In The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal, a vast number of bodhisattvas request the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach them about his state of meditative absorption. In his responses to various interlocutors, including the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and Maitreya, the Buddha expounds on this profound state, exhorting them to accomplish it themselves. The sūtra also describes the qualities of bodhisattvas and their stages of development.
This sūtra was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Joseph McClellan produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor compared the draft translation with the Tibetan, and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal is a sūtra significant in the canon of the Great Vehicle for its rich description of the highest levels of Buddhist absorption, as well as for its unique discussion of the stages of a bodhisattva’s journey and the qualities that pertain to them.
It is a scripture that appears to have enjoyed a measure of sustained popularity in Asia. Of the three Chinese translations1 the earliest was completed by the translator Zhi Qian sometime between 223 and 253
Nevertheless, to our knowledge this scripture has until now remained unexplored by modern scholars, and no translation of the text has been made since the Tibetan translation was produced in the early ninth century. There is no extant Sanskrit manuscript and, while a comparison with the Chinese translations remains a desirable future goal, our translation is based entirely on the Tibetan source texts, the Tibetan Degé block print with reference to the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript.
The sūtra is one of eleven sūtras in the Kangyur with titles including the term “The Absorption of…” (Sanskrit samādhi, Tibetan ting nge ’dzin). In the Degé Kangyur and other Kangyurs of the Tshalpa (tshal pa) lineage these texts are grouped together, and although that might seem to suggest that they could be construed as forming an unofficial subgenre of sūtra literature, the sharing of a common term in the title is simply one of several organizing principles used to order the titles in these Kangyurs without implying that the common term in question necessarily constitutes a common theme as such.4 Indeed, the significance of the term “absorption” or samādhi clearly varies from sūtra to sūtra within this group of texts. For example, in the famous King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhirājasūtra, Toh 127),5 samādhi does not appear to refer to an altered state of mind, or to meditative absorption. Instead, the term is used to encapsulate a whole range of practices and qualities that the sūtra presents in a detailed list, with no explicit mention of states of deep meditative concentration. Nevertheless, in most other sūtras within this group of texts,6 the term seems to lean more toward referring to specific meditative states to be accessed and accomplished.7
It is in that respect that the current sūtra resembles some of these other works, describing as it does a particular meditative absorption that the rest of the title qualifies as “the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.” Here, thus-gone one (Skt. tathāgatha) is a common epithet of a fully awakened being. We have translated this term from the Tibetan de bzhin gshegs pa, “one who has thus gone,” whereas the Chinese equivalent, ru lai, reads closer to “thus-come one.” The final term, wisdom seal (Skt. jñānamudrā), qualifies the absorption in which the thus-gone one dwells. Seal (Skt. mudrā) has a rich and varied usage in Buddhist literature. Generally, it refers to a stamp or brand, like a royal seal that is used to mark property. Since the thus-gone one’s absorption is infinite and unimpeded, all of reality falls into its domain. Thus, all of reality is subsumed in, or sealed by, the wisdom actualized in this absorption.
Like many Great Vehicle sūtras, The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal situates ancient India and Buddha Śākyamuni in a much larger, cosmic context. The opening scene takes place in the famous Veṇuvana (Bamboo Grove) monastic compound, near Rājagṛha, the capital of the former kingdom of Magadha (present-day Bihar). Here the Buddha is dwelling with a vast retinue of monks and bodhisattvas when he enters into an exalted state of absorption called the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, indescribable except in ways that suggest its sheer ineffability: it is “formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent.”
The power of this state of absorption affects the entire trichiliocosm, inspiring buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in faraway realms to intensify their spiritual activity. Cosmic buddhas exhort their innumerable bodhisattva disciples to seize the opportunity to go to the Veṇuvana and learn about this absorption, which will be the culmination of their training. Accordingly, the bodhisattvas magically travel there, eager to receive teachings about this exalted state. Countless gods and nonhuman beings, hearers, and monks join them in their quest. When they arrive, however, the Buddha is nowhere to be seen, as their perceptions are not attuned to the state in which he is absorbed. In dismay, the assembly, led by a group of close disciples including Mahāmaudgalyāyana and Subhūti, turns to the great bodhisattva Mañjuśrī for advice on how to communicate with the Buddha. He simply tells them to look inward: they will find the Buddha within their own absorptions.
Thus, a line of communication is established with the Buddha, who now begins to teach them about this absorption, which is the hallmark of all thus-gone ones. The teaching follows an extensive apophatic methodology, in which the Buddha negates any proposition that may be made about this most profound state of absorption: “This absorption is formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent. It is beyond knowledge and not an object of knowledge.” Upon concluding his teaching about the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, all those in attendance purify negative karma accumulated over innumerable eons and ensure that their progress to unsurpassed and perfect awakening is irreversible.
The discourse then shifts, and the Buddha addresses Maitreya, explaining seven ways in which bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening. He also lists two sets of five qualities that characterize a nonregressing bodhisattva, as well as five that mark an incorrigible, flawed individual on the bodhisattva path. To illustrate the exemplary bodhisattva, the Buddha recounts a past-life memory of the deeds of a great king named Puṇyodgata, who was a devotee of the buddha Śaśiketu.
Following this discourse, countless female devotees, led by one of the queens of King Bimbisāra and one of his daughters, promise their service to the Dharma in all subsequent lives. This delights the Buddha, who beams a smile at them. The women, captivated, eloquently enjoin the Buddha to give them a teaching about the causes, qualities, and implications of his smile. In response, the Buddha recounts more past-life memories, this time about the noble deeds of an ancient ruler named Puṇyaraśmi, who was an exemplary guardian of the Dharma. The Buddha also describes the degenerate age, in which the influence of the Dharma will wane. During this time, he explains, it will be especially important for those who follow him to train in the sūtra of The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal, and to master the absorption it describes. The Buddha then highlights differences between bodhisattvas based on whether they have aroused the mind of awakening and the roots of virtue in the presence of hundreds, of thousands, or of millions of buddhas. In short, the latter have the greatest resolve to traverse the path and are least susceptible to any kind of regression. However, they will still suffer. The sūtra explains that whatever negative karma remains for these bodhisattvas will be purified through instances of ordinary human misfortune: they will be criticized, they will suffer bouts of depression, they will be born into dysfunctional families, they will face adverse economic conditions, and so forth. Bodhisattvas of the highest order will bear these pains and persevere on the path; others will falter.
Toward the end of the sūtra, the Buddha addresses Mañjuśrī, Maitreya, and an assembly of distinguished disciples who ask him to explain the meaning of the term Dharma itself. Thus begins a long synonymic chain of significant Buddhist terms: inexhaustible, unborn, uninterrupted, uncollected, ungraspable, nonabiding, and groundless, until the final term nirvāṇa. This list echoes the terms used earlier in the sūtra to describe the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. Given this definition of the Dharma, the disciples wonder how they should act as its protectors. The Buddha explains that if they indeed realize the meaning of what he has taught them, “ultimately we find nothing at all—no Dharma and no conflict with the Dharma.” Then, in a set of philosophically rich verses, he instructs them further in the ultimate truth, beyond concepts and characteristics. The sūtra concludes with another exhortation to the gathered assembly to accomplish the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.
Thus did I hear at one time: The Blessed One was in the Kalandakanivāpa, at the Veṇuvana near Rājagṛha. He was there together with a great saṅgha of twelve hundred fifty monks, and with three hundred million bodhisattvas, all of whom had attained dhāraṇī, unobstructed eloquence, and mastery over absorption. They dwelled in the absorption of emptiness, their domain was free of marks, their aspiration was uncontrived, they dwelled in the absence of wishes, and their conduct was natural. They had attained the dhāraṇīs that accomplish limitless gateways. They had attained acceptance regarding sameness, they had attained sameness, and they had attained unobstructed dhāraṇī. They knew the higher or lower capacities of all beings[F.231.a] and had precise knowledge of beings’ thoughts and actions.
At that time, the Blessed One settled into the absorption that is the blessing of the thus-gone one, that enters the domain of all the buddhas. This absorption is formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent. It is beyond knowledge and not an object of knowledge. It is free from mentation, mind, and consciousness. It is rootless, unsupported, and beyond observation. It is an incomparable, unequaled, and matchless state. It has no notion of “mine,” is free from grasping, is free from anything to avoid, and is uncreated. It never went and never came. It does not go and does not stay. It is without interruption, baseless, and without marks. It is free of all marks. It is beyond accepting and rejecting. It is uncompounded and beyond any accumulation. It is beyond assembling and beyond separating. It is without mind and free from mind. It is unoriginated, beginningless, unestablished, nonarising, and totally nonoccurring. It is utterly beyond movement, perfectly without movement, totally empty, beyond association, and without superimpositions regarding any phenomenon. It is a dhāraṇī gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas. It is known as the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.
