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རབ་ཏུ་འབྱུང་བའི་གཞི།

The Chapter on Going Forth
Śāriputra

Pravrajyāvastu
འདུལ་བ་གཞི་ལས། རབ་ཏུ་འབྱུང་བའི་གཞི།
’dul ba gzhi las/ rab tu ’byung ba’i gzhi
“The Chapter on Going Forth” from The Chapters on Monastic Discipline
Vinayavastu Pravrajyāvastu

Toh 1-1

Degé Kangyur, vol. 1 (’dul ba, ka), folios 1.a–131.a

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
  • Palgyi Lhünpo
  • Sarvajñādeva
  • Vidyākaraprabha
  • Dharmākara
  • Paltsek

Imprint

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Translated by Robert Miller and team
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2018

Current version v 1.37.22 (2025)

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
+ 10 sections- 10 sections
· The Vinaya
· The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya
· The Vinayavastu
· The Chapter on Going Forth
· Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana’s Spiritual Search
· The Rite of Admission into the Renunciant Order
· Admission Criteria
· Academic Work and Prior Translations
· The Language of Renunciation
· The Translation
tr. The Translation
+ 9 sections- 9 sections
p1. Prologue to The Chapters on Monastic Discipline
p2. Prologue to The Chapter on Going Forth
1. Śāriputra
+ 4 chapters- 4 chapters
· Śāriputra
· Going Forth
· Granting Ordination
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· The Early Rite
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· The postulant’s request
· The monk’s request
· Acting on the motion
· Preceptors and Instructors
· The Present Day Ordination Rite
+ 4 sections- 4 sections
· Giving the layperson’s vows and refuge precepts
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· How to give the layperson’s vows
· Pledging to keep the precepts
· Going forth
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Informing the saṅgha of the wish to go forth
· Requesting the preceptor
· Allowing the postulant’s going forth
· Becoming a novice
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Inducting the postulant into the novitiate
· Marking the time
· The novice investiture
· Granting ordination
+ 29 sections- 29 sections
· The opening occasion
· Requesting the preceptor
· Taking possession of robes that have already been cut and sewn
· Taking possession of robes that have not already been cut and sewn
· Displaying the begging bowl
· Taking possession of the begging bowl
· The privy advisor’s expression of willingness
· The motion to act as privy advisor
· The inquiry into private matters
· Reporting the findings
· The ordinand’s request for ordination
· The motion to ask about impediments before the saṅgha
· Inquiring into impediments before the Saṅgha
· The monk officiant’s request to ordain
· The motion to act
· Marking the time by the length of a shadow
· Explaining the different parts of the day and night
· Describing the length of the seasons
· Explaining the supports
· Explaining the offenses
· Explaining those things that constitute spiritual practice
· Announcing the perfect fulfillment of his greatest desire
· Enjoining him to practice the equally applicable ethical code
· Enjoining him to bond with his role model in the renunciant life
· Enjoining him to dwell in tranquility
· Enjoining him to carry out his obligations
· Informing him of what he must do to fully understand his unspoken commitments
· Enjoining him to heed what he reveres
· Enjoining him in the methods together with the instructions that should be practiced
· Querying Upasena
2. Tīrthikas
+ 3 chapters- 3 chapters
· Tīrthikas
· Twenty Years
· Novices Not Yet Fifteen
3. The Two Novices
+ 7 chapters- 7 chapters
· Two Novices
· Those in Servitude
· Debtors
· Those Without Consent
· Without Consultation
· Ill persons
· Śākyas
4. Scaring Away a Crow
+ 8 chapters- 8 chapters
· Scaring Away a Crow
· Violators
· Impostors
· Person labeled a paṇḍaka
· Creatures
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Saṅgharakṣita and the Shape-Shifting Nāga
+ 8 sections- 8 sections
· The shape-shifting nāga who finds faith in the Dharma
· Saṅgharakṣita brings the Buddha’s teachings to the land of the nāgas
· Saṅgharakṣita sees the effects of actions with his own eyes
· Saṅgharakṣita’s sermon leads five hundred seers to the truth
· Saṅgharakṣita leads an entourage of one thousand to the Buddha
· The Blessed One explains the causes for the sights Saṅgharakṣita has seen
· The Blessed One explains the reasons for Saṅgharakṣita’s good fortune
· The Blessed One explains the reasons for the shape-shifting nāga’s faith
· Tīrthikas
· Matricides
· Patricides
5. Killing an Arhat
+ 5 chapters- 5 chapters
· Killing an Arhat
· Causing a Schism in the Saṅgha
· Maliciously Drawing Blood from a Tathāgata
· Suffering One of the Four Defeats
· Three Types of Suspension
6. Persons whose hands have been cut off
+ 1 chapter- 1 chapter
· Persons whose hands have been cut off
c. Colophon
ap. An Outline of the Present Day Ordination Rite
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· The Translated Text: “The Chapter on Going Forth”
· The Commentary to “The Chapter on Going Forth”
· Works Cited in Introduction and Endnotes
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Tibetan and Sanskrit Reference Works
· Works Cited in English and Other Languages
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

“The Chapter on Going Forth” is the first of seventeen chapters in The Chapters on Monastic Discipline, a four-volume work that outlines the statutes and procedures that govern life in a Buddhist monastic community. This first chapter traces the development of the rite by which postulants were admitted into the monastic order, from the Buddha Śākyamuni’s informal invitation to “Come, monk,” to the more elaborate “Present Day Rite.” Along the way, the posts of preceptor and instructor are introduced, their responsibilities defined, and a dichotomy between elders and immature novices described. While the heart of the chapter is a transcript of the “Present Day Rite,” the text is interwoven with numerous narrative asides, depicting the spiritual ferment of the north Indian region of Magadha during the Buddha’s lifetime, the follies of untrained and unsupervised apprentices, and the need for a formal system of tutelage.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This translation was carried out from the Tibetan by Robert Miller with the guidance of Geshé Tséwang Nyima. Ven. Lhundup Damchö (Dr. Diana Finnegan) provided her draft translation of the extant Sanskrit portions of this chapter. Dr. Fumi Yao and Maurice Ozaine kindly identified numerous misspellings and mistakes in the glossaries. Both Ven. Damchö and Dr. Yao generously shared their extensive knowledge of the Mūlasarvāstivādin Vinaya and furnished invaluable assistance in researching the translation. Matthew Wuethrich served as style consultant and editor.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.


ac.­2

The generous sponsorship of Zhou Tian Yu, Chen Yi Qin, Irene Tillman, Archie Kao, and Zhou Xun, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

The Vinaya

i.­1

According to traditional accounts, after the Buddha had entered parinirvāṇa, the elder Kāśyapa proposed that the Blessed One’s teachings be recited for posterity. During the rains retreat at Rājagṛha that followed, Kāśyapa asked the venerable Upāli to recall the Buddha’s pronouncements on monastic discipline and the venerable Ānanda to recite the Buddha’s discourses. One hundred years later, a second council was convened at Vaiśālī to resolve disagreements that had arisen in relation to the code of monastic discipline, or vinaya.1

The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya

The Vinayavastu

The Chapter on Going Forth

Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana’s Spiritual Search

The Rite of Admission into the Renunciant Order

Admission Criteria

Academic Work and Prior Translations

The Language of Renunciation

The Translation


Text Prelude

The Translation
The Chapters on Monastic Discipline

p1.

Prologue to The Chapters on Monastic Discipline

[B1] [F.1.b]


p1.­1
Homage to the Three Jewels.
p1.­2
Homage to him who severed the bonds,
Destroyed the whole host of tīrthikas,
Vanquished the armies of Māra,
And thus discovered this awakening.
p1.­3
To begin with, it is hard to renounce a householder’s concerns and go forth.
Having gone forth, it is hard to find happiness in wandering.
It is hard to do well what one pledged to with delight.
It is hard for a skilled wearer of the ochre robes to fail.
p1.­4
The Chapters on Monastic Discipline includes chapters on:
Going forth, restoration,
Lifting restrictions, the rains, leather,
Medicine, robes, turning cloth into robes,
The monks of Kauśāmbī, formal acts of saṅgha,
A group of troublesome monks, types of persons,
Probations, suspension of the restoration,
Housing, [F.2.a] disputes, and schisms in the saṅgha.53

Text Body

The Chapter on Going Forth

p2.

Prologue to The Chapter on Going Forth

p2.­1
The whole of The Chapter on Going Forth
Is told in sections on:
Śāriputra, tīrthikas,
The two novices, scaring a crow,
Killing an arhat, and missing hands.

1.

Śāriputra

1.­1
The Śāriputra section is told over five chapters:
Śāriputra, going forth, refuge, a summary of Upasena’s collection, and a summary of the fives.

Śāriputra

1.­2

While the Bodhisattva was dwelling in the Abode of Tuṣita, the King of Aṅga ruled over the lands of Aṅga. Under his rule, the kingdom prospered and thrived, crops were bountiful and the land teemed with animals and people. Meanwhile, King Mahāpadma ruled over the lands of Magadha. Under his rule, the kingdom prospered and thrived, crops were bountiful and the land teemed with animals and people. At times, the King of Aṅga and his armies were dominant. At other times, King Mahāpadma and his armies were dominant.

1.­3

At a time when the King of Aṅga and his armies were dominant, he called up the four branches of his armed forces‍—the elephant corps, the cavalry, the charioteer corps, and the infantry‍—and laid waste to all of Magadha, save Rājagṛha, before returning.

1.­4

At a time when King Mahāpadma and his armies were dominant, he too called up the four branches of his armed forces‍—the elephant corps, the cavalry, the charioteer corps, and the infantry‍—and [F.2.b] laid waste to all of Aṅga, save Campā, before returning.

At yet another time when the King of Aṅga and his armies were dominant, he again called up the four branches of his armed forces‍—the elephant corps, the cavalry, the charioteer corps, and the infantry‍—and began again to lay waste to the land of Magadha, prompting the people of Magadha to send a message to King Mahāpadma, saying, “Your Majesty, the King of Aṅga has called up the four branches of his armed forces‍—the elephant corps, the cavalry, the charioteer corps, and the infantry‍—and is laying waste to the lands of Magadha.”

1.­5

When King Mahāpadma heard this, he too called up the four branches of his armed forces‍—the elephant corps, the cavalry, the charioteer corps, and the infantry‍—and rode out to meet the King of Aṅga in battle.

The King of Aṅga captured King Mahāpadma’s entire elephant corps and proceeded to capture the whole of his cavalry, charioteer corps, and infantry. Defeated and frightened, destroyed and conquered, King Mahāpadma retreated. Entering Rājagṛha, he closed the gates and shut himself up within the walls of his fortress.

1.­6

The King of Aṅga sent an envoy to King Mahāpadma with the message, “It would be good were you to come out. If you do not surrender, and instead take flight into the sky above, I will fell you with a volley of arrows. Tunnel beneath the earth and I will yank you up as if with a hook. Flee to the mountaintops, and even there you shall find no escape.”

1.­7

King Mahāpadma was unsettled by the message he heard.54 Head in hands, he sat and sat, absorbed in thought.55 Then he said to his ministers, “Gentlemen, this King of Aṅga [F.3.a] is belligerent, ruthless, and his military might is great. If he gives an order, how can we not obey?”


1.­8

They spoke in verse:

“When land and life are threatened,
Seek always to protect life.
When the wise look at both, they see
Land, but not life, can be found again.”
1.­9

They then implored him, “Your Majesty, any way you look at it, you must go out!”

King Mahāpadma hung his sword from his neck in surrender and went out, where the King of Aṅga imposed an annual tribute and tax upon him.


1.­10

While the blessed Bodhisattva was dwelling in the Abode of Tuṣita, he saw five sights56 and thrice gave notice to the six classes of gods who revel in the desire realm. Assuming an elephant’s appearance, he entered his mother’s womb as the earth shook and this world and all others too were bathed in a vast light more luminous than the glow of the gods of the Thirty-Three. So great was this miraculous manifestation, it was as if the sun and moon shone in the gulf between worlds.57 So great was its strength that darkness everywhere, even the pitch-black darkness of dark places dark from never knowing the light of the sun and moon, was filled with a vast light. Beings born in those places had never even seen so far as their outstretched hands, yet by this light these beings saw one another and exclaimed, “You there! There are others who have been born here! There are others who have been born here!”


1.­11

At the same time as the blessed Bodhisattva was born, sons were also born to four great kings in four great city-states. In Rājagṛha the son of King Mahāpadma was born. In Śrāvastī the son of King Arāḍa Brahmadatta was born. In Ujjayinī [F.3.b] the son of King Anantanemi was born. In Kauśāmbī the son of King Śatānīka was born.

1.­12

When the blessed Bodhisattva was born, the entire universe was bathed in a vast light more luminous than the glow of the gods of the Thirty-Three. So great was this miraculous manifestation, it was as if the sun and moon shone in the gulf between worlds. So great was its strength that darkness everywhere, even the pitch-black darkness of dark places dark from never knowing the light of the sun and moon, was filled with a vast light. Beings born in those places had never even seen so far as their outstretched hands, yet by this light these beings saw one another and exclaimed, “You there! There are others who have been born here! There are others who have been born here!”

1.­13

King Mahāpadma thought, “When my son was born, the world was lit as if by the gold of the rising sun. And as he is the son of Queen Bimbī (Goldie), I shall name this prince Bimbisāra (Essence of Gold).” And so the boy was named Bimbisāra.

King Arāḍa Brahmadatta thought, “When my son was born, the world was lit as if by the light of lights, so I shall name this prince Prasenajit (Supreme Light).” And so the boy was named Prasenajit.

King Śatānīka thought, “When my son was born, the world was lit as if by the rising sun, so I shall name this prince Udayana (Rising).” And so the boy was named Udayana.

King Anantanemi thought, “When my son was born, the world was lit by a brilliant light, so I shall name this prince Pradyota (Brilliant Light).” And so the boy was named Pradyota.

1.­14

And so each king attributed the light to the birth of his own son. [F.4.a] Though each attributed it to his own son, it was not so. For all that occurred, occurred because of the Bodhisattva.


1.­15

On the very same day that Prince Bimbisāra was born, five hundred sons of five hundred ministers were also born and were given names appropriate to their patrilineage. [S.2.a]

1.­16

Prince Bimbisāra was entrusted to eight nursemaids:58 two to cuddle him, two to breastfeed him, two to change his diapers, and two to play with him.59 Fortified with milk, curd, butter, ghee, cream, and other nourishing foods, he grew quickly, shooting up like a lotus in a pond. When he was old enough, he was introduced to letters, number names, calculation, counting by hand, expenditures, revenues, and deposits.60 After he finished letters, he became skilled in exegesis, recitation, knowledge, proper conduct,61 and the way to assess gems, sites, fabrics, woods, elephants, horses, women, and men.

1.­17

He trained in and mastered the different fields of arts and skills of anointed kṣatriya kings, or a ruler of the realm endowed with the might and vigor to conquer the wide face of the earth, such as riding on the neck of an elephant, riding horseback, charioteering, swordsmanship, archery, advancing, yielding, wielding a hook, throwing a lasso, casting a spear, and how to hold a weapon, march, tie a topknot,62 [F.4.b] slash, quarter, pierce, and strike in five ways‍—striking from a distance, striking a target using acoustic location, striking a fatal blow, striking without hesitation, and striking forcefully.

These arts and skills were also mastered by the five hundred sons of the five hundred ministers.

1.­18

Bimbisāra’s father enrolled him in the eighteen guilds, due to which he was named and became known as Bimbisāra of the Guilds.63

1.­19

Later Prince Bimbisāra set out astride an elephant where he saw the King of Aṅga’s officers collecting tributes and taxes, prompting him to inquire of his men, “Gentlemen, for whom are these tributes and taxes being collected?”

“Your Majesty! For the King of Aṅga.”

1.­20

“What? Will we be offered tribute?”

“No, Your Majesty, we are the ones to offer the tribute.”

“Gentlemen, summon those officers.”

1.­21

When the officers were summoned, he said, “Gentlemen, the King of Aṅga is crowned and an anointed kṣatriya king. If I too am crowned and an anointed a kṣatriya king, why is it you are collecting tributes and taxes here? I forbid you to collect tributes and taxes from this day forth.”

1.­22

“The prince fails to appreciate the situation,” they thought. “Let us go submit the matter to King Mahāpadma.”

1.­23

They went to King Mahāpadma and said, “Your Majesty, when we officers of the King of Aṅga were collecting tributes and taxes, Prince Bimbisāra stopped us from doing so. Shall we collect them or not?”

“Gentlemen, the prince doesn’t understand the situation. Continue to collect tributes and taxes as you have done before.”

1.­24

They [F.5.a] had begun their collection again when Prince Bimbisāra spotted them on their way back and said, “Gentlemen, have I not already prohibited you from collecting tributes and taxes? Why are you collecting them again? You are to desist. Fail to desist and I shall close the borders.”

1.­25

Frightened, they thought, “The prince is dangerous and ruthless. In time he may pose a serious risk to us. We must go warn the King of Aṅga.”

1.­26

They went before the King of Aṅga and said, “Your Majesty, as officers of the court, we were collecting tributes and taxes on your behalf when King Mahāpadma’s son, Prince Bimbisāra, stopped us. If Your Majesty [S.2.b] ignores the prince’s actions, he may, in time, pose a serious risk to us.”


1.­27

Then they spoke in verse:

“When a tree is small,
Fingernails may fell it.
Yet when the tree is large,
Even a hundred axes may fail.”
1.­28

The King of Aṅga sent a letter to King Mahāpadma: “Send Prince Bimbisāra with his sword hung from his neck‍—or prepare your pyre and shroud, for I myself will come!”

1.­29

King Mahāpadma heard this letter read and was troubled. Head in hands, he sat and sat, absorbed in thought. Then he summoned Prince Bimbisāra and said, “Son, why did you stop the King of Aṅga’s officers from collecting tributes and taxes? They have sent me a letter expressing their anger.”

1.­30

“Your Majesty, why do we pay tribute and taxes to him?”

“Son, we are tributaries.”

1.­31

“If the King of Aṅga is an anointed a kṣatriya king and we too [F.5.b] are anointed kṣatriya kings, why do we offer tribute and taxes to him? Give me an army of just four divisions, Your Majesty, and I will meet the King of Aṅga in battle.”

1.­32

King Mahāpadma then sent a message to the King of Aṅga, saying, “You had best hope all the power, forces, will, and authority you possess do not fail you!”

The King of Aṅga found this message intolerable and commanded his ministers, “Gentlemen, lay waste to those lands! Call up the four branches of the armed forces.”

1.­33

Having called up the four branches of the armed forces‍—the elephant corps, the cavalry, the charioteer corps, and the infantry‍—they began to lay waste to the land of Magadha. The people of Magadha sent a message to King Mahāpadma, saying, “Your Majesty, the King of Aṅga has called up the four branches of his armed forces‍—the elephant corps, the cavalry, the charioteer corps, and the infantry‍—and is laying waste to the lands of Magadha.”

1.­34

King Mahāpadma was troubled by this news and, head in hands, sat and sat, absorbed in thought. He summoned Prince Bimbisāra and gave him charge over the four branches of the armed forces. Prince Bimbisāra gathered the five hundred ministers’ sons and said, “Gentlemen, what if I were to meet the King of Aṅga in battle? What would you do?”

1.­35

“Prince, your struggle shall be our struggle!” they responded.


1.­36

Then they said in verse:

“In whose house dwells glory,
It is he we should protect.
If he falls, then all fall,
As spokes at a hub’s collapse.”
1.­37

Prince Bimbisāra said, “Now [F.6.a] you must do all you can to protect me.”

“Whatever Your Majesty’s plight may be, that too shall be ours. Wherever Your Majesty’s foot may fall, there shall we bow our heads.”

1.­38

The four branches of the armed forces were then called up and they set out from Rājagṛha. When King Mahāpadma, who sat shut up in his upper citadel surrounded by his council, saw them depart, he asked his ministers, “Gentlemen, whose army is this?”

1.­39

“Your Majesty, it is Prince Bimbisāra’s.”

“Gentlemen! It is awesome to behold!”

Hence, the prince was named and became known as Bimbisāra of the Army. Some knew him as Bimbisāra of the Guilds while some knew him as Bimbisāra of the Army.

1.­40

Prince Bimbisāra said to the five hundred sons of the ministers, “Gentlemen, this King of Aṅga is belligerent, ruthless, and his military might is great so we cannot meet him in battle. Therefore, we will sneak in, overrun his exposed camp, and kill him while their guard is down and their armor off.”

1.­41

They overran the King of Aṅga’s exposed camp while their guard was down and their armor off, sneaking up and killing him. The four branches of the King of Aṅga’s armed forces scattered to the four directions. Prince Bimbisāra sent mounted emissaries in the four directions with the message, [S.3.a] “Gentlemen, you are anointed kṣatriya kings, and I too am an anointed kṣatriya king, so return! Gentlemen, I will support you!”

1.­42

He whom the King of Aṅga left to defend the city of Campā [F.6.b] heard how the King of Aṅga had been killed, prompting him to close the gates and take cover within the walls of the fortress. When at last Prince Bimbisāra reached Campā, the prince fixed the King of Aṅga’s head onto a long pole and displayed it, saying, “It is I who has brought your lord to this state. Come out immediately and I shall look favorably upon you. Fail to appear and you too will soon find yourself in this state.”


1.­43

It distressed the steward of Campā to hear this, and he thought of this verse:

“When land and life are threatened,
Seek always to protect life.
When the wise look at both, they see
Land, but not life, can be found again.”
1.­44

With that thought he hung his sword from his neck in surrender and came out.

With the King of Aṅga slain, Campā fell into Prince Bimbisāra’s hands, at which point he sent a message to King Mahāpadma, saying, “Your Majesty, I have slain the King of Aṅga and Campā is now in my hands. Your Majesty, tell me what else needs to be done and I shall see to it.”

1.­45

Pleased, King Mahāpadma sent Prince Bimbisāra a parasol, a turban, and a coronet with the message, “Son, you must take the reins of power there. I, for my part, will assume the reins of power here.”

1.­46

And so Prince Bimbisāra assumed the reins of power. Under him, the kingdom prospered and thrived, crops were bountiful and the land teemed with animals and people.

1.­47

Once King Mahāpadma’s time had come, the ministers of Rājagṛha sent a message to King Bimbisāra, saying, “Your Majesty, your father’s time has come.” In a great coronation ceremony, the ministers of Rājagṛha and Magadha granted him sovereignty over the lands of Aṅga and Magadha.

1.­48

Under King Bimbisāra’s rule, the kingdoms of Aṅga and Magadha prospered and thrived, crops were bountiful and the land teemed with animals and people. He completely pacified conflict, [F.7.a] aggressors, and enemies from without as well as disturbances from within. He rid the land of brigands, thieves, famine, and illness, and brought a wealth of rice, sugar cane, cattle, and buffalo; thus the just Dharma king established a just kingdom.


1.­49

There was a young brahmin who, desiring and in search of esoteric instruction, left the Middle Country and went to the South, where there was a brahmin to whom the Vedas and the limbs of the Vedas had been entrusted, who had been a teacher to brahmins living in a country to the south.64

1.­50

The young brahmin went to see this teacher of brahmins. Serene, the young brahmin bowed his head calmly and sat off to one side. The brahmin teacher warmly greeted him with words of welcome, and asked, “Young brahmin, where have you come from and what do you desire?”

1.­51

“I hail from the Middle Country and I seek to serve at the feet of a preceptor.”

“Why?”

“So that I may study the Vedas.”

1.­52

“Excellent, my son. You should do just that, for that is a brahmin’s duty.”

And so, the young brahmin began to study the Vedas with the teacher of brahmins.

1.­53

The brahmins’ students were in the habit, when not occupied with their studies, of going to the riverbank to bathe, visiting the city, or collecting wood for use in fire pūjas.

1.­54

Once, when not occupied with their studies, they went to collect wood for fire pūjas. On the way they had the following conversation. “Sons of Kutsa, sons of Vātsa, sons of Śāṇḍili, sons of Bhāradvāja, sons of the Five, sons of the Further Five.65 To begin with, let us share where we come from, from which land we hail.”

1.­55

“I am from the East,” one young brahmin responded. [F.7.b]

“I am from the South,” said another.

1.­56

“I am from the West.”

“I am from the North.”

1.­57

The young brahmin then said, “I am from the Middle Country.”

To him they said, [S.3.b] “Sir! We have seen and heard of all those other countries, but have neither seen nor heard of the Middle Country.”


1.­58

And then they added this verse:

“In the East they are wise,
In the South they are cunning,
In the West they stir division,
In the North they speak roughly.”
1.­59

“Young brahmin,” they asked, “what is the Middle Country like?”

“Gentlemen, the Middle Country is the best of all lands, abounding in rice, sugar cane, cattle, and buffalo, thronging with hundreds of honest women and filled with upstanding men, devoid of foreign savages, and guided by learned men. The river Gaṅgā, bountiful, meritorious, auspicious, and clean, flows through this famed land, irrigating both shores. At one point, where sages are known to gather, the river flows through eighteen bends. There, sages seek to bodily rise to the heavens through their practice of austerities.”66

1.­60

“Young brahmin, having met you, we have another question. Do you have men counted as learned in the Middle Country?”

“Gentlemen, from the first did I not say, ‘Gentlemen, the Middle Country is filled with upstanding men, devoid of foreign savages, and guided by learned men’?”

1.­61

“Young brahmin, you did say that. Young brahmin, are there any in the Middle Country like our preceptor, a bull among teachers?”

“Gentlemen, in the Middle Country, the teachers are such that our teacher could not even look them in the face, so eloquently do they speak, so wise are they.”

1.­62

On hearing the young brahmin speak so highly of the Middle Country, [F.8.a] they were moved by the desire to visit it. The young brahmins then went off to collect wood for use in fire pūjas. Bearing their loads of wood, they came to the house in which the teacher of brahmins lived. On arriving, they set their loads of wood off to one side, went to him, and said, “Preceptor, please listen. The young brahmin from the Middle Country speaks so highly of it that we are moved by the desire to visit.”

1.­63

The brahmin said, “Boys, would you visit every place of which you hear? Since you seem to derive so much pleasure from hearing of other countries, I would suggest you not visit those places you hear about.”

1.­64

“Preceptor, according to this young brahmin, in the Middle Country the teachers are such that you, our teacher, could not even look them in the face, so eloquently do they speak, so wise are they.”

1.­65

“My sons, do I say I am the one and only teacher on this earth, that there are no other teachers? After all, since the earth contains many gems, its surface is covered with one beauty after another.”

