition to various Vajrayana texts, often cite and recommend the Prajnaparamita literature which is vast. This literature includes the famous Heart Sutra (which is actually about one page long!). I gave this particular book 4 stars because I've also read the intermediate length version (8000 lines) which is far better. I own (but haven't read yet) the large version (I think its 25,000 lines). There are even larger ones that Dr. Conze hasn't done too. Nevertheless, it might be best to read the short ones first to get a taste for the literature and then move on to the 8000 lines version (probably the one most referenced other than, perhaps, the Heart Sutra itself). Good reading!

The Prajnaparamita sutras are exceptionally profound Mahayana Buddhist texts that are by no means easy to understand. In attempting to read them it soon becomes apparent that the author or authors of these texts were scholastics thoroughly schooled in the intricacies of Indian Buddhist thought.It also becomes clear that they must have been spiritual aristocrats, persons who had in fact achieved Enlightenment and who, though scholars, were writing from the point-of-view of the Enlightened. Given this, these texts present us with certain problems.Edward Conze (1904-1979) has been called "the foremost Western scholar of the Prajnaparamita literature" and it seems to me that he has in his various works (such as, for example, his  Buddhist Wisdom Books  and to a lesser extent in the present book) gone as far as it is possible for a scholar to go in explaining these difficult sutras to a modern audience. I also feel that his many translations of the Prajnaparamita far surpass most others in their clarity and beauty.

Very good copy, new. Arrived in very good time, well wrapped.Excellent translation.