As soon as he settled into that absorption, neither the Blessed One’s body nor the characteristics of his body appeared; neither his mind nor the characteristics of his mind appeared; neither his robes nor the characteristics of his robes appeared; neither his cushion nor the characteristics of his cushion appeared; neither his sleeping nor the characteristics of his sleeping appeared; neither his walking nor the characteristics of his walking appeared; neither his rising nor the characteristics of his rising appeared; neither his remaining nor the characteristics of his remaining appeared; neither his shadow nor the characteristics of his shadow appeared; neither his sitting nor the characteristics of his sitting appeared; and neither his sounds nor the characteristics of his sounds appeared.
At that point, through the power of this absorption,[F.231.b] and through the blessings of the Buddha, a bright light filled the entire trichiliocosm. So bright was this light that everywhere in the trichiliocosm the moonlight was outshone, as was the sunlight and the light of stars, fire, jewels, and lightning. The radiance of gandharvas, kinnaras, gods of the realms of desire and form, constellations, and divine palaces was outshone. So too were that of Śakra, Brahmā, and the protectors of the worlds.
Through the Buddha’s blessings and the power of his absorption, some of the gods could no longer smell their divine fragrances, and the whole trichiliocosm was suffused by an aroma sweeter than any other scent that completely transcended the fragrances of the gods. All the dark spaces between the worlds were brought into the light, as were the major and minor mountain ranges that surround the worlds. Mount Meru and all the other principal mountains like it were illuminated, as were the Black Peaks. Subsequently, however, they did not appear to the eye faculties of sentient beings.
The entire trichiliocosm was encompassed in a net of jewels. The entire Sahā buddha realm was decorated with silk hangings, suffused with frankincense, and strewn with a variety of flowers. Through the power of the Buddha, the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, along with Vulture Peak Mountain, became as level as the palm of a hand and were saturated with the delicious and captivating scent of a giant hundred-thousand-petaled lotus flower composed of various jewels the size of chariot-wheels. From the sky, a lattice-like jeweled canopy appeared, which covered and adorned everything. All of Magadha became soft to the touch, like kācilindika cloth.
Then in the east, in as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, the individual blessed buddhas exhorted a limitless, innumerable, and immeasurable number of hundreds of thousands of bodhisattva great beings who were just one life away from unexcelled and perfect awakening,[F.232.a] “Sons of noble family, you should go into the Sahā world. That is where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni presently resides. He lives there and teaches the Dharma. Now he has settled into the absorption that is a dhāraṇī gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas known as the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. Sons of noble family, even engaging in the six perfections for a hundred thousand eons, but without skillful means, bears no comparison to the esteem bodhisattvas will feel merely hearing about this absorption. Therefore, go and hear about this absorption.”
The bodhisattva great beings listened accordingly to the respective thus-gone ones and paid these blessed ones homage. Then, in an instant, they all disappeared from those buddha realms and, by giving rise to their magical powers of superknowledge, they came to the Sahā world, to the four central continents, to the continent of Jambudvīpa, to the town of Rājagṛha, to the Veṇuvana, and into the Kalandakanivāpa, where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni was. Upon arriving, they bowed their heads to the feet of the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni. They then circled the Blessed One three times and stood to one side. The Blessed One welcomed them and they took their places cross-legged upon a great lotus composed of various jewels.
The same thing happened in the south, west, north, below, above,[F.232.b]—throughout the cardinal and intermediate directions, and everywhere in between. In all the ten directions, in as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, individual blessed buddhas exhorted a limitless, innumerable, and immeasurable number of hundreds of thousands of bodhisattva great beings who were just one life away from unexcelled and perfect awakening, “Sons of noble family, you should go into the Sahā world. That is where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni presently resides. He lives there and teaches the Dharma. Now he has settled into the absorption that is a dhāraṇī gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas, known as the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. Sons of noble family, even engaging in the six perfections for a hundred thousand eons, but without skillful means, bears no comparison to the esteem bodhisattvas will feel merely hearing about this absorption. Therefore, go and hear about this absorption.”
The bodhisattva great beings listened accordingly to the respective thus-gone ones and paid these blessed ones homage. Then, in an instant, they all disappeared from those buddha realms and, by giving rise to their magical powers of superknowledge, they came to the Sahā world, to the four central continents, to the continent of Jambudvīpa, to the town of Rājagṛha, to the Veṇuvana, and into the Kalandakanivāpa, where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni was. Upon arriving, they bowed their heads to the feet of the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni. They then circled the Blessed One three times and stood to one side. The Blessed One welcomed them and they took their places cross-legged upon a great lotus composed of various jewels.[F.233.a]
Throughout this great trichiliocosm, all the monks—whether engaged with the vehicle of the hearers, the vehicle of the solitary buddhas, or the bodhisattva vehicle—each in their own individual realms, stirred and, through the blessings and power of the Buddha, they all came to Vulture Peak Mountain, where the Blessed One resided. Upon arriving, they could not see the Blessed One anywhere. Not seeing him, they joined their palms and paid homage to him.
Through the radiance of the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, instantly, in that very moment, eight hundred million bodhisattvas gathered at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where they sat down in the Blessed One’s retinue. Three hundred thousand hearers also gathered together and took their seats. Within this great trichiliocosm, many other beings arrived at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where the Blessed One was. They included Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, Maheśvara, the gods of the pure realms, all gods including their lords, all nāgas and their lords, all yakṣas and their lords, all gandharvas and their lords, all asuras and their lords, all garuḍas and their lords, all kinnaras and their lords, all mahoragas and their lords, as well as all suparṇis and their lords. Each of these groups also brought with them many quadrillions of servants. As they arrived at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where the Blessed One was, no one could see the Blessed One anywhere. Not seeing him, they joined their palms and paid homage to him.[F.233.b]
At that time the powerful and eminent bodhisattva great beings, hearers, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, monks, nuns, and male and female lay practitioners were all assembled. No place was left unfilled in this great trichiliocosm, from the peak of existence on down. Not even the space for the tip of a hair was left unfilled.
Then the elder Śāradvatīputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, the elder Kauṣṭhila, Mahākātyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, the venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, and the elder Subhūti—all those great hearers—turned to the youthful Mañjuśrī and asked, “Mañjuśrī, where is the Thus-Gone One right now? What does his body look like? How is he present?”
The youthful Mañjuśrī replied to the great hearers, “Venerable ones, you are great hearers, and you possess insight and miraculous abilities. You are powerful and mighty, you have mastered the absorptions of the erudite, and you have long observed pure conduct. Venerable ones, you should enter your own absorptions and search for the Thus-Gone One’s body and his presence. You should strive to discover where the Thus-Gone One’s body is, what his body is like, and how he is present.”
Thereupon the hearers settled into their own absorptions and investigated this entire trichiliocosm. They looked, but they still could not see the Thus-Gone One’s body,[F.234.a] nor could they see his presence. Then, when the great hearers did not see the Thus-Gone One’s body nor his presence upon completely investigating the trichiliocosm, they arose from their respective absorptions and addressed the youthful Mañjuśrī as follows: “Mañjuśrī, we fail to see the Thus-Gone One’s body or his presence.”
Mañjuśrī replied to the great hearers, “Then all you venerable great hearers must silently join your palms and one-pointedly hold the Thus-Gone One in your mind for a moment. Do this, and you will see his body and witness his presence.”
Just then, the Blessed One, who was aware and cognizant of this, emerged from his absorption. As soon as the Blessed One emerged from his absorption, the entire trichiliocosm shook in six ways, with eighteen signs: it quivered, trembled, and quaked; it wobbled, rocked, and swayed; it vibrated, shuddered, and reeled; it rattled, shook, and convulsed; it clattered, rattled, and clanged; and it boomed, thundered, and roared. The world became exceedingly brilliant, open, and vivid.
As an offering to the Blessed One, a rain of divine flowers fell to the accompaniment of divine cymbals and song. At that point venerable Śāradvatīputra arose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and asked,[F.234.b] “Blessed One, in what kind of absorption did you abide so that even the eye of insight of the great hearers was unable to see the Thus-Gone One’s body? Blessed One, what is the Thus-Gone One’s presence like?”
The Blessed One replied to venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, this absorption is not a stage of the hearers or solitary buddhas. Śāradvatīputra, it is on the level of the thus-gone ones. This magical display and miracle of the buddhas is inconceivable. Nevertheless, Śāradvatīputra, listen well and keep this in mind. I will now teach you a little bit about the body of the Thus-Gone One.”
“Very well, Blessed One!” Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, and he listened as the Blessed One had instructed.
Then the Blessed One explained to him, “Śāradvatīputra, the true body of the Thus-Gone One transcends any view, like the sky. It is incorporeal, uncreated, unborn, and unceasing. It is nonoccurring, truly nonoccurring, and utterly nonoccurring. It is unobtained, unimputed, nonengaging, unestablished, boundless, and limitless. It is peaceful, placid, and absolutely serene. It is nonabiding, nonarising, ineffable, beyond mind, and beyond origination. It is unmoving, utterly unmoving, and free of movement. It is totally pure. It is nothing whatsoever and exists in no way. It is beyond appropriation and acceptance. It is without motion, without activity, and without support. It is unborn, unarisen, without action, and without ripening. It is unseen, unheard, uncognized, detached, not bound, and not released. It does not exist. It is not recalled, not held, not experienced, and not seen.[F.235.a] It is beyond cognition, is not an object of cognition, and is characterized by absence of cognition.
