The Maitreya Bodhisattva Sutra is a late 7th century CE text, and is especially significant because it addresses the problems of our time: the first 500 years of the Dharma-declining period which will last 10,000 years, according to the Buddha. In response to questions of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha specifically offers the proper steps to be taken and the pitfalls to be avoided in order to obtain peace on earth, and ultimate liberation/Enlightenment. The Buddha also addresses the basic issues of desire, ego, greed, jealousy and ignorance, as well as pitfalls such as indulging in marketplace activities, worldly benefits, improper speech, etc. Buddha particularly emphasizes that cultivators (seeker) must not find and expose other�s faults and shortcomings. They should focus on their own cultivation. This sutra is an extraordinary guide for those who are on the Bodhi path, instructing them how to conduct themselves properly in order to obtain Enlightenment. It is vitally important, because as far as we know, there is no known other English translation of this text. It was translated from Pali into Chinese by Bodhiruci (A.D. 693-713), a monk from Southern India. The current English version was translated from the Chinese version published by the Amida Society in June, 2000. Maitreya Bodhisattva's Inquiry Sutra: The Coming Buddha: The Revelation of the Extraordinary Ways of Bodhi Path Cultivation for Bodhisattvas, Tze-si Huang, Fons Vitae, 128 pp, $22.95
Tze-si Huang is a professional writer and translator and native Chinese. He was born in Chungking, the youngest of 10 children. After facing and overcoming the trials of both survival and becoming educated, recorded in his Journey to the Unknown (Fons Vitae, 2014),he eventually immigrated to the USA. He attended New York University and Columbia University for post graduate studies. In 1975, he met his wife, the renowned children's book author and illustrator, Demi. In the United States he worked as a financial analyst and manager in several companies while continuing to pursue his love of writing and translating from his native Chinese into English. His award winning title, The Master of Zen: Extraordinary Teachings from Hui Neng's Altar Sutra, is an example of his excellent work. In 1990, both Tze-si Huang and his wife Demi, represented the United States at the First Children's International Book Conference in Beijing.
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