While the Buddha is staying in the kingdom of Magadha with an assembly of countless bodhisattvas, the bodhisattva King of the Inconceivable gives a teaching on the relativity of time between different buddhafields. Eleven buddhafields are enumerated, with an eon in the first being equivalent to a day in the following buddhafield, where an eon is, in turn, the equivalent of a day in the next, and so forth.
Translated, edited, and finalized by the Subhashita Translation Group. The translation was produced by Lowell Cook, who also wrote the introduction. Benjamin Ewing checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text and introduction.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable takes place in the kingdom of Magadha where the Buddha is dwelling amid an incalculable assembly of bodhisattvas. Among the bodhisattvas is the titular King of the Inconceivable, who offers a discourse on the relativity of time between buddhafields. He enumerates eleven buddhafields, with an eon in the first being equivalent to a day in the following buddhafield, where an eon is, in turn, the equivalent of a day in the next, and so forth. The sūtra thus presents a hierarchy of buddhafields that begins with our world and culminates with the paramount buddhafield, Padmaśrī. This language of incredibly vast scales of time has the effect of testing the limits of human conception, thereby demonstrating that the qualities of the buddhas and their buddhafields are beyond quantification or conceptualization. King of the Inconceivable concludes his discourse by emphasizing its rarity, stating that the names of the buddhas he enumerated can only be heard by bodhisattvas with certain unique qualities. Upon completion of the discourse, the gathering of bodhisattvas and the entire world praise the teaching, which is said to have been taught by both the Blessed One and King of the Inconceivable.
The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable is nearly identical to “The Chapter on the Scale of Life,” the thirty-seventh chapter of A Multitude of Buddhas (Toh 44, Skt. Buddhāvataṃsaka),1 and Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields (Toh 104).2 Of the three texts, The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable is more elaborate than “The Chapter on the Scale of Life” in that it includes an opening narrative (Skt. nidāna) and a conclusion. However, whereas “The Chapter on the Scale of Life” and Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields explicitly reference the names of the buddhafields and their buddhas, The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable gives only the names of the buddhas in most instances. Though there is no extant Sanskrit version of The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable, there is a Sanskrit witness of Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields (Toh 104) titled Anantabuddhakṣetraguṇodbhāvana, which aligns closely with Toh 268 in terms of vocabulary and structure.3
The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable lacks a colophon identifying the translators, presenting a challenge to establishing a date for the translation. The sūtra is listed in both the Denkarma (Tib. ldan/lhan dkar ma) and Phangthangma (Tib. ’phang thang ma) catalogs, the two extant indexes of translations from the Imperial Period (629–841
The translation offered here is based on the version found in the Degé Kangyur. Additionally, the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyurs were also consulted, and “The Chapter on the Scale of Life” of A Multitude of Buddhas and Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields informed the translation. The Sūtra of the Inconceivable King has not been translated into any Western language or received any substantial scholarly attention. Where possible, the Sanskrit names of buddhas and buddhafields have been supplied by the Anantabuddhakṣetraguṇodbhāvana.
[F.5.b]Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling at the seat of awakening, a secluded hermitage in the land of Magadha, where he was seated upon a lion throne in the center of a lotus, inlaid with vajras and precious jewels. He was accompanied by a great bodhisattva assembly of as many bodhisattva great beings as there are atoms in the millions of billions of utterly indescribable buddhafields throughout the ten directions.
The bodhisattva great being King of the Inconceivable addressed those bodhisattva great beings: “O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in this Sahā world, the buddhafield of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, is but a single day in the realm of Sukhāvatī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Amitāyus.[F.6.a]
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the realm of Sukhāvatī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Amitāyus, is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vajrapramardin.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vajrapramardin is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Lotus Body Blooming from Dense Light Rays.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Lotus Body Blooming from Dense Light Rays is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Dharmadhvaja.
“O children of the Victorious One, an eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Dharmadhvaja is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Siṃha.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Siṃha is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vairocana.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vairocana is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Flower Body Blooming from the Light of the Dharma.[F.6.b]
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Flower Body Blooming from the Light of the Dharma is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha King of Wisdom Light.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha King of Wisdom Light is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Candrabuddhi.
“O children of the Victorious One, continuing with this system of calculating eons, after a distance equal to the total atoms in ten oceans of buddhafield realms, we arrive at the equivalent of a single day in the realm of Padmaśrī, the buddhafield where the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect buddha, the victorious Bhadraśrī resides.
