Acknowledgements

Our translation work on the first edition of this volume was first launched in the spring of 1980. Our hope was that the final result would be a text readily understandable to English readers. Since then the work has often been interrupted by other commitments. During these years we have been indebted to the assistance of a number of people. Among them, Dr. Gregory Shopen and Dr. Terry Abbott joined the first stage of our project and gave of their time selflessly. In the course of our revisions, Dr. James Hubbard spared no pains in going through the entire English text. We are grateful to him not only for his correction of our English but also for the suggestions stemming from his excellent knowledge of Buddhist Chinese.

In the very final stages, we decided to rapidly review the translation by once again comparing the Chinese with the Sanskrit versions. In this process we were assisted by Ms. Kiko Thiel and Dr. James Raeside, who helped us with nuances and shades of meaning in their native languages. We must also thank Mr. S. Kawabata and Mr. T. Torii, who was, throughout, unsparing in his efforts to guide the project to a conclusion. Last but not least, our heartfelt gratitude goes to the staff members of the International Institute for Buddhist Studies and the International Department of the Reiyukai for their untiring assistance.

We feel pleased and honored that our translation has been adopted in this series, and we believe this must indicate that the philosophy underlying our translation matches the goals of the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai) and its English Tripiṭaka Series.