“It is without mind. It is unfathomable and unimaginable. It is not mind. It is devoid of mind. It possesses the mind of sameness. Nothing is the same as it, and it cannot be comprehended by any act of mind. It has not gone anywhere, does not go anywhere, is without going, and has eliminated any going. It is uninterrupted, immeasurable, uninterruptible, boundless, unobservable, and marvelous. It has no substance and is no substance. It is insubstantial. It is not a distinction and has no distinctions. It is nonarising, truly nonarising, unshakable, nondiscursive, nonconceptual, beginningless, unestablished, and wholly unestablished. It is not accomplished, without pervasion, and motionless. It is not clear, not tangible, and not a thing to be desired. It has no light and does not appear. It is not apprehended and has no appearance. It is without darkness, is not darkness, and is free of darkness. It is not lucidity. It is without abode and free of abode. It is not at peace, by no means at peace, without peace, and free from peace. It is the same as peace. It is pure, totally pure, and wholly pure.
“It is nothing whatsoever, beyond appropriation, and without perpetuation. It is without friendship, without strife, and free from strife. It is present through its way of not being present. It is without ties, free from ties, limpid, and unsullied. It does not die or take rebirth. It will not die or take rebirth. It is without Dharma and without non-Dharma. It is without a field, and also without anything other than a field. It is inexhaustible, not something that can be exhausted, and free from exhaustion. It is without dust, instantaneous, and unshakable. It is beyond syllables, sounds, tones, explanations, trainings, and mind. It is without logic and not illogical, and it is not separate from logic. It does not possess anything and is without possession. It is also not destitute. It is inexhaustible,[F.235.b] not inexhaustible, immortal, and not immortal.
“It is not something to be pacified. It is without marks, not something without marks, not limited, not unlimited, and not something to be measured. It has not gone and has not come. It is nondual and not nondual. It is not perceived, not here, and not there. It is baseless, without abode, nonemerging, indestructible, nontransferable, and nothing to be heard. It does not conquer enemies. It accepts nothing and rejects nothing. It is without characteristics, free of characteristics, not a characteristic itself, and it has abandoned characteristics. It is without action and not without action. It is without marks, not without marks, and adorned with marks. It is gateless, unattached, and free from attachments. It inspires faith. It is without connections and free from connections. It causes delight and it causes bliss. It is freed from the six sense sources and invisible.
“It is reality—thoroughly distinguished by suchness. It is suchness, which liberates beings by not liberating. It liberates by not liberating sentient beings. It purifies sentient beings by way of not purifying. It protects sentient beings by way of not protecting. It teaches the Dharma to sentient beings by way of nonduality. Nothing is the same as it, it is incomparable, without likeness, and peerless. It is the same as that which is not present, the same as space, and the same as that which does not remain. It is exceedingly even, unborn, and the same as unborn. It does not apprehend and is the same as nonapprehension. It is not at peace, is free from peace, and its peace has waned. It is at peace, very much at peace, and thoroughly at peace. It is gentle, supple, utterly stainless, utterly controlled, not permanent, and not interrupted. It has withdrawn from activities. It is irreversibly brave. It has vanquished fear. It is beyond return.[F.236.a] It has severed all grasping and cut through all ties.
“It is clear, without distinctions, nondual, free from duality, and taught to be without any duality. Its essence being unproduced, its nature is luminosity that is utterly beyond occurring. Without any liberation, it is liberated from activity. It is without meeting, without separating, not long, not short, not round, not square, not spherical, and not substantial. It is not perceived as the aggregates, elements, or sense sources. It cannot be established as something conditioned, nor does it emerge from the unconditioned. It is nonwaxing, nonwaning, nonaccumulating, and unborn. No one can see it, hear it, or be conscious of it. It is neither real nor unreal. It is unborn. It does not die or transmigrate. It does not coexist with the world, nor does it not coexist with the world.
“That body is unwavering, unmistaken, unexcited, motionless, and undeviating. It is without cultivation and free from cultivation. It is nonoccurring, not destroyed, not an essence, and not without essence. It is without mind and indescribable. It is without connection and does not connect, nor does it not connect. It has no attachment to desires, nor is it without attachment to desires. It is nothing and it is not nothing. It is without characteristics and is not without characteristics. It does not transcend suffering and has not fully transcended suffering. It is not present, but it is not without presence, either. Śāradvatīputra, can sentient beings who fixate on characteristics and who have fallen into dualistic perception possibly understand the way in which the body of the Thus-Gone One abides?”
“No, Blessed One, they cannot at all,” replied Śāradvatīputra. “That is impossible.[F.236.b] And why? Because, Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One’s body is free of any and all marks.”
“Śāradvatīputra, yes, that is correct. That is how it is,” the Blessed One agreed. “The Thus-Gone One’s body is free from any and all marks.”
The Blessed One then proceeded to teach extensively about the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. In order to be comprehensive and thorough, he spoke these verses:
After the Blessed One had spoken these verses, he continued to address the elder Śāradvatīputra:[F.237.b] “Śāradvatīputra, this absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal is the perfection of the stainless wisdom vision of all bodhisattvas in the worlds throughout the ten directions. Śāradvatīputra, whoever wants to see the blessed buddhas should train in this absorption with an altruistic intention. Such bodhisattvas, practicing with altruistic intention, are able to see the Thus-Gone One within the course of just a single day.
“Moreover, Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas who desire to see the blessed buddhas in all the buddha realms of the ten directions should train day and night in this absorption. When bodhisattvas apply themselves with altruistic intention, they come to see the blessed buddhas in all the buddha realms of the ten directions. Śāradvatīputra, this absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal accomplishes the dhāraṇī Dharma method that brings about infinite gateways for bodhisattvas. It is the basis for all dhāraṇī gateways. From it the dhāraṇī gateways emerge. This absorption will bring about for bodhisattvas their great being’s thirty-two marks and complete their eighty excellent signs. Whoever trains in this absorption of the bodhisattvas will purify all karmic obscurations, overcome all kinds of demonic activity, and will neither honor nor experience the Thus-Gone One as a regular being. Whoever trains in this absorption of the bodhisattvas, no matter what they say it will not be mistaken. All their physical actions, whatever they may be, will be faultless. All their verbal actions, whatever they may be, will be free from being the origin of suffering. All their mental activity, whatever it may be, will be free of affliction.
“Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas who wish to understand the hidden teaching of the thus-gone ones should train in this absorption.[F.238.a] Wanting to understand Dharma teachings, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to teach Dharma discourses, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to understand the way of truth, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to actualize the limit of reality, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to understand dependent origination, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to know the inclinations of sentient beings, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to apprehend the excellent display of qualities in the buddha realms at will, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to attain excellent luminosity, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect an excellent retinue, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect an excellent lifespan, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect an excellent arrangement, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect the excellent teaching, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to fulfill the wishes of bodhisattva great beings and others, they should train in this absorption. They should train in this absorption in order to investigate, trust, write, read, remember, retain, and meditate.
“Why is this? Because within this absorption, none of that is difficult. Śāradvatīputra, this absorption is like a precious wish-fulfilling jewel that provides for all wants. It is a wish-granting tree that fulfills all beings’ wishes. Śāradvatīputra, thus this absorption completely fulfills all the intentions of bodhisattva great beings.”[F.238.b]
Then the Blessed One spoke these verses:
When the Blessed One delivered this Dharma teaching, many hundreds of billions of bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in thirty Ganges rivers, attained this absorption. Six trillion eight hundred billion bodhisattvas purified the karmic obscurations accumulated over a hundred thousand eons and their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening became irreversible. All of them attained the dhāraṇī called accomplishing the inexhaustible moment. Six quintillion gods and humans who had previously failed to arouse the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening now aroused this mind and rejoiced in this absorption. Due to the roots of virtue resulting from rejoicing in this absorption, their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening became irreversible. Then the Blessed One prophesied that after three million eons, all of them would become thus-gone ones, worthy ones, perfect buddhas known as Fearless One.[F.239.b] Some among them would, after having made aspirations for a long time, accomplish patience. For others among them, their aspirations would quickly bring them to various buddha realms, there to awaken fully to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. However, all of them would share the name Fearless One.
The Blessed One now gazed out over this entire retinue and addressed Mañjuśrī, saying, “Mañjuśrī, for these reasons you must remain without apprehending anything, and by delighting in the absence of conceptual thinking you must practice nonabiding. Not dwelling on any phenomenon, you must maintain this accomplishment of unsurpassed and perfect awakening over many countless quadrillions of eons. You must embrace it, hold it, and teach it elaborately to others. You must delight in the absence of conceptual thinking. You must practice nonabiding. You must not dwell upon anything and be free from envy.”