1.­66

“We will see that country yet, Preceptor, if only for a short while. We will bathe on the banks of the river, we will serve the bull among teachers, we will defeat opponents, we will make a name for ourselves and find our fortune, too. We will go to the Middle Country.”

1.­67

As the brahmin was attached to his students and his circle of students was small, he said to the young brahmins, “In that case, my sons, let us gather our hides, bast robes, staffs, water jugs, ladles, and bowls and go to the Middle Country.”67

1.­68

Having collected their things, the brahmin set off with the young brahmins for the Middle Country. [F.8.b] Along the way, he defeated an opponent in debate, and then bound him to his chariot. He poured ashes from a pot on another’s head. Another steered clear of him like a crow does an archery range. Another received him with parasols, victory banners, and standards. Another made a pledge to become his student. As he went, he vanquished one opponent after another in villages, cities, towns, marketplaces, and hamlets until he reached Rājagṛha. [S.4.a]

1.­69

The brahmin thought, “Why bother pulling off the branches, petals, and leaves while leaving the root? Since all worthy opponents and anyone counted as learned will be close to the king, it is the king I shall see.”

1.­70

With that, the brahmin went to see King Bimbisāra. On arriving, he wished King Bimbisāra success and long life, took a place off to one side, and addressed him: “Your Majesty, from my guru I have received a few teachings. And so I seek to settle a matter in debate with an opponent in Your Majesty’s presence.”

1.­71

The king asked his ministers, “Gentlemen, are there any opponents in my kingdom capable of settling a matter in debate with this brahmin?”

1.­72

“Your Majesty, in the village of Nālada there is a brahmin known as Māṭhara who has been entrusted with the Vedas and the limbs of the Vedas. With blazing intelligence, this capable man illuminates his own assertions and smashes those of others. He has put together a work known as Māṭhara’s Treatise.”

1.­73

“Summon Master Māṭhara.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

1.­74

Māṭhara received the summons and went to see King Bimbisāra. On arrival, he wished King Bimbisāra success and [F.9.a] long life then took a place off to one side.

The ministers said, “This is the preceptor, Your Majesty.”

1.­75

The king greeted him with words of welcome and asked, “Preceptor, can you settle a matter in debate in my presence with this brahmin?”

“I, as a capable man, shall do as the king pleases,” replied Māṭhara.

1.­76

The king ordered the ministers, “Gentlemen, prepare the debate arena and assign the disputants their roles.”

1.­77

The ministers prepared the debate arena and assigned the disputants their roles. The ministers then prostrated at the king’s feet and asked, “Your Majesty, who would you have defend a position first?”

“This brahmin is a visitor so have him defend a position first.”

1.­78

Having been assigned to defend a position first, the brahmin proceeded to recite five hundred lines. Māṭhara repeated them and then said, “This position of yours is devoid of logic. It is inconsistent and incoherent.” The brahmin remained silent as Māṭhara pointed out the position’s flaws.

1.­79

That the brahmin had no confidence to respond was damning and among the reasons he was vanquished. The king asked the ministers, “Gentlemen, who won?”

“Māṭhara, Your Majesty.”

1.­80

This pleased the king, who straightened up, extended his right arm, and declared, “It is a fine discovery for me to find this bull among teachers in my kingdom!”

1.­81

He saluted Māṭhara and asked, “Preceptor, where do you live?”

“Your Majesty, in Nālada.”

“Go, and let that village be your victor’s prize.”68

1.­82

Māṭhara was thrilled, delighted, and overjoyed. Surrounded by learned men, he returned to his village. And since the world desires success [F.9.b] and distrusts failure, several brahmins pressed their daughters on him in marriage. Māṭhara then took a wife of equal caste and together they played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another. The wife with whom he had played, taken pleasure, and amused himself gave birth to a son with an extraordinarily long torso. Three weeks or twenty-one days after the birth, relatives came and gathered to celebrate his birth in grand style, during which time they chose a name for the boy. The relatives said, “Since this boy has an extraordinarily long torso, he should be named Koṣṭhila (Long Torso).”

1.­83

The young brahmin was entrusted to eight nursemaids: two to cuddle him, two to breastfeed him, two to change his diapers, and two to play with him.69 Fortified with milk, curd, butter, ghee, cream, and other nourishing foods, he grew quickly, shooting up like a lotus in a pond. When he was old enough, he was introduced to letters, number names, calculation, counting by hand, how to exclude, to add, and to leave,70 and to parse until he had mastered reciting. Then, he was instructed in the ways of brahmins: their conduct, ritual purity, and observances; the handling of ashes, the handling of ritual vases, and the handling of sites; hand gestures, turbans, offering praise, and salutations; the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, the Sāmaveda, and the Atharvaveda; and a brahmin’s six duties‍—making fire sacrifices, officiating over fire sacrifices, studying, teaching, giving, and receiving. The Vedas the limbs of the Vedas were entrusted to him, and with his blazing intelligence he could illuminate his own assertions [F.10.a] and vanquish those of others.

1.­84

The wife with whom Māṭhara had played, taken pleasure, and amused himself again gave birth, this time to a girl with eyes like a śārī bird. Three weeks or twenty-one days after the birth, relatives came and gathered to celebrate her birth in grand style, during which time they chose a name for the girl. The relatives said, “Since this girl has eyes like a śārī, this girl should be given the name Śārikā.” [S.4.b] The girl Śārikā was nurtured and grew. Her father taught her how to combine letters into words so she became proficient in reciting.

1.­85

Later, when the young brahmin Koṣṭhila was debating Śārikā, Śārikā vanquished him and their father said to Koṣṭhila, “Son, if you are a male, how has a female vanquished you? Once I’m gone, the spoils I’ve won in debate will be taken away.”

At that the young brahmin Koṣṭhila, desiring and in search of esoteric instruction, set off from the Middle Country for the South.


1.­86

There, in a country not his own, lived a brahmin named Tiṣya who was learned in Lokāyata philosophy,71 a teacher of brahmins to whom the Vedas and the limbs of the Vedas were entrusted.

1.­87

Koṣṭhila went to see the brahmin Tiṣya. Serene, the young brahmin Koṣṭhila bowed at Tiṣya’s feet and sat off to one side.

1.­88

Tiṣya warmly greeted Koṣṭhila with words of welcome, asking, “Young brahmin, where have you come from and what do you desire?”

“I hail from the Middle Country and I seek to serve at the feet of the preceptor.”

1.­89

“Why?”

“So that I may uphold the Lokāyata philosophy.”

1.­90

“Excellent, my son. You should do just that, for that is a brahmin’s duty.”

And so, the young brahmin Koṣṭhila began to study Lokāyata philosophy in the presence of the brahmin Tiṣya. [F.10.b] The brahmins’ students were in the habit, when not occupied with their studies, of going to the riverbank to bathe, visiting the city, or collecting wood for use in fire pūjas.72

1.­91

Once, when not occupied with their studies, they went to collect wood for fire pūjas. On the way they had the following conversation. “Sons of Kutsa, sons of Vātsa, sons of Śāṇḍili, sons of Bhāradvāja, sons of the Five, sons of the Further Five.73 To begin with, let us share where we come from, from which land we hail.”

1.­92

“I am from the East,” one young brahmin responded.

“I am from the South,” said another.

1.­93

“I am from the West.”

“I am from the North.”

1.­94

The young brahmin then said, “I am from the Middle Country.”

To him they said, “Sir! We have seen and heard of all those other countries, but have neither seen nor heard of the Middle Country.”


1.­95

And then they added this verse:

“In the East they are wise,
In the South they are cunning,
In the West they stir division,
In the North they speak roughly.”
1.­96

“Young brahmin,” they asked, “what is the Middle Country like?”

“Gentlemen, the Middle Country is the best of all lands, abounding in rice, sugar cane, cattle, and buffalo, thronging with hundreds of honest women and filled with upstanding men, devoid of foreign savages, and guided by learned men. The river Gaṅgā, bountiful, meritorious, auspicious, and clean, flows through this famed land, irrigating both shores. At one point, where sages are known to gather, the river flows through eighteen bends. There, sages seek to bodily rise to the heavens through their practice of austerities.”74

1.­97

“Young brahmin, [F.11.a] having met you, we have another question. Do you have men counted as learned in the Middle Country?”

“Gentlemen, from the first did I not say, ‘Gentlemen, the Middle Country is filled with upstanding men, devoid of foreign savages, and guided by learned men’?”

1.­98

“Young brahmin, you did say that. Young brahmin, are there any in the Middle Country like our preceptor, a bull among teachers?”

“Gentlemen, in the Middle Country, the teachers are such that our teacher could not even look them in the face, so eloquently do they speak, so wise are they.”

1.­99

On hearing the young brahmin speak so highly of the Middle Country, they were moved by the desire to visit it. The young brahmins then went off to collect wood for use in fire pūjas. Bearing their loads of wood, they came to the house in which the teacher of brahmins lived. On arriving, they set their loads of wood off to one side, went to him, and said, “Preceptor, please listen. The young brahmin from the Middle Country speaks so highly of it that we are moved by the desire to visit.”

1.­100

The brahmin Tiṣya said, “Boys, would you visit every place of which you hear? Since you seem to derive so much pleasure from hearing of other countries, I would suggest you not visit those places you hear about.”

1.­101

“Preceptor, according to this young brahmin, in the Middle Country the teachers are such that you, our teacher, could not even look them in the face, so eloquently do they speak, so wise are they.”

1.­102

“My sons, do I say I am the one and only teacher on this earth, that there are no other teachers? After all, since the earth contains many gems, its surface is covered with one beauty after another.” [F.11.b]

1.­103

“We will see that country yet, Preceptor, if only for a short while. We will bathe on the banks of the river, we will serve the bull among teachers, we will defeat opponents, and we will make a name for ourselves and find our fortune, too. We will go to the Middle Country.”

1.­104

As the brahmin was attached to his students and his circle of students was small, he said to the young brahmins, “In that case, my sons, let us gather our hides, bast robes, staffs, water jugs, ladles, and bowls and go to the Middle Country.”75

1.­105

Having collected their things, the brahmin set off with the young brahmins for the Middle Country. Along the way, he defeated an opponent in debate, and then bound him to his chariot. He poured ashes from a pot on another’s head. Another steered clear of him like a crow does an archery range. Another received him with parasols, victory banners, and standards. Another made a pledge to become his student. As he went, he vanquished one opponent after another in villages, cities, towns, marketplaces, and hamlets until he reached Rājagṛha.

1.­106

The brahmin Tiṣya thought, “Why bother pulling off the branches, petals, and leaves while leaving the root? Since all worthy opponents and anyone counted as learned will be close to the king, it is the king I shall see.” [S.5.a.6]


1.­107

In time the brahmin Tiṣya went to see King Bimbisāra. On arriving, he wished the king success and long life, took a place off to one side, and addressed him: “Your Majesty, from my guru I have received a few teachings. And so [F.12.a] I seek to settle a matter in debate with an opponent in Your Majesty’s presence.”

1.­108

The king asked the ministers, “Gentlemen, where is Preceptor Māṭhara?”

“In Nālada, Your Majesty.”

1.­109

“Summon Preceptor Māṭhara.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

1.­110

On receiving the summons, Māṭhara went to see King Bimbisāra. On arrival, he wished the king success and long life then took a place off to one side.

The ministers said, “This is the preceptor, Your Majesty.”

1.­111

The king greeted him with words of welcome and asked, “Preceptor, can you settle a matter in debate in my presence with this brahmin Tiṣya?”

“I, as a capable man, shall do as the king pleases,” replied Māṭhara.

1.­112

The king ordered the ministers, “Gentlemen, prepare the debate arena and assign the disputants their roles.”

The ministers prepared the debate arena and assigned the disputants their roles. The ministers then prostrated at the king’s feet and asked, “Your Majesty, who would you have defend a position first?”

“The brahmin Tiṣya is a visitor so have him defend a position first.”

1.­113

“Your Majesty,” said he brahmin Tiṣya, “as the brahmin Māṭhara is the elder, I ask that you have him defend a position first.”

The brahmin Māṭhara thought, “This brahmin Tiṣya is clearly acquainted with new treatises so I cannot debate him on them. I shall focus on an old text.” And with that he recited five hundred lines.

1.­114

The brahmin Tiṣya repeated them and [S.5.b] then declared, “This position of yours is devoid of logic. It is inconsistent and incoherent.” The other brahmin remained silent as Tiṣya pointed out the text’s flaws. [F.12.b]

1.­115

That Māṭhara had no confidence to respond76 was damning and among the reasons he was vanquished. The king asked the ministers, “Gentlemen, who won?”

“The brahmin Tiṣya, Your Majesty.”

“Gentlemen, give the brahmin Tiṣya a victor’s prize.”

1.­116

“Your Majesty,” they replied, “if you give a prize to everyone who wins a debate, before long your lands of Aṅga and Magadha will themselves be victors’ prizes. Therefore make the village of Nālada the standard victor’s prize. Take it from the brahmin Māṭhara and give it to this brahmin. And if any other should best Tiṣya, then award it to the victor.”

1.­117

“Gentlemen,” said the king, “that is what I shall do.”

The village was then taken from the brahmin Māṭhara and given to the brahmin Tiṣya. The brahmin Māṭhara thought, “Though I have done much for this king, he has not taken care of me. I shall go elsewhere.”

1.­118

He said to his wife, “Noble lady, though I have done much for this king, he has not taken care of me. I shall go elsewhere. So pack up our household.”

1.­119

With that they began packing up their household. When their relatives heard that the master Preceptor was leaving, they went to see him and asked, “Preceptor, why are you packing up your household?”

1.­120

“Gentlemen, though I have done much for this king, he has not taken care of me. Therefore, I shall go elsewhere.”

“Preceptor, do not leave for other parts. Remain for a while, at your leisure, in the home of your relatives.”


1.­121

Māṭhara replied in verse:

“Better to live in another’s land
Than to be oppressed in one’s own.
There where a man lives free
Is the place he finds his home and friends.” [F.13.a]
1.­122

When the brahmin Tiṣya heard that the preceptor Māṭhara was to leave, he went to him and said, “I have come only for a short time77 and before long am certain to go. Let this remain your victor’s prize. Do not leave, you must stay.”

1.­123

Māṭhara replied, “I intend to leave, young brahmin.”

“Preceptor, if that is how you feel, you should keep half of this village and I shall keep claim to the other half.”

1.­124

Māṭhara thought, “Though I have done much for this king, he has not taken care of me. Yet out of consideration for me, this brahmin Tiṣya has offered to share our prize‍—a most beneficial arrangement. I will give Śārikā to him as a wife.”

1.­125

Māṭhara then said to his wife, “Noble lady, though I have done much for this king, he has not taken care of me. Yet out of consideration for me, this brahmin Tiṣya has offered to share our prize‍—a most beneficial arrangement. I shall give Śārikā to him as a wife. Call our son, Koṣṭhila.”

1.­126

His parents summoned Koṣṭhila and said, “Son, though we have done much for this king, he has not taken care of us. Yet, out of consideration for me, this brahmin Tiṣya has offered to share our prize‍—a most beneficial arrangement. I shall give Śārikā to him as a wife.”

1.­127

Koṣṭhila replied, “Father! Mother! How could I accept this enemy into our family? Hasn’t he robbed78 us of our livelihood? Anyone else in our position would try to take his life. If he has robbed us so, why would you give Śārikā to him in marriage?”

1.­128

His parents [F.13.b] said, “Fool! What do you know?” Ignoring what he said, they gave Śārikā to the brahmin Tiṣya as a wife. In a lavish ceremony, Tiṣya took Śārikā as his bride.

1.­129

The young brahmin Koṣṭhila thought, “This insult is all due to my lack of learning.” He thought, “What does the brahmin Tiṣya know? He knows Lokāyata philosophy.”

1.­130

He asked around, “Gentlemen, where is the Lokāyata philosophy known?”

“In the South,” he was told.

1.­131

He set out into the realm, for the South,to learn Lokāyata philosophy. On arrival, he inquired, “Gentlemen, who knows the Lokāyata philosophy?”

“The wandering mendicants.”

1.­132

He went to them and said, “I seek to serve you, gentlemen.”

“Why?”

“So that I may grasp the Lokāyata philosophy.”

1.­133

“We do not teach Lokāyata philosophy to householders.”

“In that case, I shall go forth.”

1.­134

After they allowed his going forth, he said, [S.6.a] “So long as I uphold the Lokāyata philosophy, I will not cut my fingernails.” So he let his fingernails grow extraordinarily long and for this he became known as the wandering mendicant Dīrghanakha (He Who Has Long Fingernails).


1.­135

When Śārikā challenged her husband Tiṣya, he vanquished her. Later, as Tiṣya and Śārikā played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another, a sentient being in search of his final rebirth, who had grasped the essence of liberation, who had turned to nirvāṇa and away from saṃsāra, who had seen that all births end in death, who did not seek to be reborn, and who was to take his last body, died and passed from the lofty heights of a god and entered Śārikā’s womb.

1.­136

Śārikā dreamed that a man carrying a torch [F.14.a] rent and entered her belly. She climbed to a mountain peak. She moved through the sky above. An assembly of great men prostrated to her. She then told Tiṣya about her dream. Though Tiṣya was expert at interpreting dreams and omens, he consulted other brahmins who interpreted them. “What does it portend,” he asked, “if my brahmin wife has had such a dream?”

1.­137

They replied, “Preceptor, that is an excellent portent. Her statement, ‘A man carrying a torch rent and entered my belly,’ indicates a son will be born. It portends that, after twice eight years, he will have studied the Aindra school of grammar79 and will vanquish all opponents. She said, ‘I climbed to a mountain peak. I moved through the sky above. An assembly of great men prostrated to me.’ These statements indicate her son will go forth and become a great saint who perfects his vow.”

1.­138

The next time Tiṣya and Śārikā engaged in debate, Śārikā vanquished him, making him wonder, “If I have vanquished her in the past, what now has allowed her to vanquish me?”

He thought, “It is because of the being who has entered her womb.”

1.­139

After eight or nine months, a boy was born, well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, handsome, radiant, with a golden complexion, a head shaped well like a parasol, long arms, a broad forehead,80 eyebrows that met, and a prominent nose.

After his birth, Śārikā said to Tiṣya, “If we present this brahmin boy to his grandfather, he will give him a name.”

1.­140

They took him to his grandfather Māṭhara, who [F.14.b] thought about what he should name the baby boy. “This brahmin boy is the son of the brahmin Tiṣya so I shall name this brahmin boy Upatiṣya.” And with that he named him Upatiṣya (Tiṣya’s Heir).

1.­141

Tiṣya said, “His grandfather thought of a name for this brahmin boy and chose Upatiṣya.”

He thought, “His grandfather has named this brahmin boy after his father so I shall name him after his mother. Since this brahmin boy is the son of his mother Śārikā, I shall name him Śāriputra.” And with that he was named Śāriputra (Śārikā’s Son).

1.­142

It was thus that the young brahmin was known to some as Śāriputra, while to others he was known as Upatiṣya.


1.­143

Upatiṣya was entrusted to eight nursemaids: two to cuddle him, two to breastfeed him, two to change his diapers, and two to play with him.81 Fortified with milk, curd, butter, ghee, cream, [S.6.b] and other nourishing foods, he grew quickly, shooting up like a lotus in a pond. When he was old enough, he was introduced to letters, number names, calculation, counting by hand, and how to exclude, to add, to leave, and to parse until he had mastered reciting. He was then instructed in the ways of brahmins: their conduct, ritual purity, and observances; the handling of ashes, the handling of ritual vases, and the handling of sites; hand gestures, turbans, offering praise, and salutations; the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, the Sāmaveda, and the Atharvaveda; and a brahmin’s six duties‍—making fire sacrifices, officiating over fire sacrifices, studying, teaching, [F.15.a] giving, and receiving. The Vedas and the limbs of the Vedas were entrusted to him, and with his blazing intelligence he could illuminate his own assertions and vanquish those of others.

1.­144

His father made him study all fields of knowledge, and thus by the age of sixteen he had studied the Aindra school of grammar and could vanquish all opponents.

1.­145

At another time when he was reciting the Vedas with his father, he asked, “Father, what is the meaning of this statement?”

“Son, even I do not know the meaning of this statement. But these sacred mantra82 have been recited with praise, sung, and furnished by past sages. Nowadays brahmins simply recite and repeat them.”

1.­146

“Father, do you think there is no meaning to these sacred mantra, which have been recited with praise, sung, and furnished by past sages, but nowadays are simply recited and repeated by brahmins? This is what such statements mean,” and he proceeded to explain.

1.­147

Tiṣya was delighted and in his delight thought, “This is what a son should do: he should carry on his father’s tradition or develop his insight even further. Were he to accomplish only this, this brahmin boy’s insight would surpass my own.”

1.­148

He shared this insight with the five hundred young brahmins he was teaching to recite brahmanic mantras and they too were delighted and happily turned to Upatiṣya. When the young brahmin Upatiṣya taught the five hundred young brahmins to recite brahmanic mantras, he summarized the longer Vedas, abridging their words and phrases, and expanded on the shorter Vedas, explaining their meaning and etymologies. [B2]


1.­149

In the village of Kāṣṭhavāṭa, there lived a royal priest [F.15.b] named Potalaka who was wealthy with many riches and goods, with holdings both vast and extensive, with riches to rival Vaiśravaṇa. He took a wife of equal caste and with her played, took pleasure, and amused himself. After their play, lovemaking, and the indulgence of all their desires resulted in no child, male or female, the childless couple, badly wanting a child, propitiated Śiva, Varuṇa, Kubera, Śakra, Brahmā, and others. Among the different gods were gods of park shrines, gods of the forest, gods of crossroads, gods of intersections, gods who take votive offerings, birth totem gods, gods who adhere to the Dharma, and gods who always shadow you.

1.­150

There is a saying, “Boys and girls are born in the world because they are prayed for.” But that is not so, for if it were, then each and every man would have a thousand sons, as do the kings of the world. Rather, boys and girls are born when three circumstances are present. What are those three? The mother and father feel desire and couple; it is the right time and the mother is ovulating; and a gandharva is near and wants to be reborn. And so it is that boys and girls are born when those three circumstances are present.83

1.­151

As Potalaka sat engrossed in prayer, a being in search of his final rebirth, who had grasped the essence of liberation, who had turned to nirvāṇa and away from saṃsāra, who had seen that all births end in death, who did not seek to be reborn, and who was to take his last body, died and passed from the lofty heights of a god and entered his wife’s womb.

1.­152

Certain women, endowed with natural intelligence, have five unique qualities. What are the five? [F.16.a] They know when a man feels desire and when he does not; they know when the time comes and when they are ovulating; they know when they have conceived; they know whence the conceived child came; and they know whether it is a boy or a girl. If it is a boy, he lies with his head to the right side of the womb. If it is a girl, she lies with her head to the left side of the womb.

1.­153

Delighted, Potalaka’s wife joyfully told her husband, “Son of a lord! I am with child! And as it lies with its head to the right side of my womb, it is sure to be a boy, so pray be happy!”

1.­154

Potalaka too was delighted. He sat straight up, raised his right hand, and exclaimed with great joy, “At last, I shall look on the face of the son I have wanted for so long! May we get along and not disagree. May he carry on my work and, having been nurtured, nurture in return. May he enjoy his inheritance and ensure that my line lasts long. When our time comes and we die, may he make the appropriate offerings, neither too few nor too many. And may he dedicate the merit he thus accrues to us by name, saying, ‘May this merit follow the two of them wherever they be born, wherever they go.’ ”

1.­155

Knowing she was with child, to ensure she carried the child to term he installed his wife on the top story of their mansion where he saw that she was tended to and did not come to harm. When it was cold, she was given what she needed for the cold. When it was hot, she was given what she needed for the heat. On the doctor’s advice, her food was not to be too bitter, too sour, too salty, too sweet, too spicy, or too astringent; and so she was given food that was not bitter, sour, salty, sweet, spicy, or astringent. Her body was festooned in garlands, necklaces, and jewelry, like a goddess at play in a garden. [F.16.b] She moved from bed to throne, from pedestal to pedestal, the soles of her feet never touching the floor, and she never heard anything even slightly unpleasant. [S.7.a]

1.­156

After eight or nine months had passed, a boy was born, well proportioned, pleasing to the eye, handsome, radiant, with a golden complexion, a head shaped well like a parasol, long arms, a broad forehead, eyebrows that met, and a prominent nose. Three weeks or twenty-one days after the birth, relatives came and gathered to celebrate his birth in grand style, during which time they chose a name for the boy. As this boy had come to them from the lap of the gods, they thought the young brahmin should be named Kolita (Born from the Lap), and so he was named Kolita.

1.­157

Also, because he was a descendent of Mudgala, they thought the young brahmin should be named Maudgalyāyana (Son of Mudgala’s descendants), and so he was named Maudgalyāyana.

1.­158

Thus it was that some knew the young brahmin as Maudgalyāyana while others knew him as Kolita.


1.­159

The young brahmin Kolita was entrusted to eight nursemaids: two to cuddle him, two to breastfeed him, two to change his diapers, and two to play with him.84 Fortified with milk, curd, butter, ghee, cream, and other nourishing foods, he grew quickly, shooting up like a lotus in a pond. When he was old enough, he was introduced to letters, number names, calculation, counting by hand, and how to exclude, to add, to leave, and to parse. Once he had finished letters, he was instructed in the ways of brahmins: their conduct, ritual purity, and observances; [F.17.a] the handling of ashes, the handling of ritual vases, and the handling of sites; hand gestures, turbans, offering praise, and salutations; the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, the Sāmaveda, and the Atharvaveda; and a brahmin’s six duties‍—making fire sacrifices, officiating over fire sacrifices, studying, teaching, giving, and receiving. He mastered and became learned in the Vedas and all branches of Vedic knowledge. The Vedas and the limbs of the Vedas were entrusted to him, and with his blazing intelligence, he could illuminate his own assertions and vanquish those of others.

1.­160

His father made him study all fields of knowledge. Once, when he was reciting the Vedas with his father, he asked, “Father, what does this statement mean?”

“Son, even I don’t know the meaning of this statement. Sages of the past recited with praise, sung, and furnished these sacred mantra, but nowadays brahmins simply recite and repeat them.”

1.­161

“Father, do you think there is no meaning to these sacred mantra, which have been recited with praise, sung, and furnished by past sages, but nowadays are simply recited and repeated by brahmins? This is what such statements mean,” and he proceeded to explain.

