Paul L. Swanson

In Search of Clarity

Essays on Translation and Tiantai Buddhism

In Search of Clarity is a collection of essays, written over a period of more than thirty years, on the Chinese Buddhism of Tiantai Zhiyi and the challenge of translating Chinese Buddhist texts into English. It is meant as a supplementary collection to the author’s recent publication Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight (2018), a 3-volume annotated translation and study of the Mohe zhiguan 『 摩訶止観 』, one of the most influential texts of Chinese Buddhism. This text, and the teachings and practices expounded therein, were of crucial importance for the later development of Buddhist traditions such as that of Chan/Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren Buddhism. The collection also contains essays on the art of translation, a Buddhist take on consciousness and free will, and speculations on the wall-contemplation of Bodhidharma.

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