Though the precise reference is unclear from the context, in an Indian Mahāyāna sūtra such as The Ten Bhūmis, the term trisaṃvara does not refer to the triad of prātimokṣa vows, bodhisattva commitments, and tantric pledges, but rather may refer to a set known from the Bodhisattvabhūmi: prātimokṣa discipline, engaging in virtuous acts, and providing assistance and care to all beings.

There are two common sets of three vows. The first is the pratimokṣa, bodhicitta, and mantra vows, and this schema was perhaps most famously promoted in Tibet by the thirteenth-century Tibetan polymath Sakya Paṇḍita. The second set, which is likely the set of three vows referred to here, consists of (1) the pratimokṣa vows (Tib. so thar gyi sdom pa) of the desire realm, (2) the dhyāna vows (Tib. sam gtan gyi sdom pa) of the form realm, and (3) the uncontaminated vows (Tib. zag med kyi sdom pa) maintained by those who have transcended the three realms and are at the level of a noble being.

In Great Vehicle treatises, the vows of a layperson or monk (prātimokṣa), the vows of a solitary buddha, and the vows of a bodhisattva.

There are two common sets of “the three vows.” The first set refers to the pratimokṣa, bodhicitta, and mantra vows, and this schema was perhaps most famously promoted in Tibet by the thirteenth-century Tibetan polymath Sakya Paṇḍita. The second set, which is likely the set of three vows referred to here, consists of 1) the pratimokṣa vows (Tib. so thar gyi sdom pa) of the desire realm; 2) the dhyāna vows (Tib. sam gtan gyi sdom pa) of the form realm; and 3) the uncontaminated vows (Tib. zag med kyi sdom pa) maintained by those who have transcended the three realms and are at the level of a noble being.

There are two common sets of “the three vows.” The first set refers to the pratimokṣa, bodhicitta, and mantra vows, and this schema was perhaps most famously promoted in Tibet by the thirteenth-century Tibetan polymath Sakya Paṇḍita. The second set, which is likely the set of three vows referred to here, consists of (1) the pratimokṣa vows (Tib. so thar gyi sdom pa) of the desire realm, (2) the dhyāna vows (Tib. sam gtan gyi sdom pa) of the form realm, and (3) the uncontaminated vows (Tib. zag med kyi sdom pa) maintained by those who have transcended the three realms and are at the level of a noble being.

The restraint of the body, speech, and mind.