1.­162

Potalaka was delighted and in his delight thought, “This is what a son should do: he should carry on his father’s tradition or develop his insight even further. Were he to accomplish only that, this brahmin boy’s insight would surpass my own.”

1.­163

Potalaka shared this insight with the five hundred young brahmins he was teaching to recite brahmanic mantras and they too were delighted and happily turned to Maudgalyāyana. The young brahmin Maudgalyāyana then taught the five hundred young brahmins to recite the brahmanic mantras.


1.­164

The five hundred young brahmins were in the habit, [F.17.b] when not occupied with their studies, of going to the riverbank to bathe, visiting the city, or collecting wood for use in fire pūjas.

1.­165

Once, when not occupied with their studies, the students of the young brahmin Upatiṣya walked, reciting mantras on their way to the city. Meanwhile, trailing behind, the students of the young brahmin Maudgalyāyana walked, reciting mantras on their way to the city. When the students of the young brahmin Maudgalyāyana heard the students of the young brahmin Upatiṣya reciting the sacred mantra, they asked, “Why do you recite the sacred mantra in such a debased way?”

1.­166

“How should they be recited?”

“The sacred mantra should be recited as we do.”

1.­167

“From whom did you learn these sacred mantra?”

“Not to know him is not to know the sun or the moon. In the village of Nālada lives the brahmin Tiṣya. We have learned them from his son, the young brahmin Upatiṣya. And from whom did you learn these sacred mantra?”

1.­168

“Not to know him is not to know the sun or the moon. In the village of Kāṣṭhavāṭa, there lives a royal priest named Potalaka. We have learned them from his son, the young brahmin Kolita.”

1.­169

With that, the young brahmin students of Upatiṣya became dispirited, upset, and daunted. They went to Upatiṣya, who saw them off in the distance and asked, “What troubles you, young brahmins? Your preceptor is never wrong.”


1.­170

Then he spoke in verse: [F.18.a]

“Those things you feel from within
Are clearly seen from without.
You cannot mask your voice,
Your complexion, or your mien.
1.­171

“Young brahmins, clearly something troubles you.”

After they explained the situation at length, Upatiṣya said, “Young brahmins, allow me to explain. Although the sacred mantra should be recited in the manner those young brahmins recite them, I have summarized the longer Vedas, abridging their words and phrases, and expanded on the shorter Vedas, explaining their meaning and etymologies.”

1.­172

The students of Kolita had also become dispirited, upset, and daunted. They went to Kolita, who too, on seeing them off in the distance, asked, “What troubles you, young brahmins? Your preceptor is never wrong.”


1.­173

He too then spoke the verse:

“Those things you feel from within
Are clearly seen from without.
You cannot mask your voice,
Your complexion, or your mien.
1.­174

“Young brahmins, clearly something troubles you.” [S.7.b]

After they explained the situation at length, he said, “Young brahmins, allow me to explain. Although the sacred mantra should be recited in the manner we have recited them, that young brahmin Upatiṣya is wise for he has he summarized the longer Vedas, abridging their words and phrases, and expanded on the shorter Vedas, explaining their meaning and etymologies.”

1.­175

On hearing of the other, both Kolita and Upatiṣya formed a singular desire to meet the other. Upatiṣya went to his father and said, “Father, I [F.18.b] wish to visit the village of Kāṣṭhavāṭa, for there lives a royal priest named Potalaka whose son is called Kolita. I shall go to see him.”

1.­176

“Son, is he wiser than you?”

“Father, he is not wiser than I. It is rather that he is wealthier.”


1.­177

His father replied:

“Some are greater due to pedigree,
Others because of age or riches.
But they all seek to sit
At the doorstep of the learned.
1.­178

“Son, if he should come here you should share your learning but you mustn’t go to him.”


1.­179

Kolita also went to his father and said, “Father, I wish to visit the village of Nālada, for there lives a brahmin Tiṣya whose son is called Upatiṣya. I shall go to see him.”

1.­180

“Son, is he wealthier than you?”

“Father, he is not wealthier than I. It is rather that he is wiser.”


1.­181

His father replied:

“Some are greater due to pedigree,
Others because of age or learning.
But they all sit subservient
At the doorstep of the rich.
1.­182

“Son, if he should come here you should share your riches but you mustn’t go to him.”


1.­183

Some time later, in Rājagṛha, the feast day of the nāga kings Giri and Valguka approached. As the day neared, King Bimbisāra wondered whether he should join in the festivities himself, as was his wont, or send Prince Ajātaśatru in his stead.

1.­184

A short time later, a small task came up, prompting King Bimbisāra to say to Prince Ajātaśatru, “Son, go and join in the festivities for the nāga kings Giri and Valguka.”

1.­185

When the brahmin Potalaka heard that King Bimbisāra [F.19.a] had sent Prince Ajātaśatru to join in the festivities for the nāga kings Giri and Valguka, he thought, “Prince Ajātaśatru will become king once his father dies and Kolita will become royal priest when I die. Thus their acquaintance will in time bear fruit.”

1.­186

He said to Kolita, “Son, go join the festivities for the nāga kings Giri and Valguka. There, they will have arranged four seats, one for the king, one for the royal priest, one for the challenger, and one for the reigning champion. Leave the king’s seat be, and take your place in the royal priest’s seat.”

On arriving, he left the king’s seat be and sat on the royal priest’s seat.

1.­187

When the brahmin Tiṣya heard that King Bimbisāra had sent Prince Ajātaśatru to join in the festivities for the nāga kings Giri and Valguka, he too said to Upatiṣya, “Son, go join the festivities for the nāga kings Giri and Valguka. There, they will have arranged four seats, one for the king, one for the royal priest, one for the challenger, and one for the reigning champion. Leave the king’s seat and the royal priest’s seat be, but place a small stick and vase on the reigning champion’s seat before sitting down on the challenger’s seat. From the time the sun rises to the time it sets, there shall be no challenger to equal you.”

1.­188

When Upatiṣya arrived, he passed the king’s and the royal priest’s seats, placed a small stick and vase on the seat for the reigning champion, and sat down on the challenger’s seat. When the music began, the dancers sang in Toṭaka meter.85 The people began to dance [F.19.b] and sing, while the two young brahmins sat in repose. When the great crowd of people saw this, they exclaimed, “Either those two young brahmins are fools or they’re unflappable!”

1.­189

As the music wound down and the people went off dancing and singing, Kolita asked Upatiṣya, “Did it seem to you that the dances were well danced, the songs well sung, and the music well played?”

Upatiṣya replied, “It seemed so to those who saw and heard them.”

1.­190

“If it is true that those who withdraw into repose do not see, how then do they not hear?” asked Kolita.


1.­191

Upatiṣya replied in verse:

“In a crowd of people destined for death,
Who laugh and flirt
Though their dead skin and dead flesh will die,
What wise man would not be vigilant?”
1.­192

Kolita asked, “Are you Upatiṣya?”

“People know me thus.”

“And you?” Upatiṣya asked Kolita. “Did it seem to you that the dances were well danced, the songs well sung, and the music well played?” [S.8.a.5]86

1.­193

“It seemed so to those who saw and heard them.”

“If it is true that those who withdraw into repose do not see, how then do they not hear?”


1.­194

Kolita replied in verse:

“All adornment is a weight,
All dance a competition.
All songs nonsense,
And all bodies but impermanent.”
1.­195

Upatiṣya asked, “Are you Kolita?”

“People know me thus.”

Upatiṣya said to Kolita, “Come. Let us go forth from home into homelessness so that we may rely solely on what is correct.”

1.­196

“Young brahmin,” replied Kolita, [F.20.a] “the royal priesthood, for which I have made offerings to the gods, performed fire pūja, and suffered through austerities, is within reach. Having been born into a caste borne about by elephants, why would I renounce it?”


1.­197

Upatiṣya recited a verse:

“When a tree rots,
What use has it for blossoms and boughs?
When a person dies,
What use has he for possessions?”
1.­198

He enjoined Kolita again, “Come. Let us go forth from home into homelessness so that we may rely solely on what is correct.”

“I must first consult my parents,” replied Kolita.

The young brahmin Kolita went to his parents and said, “Father, Mother, please listen. As I have faith in only what is perfect, I shall go forth from home into homelessness.”

1.­199

“Son, the royal priesthood, for which you have made offerings to the gods, performed fire pūja, and suffered through austerities, is within reach. Having been born into a caste borne about by elephants, why would you renounce it?”


1.­200

Kolita spoke in verse:

“To live in the forest,
Clad in bark or grass,
Eating roots and fruit
Among beasts, is best.
Fearing the future,
The wise refuse
To kill, imprison, or torture
For temporal power.”
1.­201

His parents replied, “Son, you are our only boy, beloved, handsome, patient, and agreeable to the eye. Even if you were to die, we would fight to keep you with us. [S.8.b] Why, then, do you think we’d let you go while you’re still alive?”

1.­202

“Father, Mother, it is best you let me go. For if you do not, from this day forth, I shall neither eat your food nor honor you.”

“Dear boy, we will not let you leave. So long as we live, you will remain within sight. Do not think of disobeying!” [F.20.b]

1.­203

Kolita refused food for one day, then for a second, and for a third until the sixth day. At that point Kolita’s parents went to him and said, “Dear boy, please listen. You are very young and have lived a life of leisure, and you do not know what it is to suffer. It is hard to live the holy life. It is hard to live in solitude. It is hard to be happy all on your own. It is hard to make your bed in distant forests, at the foot of mountains, and in remote places. Living alone in the wilderness is very trying. You will have to spend the rest of your life living among wild animals. You will have to spend the rest of your life living on others’ handouts. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from human pleasures. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from the fun and games of ordinary people. Dear boy! Kolita! Come home. There is pleasure to be had while living here, too. Here, too, you may give generously. Here, too, you may act meritoriously.”

1.­204

Despite their pleading, Kolita remained silent. Kolita’s parents again entreated him, a second and a third time, saying each time, “Dear boy, please listen. You are very young and have lived a life of leisure, and you do not know what it is to suffer. It is hard to live the holy life. It is hard to live in solitude. It is hard to be happy all on your own. It is hard to make your bed in distant forests, at the foot of mountains, and in remote places. Living alone in the wilderness is very trying. [F.21.a] You will have to spend the rest of your life living among wild animals. You will have to spend the rest of your life living on others’ handouts. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from human pleasures. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from the fun and games of ordinary people. Dear boy! Kolita! Come home. There is pleasure to be had while living here, too. Here, too, you may give generously. Here, too, you may act meritoriously.”

1.­205

Yet though they thus entreated him a second and a third time, Kolita remained silent.

Kolita’s parents then enjoined his relatives, “Family! Come! Talk sense into our dear boy Kolita.”

1.­206

At this, Kolita’s relatives went to him and said, “Dear boy, please listen. You are very young and have lived a life of leisure and don’t know what it is to suffer. It is hard to live the holy life. It is hard to live in solitude. It is hard to be happy all on your own. It is hard to make your bed in distant forests, at the foot of mountains, and in remote places. Living alone in the wilderness is very trying. You will have to spend the rest of your life living among wild animals. You will have to spend the rest of your life living on others’ handouts. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from human pleasures. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from the fun and games of ordinary people. Dear boy, Kolita, come home! Among your relatives, [F.21.b] there is pleasure to be had while living there too. There too you may give generously. There too you may act meritoriously.”

1.­207

Despite their pleading, Kolita did not say a thing. Kolita’s relatives again entreated him, a second and a third time, saying each time, “Dear boy, please listen. You are very young and have lived a life of leisure, and you do not know what it is to suffer. It is hard to live the holy life. It is hard to live in solitude. It is hard to be happy all on your own. It is hard to make your bed in distant forests, at the foot of mountains, and in remote places. Living alone in the wilderness is very trying. You will have to spend the rest of your life living among wild animals. You will have to spend the rest of your life living on others’ handouts. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from human pleasures. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from the fun and games of ordinary people. Dear boy! Kolita! Come home. Among your relatives, there is pleasure to be had while living there, too. There, too, you may give generously. There, too, you may act meritoriously.”

1.­208

Yet though they thus pleaded with him a second time and a third time, Kolita still remained silent.

Kolita’s parents then enjoined his childhood friends, “You must come! Talk sense into our dear boy Kolita.”

1.­209

At this, the young brahmin Kolita’s childhood friends went to him and said, “Dear boy, listen. You are very young and have lived a life of leisure and do not know what it is to suffer. [F.22.a] It is hard to live the holy life. It is hard to live in solitude. It is hard to be happy all on your own. It is hard to make your bed in distant forests, at the foot of mountains, and in remote places. Living alone in the wilderness is very trying. You will have to spend the rest of your life living among wild animals. You will have to spend the rest of your life living on others’ handouts. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from human pleasures. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from the fun and games of ordinary people. Dear boy! Kolita! Come home. There is also pleasure to be had while living among your relatives. There too you may give generously. There too you may act meritoriously.”

1.­210

Yet though they thus entreated him, Kolita remained silent. His childhood friends again entreated Kolita a second and a third time, saying each time, “Dear boy, please listen. You are very young and have lived a life of leisure, and you do not know what it is to suffer. It is hard to live the holy life. It is hard to live in solitude. It is hard to be happy all on your own. It is hard to make your bed in distant forests, at the foot of mountains, and in remote places. Living alone in the wilderness is very trying. You will have to spend the rest of your life living among wild animals. You will have to spend the rest of your life living on others’ handouts. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from human pleasures. You will have to spend the rest of your life away from the fun and games of ordinary people. Dear boy! [F.22.b] Kolita! Come home. Among your relatives, there is pleasure to be had while living there, too. There, too, you may give generously. There, too, you may act meritoriously.”

1.­211

Yet though they thus entreated him a second and a third time, Kolita still remained silent. Kolita’s childhood friends then went to his parents and said, “Father, Mother, please listen. What good can come from the death of the serene youth Kolita? The wise have praised going forth, so if going forth makes him happy, then at least you will see him alive. If he isn’t happy, he can always give up the life of a sage. And since he will have no home but yours, it is better that you let him go forth.”

1.­212

Kolita’s parents then asked Kolita, “Dear boy, Kolita, [S.9.a] do you think it better to go forth than to remain at home?”

“Father, Mother, it is not good for me to live at home. It is good for me to go forth.”

1.­213

“Well then, dear boy, Kolita, know that the time for such a change has come.”

Having obtained his parents’ consent, the young brahmin Kolita slowly regained his strength, vigor, and determination by drinking rice gruel. He left the village of Kāṣṭhavāṭa and set out for the village of Nālada.

1.­214

As the young brahmin Upatiṣya enjoyed solitude, he had gone to live in the forest, where he gave instruction to five hundred young brahmins in the reciting of mantras. In time, the young brahmin Kolita reached the village of Nālada and asked Upatiṣya’s parents, [F.23.a] “Father, Mother, where is Upatiṣya?”

1.­215

They replied, “Upatiṣya enjoys solitude so he has gone to live in the forest, where he instructs five hundred young brahmins in the reciting of mantras.”

1.­216

Kolita went to Upatiṣya and said, “Come, Upatiṣya. We shall go forth from home into the homelessness so that we may rely solely on what is correct.”

1.­217

“Did your parents give their consent?”

“They did.”

“Young brahmin, please stay until I have asked my parents.”

1.­218

“Upatiṣya, it took a long time for my parents to give their consent. How long will it be until you have consent?”

“Young brahmin, I will see that they give their consent right away and return.”

1.­219

Upatiṣya went to his parents and said, “Father, Mother, please listen. I shall go forth from home into homelessness so that I may rely solely on what is correct.”

“Son, is it good for you to go forth?”

1.­220

“Father, Mother, it is good for me to go forth.”

“Then go forth, son.”

1.­221

Upatiṣya went to Kolita and said, “Come, Kolita. We shall go forth from home into homelessness so that we may rely solely on what is correct.”

“Did your parents give their consent?”

“They did.”

1.­222

“Upatiṣya, it took a long time for my parents to give their consent. How did you get the consent of yours so quickly?”

“Allow me to explain. You were hindered by heavy bindings, tight, secure, and imperishable, while I was hindered by light bindings, powerless, weak, and perishable.” [F.23.b]

1.­223

The venerable Śāriputra had gone forth in five hundred previous lives because he had made this prayer:

1.­224
“May I be born, not in a wealthy house
Nor in one that is poor;
Let it be rather in a house of moderate means
And always among many renunciants.”
1.­225

Kolita said to Upatiṣya, “Young brahmin, as we are well-known brahmins, we cannot join just any renunciant order. We must properly scrutinize the different renunciant orders and only then join one.”

With that they made their way to Rājagṛha.


1.­226

Meanwhile there were six tīrthika teachers living in Rājagṛha who entertained the conceit of omniscience although they were not omniscient: Pūraṇa Kāśyapa; [S.9.b] Gośālīputra, the wandering mendicant; Sañjayin, son of Vairaṭṭī; Ajita of the hair shawl; Kakuda, a descendant of Kātyāyana; and Jñātiputra, the Nirgrantha.

1.­227

The young brahmins Upatiṣya and Kolita went to Pūraṇa Kāśyapa and asked him, “Sir, what is your approach to the Dharma? What instructions do you give to your students? What is the result of living a holy life? What are its benefits?”

1.­228

“Young brahmins,” replied Pūraṇa, “this is how I see it and this is my philosophy: There is nothing to alms, oblations, fire sacrifices, good deeds, or bad deeds. There are no results or fruitions from performing good deeds or bad deeds. There is no present life. There is no afterlife. There is no mother. There is no father. Sentient beings are not born miraculously.87 In the world [F.24.a] there are no arhats who have reached perfection, who have entered perfection, who can knowingly say that through their heightened insight they have seen this and future lives, and proclaim, ‘We have overcome birth. We have lived the holy life. We have done what needed to be done. We will know no life other than this.’ One’s life-force persists for the duration of this life but is annihilated after that. It will perish and after death will not arise again. A person’s body is forged from the four great elements, for once its time is up, the body’s solid structures recede88 into earth, the body’s fluids recede into water, the body’s heat recedes into fire, and the body’s vital energies recede into wind. The senses fade into space. A person’s corpse is borne on a bier carried by four men and taken to the charnel ground where it is burned, never to be seen again. What burns turns to ash. The bones turn a pigeon-like grey. Those who are confused about these things counsel giving alms, while the wise counsel receiving them. Those who argue that such things exist are all vainly debating what is empty and hollow. Both the childish and the wise will cease to be. They will perish and after death will not live again.”

1.­229

The young brahmins Upatiṣya and Kolita thought, “This noble teacher has strayed onto a spurious path. He pursues fully a ruinous path. This is exactly the kind of dangerous path the wise say must be rejected.”


1.­230

Knowing this, they spoke in verse:

“He who teaches a wrong and ruinous path
Is known to be an inferior teacher.
If this is his Dharma,
What, for him, is antithetical to Dharma?”
1.­231

Pūraṇa’s teaching heard, they cast it aside like an empty bottle and moved on.


Upatiṣya and Kolita then went to Gośālīputra the wandering mendicant [F.24.b] and asked, “Sir, what is your approach to the Dharma? What instructions do you give to your students? What is the result of living the holy life? What are its benefits?”

1.­232

“Young brahmins,” replied the wandering mendicant, “this is how I see it and this is my philosophy: That sentient beings are afflicted has nothing to do with causes and conditions.89 The affliction of sentient beings has nothing to do with causes and conditions. That sentient beings are purified has nothing to do with causes and conditions. The purification of sentient beings occurs randomly and by chance. That sentient beings lack understanding and insight has nothing to do with causes and conditions. Their lack of understanding and insight occurs randomly and by chance. That sentient beings acquire understanding and insight has nothing to do with causes and conditions. Their acquisition of understanding and insight occurs randomly and by chance. It is not due to vigor. It is not due to determination. It is not due to a combination of vigor and determination. It is not due to a person’s skill. It is not due to his overpowering ability. It is not due to a combination of a person’s skill and overpowering ability. It is not due to one’s own skill. It is not due to another’s skill. It is not due to a combination of one’s own skill and another’s skill. All beings, all living things, and all elements are powerless. They lack strength, influence, determination, and the ability to overcome. [S.10.a] A being’s life is predetermined. That is why we experience the unique pleasures and pains of each of the six realms.”

1.­233

Upatiṣya and Kolita thought, “This noble teacher too has strayed onto a spurious path. He pursues fully a ruinous path. This is exactly the kind of dangerous path the wise [F.25.a] say must be rejected.”

Knowing this, they spoke in verse:

1.­234
“He who teaches a wrong and ruinous path
Is known to be an inferior teacher.
If this is his Dharma,
What, for him, is antithetical to Dharma?”
1.­235

Gośālīputra’s teaching heard, they cast it aside like an empty bottle and moved on. [B3]

Upatiṣya and Kolita then went to Sañjayin, son of Vairaṭṭī, and asked, “Sir, what is your approach to the Dharma? What instructions do you give to your students? What is the result of living the holy life? What are its benefits?”

1.­236

“Young brahmins,” replied Sañjayin, “this is how I see it and this is my philosophy: A person may act or make another person act, maim or make another person maim, burn or make another person burn, flog or make another person flog, endanger life, take what has not been given, engage wrongfully in acts of desire, knowingly speak falsehoods, imbibe intoxicating drinks, break into a house, pick a lock,90 rob at knifepoint, block a road and lie in wait, sack a town, sack a city, sack a region, or slaughter, dismember, flog, and tear apart every last being on this earth with the edge of a cakra blade,91 and then, having cut up, dismembered, flogged, and torn apart all beings, lay all the flesh out on a single plane, in a single mound, in a single pile, or a single heap. In having laid all the flesh out on a single plane, [F.25.b] in a single mound, in a single pile, or a single heap, and having done all those things, there would be no sin in that nor would any sin come from it. One could walk along the south bank of the river Gaṅgā and slaughter, dismember, flog, and tear apart everything, or walk along the north bank of the river Gaṅgā and give alms and oblations, and there would be no sin or merit in either, nor would sin or merit come from either. Even if one practices generosity, discipline, perfect restraint, and acts with purpose and integrity, one still does not gain merit.”

1.­237

Upatiṣya and Kolita thought, “This noble teacher too has strayed onto a spurious path. He pursues fully a ruinous path. This is exactly the kind of dangerous path the wise say must be rejected.”

Knowing this, they spoke in verse:

1.­238
“He who teaches a wrong and ruinous path
Is known to be an inferior teacher.
If this is his Dharma,
What, for him, is antithetical to Dharma?”
1.­239

Sañjayin’s teaching heard, they cast it aside like an empty bottle and moved on.


Upatiṣya and Kolita then went to Ajita of the hair shawl and asked, “Sir, what is your approach to the Dharma? What instructions do you give to your students? What is the result of living the holy life? What are its benefits?”

1.­240

“Young brahmins,” replied Ajita, “this is how I see it and this is my philosophy: Seven bodies are not products, they are not by-products, they are not apparitions, they are not by-products of apparitions, they are not subject to harm, they are everlasting, and they are still and solid like a pillar. [F.26.a] What are the seven? The seven are thus: the body of earth, the body of water, the body of fire, the body of wind, pleasure, pain, and the vitality of life. Those seven bodies are not products, are not by-products, are not apparitions, are not by-products of apparitions, are not subject to harm, are everlasting, and are still and solid like a pillar. Those seven are such that they do not waver, they do not change, nor do they harm one another, nor do they become merit, nor do they become sin, nor do they become both merit and sin, nor do they become pleasure, nor do they become pain, nor do they become both pleasure and pain. [S.10.b] Were one person to cut off the head of another person, even that would not influence the world nor would it cause the slightest harm to that which is still and solid, for the weapon would pass straight through the unbroken spaces in those seven bodies, leaving the life within them unharmed. There is absolutely no killing them, no making to kill them, no rousing them, no making to rouse them, no awareness of them, no making to be aware of them, no knowing them, and no making them known. Whether you be childish or wise, you are liberated from suffering after 8,400,000 eons; in the meantime, you are reborn in and cycle through 14,000 principal places of rebirth, 60,600 great eons, five types of actions, three types of actions, two types of actions, action, half-actions, sixty-two paths, sixty-two intermediate eons, thirty-six hells, one hundred and twenty senses, sixty-two constituent particles, 49,000 classes of nāga families, 49,000 classes of garuḍa, 49,000 classes of wandering mendicants, [F.26.b] 49,000 classes of ājivika, 49,000 classes of nirgrantha, seven realms with discerning awareness, seven realms lacking discerning awareness, seven nirgrantha realms, seven demi-god realms, seven demonic realms, seven godly realms, seven human realms, seven great oceans, seven hundred lakes, seven great dreams, seven hundred dreams, seven states of great diminishment, seven hundred states of diminishment, seven states of great increase, seven hundred states of increase, seven states of great depletion, seven hundred states of depletion, seven great abysses, seven hundred abysses, six noble clans, ten high-status rebirths, and the eight grounds of a great person. Thus, just as a ball of thread thrown in the air unravels into a long thread as it falls, everyone, be they childish or wise, is liberated from suffering after having been through the cycle of rebirth for 8,400,000 eons. No ascetic or brahmin can say, ‘By observing ethics, a vow, asceticism, or celibacy, I shall bring to fruition those acts that have not borne fruit, and in facing those acts that have borne fruit, purify them.’ Our pleasures and pains are predestined. It is impossible to extend or reduce them. As this is how things are and not otherwise, the rounds of existence are thus to be counted.”

1.­241

Upatiṣya and Kolita thought, “This noble teacher too has strayed onto a spurious path. He pursues fully a ruinous path. This is exactly the kind of dangerous path the wise [F.27.a] say must be rejected.”

Knowing this, they spoke in verse:

1.­242
“He who teaches a wrong and ruinous path
Is known to be an inferior teacher.
If this is his Dharma,
What, for him, is antithetical to Dharma?”
1.­243

Ajita’s teaching heard, they cast it aside like an empty bottle and moved on.


Upatiṣya and Kolita then went to Kakuda Kātyāyana and asked, “Sir, what is your approach to the Dharma? What instructions do you give to your students? What is the result of living the holy life? What are its benefits?”