“O children of the Victorious One, the names of these thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect buddhas will be heard by bodhisattva great beings who uphold the conduct of the bodhisattva great being Samantabhadra and who are under the care of a spiritual teacher. They will not, however, be heard by anyone else.”
After the Blessed One had spoken these words,5 the bodhisattva great being King of the Inconceivable, and the entire retinue of bodhisattva great beings and the whole world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, all rejoiced[F.7.a] and praised the words of the Blessed One and the bodhisattva great being King of the Inconceivable.6
This completes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable.”
While the Buddha is staying in the kingdom of Magadha with an assembly of countless bodhisattvas, the bodhisattva King of the Inconceivable gives a teaching on the relativity of time between different buddhafields. Eleven buddhafields are enumerated, with an eon in the first being equivalent to a day in the following buddhafield, where an eon is, in turn, the equivalent of a day in the next, and so forth.
Translated, edited, and finalized by the Subhashita Translation Group. The translation was produced by Lowell Cook, who also wrote the introduction. Benjamin Ewing checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text and introduction.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable takes place in the kingdom of Magadha where the Buddha is dwelling amid an incalculable assembly of bodhisattvas. Among the bodhisattvas is the titular King of the Inconceivable, who offers a discourse on the relativity of time between buddhafields. He enumerates eleven buddhafields, with an eon in the first being equivalent to a day in the following buddhafield, where an eon is, in turn, the equivalent of a day in the next, and so forth. The sūtra thus presents a hierarchy of buddhafields that begins with our world and culminates with the paramount buddhafield, Padmaśrī. This language of incredibly vast scales of time has the effect of testing the limits of human conception, thereby demonstrating that the qualities of the buddhas and their buddhafields are beyond quantification or conceptualization. King of the Inconceivable concludes his discourse by emphasizing its rarity, stating that the names of the buddhas he enumerated can only be heard by bodhisattvas with certain unique qualities. Upon completion of the discourse, the gathering of bodhisattvas and the entire world praise the teaching, which is said to have been taught by both the Blessed One and King of the Inconceivable.
The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable is nearly identical to “The Chapter on the Scale of Life,” the thirty-seventh chapter of A Multitude of Buddhas (Toh 44, Skt. Buddhāvataṃsaka),1 and Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields (Toh 104).2 Of the three texts, The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable is more elaborate than “The Chapter on the Scale of Life” in that it includes an opening narrative (Skt. nidāna) and a conclusion. However, whereas “The Chapter on the Scale of Life” and Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields explicitly reference the names of the buddhafields and their buddhas, The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable gives only the names of the buddhas in most instances. Though there is no extant Sanskrit version of The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable, there is a Sanskrit witness of Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields (Toh 104) titled Anantabuddhakṣetraguṇodbhāvana, which aligns closely with Toh 268 in terms of vocabulary and structure.3
The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable lacks a colophon identifying the translators, presenting a challenge to establishing a date for the translation. The sūtra is listed in both the Denkarma (Tib. ldan/lhan dkar ma) and Phangthangma (Tib. ’phang thang ma) catalogs, the two extant indexes of translations from the Imperial Period (629–841
The translation offered here is based on the version found in the Degé Kangyur. Additionally, the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyurs were also consulted, and “The Chapter on the Scale of Life” of A Multitude of Buddhas and Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields informed the translation. The Sūtra of the Inconceivable King has not been translated into any Western language or received any substantial scholarly attention. Where possible, the Sanskrit names of buddhas and buddhafields have been supplied by the Anantabuddhakṣetraguṇodbhāvana.
[F.5.b]Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling at the seat of awakening, a secluded hermitage in the land of Magadha, where he was seated upon a lion throne in the center of a lotus, inlaid with vajras and precious jewels. He was accompanied by a great bodhisattva assembly of as many bodhisattva great beings as there are atoms in the millions of billions of utterly indescribable buddhafields throughout the ten directions.
The bodhisattva great being King of the Inconceivable addressed those bodhisattva great beings: “O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in this Sahā world, the buddhafield of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, is but a single day in the realm of Sukhāvatī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Amitāyus.[F.6.a]
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the realm of Sukhāvatī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Amitāyus, is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vajrapramardin.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vajrapramardin is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Lotus Body Blooming from Dense Light Rays.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Lotus Body Blooming from Dense Light Rays is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Dharmadhvaja.
“O children of the Victorious One, an eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Dharmadhvaja is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Siṃha.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Siṃha is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vairocana.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Vairocana is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Flower Body Blooming from the Light of the Dharma.[F.6.b]
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Flower Body Blooming from the Light of the Dharma is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha King of Wisdom Light.