Then Mañjuśrī rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, since there are no phenomena to be grasped, I am happy to maintain and protect this unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Blessed One, as for awakening, it is nothing at all. It comes from nowhere. It is found nowhere. It does not come about through anything. It is nothing whatsoever. It does not appear. It is ungraspable, unattainable, and inexhaustible.”
Then the three billion bodhisattvas in the retinue rose from their seats. They joined their palms and addressed the Blessed One:[F.240.a] “Blessed One, as for this accomplishment of the unsurpassed and perfect awakening of the thus-gone ones that spans countless quadrillions of eons, we are happy to maintain it, hold it, explain it, and teach it elaborately to others.”
All those bodhisattvas then offered their own robes for the body of the Blessed One, and they made aspirations.
The Blessed One then said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “Maitreya, remember your intention to uphold the Dharma in a future life, in the future, during the final five hundred years! This will be your task!”
At this the bodhisattva great being Maitreya rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, I remember my intention to uphold the sacred Dharma!”
The Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “Maitreya, among the three billion bodhisattvas, eight thousand of them uphold the holy Dharma and will continue to do so. As for the other bodhisattvas, they are incorrigibly attached to grasping at objective perceptions. They will not uphold the holy Dharma. In the future, during the final five hundred years, they will abandon my unsurpassed and perfect awakening, which I have accomplished over countless quadrillions of eons. They will go against it. They will not teach it. They will not uphold it. They will not uphold it at all.
“Why is this? Maitreya, bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening in seven ways.[F.240.b] What are these seven? Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening inspired by the blessed buddhas. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening in order to protect the holy Dharma when that holy Dharma is disappearing. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening when they feel great compassion on seeing the realms of beings afflicted by so many pains. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening inspired by other bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening themselves when they have respectfully given beautiful gifts to bodhisattvas who have aroused the mind of awakening. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening when they see others arouse the mind of awakening. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening on hearing perfect praises sung about the qualities of the various ornaments of the thus-gone ones’ body, such as the excellent marks and signs. Maitreya, these are the seven ways in which bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening.
“Maitreya, as I have just mentioned, there are those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening because of the blessed buddhas, and those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening in order to preserve the holy Dharma at a time when it is disappearing, and those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening due to feelings of great compassion caused by witnessing the realms of sentient beings afflicted with all kinds of suffering. Maitreya, those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening in these three ways are maintaining the blessed buddhas’ awakening. Their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening quickly becomes irreversible. The four other ways of arousing the mind of awakening are for incorrigible bodhisattvas who do not uphold the holy Dharma.
“Maitreya, there are five qualities that bodhisattvas must have for their progress to become irreversible.[F.241.a] What are the five? They have the same attitude toward all sentient beings. They do not envy the success and prestige of others. Even if their lives are threatened, they will speak nothing but praise of monks who uphold the sacred Dharma. They are not attached to worldly success sought through knowledge of the Dharma, nor to acquisitions, prestige, or compliments. They are devoted to the profound Dharma, and without interest in any kind of mundane activity keep the profound Dharma with them in all situations. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, know that their progress will be irreversible.
“Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess five other qualities, know them to be incorrigible. What are the five? They have little charisma and do not follow any advice. They are interested in base things and give degraded teachings to others. They are attached to worldly success sought through knowledge of the Dharma, acquistions, and prestige, and behave enviously in the patron’s household. They are fraudulent and deceitful. Their verbal professions do not lead toward emptiness. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, know them to be incorrigible.
“Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess the following five qualities, know them to be irreversible in their progress. What are they? They do not perceive a self, and they do not extol a self. They do not perceive any sentient beings. They do not use concepts to teach about the realm of reality. They do not perceive awakening. They do not regard the Thus-Gone One’s body as having the characteristics of form. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, know that they will not regress from unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”
Then the Blessed One spoke the following verses:
In The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal, a vast number of bodhisattvas request the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach them about his state of meditative absorption. In his responses to various interlocutors, including the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and Maitreya, the Buddha expounds on this profound state, exhorting them to accomplish it themselves. The sūtra also describes the qualities of bodhisattvas and their stages of development.
This sūtra was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Joseph McClellan produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor compared the draft translation with the Tibetan, and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal is a sūtra significant in the canon of the Great Vehicle for its rich description of the highest levels of Buddhist absorption, as well as for its unique discussion of the stages of a bodhisattva’s journey and the qualities that pertain to them.
It is a scripture that appears to have enjoyed a measure of sustained popularity in Asia. Of the three Chinese translations1 the earliest was completed by the translator Zhi Qian sometime between 223 and 253
Nevertheless, to our knowledge this scripture has until now remained unexplored by modern scholars, and no translation of the text has been made since the Tibetan translation was produced in the early ninth century. There is no extant Sanskrit manuscript and, while a comparison with the Chinese translations remains a desirable future goal, our translation is based entirely on the Tibetan source texts, the Tibetan Degé block print with reference to the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace manuscript.
The sūtra is one of eleven sūtras in the Kangyur with titles including the term “The Absorption of…” (Sanskrit samādhi, Tibetan ting nge ’dzin). In the Degé Kangyur and other Kangyurs of the Tshalpa (tshal pa) lineage these texts are grouped together, and although that might seem to suggest that they could be construed as forming an unofficial subgenre of sūtra literature, the sharing of a common term in the title is simply one of several organizing principles used to order the titles in these Kangyurs without implying that the common term in question necessarily constitutes a common theme as such.4 Indeed, the significance of the term “absorption” or samādhi clearly varies from sūtra to sūtra within this group of texts. For example, in the famous King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhirājasūtra, Toh 127),5 samādhi does not appear to refer to an altered state of mind, or to meditative absorption. Instead, the term is used to encapsulate a whole range of practices and qualities that the sūtra presents in a detailed list, with no explicit mention of states of deep meditative concentration. Nevertheless, in most other sūtras within this group of texts,6 the term seems to lean more toward referring to specific meditative states to be accessed and accomplished.7
It is in that respect that the current sūtra resembles some of these other works, describing as it does a particular meditative absorption that the rest of the title qualifies as “the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.” Here, thus-gone one (Skt. tathāgatha) is a common epithet of a fully awakened being. We have translated this term from the Tibetan de bzhin gshegs pa, “one who has thus gone,” whereas the Chinese equivalent, ru lai, reads closer to “thus-come one.” The final term, wisdom seal (Skt. jñānamudrā), qualifies the absorption in which the thus-gone one dwells. Seal (Skt. mudrā) has a rich and varied usage in Buddhist literature. Generally, it refers to a stamp or brand, like a royal seal that is used to mark property. Since the thus-gone one’s absorption is infinite and unimpeded, all of reality falls into its domain. Thus, all of reality is subsumed in, or sealed by, the wisdom actualized in this absorption.
Like many Great Vehicle sūtras, The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal situates ancient India and Buddha Śākyamuni in a much larger, cosmic context. The opening scene takes place in the famous Veṇuvana (Bamboo Grove) monastic compound, near Rājagṛha, the capital of the former kingdom of Magadha (present-day Bihar). Here the Buddha is dwelling with a vast retinue of monks and bodhisattvas when he enters into an exalted state of absorption called the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, indescribable except in ways that suggest its sheer ineffability: it is “formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent.”
The power of this state of absorption affects the entire trichiliocosm, inspiring buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in faraway realms to intensify their spiritual activity. Cosmic buddhas exhort their innumerable bodhisattva disciples to seize the opportunity to go to the Veṇuvana and learn about this absorption, which will be the culmination of their training. Accordingly, the bodhisattvas magically travel there, eager to receive teachings about this exalted state. Countless gods and nonhuman beings, hearers, and monks join them in their quest. When they arrive, however, the Buddha is nowhere to be seen, as their perceptions are not attuned to the state in which he is absorbed. In dismay, the assembly, led by a group of close disciples including Mahāmaudgalyāyana and Subhūti, turns to the great bodhisattva Mañjuśrī for advice on how to communicate with the Buddha. He simply tells them to look inward: they will find the Buddha within their own absorptions.
Thus, a line of communication is established with the Buddha, who now begins to teach them about this absorption, which is the hallmark of all thus-gone ones. The teaching follows an extensive apophatic methodology, in which the Buddha negates any proposition that may be made about this most profound state of absorption: “This absorption is formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent. It is beyond knowledge and not an object of knowledge.” Upon concluding his teaching about the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, all those in attendance purify negative karma accumulated over innumerable eons and ensure that their progress to unsurpassed and perfect awakening is irreversible.
The discourse then shifts, and the Buddha addresses Maitreya, explaining seven ways in which bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening. He also lists two sets of five qualities that characterize a nonregressing bodhisattva, as well as five that mark an incorrigible, flawed individual on the bodhisattva path. To illustrate the exemplary bodhisattva, the Buddha recounts a past-life memory of the deeds of a great king named Puṇyodgata, who was a devotee of the buddha Śaśiketu.
