The Discourse on the All-Embracing Net of Views: The Brahmajāla Sutta and Its Commentaries

Pariyatti, Jan 12, 2025 - Philosophy - 408 pages

The All-Embracing Net of Views (The Brahmajāla Sutta), one of the Buddha's most important and profound discourses, weaves a net of sixty-two cases capturing all the speculative views on the self and the world.

This book contains an accurate and readable translation of this discourse, as well as of its massive commentary and the subcommentary, allowing for a close in-depth study of the work. It also contains translations of three commentarial treatises that throw valuable sidelights on rarely known aspects of Theravada Buddhism.

The long introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi is itself a modern philosophical commentary on the sutta. It elucidates the key points of the discourse and explains the place of the Brahmajala in the overall structure of Buddhist thought.

The Brahmajāla is more than merely the first item in a collection of discourses. It is the gateway to the entire Teaching of the Buddha itself. Its central message must be grasped to ensure a correct understanding of the Teaching.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• The Brahmajāla Sutta: 57
• The Commentarial Exegesis of the Brahmajāla Sutta: 99
• The Method of the Exegetical Treatises: 237
• A Treatise on the Pāramīs: 269
• The Meaning of the Word Tathāgata: 351
• A Summary of the Net of Views: 367
• Some Pāli Passages from the Subcommentaries: 371
• Index: 375
• About Pariyatti: 391

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Discourse on the All-Embracing Net of Views: The Brahmajāla Sutta and Its Commentaries
• Translated by: Bhikkhu Bodhi
• Publisher: Pariyatti, 2025
• ISBN: 1681727463, 9781681727462
• Length: 408 pages
• Subjects: Philosophy / Buddhist; Religion / Buddhism / General; Religion / Buddhism / Sacred Writings