1.­244

“Young brahmins,” replied Kakuda Kātyāyana, “this is how I see it and this is my philosophy: If someone comes to me and asks, ‘Is there an afterlife?’ I answer him by saying, ‘There is an afterlife.’ If he should ask, ‘Is there not an afterlife?’ I answer him by saying, ‘There is no afterlife.’ If he should ask, ‘Is there or is there not an afterlife?’ I answer him by saying, ‘There is and is not an afterlife.’ If he should ask, ‘Does an afterlife neither exist nor not exist?’ I answer him by saying, ‘An afterlife neither exists nor does it not exist.’ Likewise, if someone comes to me and asks, ‘Is the afterlife like or unlike this world?’ I answer him by saying, “The afterlife is like and unlike this world.’ If he should ask, ‘Is the afterlife different or not different?’ I answer by saying, ‘The afterlife is different and not different.’ [F.27.b] If he should ask, ‘Is the afterlife not different or not not different?’ I answer him by saying, ‘The afterlife is not different and not not different.’ If he should ask, ‘Is the afterlife like that or not like that?’ I answer him by saying, ‘The afterlife is like that and not like that.’ ”

1.­245

Upatiṣya and Kolita thought, “This noble teacher too has strayed onto a spurious path. He pursues fully a ruinous path. This is exactly the kind of dangerous path the wise say must be rejected.”

Knowing this, they spoke in verse:

1.­246
[S.11.a] “He who teaches a wrong and ruinous path
Is known to be an inferior teacher.
If this is his Dharma,
What, for him, is antithetical to Dharma?”
1.­247

Kakuda Kātyāyana’s teaching heard, they cast it aside like an empty bottle and moved on.


Upatiṣya and Kolita then went to Jñātiputra, the Nirgrantha, and asked, “Sir, what is your approach to the Dharma? What instructions do you give to your students? What is the result of living the holy life? What are its benefits?”

1.­248

“Young brahmins,” replied the Nirgrantha, “this is how I see it and this is my philosophy: No matter what a person individually experiences, it all comes from causes sown in the past. Old actions are purified through austerities, while new actions are averted by the dam of inactivity. In this way one avoids future defilement. In the absence of defilement, actions are exhausted. When actions are exhausted, suffering is exhausted. When suffering is exhausted, one is freed from suffering.”

1.­249

Upatiṣya and Kolita [F.28.a] thought, “This noble teacher too has strayed onto a spurious path. He pursues fully a ruinous path. This is exactly the kind of dangerous path the wise say must be rejected.”

Knowing this, they spoke in verse:

1.­250
“He who teaches a wrong and ruinous path
Is known to be an inferior teacher.
If this is his Dharma,
What, for him, is antithetical to Dharma?”
1.­251

The Nirgrantha’s teaching heard, they cast it aside like an empty bottle and moved on.


1.­252

Not long before, word had spread about a tīrthika named Sañjayin. The young brahmins Upatiṣya and Kolita went to where the teacher Sañjayin lived and asked, “Gentlemen, where is the teacher Sañjayin?”

“He has withdrawn into seclusion.”

“Oh! This is the first time we’ve heard the phrase ‘withdrawn into seclusion’ in such a long time!”

They thought, “It would not be right to disturb the teacher’s withdrawal into seclusion. We will approach him once he has risen from this state.” And with that they sat off to one side.

1.­253

The teacher Sañjayin emerged from seclusion. The states of absorption he had experienced had invigorated his senses. Upatiṣya and Kolita thought, “Whoever has such a face must have qualities to match.” They approached him and asked, “Sir Sañjayin, what is your approach to the Dharma? What instructions do you give to your students? What is the result of living the holy life? What are its benefits?”

Sañjayin replied, “Young brahmins, this is how I see it and this is my philosophy: The Dharma is truth and nonviolence. The peaceful, ageless, immortal, and unwaning [F.28.b] state is Brahman.”

1.­254

The two replied, “Preceptor, what is the meaning of what you have said?”

“As for truth, renunciation is born of true thoughts. As for nonviolence, all dharmas spring from the ground of nonviolence. The peaceful, ageless, immortal, and unwaning state are other names by which nirvāṇa may be known. That state is called Brahmā, for if some were to achieve nirvāṇa in this very life, all would be well. But even if they did not achieve it, they would still draw near to the world of Brahmā. Even so, brahmins will be reborn in the world of Brahmā, will alight into the world of Brahmā, will have alighted into the world of Brahmā. And how is the world of Brahmā? Gaining the fortune for the world of Brahmā is akin to entering nirvāṇa.”

1.­255

“Preceptor, allow us to go forth. We pledge to live the holy life under your guidance.” And with that the two became renunciants in Sañjayin’s order.

After the teacher Sañjayin allowed Upatiṣya and Kolita’s going forth, the news of their acceptance spread everywhere and Sañjayin was lauded with many accolades and much praise. He thought, [S.11.b] “If I was a member of the Śāṇḍilya clan92 before and am still a member now, what has caused such abundant accolades and praise to come to me now?”

1.­256

Sañjayin thought, “It is not due to my own sway. Rather, it is the sway of these two young brahmins.”

Thus when he accepted five hundred young brahmins for instruction in how to recite brahmanic mantras, he assigned two hundred and fifty to Upatiṣya and two hundred and fifty to Kolita. [F.29.a]

1.­257

At one point, after the teacher Sañjayin had fallen ill, Upatiṣya asked Kolita, “Kolita, will you attend the preceptor or will you seek out medicine for him?”

Kolita thought, “Upatiṣya is intelligent. I would have him attend the preceptor while I go in search of medicine,” and said, “Please attend the preceptor and I will seek medicine.”

1.­258

Upatiṣya began to attend the preceptor and Kolita went off in search of medicine. Though Upatiṣya ministered to the preceptor with medicinal roots, stalks, leaves, flowers, and fruit, the illness would not subside. Though weak, the preceptor smiled, prompting Upatiṣya to ask, “Preceptor, given that great people like you do not smile for no reason, what causes you to smile? What prompts it?”

1.­259

“Upatiṣya,” replied Sañjayin, “allow me to explain. Great beings like me do not smile without cause or condition. I was thinking about the wife of King Suvarṇapati of Suvarṇadvīpa. When her husband’s time had come, she leapt onto his funeral pyre. I was thinking how the impulse to desire, the very things desired, and the pursuit of desire are what cause these sentient beings to suffer.”

1.­260

“When was this, preceptor?”

“At such and such a time, a long time ago.”

“In what month?”

“In such and such a month long ago.”

“On what day?”

“On such and such a day long ago.”

1.­261

Sañjayin recorded this conversation on a board and set it down.

“Preceptor,” Upatiṣya urged, “if the whole of what little renunciation we have is for ambrosia and the search for ambrosia, and if you, preceptor, have found some small measure of that ambrosia then please share it with us!”

1.­262

“Son, [F.29.b] the whole of what little renunciation I have is for ambrosia and the search for ambrosia but neither have I discovered even a small measure of that ambrosia. Allow me to explain. On the fifteenth, a day of fast, I heard the gods, who were passing through the heavens above, say, ‘At the foot of the snow mountains, on the banks of the river Bhāgīrathī, not far from the sage Kapila’s hermitage, a youth from the Śākya clan has appeared. Brahmins skilled in interpreting omens and signs made this prophecy: ‘The youth installed in the palace will either become king of the world, with his reign extending over the four directions, or he will become a king of Dharma. He will be endowed with the Dharma or the seven precious emblems. The seven precious emblems he will possess are as follows: a precious wheel, a precious elephant, a precious horse, a precious jewel, a precious woman, a precious steward, and a precious general. He will have a full one thousand sons, heroic, brave, and of ideal build who will destroy enemy forces. Under him, the whole earth, from sea to sea, will be free from the threat of harm and violence, and will be a realm without punishment or armed expulsion, where rule is impartial and in harmony with the Dharma. But if he, with perfect faith, should cut his hair, shave his beard, don the saffron robes, and go forth from home into homelessness, then he shall become a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha, famed all over the world.’

1.­263

“ ‘You two should go forth into his teachings. Having gone forth, you should not proclaim your caste, you should not proclaim your clan, you should not proclaim your being a young brahmin. [S.12.a] Once you have overcome conceit and pride, you should live the holy life under his guidance and then you will receive a great ambrosia.”

Then he said,

1.­264
“All accumulation ends in depletion; [F.30.a]
The lofty in the end will fall;
All meetings end in separation;
All life ends in death.”
1.­265

On saying that, he went the way of all temporal phenomena. After decorating the sides of his bier with blue, yellow, red, and white cloth, they carried his corpse to the charnel ground and cremated him. In time, their grief subsided.

In time, a young brahmin named Suvarṇajaṭa from Suvarṇadvīpa arrived in Rājagṛha. When he entered their dwelling, Upatiṣya asked, “Young brahmin, where have you come from?”

“From Suvarṇadvīpa,” he replied.

1.­266

“Young brahmin, did you see anything at all amazing or remarkable in Suvarṇadvīpa?”

“I didn’t see anything truly amazing or remarkable,” he replied, “but I did see something somewhat amazing and remarkable so listen as you please. The wife of King Suvarṇapati of Suvarṇadvīpa leapt onto his funeral pyre when her husband’s time had come.”

1.­267

“When was this?”

“At such and such a time, a long time ago.”

1.­268

“In what month?”

“In such and such a month long ago.”

1.­269

“On what day?”

“On such and such a day long ago.”

1.­270

When Upatiṣya looked at the conversation recorded on the board, he saw that everything was exactly as Sañjayin had said, at which point he said to Kolita, “Our preceptor Sañjayin concealed his learning from us. If he had found such rare ambrosia, he did not share it with us. For if he himself saw forms in other lands with the divine eye and heard pleasant sounds with the divine ear, then his claim to have found no ambrosia is not true.”

1.­271

Kolita thought, “Upatiṣya is intelligent. Were he to find such ambrosia he may not tell me and a situation such as this might happen again.”

Then he said, “Upatiṣya, join me in a pledge. Whoever finds such ambrosia first, [F.30.b] he shall share it with the other.”

They made the pledge and set out into the realm.

Going Forth

1.­272

When the blessed Bodhisattva reached the age of twenty-nine, he ceased to revel in desires, for the sight of the elderly, the sick, and the dead had moved him deeply. He stole out in the middle of the night and fled into the forest, where he spent six years practicing austerities. But he came to see that those austerities would amount to nothing. He then breathed freely, in and out, and partook again of solid foods such as rice and porridge. He rubbed ghee and oil into his skin and took refreshing baths in warm water. [S.12.b] When he came to the village of Senānī, the village headman’s daughters, Nandā and Nandabalā, gave him milk that had been churned sixteen times and mixed with honey to drink. He was lauded by the nāga king Kālika, and he accepted a bundle of auspicious golden-colored kūśa grass from a grassmonger. From there he went to what would be the site of his awakening. He arrived and settled cross-legged into an unshakable absorption on an unshakable bed of kuśa grass. Sitting straight and erect, he settled his mind and said:

1.­273
“I shall not uncross my legs
Until I have achieved the undefiled state.”
1.­274

His intention pledged, he said:

“So long as I have not found an undefiled state,
I shall not uncross my legs.”
1.­275

During the midnight hours, through the power of his loving kindness the Blessed One subdued Māra and his retinue of 360 million demonic spirits, and unsurpassed wisdom arose within him. At Brahmā’s request, he went to Vārāṇasī and turned the wheel of Dharma, revealing in three phases a teaching with twelve aspects.93 During that time, he converted the group of five, the five friends,94 and fifty high-born village brahmin youths, who then went forth and received full ordination. [F.31.a]

1.­276

While passing through the Karpāsī forest, he convinced a noble band of sixty youths of the truths. While passing through the village of Senānī, he convinced the village headman’s daughters, Nandā and Nandabalā, of the truths. While passing through Uruvilvā, he inspired a group of one thousand dreadlocked ascetics to go forth, and ordained them. While passing by the Gayāśīrṣa stūpa, he instructed those one thousand monks by displaying three miracles, thereby freeing them from the wilds of saṃsāra and establishing them in the utterly final state of perfection and the unsurpassably blissful state of nirvāṇa. While passing through the Yaṣtī forest, he brought the King of Magadha, Bimbisāra of the Guilds, to the truths along with 80,000 gods and many hundreds of thousands of Magadhan brahmins and householders. While passing through Rājagṛha, he accepted the offering of a bamboo park. It was then that the Blessed Buddha took up residence at the Kalandakanivāpa in Rājagṛha’s Bamboo Park.


1.­277

Having set out into the realm, Upatiṣya and Kolita also arrived in Rājagṛha. They saw that Rājagṛha was utterly still and thought, “One of only two things could have brought utter quiet to this town: either fear of neighboring armies, or the presence of several ascetics and brahmins famed for their merit and majesty.”

1.­278

As they began to examine the stars, they acknowledged, “As neighboring armies present no imminent danger, tomorrow we shall know more.”

1.­279

The two were in the habit of daubing three lines of ash across their foreheads and going out on their daily rounds. When they did so, many hundreds of thousands of creatures would always follow after them.

The next day they daubed three lines of ash across their foreheads and went out on their daily rounds. However, on that day not a single being [F.31.b] followed after them. On returning they considered the matter. They saw that not a single being had followed after them and wondered, “In the past when we have gone out on rounds, many hundreds of thousands of creatures would follow after us. Why then has not a single being followed after us today?”

1.­280

There is nothing, even in the slightest, the blessed buddhas do not know, do not see, are not aware of, or do not notice. Thus the Blessed Buddha subsists, alive and well, endowed with great compassion, engaged in actions to help the world; is its sole protector, its lone champion, one of a kind; does not speak duplicitously; is sustained by calm abiding and insight; illuminates the three types of knowledge; is well-trained in the three trainings; is skilled in the three approaches to discipline; has crossed the four rivers; is well-grounded in his use of the four foundations of miraculous conduct, and is one who long ago perfected the four means of attraction; who teaches the four noble truths; who, being fearless in four ways, is never frightened; who has abandoned the five branches, has transcended the five rebirths, teaches the five aggregates to be selfless, is in possession of the six branches, and has perfected the six perfections; who always abides by the six spheres, who binds the six sense gates; who accustoms himself to the six dharmas that elicit perfect joy; who is rich with the flower of awakening’s seven branches; who displays the seven treasures of a noble being; who is unstained by the eight mundane concerns; who knows the nine things that inspire aggression; who teaches the eight branches of the path; who is skilled in the nine stages of meditative absorption;95 [F.32.a] who possesses the strength of the ten strengths; whose good name has spread in the ten directions; and who surpasses those who rule over the thousandfold universe.

1.­281

As it is in the nature of such beings to watch over the world with their buddha eye during the three times of the day and night, they know and see who has fallen, who has flourished, who hurts, who wants, who is unhappy, who hurts, who wants, who is unhappy,96 who is headed for a miserable rebirth, who will fall into a miserable rebirth; who will decide to rise from his path towards a miserable rebirth and land in a high-status rebirth, liberation, or the fruition; who will reach out his hand to those sinking in the mud of desire; who lacks the riches of a noble being’s treasures; who will come to the magnificent wealth of a noble being’s treasures; whose buddhahood, with its attendant fruits, will ornament the world; whose latent roots of virtue will bud; whose budding roots of virtue will blossom; and who, having blossomed, will be freed.

It has been said:

1.­282
The home of noxious water beasts
May in time evaporate,
But the love of buddhas
For their disciples shall not.
As a mother holds dear
And protects her only child,
Tathāgatas too hold dear
And protect their disciples.
An omniscient mind’s compassion never wanes
In its quest for the young calves it nurses,
So its love for those who fall to the miserable realms and saṃsāra
Is like the cow’s love for its fallen calf.
1.­283

Thus the Blessed One watches over the world with his buddha eye. With this eye, the Blessed One saw that the minds of the wandering mendicants Upatiṣya and Kolita had been ripened through their service to past buddhas and the stores of virtue they had amassed, [F.32.b] and thus he understood that the two wandering mendicants were like fruit ripe for the plucking. The time to train them had come. The Blessed One thought, “Will these two be captivated by the Teacher or by his disciples?” and saw they would be captivated by disciples.

1.­284

He thought, “What will be their way into the renunciant order? Will they be drawn by miracles or by conduct?” Thinking that, he saw they would be drawn by conduct. The Blessed One summoned the venerable Aśvajit, whose conduct he saw would captivate them, for conduct like his captivated gods and men. Then the Blessed One instructed the venerable Aśvajit, “Aśvajit, consider the wandering mendicants Upatiṣya and Kolita.”

1.­285

Aśvajit’s silence indicated his assent to the Blessed One’s instruction. As Aśvajit was fully committed to acting on the Blessed One’s instruction, he praised and welcomed the Blessed One’s instruction. Bowing his head at the Blessed One’s feet, he said, “I go with the Blessed One’s guidance.”

1.­286

Early the next morning, after the night had passed, the venerable Aśvajit put on his under robe and took up his begging bowl and robes. Clad in robes and bearing a begging bowl, he entered Rājagṛha to beg alms, radiant in his coming and going, his gazing ahead and his gazing to the side, the withdrawing and extending of his limbs.97

1.­287

Meanwhile the wandering mendicant Upatiṣya was out and about in Rājagṛha on some errand when he saw from afar the venerable Aśvajit, clad in robes and bearing a begging bowl, he entered Rājagṛha to beg alms, [F.33.a] radiant in his coming and going, his gazing ahead and his gazing to the side, the withdrawing and extending of his limbs. On seeing him he thought, “So this is what the renunciants who come to live here in Rājagṛha are like. Never in my life have I seen anyone carry himself like this renunciant. I must approach him and ask, ‘Monk, who is your teacher? Why have you gone forth? Whose Dharma do you favor?’ ”

1.­288

Knowing the monk was likely to pass by one of the main crossroads, Upatiṣya went there to wait. When the venerable Aśvajit reached the spot where Upatiṣya was, Upatiṣya asked this of Aśvajit: “Monk, who is your teacher? Why have you gone forth? Whose Dharma do you favor?”

1.­289

“Gautama, the venerable monk and prince of the Śākyas, left the Śākya clan, shaved his head and beard, donned the saffron robes and, with perfect faith, went forth from home into homelessness. In his unsurpassed, perfect awakening, he has become a perfect buddha. My teacher is the Blessed One. It is because of him that I have gone forth. It is his Dharma that I favor.”

1.­290

“Monk, then you must share one of his teachings!”

“Venerable, I am but young and a new renunciant so it would not be easy for me to fully and perfectly explain the teachings of the Blessed One, who is a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfect buddha. Thus I will share with you their import.”

1.­291

“Monk, the import is what I need. What good is a lengthy explanation? Please teach me the import, whatever its length.”

The venerable Aśvajit spoke this verse:

1.­292
“Those phenomena that arise from causes, [F.33.b]
The Tathāgata himself has taught
That they have a cause and also a cessation.
The Great Śramaṇa is the one who thus proclaims.”98
1.­293

Once he had explained this aspect of the Dharma, Upatiṣya came to see phenomena through the unclouded and pristine eyes of Dharma. Upatiṣya saw the Dharma, heard the Dharma, knew the Dharma, plumbed the depths of the Dharma, overcame his skepticism, transcended doubt, could not be swayed by others, and was not reliant on others. With his newfound fearless confidence in the Dharma taught by the Teacher, he stood up from his seat, pulled his shawl from one shoulder, bowed to the venerable Aśvajit with his palms pressed together, and spoke in verse:

1.­294
“This is the Dharma of saviors.
For millions upon billions of eons
I have neither seen it nor heard it.
May I come to realize
This immortal and peaceful state.”
1.­295

“Venerable, where is the Blessed One now?”

“Venerable, at the Kalandakanivāpa, in the Bamboo Park outside Rājagṛha.”

Upatiṣya then praised and welcomed what Aśvajit had said. After prostrating at Aśvajit’s feet, he circumambulated him three times and went to see Kolita.

1.­296

From a long way off, Kolita saw Upatiṣya approaching. On meeting him, he said to Upatiṣya, “Venerable, your faculties are clear and your complexion lustrous. If your skin is so radiant, does that mean you have found ambrosia?”

1.­297

“I have found someone worth venerating.”

“Share this venerable one’s teaching.”

Upatiṣya then spoke in verse:

1.­298
“Those phenomena that arise from causes, [F.34.a]
The Tathāgata himself has taught
That they have a cause and also a cessation.
The Great Śramaṇa is the one who thus proclaims.”
1.­299

“Venerable, please repeat it one more time. Venerable, say it again.”

1.­300
“Those phenomena that arise from causes,
The Tathāgata himself has taught
That they have a cause and also a cessation.
The Great Śramaṇa is the one who thus proclaims.”
1.­301

Once Upatiṣya had explained this aspect of the Dharma, Kolita too came to see phenomena through the unclouded and pristine eyes of Dharma. Kolita saw the Dharma, heard the Dharma, knew the Dharma, plumbed the depths of the Dharma, overcame his skepticism, transcended doubt, could not be swayed by others, and could not be led astray by others. Having gained a fearless confidence in the Dharma taught by the Teacher, he stood up from his seat, pulled his shawl from one shoulder, bowed to Upatiṣya with his palms pressed together, and spoke in verse:

1.­302
“This is the Dharma of saviors.
For millions upon billions of eons
I have neither seen it nor heard it.
May I come to realize
This immortal and peaceful state.”
1.­303

“Venerable, where is the Blessed One now?”

“At the Kalandakanivāpa, in the Bamboo Park outside Rājagṛha.”

“Come. We must live the holy life under the guidance of the Blessed One.”

1.­304

“But venerable, we must first see our followers; for it is only proper that knowledgeable and prominent people like us visit our followers.”

So the wandering mendicants Upatiṣya and Kolita went to the young brahmins and said, “Young brahmins, listen. What will you do if we two go to live the holy life under the guidance of the Blessed One?”

1.­305

“Preceptors, [F.34.b] the little we seek, we seek because of you; so if you two preceptors go to live the holy life under the guidance of the Blessed One and go forth, we too will go forth.”

“Young brahmins, then know that the time has come.”


1.­306

Upatiṣya and Kolita and their students, 250 apiece, then went to the Kalandakanivāpa in the Bamboo Park.

At the time, the venerable Aśvajit was seated, taking shelter from the sun at the foot of a tree. The wandering mendicants Upatiṣya and Kolita saw the venerable Aśvajit from a long way off. On seeing him, Upatiṣya asked Kolita, “Kolita, do we first pay our respects to the Blessed One, or to the one from whom we have heard of his Dharma?”

1.­307

“To the one from whom we have heard of his Dharma.”

The two of them went to the venerable Aśvajit. Reaching him, they prostrated at his feet, before taking a seat off to one side.

At that point, a brahmin who loved fire paid respect and homage. He then spoke a verse of the Blessed One’s:

1.­308
“Like a pure brahmin does to fire,
Bow with respect to the one,
Whether he be young or old,
Who tells you of the Dharma.” [B4]
1.­309

When Upatiṣya and Kolita had prostrated at the feet of Aśvajit, they left and went to where the Blessed One was. [F.35.a]


1.­310

At the time, the Blessed One was seated, teaching Dharma amidst many hundreds of monk followers. The Blessed One saw Upatiṣya and Kolita from a long way off. When he saw them, he said to the monks, “Monks, embrace your friends, bring them to the head of the assembly, let them come before you. Do you see Upatiṣya and Kolita, or do you see venerable ones? These two will become my disciples, my foremost and noblest pair, for one shall become the greatest of miracle workers, and the other shall become the wisest of the wise.”

A monk then spoke a verse:

1.­311
“To what the Teacher knows there is no end,
His mind the perfection of human capacity.
The Blessed One has reached saṃsāra’s end,
So before our friends Upatiṣya and Kolita
Arrived in the Bamboo Park
He foresaw their coming
And said with certainty among this gathering:
‘These two will become
The foremost among all my disciples.
One will be the greatest
Of miracle workers;
The other will be
The wisest of the wise.’ ”
1.­312

Upatiṣya and Kolita then approached the Blessed One, prostrated at his feet, and made the following request: “If we are permitted, reverend, we would receive the going forth, ordination, and monkhood in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. We would live the holy life in the Blessed One’s presence.”

1.­313

The Blessed One allowed goings forth by saying the phrase, “Come, monk,” and so as soon as he said, “Come, monks, live the holy life,” their hair fell out and they were clad in robes, [F.35.b] with but a week’s growth of hair and beard, begging bowls and water jars in hand, settled, with the composure of monks who had been ordained for one hundred years.

Again it is said:

1.­314
Hair tonsured and body clad in robes
By the Tathāgata’s call to come forth,
That moment, their senses were perfectly stilled
For then will your body be swathed in the Buddha’s mind.
1.­315

Early the next morning, a great many monks put on their under robes, took up their begging bowls and robes and entered Rājagṛha to beg for alms. When the people of Rājagṛha saw that members of Sañjayin’s tīrthika community had renounced it and joined the Buddha’s renunciant order, they quickly became disappointed99 and visibly upset. Vilifying the monks, they spoke in verse:

1.­316
“The Buddha has come to Rājagṛha,
Magadha’s premier city,
And led away all Sañjayin’s students
Only when there was naught else to lead away.”100

The monks were crestfallen, upset, and lost their fearlessness.

1.­317

Having gone to collect alms in Rājagṛha, the great many monks ate what they had been given and, as alms are not sought after noon, packed their begging bowls and robes, washed their feet, and went, hurting and upset, to see the Blessed One. As they arrived, the great many monks prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet, sat off to one side, and told the Blessed One, “Reverend, early this morning a great many of us monks put on our robes, picked up our begging bowls and robes, and went to Rājagṛha to collect alms. There, when the people of Rājagṛha saw that members of Sañjayin’s tīrthika community had renounced it and joined the Buddha’s renunciant order, they quickly became disappointed and visibly upset. [F.36.a] Vilifying us, they spoke in verse:

1.­318
“The Buddha has come to Rājagṛha,
Magadha’s premier city, and
And led away all Sañjayin’s students
Only when there was naught else to lead away.”

“With this, we became crestfallen, upset, and lost our fearlessness.”

1.­319

“Monks,” instructed the Blessed One, “say this to the people of Rājagṛha who say such things:

1.­320
“ ‘Here the mighty sugatas
Lead with the sublime Dharma.
What wise man could reject
Such noble leadership?’

“That will dispel all the vanity and self-assurance of the people of Rājagṛha who speak like that.”

1.­321

Early the next morning, a great many monks put on their robes, took up their begging bowls and robes, and entered Rājagṛha to beg for alms. When the people of Rājagṛha saw that members of Sañjayin’s tīrthika community had renounced it and joined the Buddha’s renunciant order, they soon become disappointed and visibly upset. Vilifying the monks, they again spoke the same verse:

1.­322
“The Buddha has come to Rājagṛha,
Magadha’s premier city,
And led away all Sañjayin’s students
Only when there was naught else to lead away.”
1.­323

One monk then replied:

“Here the mighty sugatas
Lead with the sublime Dharma.
What wise man could reject
Such noble leadership?”
1.­324

With that statement he dispelled all the vanity and self-assurance of the people of Rājagṛha who spoke like that.