Following this discourse, countless female devotees, led by one of the queens of King Bimbisāra and one of his daughters, promise their service to the Dharma in all subsequent lives. This delights the Buddha, who beams a smile at them. The women, captivated, eloquently enjoin the Buddha to give them a teaching about the causes, qualities, and implications of his smile. In response, the Buddha recounts more past-life memories, this time about the noble deeds of an ancient ruler named Puṇyaraśmi, who was an exemplary guardian of the Dharma. The Buddha also describes the degenerate age, in which the influence of the Dharma will wane. During this time, he explains, it will be especially important for those who follow him to train in the sūtra of The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal, and to master the absorption it describes. The Buddha then highlights differences between bodhisattvas based on whether they have aroused the mind of awakening and the roots of virtue in the presence of hundreds, of thousands, or of millions of buddhas. In short, the latter have the greatest resolve to traverse the path and are least susceptible to any kind of regression. However, they will still suffer. The sūtra explains that whatever negative karma remains for these bodhisattvas will be purified through instances of ordinary human misfortune: they will be criticized, they will suffer bouts of depression, they will be born into dysfunctional families, they will face adverse economic conditions, and so forth. Bodhisattvas of the highest order will bear these pains and persevere on the path; others will falter.
Toward the end of the sūtra, the Buddha addresses Mañjuśrī, Maitreya, and an assembly of distinguished disciples who ask him to explain the meaning of the term Dharma itself. Thus begins a long synonymic chain of significant Buddhist terms: inexhaustible, unborn, uninterrupted, uncollected, ungraspable, nonabiding, and groundless, until the final term nirvāṇa. This list echoes the terms used earlier in the sūtra to describe the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. Given this definition of the Dharma, the disciples wonder how they should act as its protectors. The Buddha explains that if they indeed realize the meaning of what he has taught them, “ultimately we find nothing at all—no Dharma and no conflict with the Dharma.” Then, in a set of philosophically rich verses, he instructs them further in the ultimate truth, beyond concepts and characteristics. The sūtra concludes with another exhortation to the gathered assembly to accomplish the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.
Thus did I hear at one time: The Blessed One was in the Kalandakanivāpa, at the Veṇuvana near Rājagṛha. He was there together with a great saṅgha of twelve hundred fifty monks, and with three hundred million bodhisattvas, all of whom had attained dhāraṇī, unobstructed eloquence, and mastery over absorption. They dwelled in the absorption of emptiness, their domain was free of marks, their aspiration was uncontrived, they dwelled in the absence of wishes, and their conduct was natural. They had attained the dhāraṇīs that accomplish limitless gateways. They had attained acceptance regarding sameness, they had attained sameness, and they had attained unobstructed dhāraṇī. They knew the higher or lower capacities of all beings[F.231.a] and had precise knowledge of beings’ thoughts and actions.
At that time, the Blessed One settled into the absorption that is the blessing of the thus-gone one, that enters the domain of all the buddhas. This absorption is formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent. It is beyond knowledge and not an object of knowledge. It is free from mentation, mind, and consciousness. It is rootless, unsupported, and beyond observation. It is an incomparable, unequaled, and matchless state. It has no notion of “mine,” is free from grasping, is free from anything to avoid, and is uncreated. It never went and never came. It does not go and does not stay. It is without interruption, baseless, and without marks. It is free of all marks. It is beyond accepting and rejecting. It is uncompounded and beyond any accumulation. It is beyond assembling and beyond separating. It is without mind and free from mind. It is unoriginated, beginningless, unestablished, nonarising, and totally nonoccurring. It is utterly beyond movement, perfectly without movement, totally empty, beyond association, and without superimpositions regarding any phenomenon. It is a dhāraṇī gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas. It is known as the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.
As soon as he settled into that absorption, neither the Blessed One’s body nor the characteristics of his body appeared; neither his mind nor the characteristics of his mind appeared; neither his robes nor the characteristics of his robes appeared; neither his cushion nor the characteristics of his cushion appeared; neither his sleeping nor the characteristics of his sleeping appeared; neither his walking nor the characteristics of his walking appeared; neither his rising nor the characteristics of his rising appeared; neither his remaining nor the characteristics of his remaining appeared; neither his shadow nor the characteristics of his shadow appeared; neither his sitting nor the characteristics of his sitting appeared; and neither his sounds nor the characteristics of his sounds appeared.
At that point, through the power of this absorption,[F.231.b] and through the blessings of the Buddha, a bright light filled the entire trichiliocosm. So bright was this light that everywhere in the trichiliocosm the moonlight was outshone, as was the sunlight and the light of stars, fire, jewels, and lightning. The radiance of gandharvas, kinnaras, gods of the realms of desire and form, constellations, and divine palaces was outshone. So too were that of Śakra, Brahmā, and the protectors of the worlds.
Through the Buddha’s blessings and the power of his absorption, some of the gods could no longer smell their divine fragrances, and the whole trichiliocosm was suffused by an aroma sweeter than any other scent that completely transcended the fragrances of the gods. All the dark spaces between the worlds were brought into the light, as were the major and minor mountain ranges that surround the worlds. Mount Meru and all the other principal mountains like it were illuminated, as were the Black Peaks. Subsequently, however, they did not appear to the eye faculties of sentient beings.
The entire trichiliocosm was encompassed in a net of jewels. The entire Sahā buddha realm was decorated with silk hangings, suffused with frankincense, and strewn with a variety of flowers. Through the power of the Buddha, the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, along with Vulture Peak Mountain, became as level as the palm of a hand and were saturated with the delicious and captivating scent of a giant hundred-thousand-petaled lotus flower composed of various jewels the size of chariot-wheels. From the sky, a lattice-like jeweled canopy appeared, which covered and adorned everything. All of Magadha became soft to the touch, like kācilindika cloth.
Then in the east, in as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, the individual blessed buddhas exhorted a limitless, innumerable, and immeasurable number of hundreds of thousands of bodhisattva great beings who were just one life away from unexcelled and perfect awakening,[F.232.a] “Sons of noble family, you should go into the Sahā world. That is where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni presently resides. He lives there and teaches the Dharma. Now he has settled into the absorption that is a dhāraṇī gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas known as the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. Sons of noble family, even engaging in the six perfections for a hundred thousand eons, but without skillful means, bears no comparison to the esteem bodhisattvas will feel merely hearing about this absorption. Therefore, go and hear about this absorption.”
The bodhisattva great beings listened accordingly to the respective thus-gone ones and paid these blessed ones homage. Then, in an instant, they all disappeared from those buddha realms and, by giving rise to their magical powers of superknowledge, they came to the Sahā world, to the four central continents, to the continent of Jambudvīpa, to the town of Rājagṛha, to the Veṇuvana, and into the Kalandakanivāpa, where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni was. Upon arriving, they bowed their heads to the feet of the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni. They then circled the Blessed One three times and stood to one side. The Blessed One welcomed them and they took their places cross-legged upon a great lotus composed of various jewels.
The same thing happened in the south, west, north, below, above,[F.232.b]—throughout the cardinal and intermediate directions, and everywhere in between. In all the ten directions, in as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, individual blessed buddhas exhorted a limitless, innumerable, and immeasurable number of hundreds of thousands of bodhisattva great beings who were just one life away from unexcelled and perfect awakening, “Sons of noble family, you should go into the Sahā world. That is where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni presently resides. He lives there and teaches the Dharma. Now he has settled into the absorption that is a dhāraṇī gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas, known as the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. Sons of noble family, even engaging in the six perfections for a hundred thousand eons, but without skillful means, bears no comparison to the esteem bodhisattvas will feel merely hearing about this absorption. Therefore, go and hear about this absorption.”
The bodhisattva great beings listened accordingly to the respective thus-gone ones and paid these blessed ones homage. Then, in an instant, they all disappeared from those buddha realms and, by giving rise to their magical powers of superknowledge, they came to the Sahā world, to the four central continents, to the continent of Jambudvīpa, to the town of Rājagṛha, to the Veṇuvana, and into the Kalandakanivāpa, where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni was. Upon arriving, they bowed their heads to the feet of the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni. They then circled the Blessed One three times and stood to one side. The Blessed One welcomed them and they took their places cross-legged upon a great lotus composed of various jewels.[F.233.a]
Throughout this great trichiliocosm, all the monks—whether engaged with the vehicle of the hearers, the vehicle of the solitary buddhas, or the bodhisattva vehicle—each in their own individual realms, stirred and, through the blessings and power of the Buddha, they all came to Vulture Peak Mountain, where the Blessed One resided. Upon arriving, they could not see the Blessed One anywhere. Not seeing him, they joined their palms and paid homage to him.