“O children of the Victorious One, a single eon in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha King of Wisdom Light is but a single day in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect Buddha Candrabuddhi.
“O children of the Victorious One, continuing with this system of calculating eons, after a distance equal to the total atoms in ten oceans of buddhafield realms, we arrive at the equivalent of a single day in the realm of Padmaśrī, the buddhafield where the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect buddha, the victorious Bhadraśrī resides.
“O children of the Victorious One, the names of these thus-gone, worthy, and completely perfect buddhas will be heard by bodhisattva great beings who uphold the conduct of the bodhisattva great being Samantabhadra and who are under the care of a spiritual teacher. They will not, however, be heard by anyone else.”
After the Blessed One had spoken these words,5 the bodhisattva great being King of the Inconceivable, and the entire retinue of bodhisattva great beings and the whole world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, all rejoiced[F.7.a] and praised the words of the Blessed One and the bodhisattva great being King of the Inconceivable.6
This completes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Sūtra of King of the Inconceivable.”
See Subhashita Translation Group, trans., The Chapter on The Scale of Life, Toh 44-37 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).
See Subhashita Translation Group, trans., Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields, Toh 104 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).
As indicated at the beginning of the sūtra, it was the bodhisattva King of the Inconceivable who delivered this discourse. Nonetheless, “the Blessed One” appears to refer to Śākyamuni here.
Based on the Tibetan syntax, it does appear that King of the Inconceivable is praising his own words in this passage.
The buddha in the western realm of Sukhāvatī, also known as Amitābha.
Bhadraśrī (Excellent Glory) is a buddha who inhabits the buddhafield Padmaśrī.
A buddhafield is the particular world system over which a specific buddha presides. There are innumerable such fields in Mahāyāna Buddhist cosmology.
Flower Body Blooming from the Light of the Dharma is a buddha who inhabits a buddhafield. Buddhas with similar names are said to inhabit the buddhafield Duratikramā (Difficult to Transcend) (Tib. ’da’ bar dka’ ba) in Toh 44-37 and Toh 104.
A bodhisattva who is the primary speaker in Toh 268.
King of Wisdom Light is a buddha who inhabits a buddhafield.
Lotus Body Blooming from Dense Light Rays is a buddha who inhabits a buddhafield. Buddhas with similar names are said to inhabit the buddhafield Avaivartikacakranirghoṣā in Toh 44-37 and Toh 104.
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.
Padmaśrī (Lotus Glory) is a buddhafield inhabited by the Buddha Bhadraśrī.
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.
Samantabhadra (Entirely Excellent) is one of the eight principal bodhisattvas. He is known for embodying the conduct of bodhisattvas through his vast aspirations, offerings, and deeds for the benefit of beings.
The exact place where every buddha in this world will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. Specifically, this is the place beneath the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gayā.
Sukhāvatī (Blissful) is the buddhafield to the west inhabited by the Buddha Amitāyus, who is also known as Amitābha. It is classically described in The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī (Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra).
Vajrapramardin (Vajra Vanquisher) is a buddha who inhabits a buddhafield. This buddhafield is specifically said to be Kaṣāyadhvajā in Toh 44-37 and Toh 104. In Toh 104 he is named Vajrasārapramardin (Vajra Essence Vanquisher).
’phags pa bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i rgyal po’i mdo (Āryācintyarājasūtranāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 268, Degé Kangyur vol. 68 (mdo se, ya), folios 5.b–7.a.
’phags pa bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i rgyal po’i mdo (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), 2006–9, vol. 68, pp. 13–16.
’phags pa bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i rgyal po’i mdo. Stok 58. Stok Palace Kangyur (stog pho brang bris ma). Leh: smanrtsis shesrig dpemzod, 1975–80, vol. 57 (mdo sde, cha), folios 151.a–153.a.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Skilling, Peter and Saerji. “ ‘O, Son of the Conqueror’: A note on jinaputra as a term of address in the Buddhāvataṃsaka and in Mahāyāna sūtras.”Annual Report of The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology (ARIRIAB) at Soka University 15 (2012): 127–30.
Subhashita Translation Group, trans. Expounding the Qualities of the Thus-Gone Ones’ Buddhafields (Toh 104). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
Subhashita Translation Group, trans. The Chapter on the Scale of Life (chapter 37 of the Buddhāvataṃska, Toh 44). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
Vinītā, Bhikṣuṇī, ed. and trans. A Unique Collection of Twenty Sūtras in a Sanskrit Manuscript from the Potala. Sanskrit Texts from the Tibetan Autonomous Region 7/1. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House; Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2010.