1.­325

Some time later, the brahmin Māṭhara’s time came, as did his wife’s. The brahmin Tiṣya’s time came, as did Śārikā’s. Tiṣya’s son, Koṣṭhila, returned to the village of Nālada from the South where he had taken up with the Lokāyata ascetics. [F.36.b] The village gatekeeper recognized him and asked, “Sir, are you Koṣṭhila?”

1.­326

“People know me thus. What has become of the brahmin Māṭhara?”

“His time came.”

“What has become of his wife?”

“Her time came.”

1.­327

“What has become of the brahmin Tiṣya?”

“His time came too.”

“What has become of Śārikā?”

“Her time came too.”

1.­328

“What has become of Śāriputra?”

“Shortly after a teacher named Sañjayin appeared in Rājagṛha, he went forth and joined his renunciant order. Lately it has become common for brahmins to go forth.”

1.­329

Koṣṭhila then made his way to Rājagṛha, and when he arrived there he asked, “What has become of the teacher Sañjayin?”

“His time came.”

1.­330

“What has become of his tīrthika community?”

“They have all gone forth and joined the renunciant order around the ascetic Gautama.”

1.­331

“It would have been good had the ascetic Gautama, who was prophesied to become king of the world, become royal priest.”

1.­332

Koṣṭhila, who had taken the name Dīrghanakha when he became a wandering mendicant,101 went to see the Blessed One. When he arrived, he and the Blessed One were clearly overjoyed to see one another and exchanged warm words of goodwill before Dīrghanakha sat off to one side. As he sat there off to one side, Dīrghanakha said to the Blessed One, “O Gautama, for me, no view is acceptable.”102

1.­333

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, then even that view in which no view is acceptable to you would be unacceptable to you.”

“Agreed, O Gautama,” replied Dīrghanakha, “even that view which views all forms of self as unable to endure does not itself endure.”

1.­334

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, well then, if you understand and see it like that, then that view too will be abandoned, discarded, and cease to be. Other views too will not be entertained, embraced, or arise.”

“O Gautama, if I understood and saw it like that, then that view too will be abandoned, discarded, and cease to be.”

1.­335

The Blessed One replied at length, “scion of Agniveṣya's line, you are like and akin to most people, [F.37.a] for most people also view things thus and say such things, and in that you are just like them. Scion of Agniveṣya's line, in this world those ascetics and brahmins who discard this view, and those ascetics and brahmins who do not embrace other views, are said to be the fewest of the few.

1.­336

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, there are three positions regarding the view. What are those three positions? Scion of Agniveṣya's line, regarding this point, some maintain that all views are acceptable to them. Others maintain that no view is acceptable to them, while still others maintain that some views are acceptable to them and others are not.103

1.­337

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, in those for whom all views are acceptable, attachment will arise and attachment will not disappear; aversion will arise and aversion will not disappear; confusion will arise and confusion will not disappear; accumulation will occur and accumulation will not disappear; fetters will occur and fetters will not disappear; and defilement will arise and purification will not occur. In those for whom all views are acceptable, eager anticipation, pursuit, and excessive attachment will arise.

1.­338

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, in those for whom no view is acceptable, attachment will disappear and attachment will not arise; aversion will disappear and aversion will not arise; confusion will disappear and confusion will not arise; accumulation will disappear and accumulation will not occur; one will be free of fetters and fetters will not occur; and purification will occur and defilement will disappear. [F.37.b] In those for whom no view is acceptable, there will be no eager anticipation, no pursuit, and excessive attachment will disappear.

1.­339

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, in those for whom no view is acceptable, attachment will arise and attachment will not disappear; aversion will arise and aversion will not disappear; confusion will arise and confusion will not disappear; accumulation will occur and accumulation will not disappear; fetters will occur and fetters will not disappear; and defilement will arise and purification will not occur. With this view that holds that some selves endure, eager anticipation, pursuit, and excessive attachment will arise. At the same time, in holding that some selves do not endure, attachment will disappear and attachment will not arise; aversion will disappear and aversion will not arise; confusion will disappear and confusion will not arise; accumulation will disappear and accumulation will not occur; one will be free of fetters and fetters will not occur; and purification will occur and defilement will disappear. In those for whom some views are acceptable, there will be no eager anticipation, no pursuit, and excessive attachment will disappear.

1.­340

“Learned noble disciples scrutinize in this way: if one maintains that all views are acceptable to them, he will be in conflict and fight with one who maintains that no view is acceptable to them [F.38.a] and one who maintains that some views are acceptable to them while others are not. If they are in conflict, they will fight, and if they fight there will be harm. Having correctly seen this, one in conflict, fight, and harm will, having discarded even this view, will not take up another.

1.­341

Learned noble disciples scrutinize in this way: if one maintains that no view is acceptable to them, he will be in conflict and fight with one who maintains that all views are acceptable to them and one who maintains that some views are acceptable to them while others are not. If they are in conflict, they will fight, and if they fight there will be harm. Having correctly seen this, one in conflict, fight, and harm will, having discarded even this view, will not take up another.

1.­342

“Learned noble disciples scrutinize the second position in this way: if one holds the view and argues that no self endures, then the view and argument that all selves endure and the view and argument that some selves endure while other selves do not endure would counter and undermine the self; if it counters, it would undermine, and if it undermines, it would debunk the self.

1.­343

““And thus, they will think, ‘I will abandon, discard, and get rid of this view. I shall not entertain, embrace, or give rise to another.’

1.­344

“Learned noble disciples scrutinize in this way: if one maintains that some views are acceptable to them while others are not, he will be in conflict and fight with one who maintains that no view is acceptable to them and one who maintains that all views are acceptable to them.104 If they are in conflict, they will fight, and if they fight there will be harm. Having correctly seen this, one in conflict, fight, and harm will, having discarded even this view, will not take up another.

1.­345

“And thus, they will think, ‘I will abandon, discard, and get rid of this view. I shall not entertain, embrace, or give rise to another.’ [F.38.b]

1.­346

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, as this body is composed of gross form and arises from the four great elements, noble disciples observe and dwell on its repeated arising and destruction. If noble disciples observe and dwell on its repeated arising and destruction, whatever aspirations, attachment, craving, obsessions, preoccupations, or excessive attachment may arise towards the body will be confronted and will not remain.

1.­347

“Scion of Agniveṣya's line, there are three feelings. What are these three? Pleasure, pain, and that which is neither pleasant nor painful. Scion of Agniveṣya's line, when noble disciples experience feelings of pleasure, then feelings of pain and feelings which are neither pleasant nor painful come to a halt. At that time noble disciples experience only feelings of pleasure yet feelings of pleasure too are subject to impermanence, suffering, and cessation.

1.­348

“When noble disciples experience feelings of pain, then feelings of pleasure and feelings which are neither pleasant nor painful come to a halt. At that time, noble disciples experience only feelings of pain yet feelings of pain too are subject to impermanence, suffering, and cessation.

1.­349

“When noble disciples experience feelings which are neither pleasant nor painful, then feelings of pleasure and pain come to a halt. At that time, noble disciples experience only feelings that are neither pleasant nor painful [F.39.a] yet feelings that are neither pleasant nor painful too are subject to impermanence, suffering, and cessation.

1.­350

“Thus they think, ‘What is the basis for these feelings? What are their origins? What types of things are compatible with them? What has produced their arising?’ On reflection, the basis for these feelings is contact, their origins lie in contact, they are compatible with contact, what has produced them is contact. Thus contact of different types occurs, prompting feelings of different types to arise. Contact of different types cease, prompting feelings of different types to cease, to calm, to cool off, to fade away. Thus when they experience feelings that are pleasant, painful or neither pleasant nor painful, they thoroughly and precisely understand their origins, their fading, their flavor, their shortcomings, and their perfect renunciation.

1.­351

“When they thoroughly and precisely understand their origins, their fading, their flavor, their shortcomings, and their perfect renunciation, they view and rest in the impermanence of any feeling that arises, they view its dwindling, they view its disintegration, they view it free of desirous attachment, they view its cessation, and view and rest in its utter abandonment.

1.­352

“When they view and rest in the impermanence of any feeling that arises while viewing its dwindling, viewing its disintegration, viewing it free of desirous attachment, viewing its cessation, and viewing and resting in its utter abandonment, they are not taken in, even in the slightest, by the world. If they are not taken in, there will be no torment. If there is no torment, they will understand that their births have come to an end, that they have lived the holy life, that they have done what needed doing, and that they will know no lives after this one. [F.39.b] Thus they themselves will altogether transcend misery. When they experience the body’s most basic feelings,105 they thoroughly and precisely understand them with the thought, ‘I am experiencing the body’s most basic feelings.’ When they experience the life-force’s most basic feeling,106 they thoroughly and precisely understand it with the thought, ‘I am experiencing the life-force’s most basic feeling.’

1.­353

“Since the life-force comes to an end after the body has perished, all of that life’s feelings, every last one of them, come to a halt, every last one of them fades away, every last one of them dwindles away, and every last one of them comes to an end. Thus they think, ‘When I experience feelings of pleasure, if the body should perish, that will be the end of suffering. When I experience feelings of pain and feelings that are neither pleasant nor painful, if the body should perish, that will be the end of suffering.’

1.­354

“Thus when they experience the feeling of pleasure, it is unaccompanied, it is not accompanied by experiences.107 When they experience the feeling of pain or a feeling that is neither pleasant nor painful, it is unaccompanied, it is not accompanied by experiences.

1.­355

“What does not accompany their death? It is not accompanied by desire, aversion, or confusion. It is not accompanied by birth, aging, illness, death, mourning, cries of misery, pain, unease, or disturbance. It is not, I argue, accompanied by suffering.”


1.­356

During this talk, the venerable Śāriputra, who had been ordained two weeks earlier, sat, fanning the Blessed One. Śāriputra then had this thought: “The Blessed One has praised the abandonment of such phenomena along with the freedom from, the cessation of, and the utter abandonment of desire. I, too, should observe and abide by the abandonment of such phenomena, and should observe freedom from desire. [F.40.a] I, too, should observe and abide by the abandonment of such phenomena, and its cessation. I, too, should observe and abide by its utter abandonment.”

1.­357

Śāriputra then observed and abided by the abandonment of such phenomena. He proceeded to observe freedom from desire, observe its cessation, and observe and abide by its utter abandonment. As he observed and abided by the abandonment of such phenomena and proceeded to observe freedom from desire, observe its cessation, and observe and abide by its utter abandonment, his mind, in the absence of grasping, was freed from defilements.


1.­358

The wandering mendicant Dīrghanakha, too, came to see phenomena through the unclouded and pristine eyes of Dharma. Dīrghanakha saw the Dharma, heard the Dharma, knew the Dharma, plumbed the depths of the Dharma, overcame his skepticism, transcended doubt, could not be swayed by others, and could not be led astray by others.

With his new-found fearless confidence in the Dharma taught by the Teacher, he stood up from his seat, pulled his shawl from one shoulder, bowed to the Blessed One with his palms pressed together, and made the following request to the Blessed One: “If it is permitted, reverend, I would receive the going forth, ordination, and monkhood in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. I would live the holy life in the Blessed One’s presence.”

1.­359

The Blessed One allowed goings forth by saying the phrase, “Come, monk,” and so as soon as he said, “Come, monks, live the holy life,” his hair fell out and he was clad in robes. With but a week’s growth of hair and beard, begging bowls and water jars in hand, having completed his approach to monkhood, he stood with the deportment of a monk who had been ordained for one hundred years.

1.­360

Again it is stated:

“Hair tonsured and body clad in robes
By the Tathāgata’s call to come forth,
That moment, his senses were perfectly stilled
And body swathed in the Buddha’s mind.” [F.40.b]
1.­361

With this going forth, Dīrghanakha went to live alone in solitude, diligent and persevering, devoted to his resolve. While living alone in solitude, diligent and persevering, devoted to his resolve, he perceived that he had, in that very life, actualized the unsurpassed aim of the holy life for which the sons of noble families, with perfect faith, cut their hair, shave their beards, don the saffron robes, and go forth from home into homelessness. With his achievement, he understood, “My births have come to an end, I have lived the holy life, I have done what needed doing, I will know no lives after this one.” Thus the venerable one achieved the all-knowing state108 of an arhat whose mind had been utterly freed.


1.­362

An intervening summary:

“All selves do not endure”;
“You who view things thus,
You are just like them”;
Worldly persons, ascetics, and brahmins,
And their three positions on the view;
Learned noble disciples;
Body, feelings, and the cessation of the basis for feelings;
Understanding their origin and the like;
Transcending misery, the most basic of body and life-force;
Life ends unaccompanied,
With the perishing of the body,
And the end of suffering;
And, lastly, Śāriputra.
1.­363

The Blessed One said to the monks, “Monks, among my monk disciples who have gained the knowledge of perfect discernment, the monk Koṣṭhila is supreme.”109


1.­364

In doubt, the monks went to him who severs all doubts, the Blessed Buddha, and asked, “Reverend, what is it that the venerable Śāriputra has done, that the ripened fruit of that action has made his intellect sharper, finer, and more incisive?”

1.­365

“Monks,” replied the Blessed One, “Śāriputra himself discovered the store of action, mastered conditions, tended to them as one does an irrigation channel, and emerged without indecision. As he himself acted and accumulated thus, no one else experiences the results of actions and accumulations as Śāriputra has done. [F.41.a] Monks, actions committed and accumulated do not ripen in the external element of earth. Neither do they ripen in the element of water, nor the element of fire, nor the element of wind. Actions committed and accumulated, whether virtuous or non-virtuous, ripen only into the appropriated aggregates, constituent elements, and seats of the senses.

1.­366
“Actions never waste away,
Not even after one hundred eons.
When the time and the conditions
Are right, they alight upon embodied beings.
1.­367

“Monks, long ago a brahmin who lived in a remote mountain range took a wife of equal caste and together they played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another. From their play, pleasure, and amusement, there came a boy whom they named Śūrpī. Again, they played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another, producing a girl, whom they named Sūkṣmā. After a while, their brahmin father’s time came, as did his wife’s. The young brahmin Śūrpī, because he loved solitude, took his sister to live in a remote forest.

1.­368

“At a certain point, his sister Sūkṣmā grew into a woman and at the time, beset by disturbing emotions, said, ‘Brother, I cannot be sustained by the medicinal plants in this forest. Let us go to the outskirts of town.’

1.­369

“So Śūrpī took his sister to the outskirts of town, and as they approached a house to beg alms, a brahmin sitting in his home heard the voice of a man speaking to a woman. On hearing this, the brahmin came out and asked, ‘What is a sage doing traveling with a wife?’

“ ‘This is not my wife. This is my younger sister. Would you give us a little something to eat?’

1.­370

“ ‘I will not. And if I refuse, would you give me your sister?’

“ ‘That would be a sin and I reject such ignoble principles.’

1.­371

“Sūkṣmā said, [F.41.b] ‘Brother, the medicinal plants in this forest do not sustain me, so it was I who suggested we go to the edge of town. Why did I suggest it? Incapacitated as I am by emotions, I trusted you would know what to do.’

1.­372

“ ‘I will give a large dowry and take her as my bride,’ said the brahmin.

“ ‘Brother, let us leave,’ said Sūkṣmā, and together they stepped away.

1.­373

“Śūrpī said, ‘It is because I do not pursue desires that I have gone to remote places.’

“ ‘Then, brother, should you attain even the slightest store of qualities, you must come share them with me.’

1.­374

“Śūrpī went off into the wilds and, without a preceptor or instructor, gave rise to the thirty-seven qualities conducive to awakening110 and actualized his own awakening.111 He then thought, ‘I promised to share any such attainment with my sister, so I must do so.’

1.­375

“Great persons teach the Dharma through their actions and not their words. So, out of the great love and compassion Śūrpī felt, like a swan spreading its wings, he flew up into the sky above and began to miraculously invoke flashes and bursts of light, clouds and lightning. Now, because ordinary beings are swift to pay heed to miracles, Sūkṣmā dropped like a felled tree at the pratyekabuddha’s feet and said, ‘Noble one! Have you found such a store of qualities?’

“ ‘I have.’

1.­376

“ ‘Noble one, accept these alms. I seek merit, so please stay here and let me provide you all the provisions you need.’

“ ‘Sister, first ask your husband.’

1.­377

“She went to the brahmin, her husband, and said, ‘Son of a lord, my brother has gone forth, accomplished his vow, and become a great being. Please allow him to stay and I will offer him all the provisions he needs.’

“Her husband replied, ‘If I give to laymen without being asked, why would I not give to a renunciant [F.42.a] who has lived up to his vows and become a saint? Go, do as you please and offer him all the provisions he needs.’

1.­378

“After three months, during which she offered the pratyekabuddha all the provisions he needed, she offered him a piece of cotton cloth large enough to be worn as a robe, a needle, a razor, and thread. He accepted the cotton cloth, needle, razor, and thread, and began to cut the cloth in front of her. As he sharpened the razor’s blade, Sūkṣmā prostrated at his feet and said this prayer: ‘Just as this razor’s blade becomes sharper and sharper, may these roots of virtue sharpen my intellect.’

1.­379

“The pratyekabuddha began to poke holes with the needle and as the needle made finer and finer holes, Sūkṣmā prostrated at his feet and said this prayer: ‘Just as this needle pokes finer and finer holes, may these roots of virtue refine my intellect.’

1.­380

“The pratyekabuddha began to sew with the thread and as the thread passed through the cloth unhindered, Sūkṣmā prostrated at his feet and said this prayer: ‘Just as this thread passes unhindered through cloth, may these roots of virtue help me develop an incisive intellect.’

1.­381

“Monks, at that time the monk Śāriputra was the brahmin’s daughter Sūkṣmā. That action of making offerings and prayers to the pratyekabuddha ripened so that now his intellect is sharp, fine, and incisive.

“Monks, the ripened fruits of wholly negative actions are wholly negative, and the ripened fruits of mixed actions are mixed, but the ripened fruits of wholly positive actions are wholly positive.

1.­382

“Monks, therefore abandon wholly negative and mixed actions and seek wholly positive actions. [F.42.b] Monks, this is how you should train.”


1.­383

Still in doubt, the monks questioned him who severs all doubts, the Blessed Buddha, “Reverend, what has the venerable Śāriputra done that the ripened fruit of his action has led to his birth into a family that is neither extremely rich nor extremely poor, but into a family of moderate means with many renunciants?”

1.­384

The Blessed One replied, “Monks, Śāriputra himself discovered the store of action, mastered conditions, tended to them as one does an irrigation channel, and emerged without indecision. He himself acted and accumulated this store, and so no one else experiences Śāriputra’s actions and accumulations for themselves. Monks, actions and accumulations do not ripen upon the external elements. They do not ripen upon the element of water, upon the element of fire, nor upon the element of wind. Virtuous and nonvirtuous actions performed and accumulated come to ripen upon the aggregates, elements, and seats of the senses of the one who performed them:

1.­385
“Actions never waste away,
Not even after one hundred eons.
When the time and the conditions
Are right, they alight upon embodied beings.
1.­386

“Monks, long ago a king who lived in a remote mountain range took a wife of equal caste and together they played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another. From their play, pleasure, and amusement, there came a boy, whom they nurtured and raised until he grew into a man. Seeing that his father ruled in ways compatible with the principles of justice, the boy thought, ‘When my father passes, I will become king. If I exercise my royal authority in ways compatible with the principles of justice, in a later life I will go to hell.’

1.­387

“He went to the king and said, ‘Father, grant me leave. I wish to go forth in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya.’

“The king [F.43.a] replied, ‘Son, the royal authority, for which you have made offerings to the gods, performed fire pūja, and suffered through austerities, is within reach. Having been born into a caste borne about by elephants, why would you renounce it?’

“And with that his father refused to let him go forth.

1.­388

“Some time later, the boy set out, riding astride the neck of an elephant, when he saw a poor man on his begging rounds holding a staff and a broken beggar’s bowl. The prince went to him and said, ‘Householder, because I was born into a wealthy family, I could not get consent to go forth. You are poor, so why have you not joined such an order?’

“ ‘Prince,’ he replied, ‘how could I go forth if I don’t have a begging bowl or robes?’

“ ‘Good man, come,’ said the prince. ‘I will give you a begging bowl and robes.’

1.­389

“The prince then took him to the sanctuary of a sage endowed with the five types of heightened awareness.112 The prince got down from his perch atop the elephant’s neck and said calmly, ‘Sir, this noble son wishes to go forth. Allow him to do so, and I shall provide his begging bowl and robes.’

1.­390

“So the sage allowed the beggar to go forth. The prince then washed a begging bowl and had robes cut, sewn, and dyed. He handed them over to the former beggar and said, ‘Noble one, should you attain even the slightest store of qualities, you must tell me.’

1.­391

“He promised the prince he would do so and went off into the wilds. Without a preceptor or instructor, he gave rise to the thirty-seven qualities conducive to awakening and actualized his own awakening.113 He then thought, ‘This small store of qualities I have attained, I have attained with the help of the prince. I promised to share any such attainment with him, so I must do so.’

1.­392

“Great persons [F.43.b] teach the Dharma through their actions and not their words. So out of the great love and compassion he felt, like a swan spreading its wings, he flew up into the sky above and miraculously invoked flashes and bursts of light, clouds and lightning. Now, because ordinary beings are swift to pay heed to miracles, the prince dropped like a felled tree at the pratyekabuddha’s feet and said, ‘Noble one! Have you found such a store of qualities?’

‘I have.’

1.­393

“The prince thought, ‘If the small store of qualities this noble being has attained, he has attained with my help, then this noble being’s failure to get consent to go forth was due to his birth into a lowly family like his. My own failure to get consent to go forth was due to my birth into a high family such as mine.’

“With that thought, he prostrated at the pratyekabuddha’s feet and made this prayer:

1.­394
“ ‘By these roots of virtue,
May I be born, not in a wealthy house
Nor in one that is poor;
Let it be rather in a house of moderate means
And always among many renunciants.’
1.­395

“Monks, the monk Śāriputra was at that time the prince. That action of making offerings and prayers to the pratyekabuddha ripened so that now he was not born into too rich a family, nor into too poor a family, but rather into a family of moderate means in which there were many renunciants.

“Monks, thus the ripened fruits of wholly negative actions are wholly negative while the ripened fruits of wholly positive actions are wholly positive and the ripened fruits of mixed actions are mixed.

1.­396

“Monks, therefore abandon wholly negative and mixed actions and seek wholly positive actions. [F.44.a] Monks, this is how you should train.”


1.­397

Still in doubt, the monks questioned him who severs all doubts, the Blessed Buddha, “Reverend, what has the venerable Śāriputra done that the ripened fruit of his action has led him to be singled out by the Blessed One as the foremost of those with great wisdom and the foremost of those with great confident eloquence?”

1.­398

The Blessed One replied, “It is the prayers he made. What did he pray for? Monks, long ago during this fortunate eon, when the lifespan of beings was twenty thousand years, the blessed Buddha Kāśyapa appeared in the world, a teacher, a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha, a knowledgeable and venerable one, a sugata, one who knew the world, an unsurpassed guide who tamed beings, a teacher to gods and men, who lived and dwelt in the Ṛṣipatana Deer Park near Vārāṇasī.

1.­399

“A monk, he who would later become Śāriputra, went forth into Kāśyapa’s teachings and was singled out by the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa as the foremost of those with great wisdom and the foremost of those with great confident eloquence.

1.­400

“He lived the holy life for the rest of his days, but he did not attain any store of qualities. Later, as he was dying, he made this prayer: ‘Although I have spent my entire life living the holy life under Kāśyapa, an arhat, a blessed tathāgata, a perfectly awakened buddha and unsurpassed object of veneration, I have not attained any store of qualities. May the roots of virtue, accumulated through living the holy life for my entire lifetime, ensure that I may go forth into the teachings of Buddha Śākyamuni, about whom the arhat114 and blessed tathāgata and perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa has prophesied to the young brahmin Uttara, saying, ‘Young brahmin, in the future, when the lifespan of beings is one hundred years, you will become the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly awakened Buddha, [F.44.b] the knowledgeable and venerable one, the sugata, the one who knows the world, the unsurpassed guide who tames beings, the teacher to gods and men known as the Blessed Buddha Śākyamuni,’ and that I may go on to abandon all disturbing emotions and actualize arhatship. And just as I, this preceptor, was singled out by the tathāgata, the arhat, and perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa as the wisest of the wise and the most confident of the confident, may I too be singled out by the blessed sage of the Śākyas, lion of the Śākyas, king of the Śākyas, as the foremost of those with great wisdom and the foremost of those with great confident eloquence.’

1.­401

“Because of that prayer, Śāriputra has now been singled out by the Tathāgata as the foremost of those with great wisdom and the foremost of those with great confident eloquence.”115


1.­402

“Reverend, what has the venerable, the great Maudgalyāyana done that the ripened fruit of his action has led to him being the most powerful and the greatest miracle worker?”

The Blessed One replied, “Monks, Maudgalyāyana himself discovered the store of action, mastered conditions, tended to them as one does an irrigation channel, and emerged without indecision. He himself acted and accumulated thus, so no one else experiences Maudgalyāyana’s actions and accumulations for themselves. Monks, actions and accumulations do not ripen upon the external elements, the element of water, the element of fire, nor upon the element of wind. The virtuous and nonvirtuous actions performed and accumulated come to ripen upon the aggregates, elements and seats of the senses of the one who performed them:

1.­403
“Actions never waste away, [F.45.a]
Not even after one hundred eons.
When the time and the conditions
Are right, they alight upon embodied beings.
1.­404

“Monks, long ago, in a sanctuary not very far from the city of Vārāṇasī, there lived a sage who personified loving kindness. Endowed with compassion, he was kind to all sentient beings. One day, a poor man arrived at the sanctuary carrying a bundle of wood. The sage saw him put down his bundle of wood before sitting down to rest. Feeling compassion for him, he thought, ‘He has been born a human, but because of faults committed in the past, this afflicted man must struggle very hard to make a living. I shall allow his going forth.’

1.­405

“The sage called out, ‘Son, who are you?’

“ ‘Noble one, I am a poor man who makes his living from wood.’

“ ‘Well then, why do you not go forth?’