Through the radiance of the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, instantly, in that very moment, eight hundred million bodhisattvas gathered at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where they sat down in the Blessed One’s retinue. Three hundred thousand hearers also gathered together and took their seats. Within this great trichiliocosm, many other beings arrived at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where the Blessed One was. They included Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, Maheśvara, the gods of the pure realms, all gods including their lords, all nāgas and their lords, all yakṣas and their lords, all gandharvas and their lords, all asuras and their lords, all garuḍas and their lords, all kinnaras and their lords, all mahoragas and their lords, as well as all suparṇis and their lords. Each of these groups also brought with them many quadrillions of servants. As they arrived at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where the Blessed One was, no one could see the Blessed One anywhere. Not seeing him, they joined their palms and paid homage to him.[F.233.b]
At that time the powerful and eminent bodhisattva great beings, hearers, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, monks, nuns, and male and female lay practitioners were all assembled. No place was left unfilled in this great trichiliocosm, from the peak of existence on down. Not even the space for the tip of a hair was left unfilled.
Then the elder Śāradvatīputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, the elder Kauṣṭhila, Mahākātyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, the venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, and the elder Subhūti—all those great hearers—turned to the youthful Mañjuśrī and asked, “Mañjuśrī, where is the Thus-Gone One right now? What does his body look like? How is he present?”
The youthful Mañjuśrī replied to the great hearers, “Venerable ones, you are great hearers, and you possess insight and miraculous abilities. You are powerful and mighty, you have mastered the absorptions of the erudite, and you have long observed pure conduct. Venerable ones, you should enter your own absorptions and search for the Thus-Gone One’s body and his presence. You should strive to discover where the Thus-Gone One’s body is, what his body is like, and how he is present.”
Thereupon the hearers settled into their own absorptions and investigated this entire trichiliocosm. They looked, but they still could not see the Thus-Gone One’s body,[F.234.a] nor could they see his presence. Then, when the great hearers did not see the Thus-Gone One’s body nor his presence upon completely investigating the trichiliocosm, they arose from their respective absorptions and addressed the youthful Mañjuśrī as follows: “Mañjuśrī, we fail to see the Thus-Gone One’s body or his presence.”
Mañjuśrī replied to the great hearers, “Then all you venerable great hearers must silently join your palms and one-pointedly hold the Thus-Gone One in your mind for a moment. Do this, and you will see his body and witness his presence.”
Just then, the Blessed One, who was aware and cognizant of this, emerged from his absorption. As soon as the Blessed One emerged from his absorption, the entire trichiliocosm shook in six ways, with eighteen signs: it quivered, trembled, and quaked; it wobbled, rocked, and swayed; it vibrated, shuddered, and reeled; it rattled, shook, and convulsed; it clattered, rattled, and clanged; and it boomed, thundered, and roared. The world became exceedingly brilliant, open, and vivid.
As an offering to the Blessed One, a rain of divine flowers fell to the accompaniment of divine cymbals and song. At that point venerable Śāradvatīputra arose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and asked,[F.234.b] “Blessed One, in what kind of absorption did you abide so that even the eye of insight of the great hearers was unable to see the Thus-Gone One’s body? Blessed One, what is the Thus-Gone One’s presence like?”
The Blessed One replied to venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, this absorption is not a stage of the hearers or solitary buddhas. Śāradvatīputra, it is on the level of the thus-gone ones. This magical display and miracle of the buddhas is inconceivable. Nevertheless, Śāradvatīputra, listen well and keep this in mind. I will now teach you a little bit about the body of the Thus-Gone One.”
“Very well, Blessed One!” Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, and he listened as the Blessed One had instructed.
Then the Blessed One explained to him, “Śāradvatīputra, the true body of the Thus-Gone One transcends any view, like the sky. It is incorporeal, uncreated, unborn, and unceasing. It is nonoccurring, truly nonoccurring, and utterly nonoccurring. It is unobtained, unimputed, nonengaging, unestablished, boundless, and limitless. It is peaceful, placid, and absolutely serene. It is nonabiding, nonarising, ineffable, beyond mind, and beyond origination. It is unmoving, utterly unmoving, and free of movement. It is totally pure. It is nothing whatsoever and exists in no way. It is beyond appropriation and acceptance. It is without motion, without activity, and without support. It is unborn, unarisen, without action, and without ripening. It is unseen, unheard, uncognized, detached, not bound, and not released. It does not exist. It is not recalled, not held, not experienced, and not seen.[F.235.a] It is beyond cognition, is not an object of cognition, and is characterized by absence of cognition.
“It is without mind. It is unfathomable and unimaginable. It is not mind. It is devoid of mind. It possesses the mind of sameness. Nothing is the same as it, and it cannot be comprehended by any act of mind. It has not gone anywhere, does not go anywhere, is without going, and has eliminated any going. It is uninterrupted, immeasurable, uninterruptible, boundless, unobservable, and marvelous. It has no substance and is no substance. It is insubstantial. It is not a distinction and has no distinctions. It is nonarising, truly nonarising, unshakable, nondiscursive, nonconceptual, beginningless, unestablished, and wholly unestablished. It is not accomplished, without pervasion, and motionless. It is not clear, not tangible, and not a thing to be desired. It has no light and does not appear. It is not apprehended and has no appearance. It is without darkness, is not darkness, and is free of darkness. It is not lucidity. It is without abode and free of abode. It is not at peace, by no means at peace, without peace, and free from peace. It is the same as peace. It is pure, totally pure, and wholly pure.
“It is nothing whatsoever, beyond appropriation, and without perpetuation. It is without friendship, without strife, and free from strife. It is present through its way of not being present. It is without ties, free from ties, limpid, and unsullied. It does not die or take rebirth. It will not die or take rebirth. It is without Dharma and without non-Dharma. It is without a field, and also without anything other than a field. It is inexhaustible, not something that can be exhausted, and free from exhaustion. It is without dust, instantaneous, and unshakable. It is beyond syllables, sounds, tones, explanations, trainings, and mind. It is without logic and not illogical, and it is not separate from logic. It does not possess anything and is without possession. It is also not destitute. It is inexhaustible,[F.235.b] not inexhaustible, immortal, and not immortal.
“It is not something to be pacified. It is without marks, not something without marks, not limited, not unlimited, and not something to be measured. It has not gone and has not come. It is nondual and not nondual. It is not perceived, not here, and not there. It is baseless, without abode, nonemerging, indestructible, nontransferable, and nothing to be heard. It does not conquer enemies. It accepts nothing and rejects nothing. It is without characteristics, free of characteristics, not a characteristic itself, and it has abandoned characteristics. It is without action and not without action. It is without marks, not without marks, and adorned with marks. It is gateless, unattached, and free from attachments. It inspires faith. It is without connections and free from connections. It causes delight and it causes bliss. It is freed from the six sense sources and invisible.
“It is reality—thoroughly distinguished by suchness. It is suchness, which liberates beings by not liberating. It liberates by not liberating sentient beings. It purifies sentient beings by way of not purifying. It protects sentient beings by way of not protecting. It teaches the Dharma to sentient beings by way of nonduality. Nothing is the same as it, it is incomparable, without likeness, and peerless. It is the same as that which is not present, the same as space, and the same as that which does not remain. It is exceedingly even, unborn, and the same as unborn. It does not apprehend and is the same as nonapprehension. It is not at peace, is free from peace, and its peace has waned. It is at peace, very much at peace, and thoroughly at peace. It is gentle, supple, utterly stainless, utterly controlled, not permanent, and not interrupted. It has withdrawn from activities. It is irreversibly brave. It has vanquished fear. It is beyond return.[F.236.a] It has severed all grasping and cut through all ties.
“It is clear, without distinctions, nondual, free from duality, and taught to be without any duality. Its essence being unproduced, its nature is luminosity that is utterly beyond occurring. Without any liberation, it is liberated from activity. It is without meeting, without separating, not long, not short, not round, not square, not spherical, and not substantial. It is not perceived as the aggregates, elements, or sense sources. It cannot be established as something conditioned, nor does it emerge from the unconditioned. It is nonwaxing, nonwaning, nonaccumulating, and unborn. No one can see it, hear it, or be conscious of it. It is neither real nor unreal. It is unborn. It does not die or transmigrate. It does not coexist with the world, nor does it not coexist with the world.
“That body is unwavering, unmistaken, unexcited, motionless, and undeviating. It is without cultivation and free from cultivation. It is nonoccurring, not destroyed, not an essence, and not without essence. It is without mind and indescribable. It is without connection and does not connect, nor does it not connect. It has no attachment to desires, nor is it without attachment to desires. It is nothing and it is not nothing. It is without characteristics and is not without characteristics. It does not transcend suffering and has not fully transcended suffering. It is not present, but it is not without presence, either. Śāradvatīputra, can sentient beings who fixate on characteristics and who have fallen into dualistic perception possibly understand the way in which the body of the Thus-Gone One abides?”
“No, Blessed One, they cannot at all,” replied Śāradvatīputra. “That is impossible.[F.236.b] And why? Because, Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One’s body is free of any and all marks.”
