Wu · Source text translated by 支謙
297 · about 1 min
The Sutra on Not Guarding the Mind Spoken by the Buddha is a Buddhist scripture translated during the Three Kingdoms period by the translator Zhi Qian of the state of Wu. Zhi Qian was one of the important early translators in Chinese Buddhism, and his translations profoundly influenced the spread of Buddhism in China. This sutra primarily explains how practitioners should guard their minds, avoid distraction and negligence, and emphasizes attaining a state where the mind is not swayed by external conditions through the cultivation of right mindfulness. It contains the Buddha's teachings on subduing mental formations and cultivating right knowledge and right view, serving as an important early text on meditation theory. As a representative work among the early Chinese Buddhist translations, this sutra provides valuable material for studying the development of Buddhist thought in China and holds significant instructional meaning within the Buddhist practice system.