“ ‘Noble one, if I am a poor man who must work very hard to forge a living by selling wood, who would allow me to go forth?’

1.­406

“Because the sage was the very personification of loving kindness, he felt tremendous compassion for the man and asked, ‘Son, do you wish to go forth?’

“ ‘Noble one, I want to go forth, so I ask that you, out of compassion, allow me.’

1.­407

“The sage allowed him to go forth, then washed a begging bowl and dyed robes and gave them to him, saying, ‘Good man, should you attain even the slightest store of qualities, you must tell me.’

1.­408

“The man promised to do so and he went off into the wilds. Without a preceptor or instructor, he gave rise to the thirty-seven qualities conducive to awakening and actualized his own awakening. Then he thought, ‘I promised to share any such attainment with that sage, so I must do so.’

1.­409

“Great persons teach the Dharma through their actions and not their words. So out of the great love and compassion he felt, [F.45.b] like a swan spreading its wings, he flew up into the sky above and miraculously invoked flashes and bursts of light, clouds and lightning. As ordinary beings are swift to pay heed to miracles, the sage dropped like a felled tree at the pratyekabuddha’s feet and said, ‘Noble one! Have you found such a store of qualities?’

“ ‘I have.’

1.­410

“The sage thought, ‘The small store of qualities this noble being has attained, he has attained with my help,’ and with that he prostrated at the pratyekabuddha’s feet and made this prayer, ‘Just as this noble being is powerful and a great miracle worker, through these roots of virtue may I too become powerful and a great miracle worker.’

1.­411

“The ripened fruits of wholly negative actions are wholly negative, while the ripened fruits of wholly positive actions are wholly positive, and the ripened fruits of mixed actions are mixed.

“Monks, therefore abandon wholly negative and mixed actions and seek wholly positive actions. Monks, this is how you should train.” [B5]


1.­412

In doubt, the monks questioned him who severs all doubts, the Blessed Buddha, “Reverend, what is it that the venerable, the great Maudgalyāyana has done, that the ripened fruit of his action has led the Blessed One to declare him to be the foremost of great miracle workers and of those with great power?” [F.46.a]

1.­413

The Blessed One replied, “It is the prayers he made. What did he pray for? Monks, long ago during this fortunate eon, when the lifespan of beings was twenty thousand years, the blessed Buddha Kāśyapa appeared in the world, a teacher, a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha, a knowledgeable and venerable one, a sugata, one who knew the world, an unsurpassed guide who tamed beings, a teacher to gods and men, who lived and dwelt in the Ṛṣipatana Deer Park near Vārāṇasī.

“A monk, he who would later become Maudgalyāyana, went forth into Buddha Kāśyapa’s teachings and was singled out by the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa as the foremost of great miracle workers and of those with great power.

1.­414

“He lived the holy life for the rest of his days, but he did not attain any store of qualities. Later, as he was dying, he made this prayer: ‘I have spent my entire life living the holy life under Kāśyapa, the blessed tathāgata, the arhat, and perfectly awakened Buddha and unsurpassed object of veneration, but I have not attained any store of qualities. May the roots of virtue accumulated through living the holy life for my entire lifetime ensure that I may go forth into the teachings of Buddha Śākyamuni, about whom the blessed tathāgata and perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa has prophesied to the young brahmin Uttara, saying ‘Young brahmin, in the future, when the lifespan of beings is one hundred years, you will become the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly awakened buddha, the knowledgeable and venerable one, the sugata, the one who knows the world, the unsurpassed guide who tames beings, the teacher to gods and men known as the Blessed Buddha Śākyamuni,’ and that I may go on to abandon all disturbing emotions and actualize arhatship. [F.46.b] And just as I, this preceptor, was singled out by the tathāgata, the arhat, and perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa as the most powerful of the powerful and the greatest of miracle workers, may I too be singled out by the blessed sage of the Śākyas, lion of the Śākyas, king of the Śākyas, as the foremost of great miracle workers and the foremost of those with great power.’

1.­415

“Because of that prayer, Maudgalyāyana has now been singled out by the Tathāgata as the foremost of foremost of great miracle workers and the foremost of those with great power.”


1.­416

Still in doubt, the monks questioned him who severs all doubts, the Blessed Buddha, “Reverend, what is it that the venerable Koṣṭhila has done, that the ripened fruit of his action has led him to be singled out by the Blessed One as the foremost among those who have attained discerning wisdom?”

1.­417

The Blessed One replied, “It is the prayers he made. What did he pray for? Monks, long ago during this fortunate eon, when the lifespan of beings was twenty thousand years, the blessed Buddha Kāśyapa appeared in the world, a teacher, a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha, a knowledgeable and venerable one, a sugata, one who knew the world, an unsurpassed guide who tamed beings, a teacher to gods and men, who lived and dwelt in the Ṛṣipatana Deer Park near Vārāṇasī.

1.­418

“A monk, he who would later become Koṣṭhila, went forth into Buddha Kāśyapa’s teachings and was singled out by the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa as foremost among those who have attained discerning wisdom.

1.­419

“He lived the holy life for the rest of his days, but he did not attain any store of qualities. Later, as he was dying, he made this prayer: ‘I have spent my entire life living the holy life under Kāśyapa, the blessed tathāgata, the arhat, and perfectly awakened [F.47.a] Buddha, and unsurpassed object of veneration, but I have not attained any store of qualities. May the roots of virtue accumulated through living the holy life for my entire lifetime ensure that I may go forth into the teachings of Buddha Śākyamuni, about whom the blessed tathāgata, the arhat, and perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa has prophesied to the young brahmin Uttara, saying, ‘Young brahmin, in the future, when the lifespan of beings is one hundred years, you will become the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly awakened Buddha, the knowledgeable and venerable one, the sugata, the one who knows the world, the unsurpassed guide who tames beings, the teacher to gods and men known as the blessed Buddha Śākyamuni,’ and that I may go on to abandon all disturbing emotions and actualize arhatship. And just as this preceptor was singled out by the tathāgata and perfectly awakened Buddha Kāśyapa as foremost among those who have attained discerning wisdom, may I too be singled out by the blessed sage of the Śākyas, lion of the Śākyas, king of the Śākyas, as foremost among those who have attained discerning wisdom.’

1.­420

“Because of that prayer, he has now been singled out by the Tathāgata as foremost among those who have attained discerning wisdom.”

Granting Ordination

1.­421

In the time of the Blessed Buddha, one received the going forth, ordination, and monkhood in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya in the following way: the Blessed Buddha allowed the postulants’ going forth and ordained them with the words, “Come, monk.” Thus when a person approached a monk with the wish to go forth, the postulant was led before the Blessed One, knowing that when the Blessed One said, “Come, monk,” he received the going forth, ordination, and monkhood in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya.116 [F.47.b]

1.­422

However, there came a case in which one postulant, while coming to see the Blessed One, died on the way and thus was prevented from receiving the going forth, ordination, and monkhood in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. When the monks asked the Blessed One about it, he thought, “Alas! For those disciples who live a great distance away, the journey can be arduous.” He then said, “In light of what has happened, from this day forward, I permit the saṅgha to allow going forth and grant ordination.”

The Early Rite

1.­423

Although the Blessed One had decreed, “The saṅgha should allow going forth and grant ordination,” they did not know how to do that. So the monks asked the Blessed One about it, and he said, “If a person approaches a monk wishing to go forth, the monk should accept him. Once this is done and the entire saṅgha has assembled, the postulant should don the robes and prostrate to his seniors. The postulant should then kneel with palms joined and ask the saṅgha three times, after which the monk petitioner makes a motion to ratify the motion. The postulant’s going forth is allowed and he is ordained the moment this very act whose fourth member is a motion is accepted.”

The postulant’s request

1.­424

The postulant would make the following request:

“Revered saṅgha, please listen. I, [postulant’s name], ask the saṅgha to allow my going forth and grant ordination into the monkhood. [F.48.a] I ask that the compassionate and reverend saṅgha, out of compassion, allow my going forth and confer ordination on me.”

1.­425

This would be repeated a second and a third time.

The monk’s request

1.­426

After that, one monk would act on the request. While seated he would say the following:

“Revered saṅgha, please listen. [Postulant’s name] has asked the saṅgha to allow his going forth and grant ordination into the monkhood. If the time is right and the saṅgha can accept it, I ask that the saṅgha grant their consent. I ask that the saṅgha allow [postulant’s name] to go forth and grant him ordination.”

Acting on the motion

1.­427

The request would be acted on in the following way:

“Revered saṅgha, please listen. [Postulant’s name] has asked the saṅgha to allow his going forth and grant ordination into the monkhood. If the saṅgha allows his going forth and grants ordination, then I ask that any who can allow the going forth of the venerable [postulant’s name] and his ordination remain silent. I ask that any who cannot accept it speak up.”

1.­428

After the first motion to act, the motion would be repeated a second and a third time. The saṅgha would acknowledge its acceptance and give its consent that the going forth of such and such a monk be allowed and that he be granted ordination by remaining silent.


1.­429

Thus went the Early Rite.

Preceptors and Instructors

1.­430

Because those whose going forth was allowed and who were ordained under the Early Rite had no preceptor or instructor, they would go to the homes of brahmins and householders without being well washed or well dressed, while speaking shrilly and in loud voices, and behaving wildly. While there, they would beg for food, implore others to beg for food, grovel for soup, implore others to grovel for soup, and do still more that went against the teachings. [F.48.b]

This prompted tīrthikas, knowledgeable men, and others to criticize, disparage, and slander them. They would say, “Since these ascetic sons of the Śākya have no preceptor and no instructor, they go to the houses of brahmins and householders without being well washed or well dressed, while speaking shrilly and in loud voices, and behaving wildly. While there, they beg for food, implore others to beg for food, grovel for soup, and implore others to grovel for soup. Who would give these shaven-headed ascetics alms or think to help them?”

1.­431

One sick monk even died for lack of someone to nurse him. When that occurred, the monks asked the Blessed One about it, and the Blessed One thought, “I should permit my disciples to act as preceptors and instructors, so that they may allow others to go forth and care for the sick among them.”

1.­432

The Blessed One proclaimed, “After considering the matter, I permit preceptors and instructors to allow going forth and grant ordination.”

When the Blessed One had permitted preceptors and instructors to allow going forth and grant ordination, the monks found themselves in a quandary, for they did not know what serving as a preceptor or instructor entailed.

1.­433

So the Blessed One proclaimed, “There are five types of instructors and two types of preceptors. What are these five types of instructors? They are instructors of novices, privy advisors, officiants, givers of instruction,117 and recitation instructors. What is an instructor of novices? He is one who grants refuge and the foundations of the training.118 What is a privy advisor? He is one who inquires into private matters. What is an officiant? He is one who moves to act upon an act whose fourth member is a motion. What is a giver of refuge? He is one in whose presence you stay even for a single day. [F.49.a] What is a recitation instructor? He is one who recites even a single verse of four lines three times, which you then repeat. What are the two types of preceptor? They are those who allow going forth and those who grant ordination.”

The Present Day Ordination Rite

1.­434

When the Blessed One permitted preceptors and instructors to allow going forth and grant ordination, the monks found themselves in a quandary, for they did not know how to do that. So the Blessed One proclaimed, “If someone approaches you with the wish to go forth, you should ascertain whether he has any impediments by questioning him. Having ascertained this, he should be given the layperson’s vows by having him go for refuge to the Three Jewels and promise to live as a lay brother.”

Giving the layperson’s vows and refuge precepts

How to give the layperson’s vows

1.­435

This is how to give the layperson’s vows. First, the postulant should prostrate to the Teacher.119 Then, once he has been made to prostrate, have him kneel before the instructor, join his palms together, and say:

1.­436

“Reverend, heed me. I, [postulant’s name], will henceforth, for as long as I live, seek refuge in the Buddha, supreme among men; I will seek refuge in the Dharma, supreme among all that is free from attachment; I will seek refuge in the Saṅgha, supreme among communities. For as long as I live, I ask that you, reverend, accept me as a lay brother.”

1.­437

The postulant repeats this a second and a third time, but in the third recitation, should say “instructor.”120 The instructor then says:

“This is the method.”

1.­438

At which point the lay vow holder says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­439

That is the giving of the layperson’s vows.

Pledging to keep the precepts

1.­440

The postulant then expresses his commitment to the precepts with the following words:

“Instructor, heed me. Just as noble arhats renounced killing and swore to refrain from killing for as long as they lived, so do I, [F.49.b] [postulant’s name], henceforth, for as long as I live, renounce killing and swear to refrain from killing. With this first branch, I pledge to train in, practice, and act upon the precepts of those noble arhats. Furthermore, noble arhats renounced and swore to refrain from stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicating substances like grain alcohol and its by-products, which leave one uninhibited. Just so do I, [postulant’s name], too, for as long as I live, renounce and swear to refrain from stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicating substances like grain alcohol and its by-products, which leave one uninhibited. With this, the fifth branch, I pledge to train in, practice, and act upon the precepts of those noble arhats.”

1.­441

The instructor then says:

“This is the method.”

1.­442

At which point the lay vow holder says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­443

This completes the layperson’s induction rite.

Going forth

Informing the saṅgha of the wish to go forth

1.­444

The postulant should then be directed to the monk petitioner. The monk petitioner asks the preceptor:

“Have you inquired into the private matters?”

A breach occurs if he makes a petition without inquiring.

1.­445

The monk petitioner then petitions the saṅgha in the following way. Having laid out sitting mats, he strikes the gaṇḍī beam. Once he has informed the monks with a response to their queries, the entire saṅgha sits; either together in consensus or each in his own dwelling. The postulant is then made to prostrate to the seniormost in the saṅgha before taking his place in a kneeling position, [F.50.a] with palms pressed together. The monk petitioner then addresses the saṅgha with these words:

1.­446

“I ask you, reverend saṅgha, to listen. The postulant [postulant’s name] has asked the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to allow his going forth. He wants to leave the householder’s life, with its white clothes and unshaven head and face, and go forth in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. [Postulant’s name] wants to go forth and, having shaven head and face, to don the saffron robes. He wants to go forth from home into homelessness under the guidance of this preceptor [preceptor’s name] so that he may rely solely on what is right. And if indeed he too is without impediments, should he be allowed to go forth?”

1.­447

The whole saṅgha should reply:

“If he is without impediment, he should be allowed.”

If they say that, then all is well. A breach occurs if they do not.


1.­448

That is how one informs the saṅgha of the wish to go forth.

Requesting the preceptor

1.­449

Next, a request is made to the preceptor. The request should be made in the following way. The postulant is made to prostrate to and then kneel before the preceptor. With palms pressed together, he should say:

“Instructor, heed me. I, [postulant’s name], ask you, instructor, to serve as preceptor. Instructor, please act as my preceptor. Instructor, as preceptor, please allow my going forth.”

1.­450

He repeats this a second and a third time, but the third time he should say “preceptor” in place of “instructor.” The preceptor then says:

“This is the method.”

To which the person wishing to go forth says:

“It is excellent.”

1.­451

That is the request to the preceptor.


1.­452

The postulant should then be entrusted to a monk who will shave the postulant’s hair and beard. The Blessed One decreed, “Do not shave off all of his hair but rather leave a tuft of hair at his crown.” So, after shaving off nearly all the postulant’s hair, the monk should ask the postulant:

“Shall I cut this tuft?” [F.50.b]

If he answers “No, do not cut it,” then tell him to go.

But if he answers “Yes, I am happy for you to do so,” then cut it.

1.­453

The postulant is then made to bathe. If the weather is cold, he may bathe with warm water. If the weather is warm, he should bathe with cold water.

1.­454

The preceptor should then give him a begging bowl and saffron robes, which he accepts after bowing at the preceptor’s feet. The preceptor should then dress the postulant, checking to ensure he is not a person without genitalia, a person with two sets of genitalia, or a person with a fistula.121

1.­455

The Blessed One decreed that postulants should be examined, but the embarrassment that the monks’ examination caused to the naked and exposed postulants prompted the Blessed One to decree, “Do not examine him while naked. Examine him without his knowing, while he is putting on the under robe.”


1.­456

That is how the first part of the ceremony should be performed.

Allowing the postulant’s going forth

1.­457

Then the postulant should be inducted as a renunciant by first going for refuge. This is how he should be inducted.

The postulant is first made to prostrate to the Teacher. Then he is made to prostrate to the preceptor and kneel before him. Having pressed his palms together, he should say:

1.­458

“Preceptor, heed me. I, [postulant’s name], will henceforth, for as long as I live, seek refuge in the Buddha, supreme among men; I will seek refuge in the Dharma, supreme among all that is free from attachment; I will seek refuge in the Saṅgha, supreme among communities. Following the example of going forth set by the Blessed One, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly complete Buddha Śākyamuni, the lion of the Śākyas, the king of the Śākyas, I, in going forth, renounce the tokens of the householder life and embrace the tokens of the renunciant life.”

1.­459

He repeats this a second and a third time. The preceptor then says:

“This is the method.” [F.51.a]

At which point the renunciant says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­460

That is the induction as a renunciant.

Becoming a novice

Inducting the postulant into the novitiate

1.­461

The postulant is then directed to the monk who will induct him into the novitiate. He again asks the preceptor whether the postulant is without impediments, and if, upon asking, he is, he should be inducted into the novitiate by going for refuge and promising to live as a novice.

1.­462

The postulant should be inducted into the novitiate in the following way. The postulant is first made to prostrate to the Teacher. Then he is made to prostrate to and kneel before the instructor. Then, with his palms pressed together, he should say :

1.­463

“Reverend, heed me. I, [postulant’s name], will henceforth, for as long as I live, seek refuge in the Buddha, supreme among men; I will seek refuge in the Dharma, supreme among pure doctrines; I will seek refuge in the Saṅgha, supreme among communities. I ask that you, reverend, accept me as a novice for as long as I live.”

The postulant repeats this a second and a third time, but the third time he says “instructor” in place of “reverend.” The instructor then says:

1.­464

“This is the method.”

At which point the novice says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­465

That is the giving of the novice vow.

Marking the time

1.­466

Then, any monk other than the instructor should consult the sundial and announce the gnomon, the root, the time of day or night, and the season.

The novice investiture

1.­467

The novice should then promises to keep the precepts by reciting them. This should be done in the following way:

“Instructor, heed me. Just as noble arhats renounced and swore off killing for as long as they lived, so do I, [novice’s name], henceforth, for as long as I live, renounce and swear to refrain from killing. [F.51.b] With this first branch, I pledge to train in, practice, and act upon the precepts of those noble arhats. Furthermore, noble arhats renounced stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, intoxicating substances like grain alcohol and its by-products which leave one uninhibited, singing, dancing, music, garlands, perfumes, jewelry, cosmetics, tall seating, grand seating, untimely eating, and accepting gold and silver, and thus ceased accepting gold and silver. Just so, henceforth, for as long as I live, so too do I, [novice’s name], renounce stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, intoxicating substances like grain alcohol and its by-products which leave one uninhibited, singing, dancing, music, garlands, perfumes, jewelry, cosmetics, tall seating, grand seating, untimely eating, and accepting gold and silver; thus will I cease to accept gold and silver. With these ten branches, I too pledge to train in, practice, and act upon the precepts of those noble arhats.”

1.­468

The instructor then says:

“This is the method.”

1.­469

At which point the novice says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­470

That marks the end of the rite of induction into the novitiate.

Granting ordination

The opening occasion

1.­471

Then, if the novice has reached the age of twenty, the preceptor should give him his begging bowl and robes and request the presence of a monk officiant. The preceptor should also request the presence of the monk who will serve as privy advisor, and that of any other monk who will enter the ceremony site.

1.­472

When the monks are seated and have a quorum, they should each individually investigate whether they have incurred any faults in the past half a month that need to be restrained, confessed, [F.52.a] or excused.122 Recognizing those faults, they should make amends by resolving to restrain themselves, confessing them, or having them excused before taking their places.

1.­473

All of the saṅgha then take their places in concord or in an inner circle.123 In the Middle Country, a quorum of ten monks is needed. In outlying areas, if there are no other monks, then a Vinaya master and a quorum of five will suffice. The ordinand should first prostrate to the Teacher, then prostate three times to each monk. Either of the two types of prostration‍—bowing prostrate with all four limbs and head, or a kneeling bow‍—is permissible.


1.­474

This is how the opening occasion is conducted.

Requesting the preceptor

1.­475

Then, a request should be made to the preceptor. The request is made in the following way. The ordinand should be made to prostrate to the preceptor and then squat before him, with his two heels pressed to a grass mat on bricks so as to relieve pressure on the nerves. Pressing his palms together, he should say, employing whichever address is appropriate‍—“Preceptor” if addressing the preceptor, “Instructor” if addressing the instructor, or “Reverend” if addressing a monk:

1.­476

“Reverend, heed me. I, [ordinand’s name], ask you, reverend, to serve as preceptor. Reverend, please act as my preceptor. Reverend, please grant me ordination.”

This is repeated a second and a third time, but the third time he says “preceptor” in place of “instructor” or “reverend.” The preceptor then says:

“This is the method.”

1.­477

At which point the ordinand says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­478

That is the request to the preceptor.

Taking possession of robes that have already been cut and sewn

1.­479

The preceptor himself should then take possession of the three robes for the ordinand. It is best if the ordinand has a set of robes already cut and sewn, in which case they are sanctioned as follows. Each of the three robes are folded and laid over the ordinand’s left shoulder, after which both preceptor and ordinand rise. [F.52.b] They both take the robe called the “mantle” in their hands, and the novice says:

“Preceptor, heed me. This is my, [ordinand’s name]’s, robe, woven, good, right, and fit to wear. I take possession of this robe as a mantle.”

1.­480

The ordinand repeats this a second and a third time. The preceptor should then say:

“This is the method.”

1.­481

At which point the ordinand says:

“It is excellent.”

1.­482

After that, he takes the upper robe in his hands and says:

“Preceptor, heed me. This is my, [ordinand’s name]’s, robe, woven, good, right, and fit to wear. I take possession of this robe as an upper robe.”

1.­483

This is repeated a second and a third time. The preceptor should then say:

“This is the method.”

1.­484

At which point the ordinand says:

“It is excellent.”

1.­485

Next, he takes the lower robe in his hands and says:

“Preceptor, heed me. This is my, [ordinand’s name]’s, robe, woven, good, right, and fit to wear. I take possession of this robe as a lower robe.”

1.­486

This is repeated a second and a third time. The preceptor should then:

“This is the method.”

1.­487

At which point the student says:

“It is excellent.”

1.­488

After that, the ordinand should put the robes on, along with the mantle if there is one, and prostrate to the saṅgha that has assembled to ordain him. That is how the ordinand should take possession of robes that have already been cut and sewn.

Taking possession of robes that have not already been cut and sewn

1.­489

If the ordinand’s robes have not already been cut and sewn, the ordinand should take possession of the materials in the following way. The materials for the three robes should be folded separately and laid on the student’s left shoulder, after which the ordinand and the preceptor both rise. They both take the material for the robe called the mantle in their hands, and the ordinand should say:

1.­490

“Preceptor, heed me. I take possession of this, my, [ordinand’s name]’s, Dharma robe, as a mantle. If you wish, I will divide it into nine or more patches and those into sections of two and a half and more. [F.53.a] If not prevented from doing so, I will wash them, lay them out, cut them, piece them together, stitch them, sew them together, and dye them. Or, I will patch additional pieces onto this. As circumstances allow, this robe will be right and fit to wear.”

1.­491

This is repeated a second and a third time. The preceptor should then say:

“This is the method.”

1.­492

At which point the student says:

“It is excellent.”

1.­493

After that, they both take the material for the upper robe in their hands, and the ordinand should say:

“Preceptor, heed me. I take possession of this, my, [ordinand’s name]’s, robe, as an upper robe. If you please, I will divide it into seven patches and those into sections of two and a half. If not prevented from doing so, I will wash them, lay them out, cut them, piece them together, stitch them, sew them together, and dye them. Or, I will patch additional pieces onto this. As circumstance allows, this robe will be right and fit to wear.”

1.­494

This is repeated a second and a third time. The preceptor should then say:

“This is the method.”

1.­495

At which point the student says:

“It is excellent.”

1.­496

Next, they both take the material for the lower robe in their hands, and the ordinand should say:

“Preceptor, heed me. I take possession of this, my, [ordinand’s name]’s, robe, as a lower robe. If you please, I will divide it into five patches and those into sections of two and a half. If not prevented from doing so, I will wash them, lay them out, cut them, piece them together, stitch them, sew them together, and dye them. Or, I will patch additional pieces onto this. As circumstances allow, this Dharma robe will be right and fit to wear.”

1.­497

This is repeated a second and a third time. The preceptor should then say:

“This is the method.”

1.­498

At which point the student says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­499

That is the taking possession of robes that have not already been cut and sewn.

Displaying the begging bowl

1.­500

Then the begging bowl should be shown. It should be shown in the following way. One monk [F.53.b] places the begging bowl in his left hand and covers it with his right hand, then bows to each of the monks, starting with the seniormost, and as he stands before them, he should ask the following question:

“Reverend or venerable, heed me. Venerable [monk’s name], is this begging bowl too small, too large, or too pale?”

1.­501

If all the monks agree the begging bowl is none of those, they should each say:

“The begging bowl is fine.”

If they should say that, then all is well. A breach occurs if they do not say that.


1.­502

That is the showing of the begging bowl.

Taking possession of the begging bowl

1.­503

Then, the preceptor himself should take possession of the begging bowl for the ordinand. He should do so in the following way. Both rise, and the ordinand places the begging bowl in his left hand while he covers it with his right hand and says the following:

“Preceptor, heed me. This is my, [ordinand’s name]’s, begging bowl, fit to eat from. I take possession of this sage’s bowl as a container for alms begged.”

1.­504

This is repeated a second and a third time. The preceptor then says:

“This is the method.”

1.­505

At which point the student says:

“It is excellent.”


1.­506

That is the taking possession of the begging bowl.

The privy advisor’s expression of willingness

1.­507

He is made to join his palms and stand facing the assembly.

1.­508

The monk officiant should then ask the monk who will serve as privy advisor:

“Who has the preceptor [preceptor’s name] asked to serve as privy advisor to this ordinand [ordinand’s name]?”

1.­509

Whoever was named privy advisor responds:

“It is I, [privy advisor’s name].”

The monk officiant should then ask the monk who will serve as privy advisor:

1.­510

“Are you, [inquistor’s name], willing to inquire into the private matters of this ordinand [ordinand’s name] at the behest of the preceptor [preceptor’s name]?”