“Śāradvatīputra, yes, that is correct. That is how it is,” the Blessed One agreed. “The Thus-Gone One’s body is free from any and all marks.”
The Blessed One then proceeded to teach extensively about the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. In order to be comprehensive and thorough, he spoke these verses:
After the Blessed One had spoken these verses, he continued to address the elder Śāradvatīputra:[F.237.b] “Śāradvatīputra, this absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal is the perfection of the stainless wisdom vision of all bodhisattvas in the worlds throughout the ten directions. Śāradvatīputra, whoever wants to see the blessed buddhas should train in this absorption with an altruistic intention. Such bodhisattvas, practicing with altruistic intention, are able to see the Thus-Gone One within the course of just a single day.
“Moreover, Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas who desire to see the blessed buddhas in all the buddha realms of the ten directions should train day and night in this absorption. When bodhisattvas apply themselves with altruistic intention, they come to see the blessed buddhas in all the buddha realms of the ten directions. Śāradvatīputra, this absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal accomplishes the dhāraṇī Dharma method that brings about infinite gateways for bodhisattvas. It is the basis for all dhāraṇī gateways. From it the dhāraṇī gateways emerge. This absorption will bring about for bodhisattvas their great being’s thirty-two marks and complete their eighty excellent signs. Whoever trains in this absorption of the bodhisattvas will purify all karmic obscurations, overcome all kinds of demonic activity, and will neither honor nor experience the Thus-Gone One as a regular being. Whoever trains in this absorption of the bodhisattvas, no matter what they say it will not be mistaken. All their physical actions, whatever they may be, will be faultless. All their verbal actions, whatever they may be, will be free from being the origin of suffering. All their mental activity, whatever it may be, will be free of affliction.
“Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas who wish to understand the hidden teaching of the thus-gone ones should train in this absorption.[F.238.a] Wanting to understand Dharma teachings, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to teach Dharma discourses, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to understand the way of truth, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to actualize the limit of reality, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to understand dependent origination, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to know the inclinations of sentient beings, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to apprehend the excellent display of qualities in the buddha realms at will, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to attain excellent luminosity, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect an excellent retinue, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect an excellent lifespan, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect an excellent arrangement, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to perfect the excellent teaching, they should train in this absorption. Wanting to fulfill the wishes of bodhisattva great beings and others, they should train in this absorption. They should train in this absorption in order to investigate, trust, write, read, remember, retain, and meditate.
“Why is this? Because within this absorption, none of that is difficult. Śāradvatīputra, this absorption is like a precious wish-fulfilling jewel that provides for all wants. It is a wish-granting tree that fulfills all beings’ wishes. Śāradvatīputra, thus this absorption completely fulfills all the intentions of bodhisattva great beings.”[F.238.b]
Then the Blessed One spoke these verses:
When the Blessed One delivered this Dharma teaching, many hundreds of billions of bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in thirty Ganges rivers, attained this absorption. Six trillion eight hundred billion bodhisattvas purified the karmic obscurations accumulated over a hundred thousand eons and their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening became irreversible. All of them attained the dhāraṇī called accomplishing the inexhaustible moment. Six quintillion gods and humans who had previously failed to arouse the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening now aroused this mind and rejoiced in this absorption. Due to the roots of virtue resulting from rejoicing in this absorption, their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening became irreversible. Then the Blessed One prophesied that after three million eons, all of them would become thus-gone ones, worthy ones, perfect buddhas known as Fearless One.[F.239.b] Some among them would, after having made aspirations for a long time, accomplish patience. For others among them, their aspirations would quickly bring them to various buddha realms, there to awaken fully to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. However, all of them would share the name Fearless One.
The Blessed One now gazed out over this entire retinue and addressed Mañjuśrī, saying, “Mañjuśrī, for these reasons you must remain without apprehending anything, and by delighting in the absence of conceptual thinking you must practice nonabiding. Not dwelling on any phenomenon, you must maintain this accomplishment of unsurpassed and perfect awakening over many countless quadrillions of eons. You must embrace it, hold it, and teach it elaborately to others. You must delight in the absence of conceptual thinking. You must practice nonabiding. You must not dwell upon anything and be free from envy.”
Then Mañjuśrī rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, since there are no phenomena to be grasped, I am happy to maintain and protect this unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Blessed One, as for awakening, it is nothing at all. It comes from nowhere. It is found nowhere. It does not come about through anything. It is nothing whatsoever. It does not appear. It is ungraspable, unattainable, and inexhaustible.”
Then the three billion bodhisattvas in the retinue rose from their seats. They joined their palms and addressed the Blessed One:[F.240.a] “Blessed One, as for this accomplishment of the unsurpassed and perfect awakening of the thus-gone ones that spans countless quadrillions of eons, we are happy to maintain it, hold it, explain it, and teach it elaborately to others.”
All those bodhisattvas then offered their own robes for the body of the Blessed One, and they made aspirations.
The Blessed One then said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “Maitreya, remember your intention to uphold the Dharma in a future life, in the future, during the final five hundred years! This will be your task!”
At this the bodhisattva great being Maitreya rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, I remember my intention to uphold the sacred Dharma!”
The Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “Maitreya, among the three billion bodhisattvas, eight thousand of them uphold the holy Dharma and will continue to do so. As for the other bodhisattvas, they are incorrigibly attached to grasping at objective perceptions. They will not uphold the holy Dharma. In the future, during the final five hundred years, they will abandon my unsurpassed and perfect awakening, which I have accomplished over countless quadrillions of eons. They will go against it. They will not teach it. They will not uphold it. They will not uphold it at all.
“Why is this? Maitreya, bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening in seven ways.[F.240.b] What are these seven? Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening inspired by the blessed buddhas. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening in order to protect the holy Dharma when that holy Dharma is disappearing. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening when they feel great compassion on seeing the realms of beings afflicted by so many pains. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening inspired by other bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening themselves when they have respectfully given beautiful gifts to bodhisattvas who have aroused the mind of awakening. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening when they see others arouse the mind of awakening. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening on hearing perfect praises sung about the qualities of the various ornaments of the thus-gone ones’ body, such as the excellent marks and signs. Maitreya, these are the seven ways in which bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening.
“Maitreya, as I have just mentioned, there are those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening because of the blessed buddhas, and those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening in order to preserve the holy Dharma at a time when it is disappearing, and those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening due to feelings of great compassion caused by witnessing the realms of sentient beings afflicted with all kinds of suffering. Maitreya, those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening in these three ways are maintaining the blessed buddhas’ awakening. Their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening quickly becomes irreversible. The four other ways of arousing the mind of awakening are for incorrigible bodhisattvas who do not uphold the holy Dharma.
“Maitreya, there are five qualities that bodhisattvas must have for their progress to become irreversible.[F.241.a] What are the five? They have the same attitude toward all sentient beings. They do not envy the success and prestige of others. Even if their lives are threatened, they will speak nothing but praise of monks who uphold the sacred Dharma. They are not attached to worldly success sought through knowledge of the Dharma, nor to acquisitions, prestige, or compliments. They are devoted to the profound Dharma, and without interest in any kind of mundane activity keep the profound Dharma with them in all situations. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, know that their progress will be irreversible.
“Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess five other qualities, know them to be incorrigible. What are the five? They have little charisma and do not follow any advice. They are interested in base things and give degraded teachings to others. They are attached to worldly success sought through knowledge of the Dharma, acquistions, and prestige, and behave enviously in the patron’s household. They are fraudulent and deceitful. Their verbal professions do not lead toward emptiness. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, know them to be incorrigible.
“Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess the following five qualities, know them to be irreversible in their progress. What are they? They do not perceive a self, and they do not extol a self. They do not perceive any sentient beings. They do not use concepts to teach about the realm of reality. They do not perceive awakening. They do not regard the Thus-Gone One’s body as having the characteristics of form. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, know that they will not regress from unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”
Then the Blessed One spoke the following verses:
Taishō 632, 佛說慧印三昧經 (Fo Shuo Hui Yin Sanmei Jing), third century; Taishō 633, 佛說如來智印經 (Fo Shuo Rulai Zhi Yin Jing), translator unknown, fifth century; and Taishō 634, 佛說大乘智印經 (Fo Shuo Dasheng Zhi Yin Jing), translated by Zhi Jixiang in the Song.
In the Madhyamakaratnapradīpa (Toh 3854), folio 277.b; and according to Eckel 1994, p. 166, in the Tarkajvālā (Toh 3856).
In the Degé Kangyur, this group consists of eleven sūtras (Toh 127–37), but in Kangyurs of the Thempangma line they are scattered throughout the General Sūtra section. Title elements used similarly to group texts in the Tshalpa Kangyurs include “The Questions…” (Skt. paripṛcchā), “The Prophecy…” (Skt. vyākaraṇa), “The Teaching…” (Skt. nirdeśa), “The Exemplary Tales…” (Skt. avadāna), and others.
