The Lankavatara Sutra is a prominent Mahayana Buddhist text. The present translation by Suzuki is a translation of Bunyu Nanjo’s Sanskrit edition published in 1923. The title roughly translates as ‘Entering into Lanka’. The Lankavatara Sutra draws upon the concepts and doctrines of Yogacara and Buddha-nature. It is notably an important sutra in Chan Buddhism and Japanese Zen.

Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki was a well known Buddhist scholar, known for his important publications on Zen Buddhism. He was a professor at Otani University, Japan. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963.