He should respond by saying:

“I am willing to do so.”


1.­511

That is the privy advisor’s expression of willingness.

The motion to act as privy advisor

1.­512

The monk officiant next [F.54.a] makes an act of motion alone so that the monk who will serve as privy advisor may question the student about impediments.

1.­513

This is how that is done. While seated, he should say the following:

“Reverend saṅgha, please listen. This monk, [privy advisor’s name], is willing to serve as privy advisor to the ordinand [ordinand’s name], at the behest of the preceptor [preceptor’s name]. If that is so, and the time is right and the saṅgha can accept it, I ask that the saṅgha grant their permission. This monk, [privy advisor’s name], shall act as privy advisor to the ordinand [ordinand’s name] at the behest of the preceptor [preceptor’s name].”


1.­514

This is the motion. That is the act that moves to appoint the privy advisor.

The inquiry into private matters

1.­515

The monk who is serving as privy advisor then leaves the inner circle. The ordinand is made to prostrate to and kneel before him. When he has joined his palms, the privy advisor should say:

1.­516

“Listen, venerable. It is time for you to be truthful. It is time for you to be forthcoming. I shall ask you a few questions. Do not be apprehensive. Answer simply by saying what is so is so, and what is not is not. Are you a male?”

1.­517

The postulant responds:

“I am a male.”

1.­518

The privy advisor asks:

“Do you have male organs?”

1.­519

The postulant responds:

“I do.”

1.­520

The privy advisor asks:

“Have you reached the age of twenty?”

1.­521

The postulant responds:

“I have reached that age.”

1.­522

The privy advisor asks:

“Do you have all three robes and a begging bowl?”

1.­523

The postulant responds:

“I have them all.”

1.­524

The privy advisor asks:

“Are your parents still living?”

1.­525

If the ordinand says his parents are still living, he is then asked:

“Have your parents given you leave?”

1.­526

The ordinand responds:

“They have given me leave.”

1.­527

If the ordinand says his parents are deceased, he is asked:

“Are you a bondsman? Are you a captive? Are you a pledge? Are you a pawn? Are you an indentured servant? Are you an officer of the king? Are you a threat to the king? Have you worked to harm the king? Have you worked to harm the king or enlisted others to do so? Are you a known bandit or thief? Are you a person who has undergone castration? [F.54.b] Are you a person labeled a paṇḍaka? Have you violated a nun? Are you an impostor? Are you duplicitous? Have you been ousted? Are you a tīrthika? Are you a convert to a tīrthika order? Are you a patricide? Are you a matricide? Have you killed an arhat? Have you caused a schism in the saṅgha? Have you maliciously drawn blood from a tathāgata? Are you a shape shifter? Are you an animal?”

1.­528

The ordinand responds:

“No.”

1.­529

If the ordinand responds that he is not these things, the privy advisor asks him:

“Have you incurred some debts, be they large or small?”

1.­530

If the ordinand responds “I have incurred some,” the privy advisor asks:

“Are you able to repay them once you have been ordained?”

1.­531

If the ordinand responds “No, I am unable,” the privy advisor tells him:

“In that case, I ask you to leave.”

1.­532

If the ordinand responds “I am able to repay them after I have been ordained, the privy advisor asks him:

“Have you gone forth before?”

1.­533

If the ordinand responds “I have gone forth before,” the privy advisor asks him:

“Did you not transgress and incur one of the four defeats? Did you properly offer back your precepts when you stepped down?”

1.­534

If the ordinand responds “An offense occurred,” the privy advisor tells him:

“In that case, I ask you to leave.”

1.­535

If the ordinand responds “No offense occurred,” the privy advisor asks him:

“Have you now gone forth?”124

1.­536

If the ordinand responds “I have gone forth,” the privy advisor asks him:

“Have you properly lived the holy life?”

1.­537

The ordinand responds:

“I have lived it properly.”

1.­538

If the ordinand says he has lived the holy life properly, the privy advisor asks him:

“What is your name? What is your preceptor’s name?”

1.­539

The ordinand responds:

“My name is [ordinand’s name] and my preceptor’s name, who will speak on my behalf, is [preceptor’s name].”

1.­540

The privy advisor asks him:

“Venerable, please listen. Human bodies are subject to diseases that manifest on the body in these ways: as oozing pustules, large pustules, small pustules, exanthema, leprosy, oozing rashes, dry rashes, welts, scabs, consumption, pulmonary consumption, fits, [F.55.a] anal fistula, fluid retention, elephantiasis, urethral fistula, a latent or raging fever, fevers which last a day, two day fevers, tertian fevers, quartan fevers, complexes, daily fevers, chronic fevers, dissipation, abscesses, vomiting and diarrhea, hiccoughs, coughs, asthma, carbuncles, pain in the extremities, tumors, blood disorders, jaundice, hemorrhoids, nausea, urinary retention, fatigue, pyrexia, arthritis, and bone pain.125 Do any of these physical conditions or others like them afflict your body?”

1.­541

The ordinand responds:

“They do not.”

1.­542

The privy advisor says to him:

“Venerable, listen. The learned fellow brahmacārin will ask the same questions I have just now asked you but in front of the saṅgha community. Once there, do not be apprehensive. Answer simply by saying what is so is so, and what is not is not. Stay here until you are called.”

Reporting the findings

1.­543

The monk who inquired into private matters then stands before the senior monks, bows, and says the following:

1.­544

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. If the preceptor [preceptor’s name] were to again ask the ordinand [ordinand’s name] about the private matters regarding impediments I have inquired into, he too will find that the ordinand is utterly free of impediments. If that is indeed the case, and the ordinand is asked, ‘Which of these do you have?’ he will respond, ‘I have none at all.’ ”

1.­545

If he says that, then all is well. A breach occurs if he does not say that.

The ordinand’s request for ordination

1.­546

The ordinand is then brought into the inner circle and prostrates before the seniormost of those gathered. [F.55.b] The monk officiant then prompts him to ask for ordination.

1.­547

The ordinand first prostrates to the Teacher, then before the seniormost monk. He then squats with his two heels pressed to a grass mat on bricks so as to relieve pressure on the nerves. Joining his palms, he says:

1.­548

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. The preceptor, [preceptor’s name], speaking on my, [ordinand’s name], behalf, seeks consent from the saṅgha for ordination. If the saṅgha allows the motion of the preceptor [preceptor’s name], who speaks on my, [ordinand’s name], behalf, I ask that the venerable saṅgha grant me ordination. I ask that the venerable saṅgha guide me. I ask that the venerable saṅgha accept charge of me. I ask that the venerable saṅgha show me the way. I ask that the venerable and compassionate saṅgha, in their compassion, extend their compassion to me.”

1.­549

That is repeated a second and a third time.

The motion to ask about impediments before the saṅgha

1.­550

The monk officiant makes an act of motion alone so that the ordinand can be asked before the saṅgha about impediments. While seated, the monk officiant says:

1.­551

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. The ordinand [ordinand’s name] seeks consent from the saṅgha to receive ordination from the preceptor [preceptor’s name]. If he has asked the saṅgha to give consent to the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to grant ordination to the ordinand, and if the time is right and the saṅgha can accept it, I ask that the saṅgha grant their consent. Before the saṅgha, I shall ask about the impediments faced by the ordinand [ordinand’s name] who is to be ordained by the preceptor [preceptor’s name].” [F.56.a]

Inquiring into impediments before the Saṅgha

1.­552

The monk officiant then inquires into impediments before the saṅgha. The ordinand prostrates to the officiant and then squats with his two heels pressed to a grass mat on bricks so as to relieve pressure on the nerves. The ordinand then joins his palms as the monk officiant inquires into impediments.

1.­553

“Listen, venerable. It is time for you to be truthful. It is time to come forth. I shall ask you a few questions. Do not be apprehensive. Answer simply by saying what is so is so, and what is not is not. Are you a male?”

1.­554

The postulant responds:

“I am a male.”

The privy advisor asks:

1.­555

“Do you have male organs?”

The postulant responds:

“I do.”

1.­556

The privy advisor asks:

“Have you reached the age of twenty?”

The postulant responds:

“I have reached that age.”

1.­557

The privy advisor asks:

“Do you have all three robes and a begging bowl?”

The postulant responds:

“I have them all.”

1.­558

The privy advisor asks:

“Are your parents still living?”

If the ordinand says his parents are still living, he is then asked:

“Have your parents given you leave?”

The ordinand responds:

1.­559

“They have given me leave.”

If the ordinand says his parents are deceased, he is asked:

“Are you a bondsman? Are you a captive? Are you a pledge? Are you a pawn? Are you an indentured servant? Are you an officer of the king? Are you a threat to the king? Have you worked to harm the king? Have you worked to harm the king or enlisted others to do so? Are you a known bandit or thief? Are you a person who has undergone castration? Are you a person labeled a paṇḍaka? Have you violated a nun? Are you an impostor? Are you duplicitous? Have you been ousted? Are you a tīrthika? Are you a convert to a tīrthika order? Are you a patricide? Are you a matricide? Have you killed an arhat? Have you caused a schism in the saṅgha? Have you maliciously drawn blood from a tathāgata? [F.56.b] Are you a shape shifter? Are you an animal?”

1.­560

The ordinand responds:

“No.”

1.­561

If the ordinand responds that he is not these things, the privy advisor should ask him:

“Have you incurred some debts, be they large or small?”

1.­562

If the ordinand responds “I have incurred some,” the privy advisor should ask him:

“Are you able to repay them once you have been ordained?”

If the ordinand responds “No, I am unable,” the privy advisor should tell him:

“In that case, I ask you to leave.”

1.­563

If the ordinand responds “I am able to repay them after I have been ordained, the privy advisor should ask him:

“Have you gone forth before?”

If the ordinand responds “I have gone forth before,” he privy advisor should ask him:

“Have you incurred an offense of one of the four defeats? Did you properly offer back your precepts when you stepped down?”

1.­564

If the ordinand responds “An offense occurred,” the privy advisor should tell him:

“In that case, I ask you to leave.”

1.­565

If the ordinand responds “No offense occurred,” the privy advisor should ask him:

“Have you now gone forth?”126

1.­566

If the ordinand responds “I have gone forth,” the privy advisor should ask him:

“Have you properly lived the holy life?”

The ordinand responds:

“I have lived it properly.”

1.­567

If the ordinand says he has lived the holy life properly, the privy advisor should ask him:

“What is your name? What is your preceptor’s name?”

The ordinand responds:

“My name is [ordinand’s name] and my preceptor’s name, who will speak on my behalf, is [preceptor’s name].”

1.­568

The privy advisor should ask him:

“Venerable, please listen. Human bodies are subject to diseases that manifest on the body in these ways: as oozing pustules, large pustules, small pustules, exanthema, leprosy, oozing rashes, dry rashes, welts, scabs, consumption, pulmonary consumption, fits, anal fistula, fluid retention, elephantiasis, urethral fistula, a latent or raging fever, fevers which last a day, two day fevers, tertian fevers, quartan fevers, complexes, daily fevers, chronic fevers, dissipation, abscesses, vomiting and diarrhea, hiccoughs, coughs, asthma, carbuncles, [F.57.a] pain in the extremities, tumors, blood disorders, jaundice, hemorrhoids, nausea, urinary retention, fatigue, pyrexia, arthritis, and bone pain.127 Do any of these physical conditions or others like them afflict your body?”

1.­569

The ordinand responds:

“They do not.”

1.­570

“Listen, venerable. In the midst of the saṅgha, my knowledgeable fellow brahamcārin will ask you these questions that I have just now asked you. Do not hold back there! What is so, say it is so. What is not so, say it is not so. Stay here and do not come until you have been called.”

1.­571

That is the privy advice. Then the monk serving as privy advisor should stand at the head of the eldest monk’s row and say the following with a bow:

1.­572

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. If I have advised the ordinand [ordinand’s name] at the behest of the preceptor [preceptor’s name] and found him to be without impediments, shall he come?”

1.­573

The whole saṅgha should say:

“If he is without impediment, he should come.”

1.­574

If that is said, then all is well. A breach occurs if it is not. That is the request to come. The ordinand is then brought into the inner circle and prostrates before the seniormost of those gathered. The monk officiant should then prompt him to ask for ordination. The ordinand first prostrates to the Teacher, then before the seniormost monk. He then squats with his two heels resting on a brick so as to relieve pressure on the nerves.

1.­575

Joining his palms, he says:

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. The preceptor, [preceptor’s name], speaking on my, [ordinand’s name], behalf, seeks consent from the saṅgha for ordination. If the saṅgha allows the petition of the preceptor [preceptor’s name], who speaks on my, [ordinand’s name], behalf, I ask that the venerable saṅgha grant me ordination. I ask that the venerable saṅgha guide me. I ask that the venerable saṅgha accept charge of me. I ask that the venerable saṅgha show me the way. I ask that the venerable and compassionate saṅgha, in their compassion, extend their compassion to me.”

1.­576

That is repeated a second and a third time. The monk officiant makes an act of motion alone so that the ordinand can be asked before the saṅgha about impediments.

1.­577

While seated, the monk officiant says:

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. The ordinand [ordinand’s name] seeks consent from the saṅgha to receive ordination from the preceptor [preceptor’s name]. If he has petitioned the saṅgha to give consent to the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to grant ordination to the ordinand, and if the time is right and the saṅgha can allow it, I ask that the saṅgha grant its consent. Before the saṅgha, I shall ask about the impediments faced by the ordinand [ordinand’s name] who is to be ordained by the preceptor [preceptor’s name].”

1.­578

That is the request. The monk officiant then inquires into impediments before the saṅgha. The ordinand prostrates to the officiant and then squats with his two heels resting on a brick so as to relieve pressure on the nerves. The ordinand should then join his palms as the monk officiant inquires into impediments.


1.­579

This was the inquiry into impediments in the inner circle.

The monk officiant’s request to ordain

1.­580

After that, the monk officiant makes a motion to the saṅgha. While seated, he says:

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. The ordinand [ordinand’s name] has sought consent from the saṅgha to receive ordination from the preceptor [preceptor’s name]. He has asked the saṅgha to give consent for the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to grant ordination to the ordinand [ordinand’s name]. He is a male, has male organs, has reached twenty years of age, and has all three robes and a begging bowl. He has attested that he is without impediments. If the saṅgha gives consent for the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to grant ordination to the ordinand [ordinand’s name], and if the time is right and the saṅgha can accept it, I ask that the saṅgha give consent.”

The motion to act

1.­581

This is how the motion to act should be made:

“Venerable saṅgha, please listen. The ordinand [ordinand’s name] has sought consent from the saṅgha to receive ordination from the preceptor [preceptor’s name]. He has asked the saṅgha to give consent for the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to grant ordination to the ordinand [ordinand’s name]. He is a male, has male organs, has reached twenty years of age, and has all three robes and a begging bowl. He has attested that he is without impediments. [F.57.b] The saṅgha gives consent for the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to grant ordination to the ordinand [ordinand’s name]. Therefore, if the saṅgha grants consent for the preceptor [preceptor’s name] to grant ordination to ordinand [ordinand’s name], then venerables, those who can accept the preceptor [preceptor’s name] granting ordination to the ordinand [ordinand’s name] remain silent. I ask that any who cannot accept it speak up.”

1.­582

This is the first motion to act. This is repeated a second and a third time. The saṅgha acknowledges its acceptance and gives its consent to the preceptor to grant ordination to the ordinand by remaining silent.


1.­583

This concludes the ordination portion of the rite.

Marking the time by the length of a shadow

1.­584

Next, measuring the length of a shadow.

1.­585

When the Blessed One decreed, “Measure the length of a shadow,” the monks measured the length of a shadow using a long stick, prompting the Blessed One to order, “Do not measure the length of a shadow with a long stick.” When the monks measured the length of a shadow in steps, it proved too difficult, prompting the Blessed One to order, “Do not measure the length of a shadow in steps. Measure it like this, using splints of wood.” When the monks measured the length of a shadow using long splints, it also proved too difficult, prompting the Blessed One to order, “Measure with a splint just four finger widths tall. A splint of exactly that length shall be called a ‘gnomon.’ ”


1.­586

That is the marking of time by the length of the shadow.

Explaining the different parts of the day and night

1.­587

The different parts of the day and night are then described with these words:

“The different parts of the day and night are described as morning, noon, evening, the first watch of the night, the latter half of the first watch, the midnight watch, the latter half of the midnight watch, the last watch of the night, the latter half of the last watch of the night, pre-dawn, dawn, before sunrise, sunrise, an eighth of the sun’s passage, [F.58.a] a quarter of the sun’s passage, midday, a quarter of the sun’s passage remaining, an eighth of the sun’s passage remaining, before sunset, sunset, before the stars appear, and after the stars appear.”


1.­588

That is the explanation of the different parts of the day and night.

Describing the length of the seasons

1.­589

The length of the seasons are then described:

“There are five seasons: the cold season, springtime, the rainy season, the short rainy season, and the long rainy season.128 The cold season lasts four months, springtime lasts four months, the rainy season lasts one month, the short rainy season lasts a day, while the long rainy season is one day shy of three months.”


1.­590

That is the description of the length of the seasons.

Explaining the supports

1.­591

The supports are then explained:

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. The Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened, omniscient, all-seeing Buddha has declared four supports to be supports for monks who have gone forth and been ordained. If one abides by them, the monk who has gone forth and been ordained in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya will be a genuine monk. What are the four?

1.­592

As for clothes, it is preferable that you find a pile of discarded rags suitable. If one abides by that, one will be a genuine monk who has gone forth and been ordained in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. Will you, [newly ordained monk’s name], delight in living on clothes from a pile of discarded rags for so long as you live?”

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will so delight.”

1.­593

He is then told:

“Or further, if you were to receive silk or a large piece of cotton, wool, muslin, raw silk, a large piece of wool, red wool, lambswool, a red shawl, fine Kāśī cotton, cloth of a fitting color, ill-colored cloth, woolen cloth, hempen cloth, linen, cotton cloth, [F.58.b] dugūla cloth, koṭampa cloth, Aparāntin cloth, or were to receive any other appropriate cloth from the saṅgha or a person, you may also accept that, provided you take the proper amount. Will you commit yourself to subsisting on such supports?”

1.­594

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will so commit myself.”

1.­595

He is then told:

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. As for food, it is preferable that you find begging for alms suitable. If one abides by that, one will be a genuine monk who has gone forth and been ordained in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. Will you, [newly ordained monk’s name], delight in living on alms for so long as you live?”

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will so delight.”

1.­596

He is then told:

“Or further, if you were to receive cooked grains, gruel, soup; special food prepared for feasts on the fifth, the eighth, the fourteenth, or the full moon; or everyday fare; or be invited to a banquet, or be invited on a whim, or receive vegetables, or receive any other appropriate food from the saṅgha or a person, you may also accept that, provided you take the proper amount. Will you commit yourself to subsisting on such supports?”

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will so commit myself.”

1.­597

He is then told:

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. As for shelter, it is preferable that you find shelter at the foot of a tree suitable. If one abides by that, one will be a genuine monk who has gone forth and been ordained in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. Will you, [newly ordained monk’s name], delight in living in shelter at the foot of a tree for so long as you live?”

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will delight in living so.”

1.­598

He is then told:

Or further, if you were to find shelter in a cell, a hall,129 an upper room, a veranda, a yard, a rotunda, a mansion, a veranda above a gatehouse, a rooftop shed, a shed, a wooden hut, an earthen cave, a rock cave, a mountain cave, a grass hut, a hut of leaves, a walkway, [F.59.a] a path, a burrowed-out crevice, or a natural crevice, or find any other appropriate shelter from the saṅgha or a person, you may also accept that, provided you take its proper measure. Will you commit yourself to subsisting on such supports?

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will so commit myself.”

1.­599

He is then told:

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. As for medicines, it is preferable that you find an herbal decoction suitable.130 If one abides by that, the monk who has gone forth and been ordained in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya will be a genuine monk. Will you, [newly ordained monk’s name], delight in living by herbal decoctions for so long as you live?”

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will delight in living so.”

1.­600

He is then told:

“Or further, if you were to receive ghee, sesame oil, honey, molasses, food fit for a time, fit for a period, tonics kept for seven days, lifelong medicines, medicinal roots, medicinal stalks, medicinal leaves, medicinal fruits, or any other appropriate medicines from the saṅgha or a person, you may also accept them, provided you take the proper amount. Will you commit yourself to subsisting on such supports?”

1.­601

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will so commit myself.”

Explaining the offenses

1.­602

Then those things that lead to an offense are explained:

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. The Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened, omniscient, all-seeing Buddha, has declared four things that lead to an offense for monks who have gone forth and been ordained. If a monk were to engage in them, he would immediately disqualify himself as a monk, disqualify himself as an ascetic, disqualify himself as an heir of the Śākya, and would fall from monkhood. It would leave his spiritual practice in tatters, leave him ruined, wrecked, fallen, and defeated. There would be no way to restore his spiritual practice. [F.59.b] It is like a palmyra tree: if you were to lop off its crown, it would no longer be green, nor would it flourish, grow, or expand. What are the four? They are desires, clinging to desires, longing for desires, and pursuing desires, which the Blessed One criticized in many ways. It was abandoning desires that he honored; it was renouncing them, rejecting them, forsaking them; it was freedom from desires, their cessation, their pacification, and their vanishing that he esteemed, reverenced, honored, and venerated.

1.­603

“Venerable, since from now on you should not even fix your eyes with attachment upon a woman, what need is there to mention engaging in an act of sexual intercourse in which a couple’s two organs meet? The Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened, omniscient, all-seeing Buddha declared that if any monk, who has the same training as other monks, were to engage in the act of sexual intercourse without first offering back his training with training intact, he is liable, at the least, to wind up among those born as animals. As that monk has suffered a defeat, he should not remain.131 If a monk were to do such a thing, he would immediately disqualify himself as a monk, disqualify himself as a spiritual practitioner, disqualify himself as an heir of the Śākya, and would fall from monkhood. It would leave his spiritual practice in tatters, leave him ruined, wrecked, fallen, and defeated. There would be no way to restore his spiritual practice. It is like a palmyra tree: If you were to lop off its crown, it would no longer be green, nor would it flourish, grow, or expand. From this day forward, you must endeavor to fully safeguard your intentions by being mindful of and attentive to forsaking improper arrangements, improper actions, and improper behavior. [F.60.a] Do you accept not to engage in such things?”

1.­604

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will not engage in such things.”

He is then told:

1.­605

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. The Blessed One criticized stealing in many ways, and esteemed, reverenced, honored, and venerated the forsaking of stealing. Venerable, since, from now on, you should not, with thieving intent, take from another so much as the husk of a sesame seed, what need is there to mention five measures of gold or more?132 Venerable, the Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened, omniscient, all-seeing Buddha declared that if any monk takes something of another’s‍—in the community or outside the monastery‍—which he has not been given, that is counted as tantamount to stealing, no matter how much he has stolen, whereby the king or his minister could rightly say to him, ‘O! You are a thief! A fool! An idiot! A robber!’ and execute, bind, or exile him. If a monk thus takes what has not been given, that monk also incurs a defeat and so should not remain. If a monk were to do such things, he would immediately disqualify himself as a monk, disqualify himself as an ascetic, disqualify himself as an heir of the Śākya, and would fall from monkhood. It would leave his spiritual practice in tatters, leave him ruined, wrecked, fallen, and defeated. There would be no way to restore his spiritual practice. It is like a palmyra tree: if you were to lop off its crown, it would no longer be green, nor would it flourish, grow, or expand. From this day forward, you must endeavor to fully safeguard your intentions by being mindful of and attentive to forsaking improper arrangements, improper actions, and improper behavior. Do you accept not to engage in such things?”

1.­606

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will not engage in such things.”

He is then told:

1.­607

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. The Blessed One criticized killing [F.60.b] in many ways and esteemed, reverenced, honored, and venerated the forsaking of killing. Venerable, since, from now on, you should not so much as kill an ant intentionally, what need is there to mention a human or a human embryo? Venerable, the Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened, omniscient, all-seeing Buddha declared that if any monk intentionally kills a human, or a human embryo, with his own hands, or gives them a weapon, sends an assassin to them, pressures them, or extols the merits of death to them, then say this to him: ‘Oh! Why do you visit such negativity, filth, and evil on the living? Oh! You, who are alive and well, you suggest it would be better to die. In your mind, do you desire and scheme, while pressuring them with the many things you say?’ The Blessed One declared that if, initiated by that monk’s extolling the merits of death, the time comes that it happens, then that monk incurs a defeat and thus should not remain. If a monk were to do such things as these, he would immediately disqualify himself as a monk, disqualify himself as an ascetic, disqualify himself as an heir of the Śākya, and would fall from monkhood. It would leave his spiritual practice in tatters, leave him ruined, wrecked, fallen, and defeated. There would be no way to restore his spiritual practice. It is like a palmyra tree: if you were to lop off its crown, it would no longer be green, nor would it flourish, grow, or expand. From this day forward, you must endeavor to fully safeguard your intentions by being mindful of and attentive to forsaking improper arrangements, improper actions, and improper behavior. Do you accept not to engage in such things?”

1.­608

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will not engage in such things.”

He is then told:

1.­609

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. The Blessed One criticized lying in many ways and [F.61.a] esteemed, reverenced, honored, and extolled venerated the forsaking of lying. Venerable, since, from now on, you should not knowingly speak falsely even in the hopes of getting a laugh, what need is there to mention intentionally claiming to possess superhuman qualities? Venerable, the Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened, omniscient, all-seeing Buddha declared that any monk who claims to have attained the final superhuman quality, or an exalted or specific superhuman human quality, while in a state of nonperception or nondiscernment,133 one who, while devoid of knowledge, insight, and first-hand experience,134 claims, ‘I know this, I have seen this,’ even though he has not, that monk incurs a defeat, unless at some other time, wanting to come clean about the offense that has occurred, he says, at another’s urging or not, ‘Venerables, I declared I knew something I did not know. I declared I saw something I did not see. I spoke duplicitously and fraudulently,’ in which case it is only excessive pride.

1.­610

“The Blessed One declared that such a monk has incurred a defeat and thus should not remain. Such a monk claims, ‘What do I know? I know suffering. I know its origin. I know its cessation. I know its path. What do I see? I see gods. I see the nāgas, yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas. The gods also see me. The nāgas, yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas also see me. I hear the voices of the gods. I hear the voices of the nāga, [F.61.b] yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas. The gods also hear my voice. The nāgas, yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas also hear my voice. I go to see the gods. I go to see the nāgas, yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas too. The gods come to see me. The nāgas, yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas also come see me.’