Such as, for example, the Praśāntaviniścayaprātihāryasamādhi (Toh 129, see Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020), Māyopamasamādhi (Toh 130, see Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2016), and Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi (Toh 134, see Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2016.a).
Translated based on Stok: ’di la sbyor la bar du gcod med de. Degé reads: ’di la sbyor la rab tu mchod med de. Narthang has spyod instead of sbyor.
The name of Ajātaśatru’s mother is more typically given as Vaidehī (See Edgerton, vol. II, 510) or Kośaladevī, given that she was from the region of Kośala/Kosala.
The Tibetan for this name, bye ba ldan, has no variants in the Kangyur collections consulted and appears nowhere else in the Degé Kangyur. However, other sources (Kṣemavatīvyākaraṇa-sūtra, bde sdan ma lung bstan pa’i mdo, Toh 192) give bde ldan ma (*Kṣemavatī) as an attested name for one of Bimbisāra’s wives. In dbu med manuscripts bde might be easily confused for bye, with the following ba subsequently added to make some sense of the peculiar name resulting from the initial scribal error. We have thus chosen to render this name accordingly. This wife is also sometimes known as Kṣemā, and may be identified with Khemā in the Pali literature.
Translation tentative. The Tibetan reads: skad ni bdun brgya dag dang yi ge bye ba drug cu ldan.
Translation tentative. The Tibetan reads: ci nas ’bras bcas brtul zhugs grub nas phyogs phyogs mchi ’gyur pa.
Translated based on Stok: de nas ci nas dngos grub thos nas dga’ ste mchi ’gyur bar. Degé reads: de dag ci nas dngos grub thob nas rga ste ’chi ’gyur bar.
Translated based on Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné: rgya mtsho tshur mtha’ pha mtha’. Degé reads: rgya mtsho chu mtha’ phyi mtha’.
The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.
Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.
A wife of the ancient king Prajñāsārathi.
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).
A bodhisattva in attendance as the Buddha delivers this teaching.
The king of Magadha and a great patron of the Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s, and his father, King Mahāpadma, named him “Essence of Gold” after mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (“Goldie”). Accounts of Bimbisāra’s youth and life can be found in The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1-1, Pravrajyāvastu).
King Śreṇya Bimbisāra first met with the Buddha early on, when the latter was the wandering mendicant known as Gautama. Impressed by his conduct, Bimbisāra offered to take Gautama into his court, but Gautama refused, and Bimbisāra wished him success in his quest for awakening and asked him to visit his palace after he had achieved his goal. One account of this episode can be found in the sixteenth chapter of The Play in Full (Toh 95, Lalitavistara). There are other accounts where the two meet earlier on in childhood; several episodes can be found, for example, in The Hundred Deeds (Toh 340, Karmaśataka). Later, after the Buddha’s awakening, Bimbisāra became one of his most famous patrons and donated to the saṅgha the Bamboo Grove, Veṇuvana, at the outskirts of the capital of Magadha, Rājagṛha, where he built residences for the monks. Bimbisāra was imprisoned and killed by his own son, the prince Ajātaśatru, who, influenced by Devadatta, sought to usurp his father’s throne.
The Nine Black Mountains found on the northern edge of the continent of Jambudvīpa. There are three sets of three of these peaks, and behind them lies the great snow mountain that is the source of the Ganges River. A description of this cosmology can be found in chapter three of the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya of Vasubandhu.
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
Correct understanding of meaning, Dharma, language, and eloquence.
An Indian paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries.
Literally, “retention,” or “that which retains, contains, or encapsulates,” this term refers to mnemonic formulas, or codes possessed by advanced bodhisattvas that contain a quintessence of their attainments, as well as the Dharma teachings that express them and guide beings toward their realization. They are therefore often described in terms of “gateways” for entering the Dharma and training in its realization, or “seals” that contain condensations of truths and their expression. The term can also refer to a statement, or incantation meant to protect or bring about a particular result.
The former buddha who prophesied Buddha Śākyamuni’s awakening, sometimes said to have been the fourth in a line of twenty-seven buddhas preceding Śākyamuni.
A class of semidivine beings known for their skills as musicians, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds but more usually on the slopes of Mount Meru.
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”
The second heaven of the desire realm located above Mount Meru and reigned over by Indra, otherwise known as Śakra, and thirty-two other gods.
The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.
An Indian Kashmiri paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries. He worked with several Tibetan translators on the translation of several sūtras. He is also the author of the Nyāyabindupiṇḍārtha (Toh 4233), which is contained in the Tibetan Tengyur (bstan ’gyur) collection.
A very soft substance. The Tibetan translators added “cloth” (gos) to the term.
A place where the Buddha often resided, within the Bamboo Park (Veṇuvana) outside Rajagṛha that had been donated to him. The name is said to have arisen when, one day, King Bimbisāra fell asleep after a romantic liaison in the Bamboo Park. While the king rested, his consort wandered off. A snake (the reincarnation of the park’s previous owner, who still resented the king’s acquisition of the park) approached with malign intentions. Through the king’s tremendous merit, a gathering of kalandaka—crows or other birds according to Tibetan renderings, but some Sanskrit and Pali sources suggest flying squirrels—miraculously appeared and began squawking. Their clamor alerted the king’s consort to the danger, who rushed back and hacked the snake to pieces, thereby saving the king’s life. King Bimbisāra then named the spot Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’ Feeding Ground”), sometimes (though not in the Vinayavastu) given as Kalandakanivāsa (“Kalandakas’ Abode”) in their honor. The story is told in the Saṃghabhedavastu (Toh 1, ch.17, Degé Kangyur vol.4, folio 77.b et seq.). For more details and other origin stories, see the 84000 Knowledge Base article Veṇuvana and Kalandakanivāpa.
A senior student of Buddha Śākyamuni, famous for his analytical knowledge.
A wife of the ancient king Prajñāsārathi.
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
The mother of Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā, who was married to King Bimbisāra. She is likely to be the same person as Khemā in the Pali Canon, one of Bimbisāra’s consorts who became an arhat and bhikṣuṇī. See also n.16.
A synonym for ultimate reality and a way of describing the attainment of perfection as the culmination of the spiritual path.
Usually the Lord of Death who directs the departed into the next realm of rebirth, but here refers to the Lord of the hungry ghost realm.
An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.
This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhrakūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.
A senior student of Buddha Śākyamuni, famous for his austere lifestyle.
One of the hearers present during the delivery of the sūtra.
One of the closest disciples of the Buddha, known for his miraculous abilities.
An epithet of Śiva; sometimes refers specifically to one of the forms of Śiva or to Rudra.
Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.
The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”
For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).
Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.
Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra:
(1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputramāra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.
According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.
An Indian paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries.
A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.
The trainings of the bodhisattva path: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and insight.
The palace of a king known as Puṇyodgata.
An ancient king.
A bodhisattva in attendance as the Buddha delivers his teaching.
An ancient king.
An ancient king.
One of the closest disciples of the Buddha.
The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.
A synonym for the nature of things, ultimate reality.
The name for our world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which the four-continent world is located. Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. The world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni where he teaches the Dharma to beings.
The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world being able to endure the suffering they encounter. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not painful,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.
The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.
An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba thegs pa chen po’i mdo (Tathāgatajñānamudrāsamādhi). Toh 131, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 230b4–253b5.
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba thegs pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol. 55, pp. 606–63.
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba thegs pa chen po’i mdo. Stok no. 214, stog pho brang bris ma, vol. 73 (mdo sde, za), folios 43a5–74b2.
Bhāviveka. dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamakaratnapradīpa, Toh 3854). Degé Tengyur, vol. 97 (dbu ma, tsha), folios 21.b–41.b.
Bhāviveka. dbu ma’i snying po’i ’grel pa rtog ge ’bar ba (Madhyamakahṛdayavṛttitarkajvālā, Toh 3856). Degé Tengyur, vol. 98 (dbu ma, dza), folios 40.b–329.b.
Kamalaśīla. bsgom pa’i rim pa (Bhāvanākrama I, Toh 3915). Degé Tengyur, vol. 102 (dbu ma, ki), folios 259.b–289.a.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2016). The Illusory Absorption (Māyopamasamādhi, Toh 130). 84000: Translating The Words of the Buddha, 2016.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2016a). The Absorption That Encapsulates All Merit (Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi, Toh 134). 84000: Translating The Words of the Buddha, 2016.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2020). The Absorption of the Miraculous Ascertainment of Peace (Praśāntaviniścayaprātihāryasamādhi, Toh 129). 84000: Translating The Words of the Buddha, 2020.
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Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary – Volume II: Dictionary. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953.
Roberts, Peter Alan. The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhirājasūtra, Toh 127). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.
Skilton, Andrew. “State or Statement? ‘Samādhi’ in Some Early Mahāyāna Sutras.” The Eastern Buddhist, New Series, 34, no. 2 (2002): 51–93.