1.­611

“He claims, ‘I converse with the gods. I chat with them. We delight one another, and I always keep their company. I converse with the nāgas, yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas. [F.62.a] I chat with them. We delight one another. And I always keep their company. The gods converse with me. They chat with me. We delight one another. And they always keep my company. The nāgas, yakṣas, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, and pāṃśukūla piśācas converse with me. They chat with me. We delight one another. And they always keep my company.’

1.­612

“Though he has no such attainments, he claims, ‘I have gained recognition of impermanence, recognition of the suffering in impermanence, recognition of the selflessness of suffering, recognition of aversion to food, recognition of dislike for all worlds, recognition of drawbacks, recognition of abandonment, recognition of freedom from desirous attachment, recognition of cessation, recognition of death, recognition of ugliness, recognition of putrefaction, recognition of suppuration, recognition of bloating, recognition of decomposition, recognition of moldering, recognition of red rot, recognition of disintegration,135 recognition of bare bones, and recognition of the discernment of emptiness.’

1.­613

“Though he has no such attainments, he claims, ‘I have attained the first, second, third, and fourth dhyānas; loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity; the abode of infinite space, the abode of infinite consciousness, the abode of nothingness, the abode of neither recognition nor nonrecognition, [F.62.b] the fruition of stream enterer, the fruition of once-returner, the fruition of non-returner, the fruition of arhatship, miraculous abilities, the divine ear, and knowledge of manifold minds, previous lives, the onset of death and birth, and the exhaustion of defilements. I, an arhat absorbed in the eight liberations, have been freed from the two.’136

1.­614

“If a monk were to do such things, he would immediately disqualify himself as a monk, disqualify himself as an ascetic, disqualify himself as an heir of the Śākya, and would fall from monkhood. It would leave his spiritual practice in tatters, leave him ruined, wrecked, fallen, and defeated. There would be no way to restore his spiritual practice. It is like a palmyra tree: if you were to lop off its crown, it would no longer be green, nor would it flourish, grow, or expand.

1.­615

“From this day forward, you must endeavor to fully safeguard your intentions by being mindful of and attentive to forsaking improper arrangements, improper actions, and improper behavior. Do you accept not to engage in such things?”

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will not engage in such things.”

Explaining those things that constitute spiritual practice

1.­616

Explain those things that constitute spiritual practice:

“Listen, venerable [newly ordained monk’s name]. The Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened, omniscient, all-seeing Buddha has declared four observances to constitute spiritual practice. What are those four observances? Venerable, from now on, though you be rebuked, do not rebuke in return; though you be assaulted, do not assault in return; though you be struck, do not strike back; and though you be reproached, do not reproach in return. Do you accept to engage in such observances?”

1.­617

The newly ordained monk responds:

“I will engage in those observances.” [F.63.a]

Announcing the perfect fulfillment of his greatest desire

1.­618

Announce the perfect fulfillment of his greatest desire:

“Listen, venerable. As you have irreproachably secured a suitable preceptor, a suitable instructor, the consent of the saṅgha, and an act whose fourth member is a motion, it would not be right to disregard your wish, your wanting monkhood, to go forth and be ordained in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya. And so I declare that you have gone forth and been ordained.”

Enjoining him to practice the equally applicable ethical code

1.­619

Enjoin him to practice the equally applicable ethical code:

“Listen, venerable. A person ordained today trains in the very same training that a monk ordained for one hundred years trains in. Just so, one ordained for one hundred years trains in the very same training that a monk ordained today trains in. Since the ethical code is equally applicable, the training is equally applicable, and because the recitation of the Prātimokṣasūtra is equally applicable,137 from now on you must not neglect what you must train in.”

Enjoining him to bond with his role model in the renunciant life

1.­620

Enjoin the newly ordained monk to bond with his role model in the renunciant life:

“From now on, you should think of your preceptor as your father. For his part, your preceptor will think of you as his son. From this day forth, you should serve your preceptor for as long as you shall live. For his part, your preceptor will nurse you unto death, for so long as you live.”

Enjoining him to dwell in tranquility

1.­621

Enjoin him to dwell in tranquility:

“From now on, have respect for your fellow brahmacārin‍—elders, the middle-aged, and the young‍—[F.63.b] defer to them, and remain in thrall to them.”

Enjoining him to carry out his obligations

1.­622

Enjoin him to carry out his obligations:

“From now on, you should receive instructions, learn them, and recite them. Become skilled in the aggregates, become skilled in the sense spheres, become skilled in the seats of the senses, become skilled in interdependent arising, become skilled in right and wrong, attain what you have not yet attained, realize what you have not yet realized, actualize what you have not yet actualized‍—do not let your effort lag.”

Informing him of what he must do to fully understand his unspoken commitments

1.­623

Inform him of what he must do to fully understand his unspoken commitments:138

“These things that I have told you are but a rough overview of the foundations of your training. You shall hear more every half-month when the Prātimokṣasūtra is recited. As for the rest, it will be taught at length to by your instructor, your preceptor, a common preceptor, a common instructor, those to whom you speak, with whom you converse, familiars, and friends.”

Enjoining him to heed what he reveres

1.­624

Enjoin him to heed what he reveres:139

“You have been ordained

Into the teachings of the most wise.

To find leisure and opportunity is rare,

So heed them perfectly.

1.­625

Knowing all, the Perfectly Awakened One,

Whose name denotes truth, proclaimed

That going forth is for the beautiful

And ordination for the pure.”

Enjoining him in the methods together with the instructions that should be practiced

1.­626

Finally, enjoin him in the methods together with the instructions that should be practiced:

“Venerable, as you have been ordained, you must be conscientious.”


1.­627

This marks the end of the monk’s ordination rite. [B6] [F.64.a]

Querying Upasena

1.­628

An intervening summary:

Not seeking, begging bowl, robes,
Nursing, regret, view,
Disciplinary acts, ask, probation,
Probation, and reinstatement.
1.­629

The monks asked the Blessed One for instructions on what to do when those who have gone forth and are ordained cannot consult, seek counsel from, or heed the preceptor or instructor.

1.­630

The Blessed One replied, “Monks, I will lay out the regular duties of monk apprentices and monk journeymen. Monks apprentices and monk journeymen should not wet, sweep, or apply fresh cow dung to a monastery, or work on their begging bowl or robes, without first consulting a preceptor or instructor.140 Such monks should not store them. Such monks should not distribute soap or toothbrushes. They should not be asked for instruction or looked to for answers. Monk apprentices and monk journeymen should not undertake any activity without first consulting a preceptor or instructor, with the exception of defecating, urinating, throwing away their toothbrush, drinking water, paying reverence to a stūpa in the vicinity of the monastery, or go beyond forty-nine fathoms of the monastery.

1.­631

“When, for instance, they attend to the begging bowl of a preceptor or instructor, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should do so with great vigor, thinking, ‘Oh! We shall work on the preceptor or instructor’s begging bowl or have another do so.’ If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they do not exert themselves.

1.­632

“When, for instance, they attend to the robes of a preceptor or instructor, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should do so with great vigor, thinking, [F.64.b] ‘Oh! We shall work on the preceptor or instructor’s robes or have another do so.’ If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they should not exert themselves.

1.­633

“When, for instance, a preceptor or instructor falls ill, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should think with great vigor, ‘Oh! We shall nurse the preceptor or instructor or have another do so.’ If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they should not exert themselves.

1.­634

“If their preceptor or instructor should feel anxious, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should think with great vigor, ‘Oh! I will dispel the anxiety of my preceptor or instructor, or cause another to dispel my preceptor or instructor’s anxiety.’141 If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they should not exert themselves.

1.­635

“If their preceptor or instructor develops a deviant view, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should think with great vigor, ‘Oh! I will dispel my preceptor or instructor’s deviant view, or cause another to dispel my preceptor or instructor’s deviant views.’ If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they should not exert themselves.

1.­636

“The saṅgha may mete out the following disciplinary acts on a preceptor or instructor: an act of censure, an act of chastening, an act of expulsion, an act of reconciliation, an act of suspension for refusal to acknowledge, an act of suspension for refusal to make reparations, or an act of suspension for refusal to give up deviant views. If they are about to mete out such an act, a monk apprentice [F.65.a] or journeyman should plead with great vigor, ‘Oh! The saṅgha should not mete out such disciplinary acts to my preceptor or instructor.’ Or, if such a disciplinary act has already been meted out, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should plead with great vigor ‘Oh! For the saṅgha to impose such disciplinary acts on my preceptor or instructor makes my hair bristle and stand on end.142 I cower before the saṅgha.143 Restore his status. Having come into the boundary to show he is like us, I beg forgiveness. Whatever caused him to reject the disciplinary acts that were meted out should be forgiven.’ If he should exert himself, then all is well. A breach occurs if he should not exert himself.

1.­637

“If a preceptor or an instructor were to incur a saṅgha remnant offense, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should plead with great vigor, ‘Oh! The saṅgha should impose a probation or a repeat probation on those preceptors and instructors.” If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they should not exert themselves.144

1.­638

“If a preceptor or an instructor has already served a probation or a repeat probation, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should plead with great vigor, ‘Oh! The preceptor or instructor who has already served a probation or a repeat probation should be given [F.65.b] a penance or repeat penance.’ If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they should not exert themselves.

1.­639

“If a preceptor or an instructor has served out a penance or a repeat penance, monk apprentices and monk journeymen should plead with great vigor, ‘Oh! The preceptor or instructor who has served out his penance or a repeat penance should be granted a reinstatement.’ If they should exert themselves, then all is well. A breach occurs if they should not exert themselves.

1.­640

“As monk apprentices and monk journeymen treat preceptors and instructors, just so should preceptors and instructors treat monk apprentices and monk journeymen, except for the seeking of permission.”


1.­641

The Blessed Buddha pledged to pass the rainy season in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. The venerable Upasena had pledged to pass that same rainy season in some distant place. After one year had passed, he took a ward, allowed his going forth and ordained him.

1.­642

After the rainy season had passed, Upasena took up his robes. This monk of two years and his ward of one took up their begging bowls and robes, set out for, and made their way in stages to Śrāvastī.

1.­643

When they arrived, Upasena set down his begging bowl and robe, washed his feet, and went to the Blessed One. Having bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet, he sat off to one side.

1.­644

It is natural for blessed buddhas to welcome those monks that come to visit them with the words, “Monk, where have you come from just now? [F.66.a] Where did you pledge to pass the rainy season?” And so the Blessed One asked Upasena these very questions.

“Reverend, I have come from distant lands just now and I want to speak with you about passing the rainy season in distant lands.”

1.­645

“Upasena, who is this noble son with you?”

“Reverend, he is my ward.”

“Upasena, how many years have you passed as a monk? How many years has your ward passed?”145

“Reverend, I have passed two years while my ward has passed one.”

1.­646

The Blessed One said to the monks, “Monks, the noble son Upasena thought first only of gathering a following. A monk who has passed one year should not allow going forth, should not grant ordination, should not give refuge, and should not accept charge of novices, nor should he live independently. Nor should a monk of two years, nor a monk of three years, nor a monk of four years, nor a monk of five years, nor a monk of six years, nor a monk of seven years, nor a monk of eight years. Even a monk of nine years should not allow going forth, should not grant ordination, should not give refuge, and should not accept charge of novices, nor should he live independently. A monk of ten years may allow going forth, may grant ordination, may accept charge of novices, may give refuge, and may live independently.

1.­647

“For those lacking in such particulars, who are immature, dense, dim-witted, or unskilled, to allow going forth‍—alas! It is impossible for those who are not disciplined to discipline others. It is impossible for those who are not calm to bring calm to others, for those are not free to free others, [F.66.b] for those who have not reached peace to bring others to peace, or for those who have not themselves emerged from the muck to free others from the muck.”


1.­648

Once, an elder who was immature, dense, dim-witted, and unskilled allowed a follower from another tīrthika tradition to go forth and granted him ordination. But, not having received counsel or instruction at any time, the convert offered back his training and fell away, at which point the monks appealed to the Blessed One.

1.­649

The Blessed One replied, “In light of such events, only monks with ten years and five qualities may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently. What are those five qualities? That such a monk has been ordained for ten years or more, is able to nurse wards or apprentices or enlist others to do so, is able to assuage the guilt of wards or apprentices or enlist others to do so, is able to repudiate the deviant views that have arisen in wards or apprentices or enlist others to do so, and is able to allay unhappiness or enlist others to do so wherever he is, should wards or apprentices feel sad.

1.­650

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and retain the sūtras, the vinaya, and the mātṛkā146 may allow going forth, grant ordination, give refuge, and live independently. [F.67.a]

1.­651

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and are skilled in the sūtras, the vinaya, and the mātṛkā may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and are experienced in the sūtras, the vinaya, and the mātṛkā may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­652

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and elucidate the sūtras, the vinaya, and the mātṛkā may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, [F.67.b] monks with ten years who have ethics, are learned, and are able to inspire wards or apprentices to retain the sūtras, the vinaya, and the mātṛkā may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­653

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and train in the training of higher ethics, the training of higher attention, and the training of higher wisdom may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and are able to inspire wards or apprentices to train in the training of higher ethics, the training of higher attention, and the training of higher wisdom may allow going forth, grant ordination, [F.68.a] accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­654

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and train in higher conduct, higher monastic discipline, and higher individual liberation147 may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, and are able to inspire wards or apprentices to train in higher conduct, higher monastic discipline, and higher individual liberation may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­655

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who have perfect faith, perfect ethics, perfect apprehension, perfect generosity, and perfect wisdom may allow going forth, [F.68.b] grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who have perfect pure conduct, perfect concentration, perfect wisdom, perfect freedom, and perfect knowledge and vision of freedom may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­656

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, exert themselves energetically, are wise, and are mindful may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­657

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, exert themselves energetically, are wise, and are equipoised may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and [F.69.a] live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who are endowed with pure conduct, are learned, exert themselves energetically, are wise, and are skilled in meditative absorption may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­658

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who have the whole of a trainee’s ethics, the whole of a trainee’s concentration, the whole of a trainee’s wisdom, the whole of a trainee’s freedom, and the whole of a trainee’s knowledge and vision of freedom148 may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who have the whole ethics of a nontrainee, the whole of a nontrainee’s concentration, the whole of a nontrainee’s wisdom, the whole of a nontrainee’s freedom, and the whole of a nontrainee’s knowledge and vision of freedom149 [F.69.b] may allow going forth, grant ordination, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­659

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who know arising, prescriptions, supplementary prescriptions, prohibitions, and permissions may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who know what hinders the training, know what does not hinder it, are able to expound on it, instruct it, and find refuge for their monk apprentices and monk journeymen may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

1.­660

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who know what hinders the training, know what does not hinder it, are able to expound on it, instruct on it, and find refuge for their monk apprentices and monk journeymen may allow going forth, grant ordination, [F.70.a] accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

“Alternatively, monks with ten years who know what constitutes an offense, know what does not constitute an offense, know what is light, know what is weighty, and can recite the full Prātimokṣasūtra and repeat and recite its supplements may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.


1.­661

Upasena asked the Blessed Buddha, “Reverend, the Blessed One has said, ‘Those with ten years and five qualities may allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.’ What then, reverend, if a monk has been ordained for sixty years but cannot recite the Prātimokṣasūtra or cannot repeat or recite its supplements? Should he take up residence with another?”

“Upasena, he should live as a dependant elsewhere.”

1.­662

“Reverend, how should he be addressed?”

“Upasena, he should be called an immature elder.”

“Where should he take up residence?”

“If there is a senior exemplar, he should take up residence with a senior exemplar. If there is no senior exemplar, he should take up residence with a junior exemplar.”150

1.­663

“What, reverend, should the exemplar be accorded?”

“Upasena, he should be accorded with all of the above except prostrations.”


1.­664

The Blessed Buddha pledged to pass the rainy season in the Kalandakanivāpa at the Bamboo Park near Rājagṛha, at which point a small number of elder monks and a large number of new ones [F.70.b] promised to pass the rainy season at Rājagṛha. After the three months of monsoon had passed, the Blessed One instructed the venerable Ānanda, “Go to the monks, Ānanda, and tell them, ‘The Tāthagata will travel the realm. As your task will be to accompany the Tāthagata on his travels through the realm, happily ready your robes.’ ”

1.­665

Heeding the Blessed One’s instruction, Ānanda replied, “I shall do as the Reverend instructs.”

To the monks, he said, “Venerables, the Tāthagata will travel the realm. Your task is to accompany him on his travels, so you should happily ready your robes.”

1.­666

“Venerable Ānanda,” replied the elder monks, “we cannot travel the realm with the Blessed One, for we are old.”

1.­667

And the new monks said, “Venerable Ānanda, we too cannot travel the realm with the Blessed One, for we are new and our preceptors and instructors will not go. If our preceptors and instructors do not go we must return swiftly and thus, those who have sought refuge151 will have to seek another yet again.”

1.­668

After the three months of monsoon had passed, the Blessed One donned his robe. He then set out to travel the realm with a small entourage, who carried with them their begging bowls and robes.

1.­669

For blessed buddhas on a journey, it is natural to wonder about the behavior of those who accompany them. Were they properly trained? Were they properly clothed? Did they carry their belongings or did they lack uniformity? [F.71.a] While wondering thus, blessed buddhas look upon them by turning to the right as an elephant would. Thus, on his journey, the Blessed Buddha looked about by turning to the right as an elephant would. When the Blessed Buddha had done so, he saw the Tāthagata’s entourage to be small.

1.­670

Though they see, blessed buddhas may inquire about what they already know. Though they already know, they may inquire‍—or, even though they know, they may not inquire. They inquire when the time is right, not when the time has passed. Their inquiries are meaningful, not meaningless. In this way blessed buddhas dam the flow of meaningless inquiries.

As blessed buddhas know the time for a meaningful inquiry, the Blessed Buddha asked Ānanda, “What is the cause due to which the Tāthagata’s companions are now so few? What are the circumstances for it?”

1.­671

“Reverend, a small number of elder monks and a large number of new monks discussed the matter during the rains retreat in Rājagṛha. The elder monks said, ‘Venerable Ānanda, we cannot travel the realm with the Blessed One, for we are old.’ And the new monks said, ‘Venerable Ānanda, we too cannot travel the realm with the Blessed One, for we are new and our preceptors and instructors will not go. If our preceptors and instructors do not go, we must return swiftly and thus, those who have sought a refuge will have to seek another yet again.’ Reverend, that is the cause due to which the Tāthagata’s companions are now so few; [F.71.b] those are the circumstances for it.”

1.­672

“Ānanda, I therefore further permit that those with five years and five qualities should travel the realm without a refuge.152 What are those five qualities? That the monk knows what constitutes an offense, knows what does not constitute an offense, knows what is light, knows what is weighty, and knows how to recite the Prātimokṣasūtra and its supplements. Those with five years and five qualities should travel the realm independently. Do not resent this.”

1.­673

The venerable Upāli asked the Blessed Buddha, “Reverend, the Blessed One has said, ‘Those with five years and five qualities should travel the realm independently.’ What about a revered monk of six years? If he recites the Prātimokṣasūtra and repeats and recites its supplements, should he too travel the realm independently?”

1.­674

“Upāli, he should not stay. ‘Why is that?’ you ask. For one relies on a refuge until one has passes five years.”

1.­675

“Reverend, as for one of four years, if he recites the Prātimokṣasūtra and repeats and recites its supplements, should he too travel the realm independently?”

“Upāli, he should not travel the realm independently. ‘Why is that?’ you ask. For one relies on a refuge until he has passed five years.”153

1.­676

“Reverend, as for one who has knowledge of the three154 and who has cast aside the three stains,155 if he has not five years or the five qualities, should he too travel the realm independently?”

“Upāli, he should not travel the realm independently.”


1.­677

An intervening summary:

The above section contains the following topics:
Having passed ten years, retain, skilled in,
Experienced in, elucidate, able to inspire others to retain,
Learn, able to inspire others to learn,
The two sets of perfection, the lists of three,
Trainee, nontrainee, knowing how training comes about,
Finding refuge, knowledge of offenses,
And traveling the realm.
1.­678

This concludes the section on refuge.


2.

Tīrthikas

2.­1

A summary:

Tīrthikas, twenty years, and
Novices not yet fifteen.

Tīrthikas

2.­2

[F.72.a] The Blessed Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, when an elder who was immature, dense, dim-witted, and unskilled allowed a follower of another tīrthika tradition to go forth. The elder granted the tīrthika ordination, sparking a number of disputes between monks. After the tīrthika had offered back his training and returned to his community of tīrthikas, the monks asked the Blessed One about it. This is how he responded: “Monks, look at how that benighted man has turned his back on such a fine and well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya and returned to his community of tīrthikas. Monks, it seems to me he is behaving like a dog, wracked by hunger, but refusing fine food and fare and eating excrement instead. Monks, this is how a benighted man acts who turns his back on such a fine and well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya and returns to his former community of tīrthikas.”

Twenty Years

Novices Not Yet Fifteen


3.

The Two Novices

3.­1

A summary:

The chapters are of two novices,
Those in servitude, debtors,
Those without consent,
Without consultation, ill persons, and the Śākyas.

Two Novices

3.­2

The Blessed Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, when two of Upananda’s novices, Kaṇṭaka and Mahaka, flirted with, groped, and tickled one another. They acted as a man does with a woman, or as a woman does with a man. Once, when they were behaving like this, the monks asked the Blessed One about it, and the Blessed One thought, “All those shortcomings ensue from monks placing two novices together.”

Those in Servitude

Debtors

Those Without Consent

Without Consultation

Ill persons

Śākyas


4.

Scaring Away a Crow

4.­1

A summary:

Scaring away a crow, violators,
Impostors, person labeled a paṇḍaka,
Creatures, tīrthikas,
Matricides, and patricides.

Scaring Away a Crow

4.­2

The Blessed Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, when the ignorant Virūḍhaka had slaughtered the Śākya inhabitants of Kapilavastu, although they had not been aggressive, antagonistic, or thieving. The two sons of the venerable Ānanda’s younger sister were left orphaned, and were wandering aimlessly when traders from Śrāvastī on their way to Kapilavastu on business recognized the two good-looking lads and asked, “Boys, where are your parents?”

Violators

Impostors

Person labeled a paṇḍaka

Creatures

Saṅgharakṣita and the Shape-Shifting Nāga

The shape-shifting nāga who finds faith in the Dharma

Saṅgharakṣita brings the Buddha’s teachings to the land of the nāgas

Saṅgharakṣita sees the effects of actions with his own eyes

Saṅgharakṣita’s sermon leads five hundred seers to the truth

Saṅgharakṣita leads an entourage of one thousand to the Buddha

The Blessed One explains the causes for the sights Saṅgharakṣita has seen

The Blessed One explains the reasons for Saṅgharakṣita’s good fortune

The Blessed One explains the reasons for the shape-shifting nāga’s faith

Tīrthikas

Matricides

Patricides


5.

Killing an Arhat

5.­1

A summary:

Killing an arhat, causing a schism in the saṅgha,
Maliciously drawing blood, and
Suffering one of the four defeats
And three types of suspension.

Killing an Arhat

5.­2

The Blessed Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. When, in the thick of Yaṣṭī Grove, the Blessed One established in the truths the King of Magadha, Bimbisāra of the Guilds, along with 80,000 gods and hundreds of thousands of Magadhan brahmins and householders, Bimbisāra had the bells rung throughout his land and this pronouncement was read: “No one shall steal in my lands. If anyone does so, I will banish them and provide recompense from my own stores and treasury.”

Causing a Schism in the Saṅgha

Maliciously Drawing Blood from a Tathāgata

Suffering One of the Four Defeats

Three Types of Suspension


6.

Persons whose hands have been cut off

6.­1

An index:

Persons whose hands have been cut off, persons whose legs have been cut off,
Persons with hands of webbed fingers,
Persons with no lips, persons whose bodies have been branded, scarred by a whip, or tattooed,
The very old, the very young,
Persons with mobility impairment, persons with degenerative nerve disorders, persons missing an eye,
Persons whose hands have been cut off, persons with kyphosis, persons of restricted growth,
Persons with goiters, persons with a speech impairment, persons with a hearing impairment,
Persons who use mobility aids, persons with elephantiasis,
Persons worn out by women, persons worn out by burdens,
Persons worn out by the road,
Persons with malabsorption syndromes, and persons with chronic fatigue.
The great seer forbade
People such as this.198
Knowing all, the Perfectly Awakened One,
Whose name denotes truth, proclaimed
That going forth is for the beautiful
And ordination for the pure.

Persons whose hands have been cut off


c.

Colophon

c.­1

This was translated by the Kashmiri preceptor Sarvajñādeva, the Indian preceptor Vidyākaraprabha, the Kashmiri preceptor Dharmākara, and the translator Bandé Palgyi Lhünpo. It was then revised and finalized by the Indian preceptor Vidyākaraprabha and the managing editor-translator, Bandé Paltsek.201


ap.
Appendix

An Outline of the Present Day Ordination Rite

ap1.­1
Giving the Layperson’s Vows and Refuge Precepts

How to Give the Layperson’s Vows

Pledging to Keep the Precepts

Going Forth

Informing the Saṅgha of the Wish to Go Forth

Asking the Preceptor

Allowing the Postulant’s Going Forth

Becoming a Novice

Inducting the Postulant into the Novitiate

Marking the Time

Pledging to Keep the Novice Precepts

The Novice Investiture

Granting Ordination

The Opening Occasion

Asking the Preceptor

Sanction for Robes That Have Already Been Cut and Sewn

Sanction for Robes That Have Not Already Been Cut and Sewn

Displaying the Begging Bowl

Sanction for the Begging Bowl

Seeking the Cooperation of the Privy Advisor

Asking the Saṅgha for an Inquiry into Private Matters

The Inquiry into Private Matters

Reporting the Findings

The Ordinand’s Asking for Ordination

The Act to Ask About Impediments Before the Saṅgha

Inquiring into Impediments Before the Saṅgha

The Monk Officiant’s Asking to Ordain

The Motion to Act

Marking the Time by the Length of a Shadow

Explaining the Different Parts of the Day and Night

Describing the Length of the Seasons

Explaining the Supports

Explaining the Offenses

Explaining Those Things That Constitute Spiritual Practice

Announcing the Perfect Fulfillment of His Greatest Desire

Enjoining Him to Practice the Equally Applicable Ethical Code

Enjoining Him to Bond with His Role Model in the Renunciant Life

Enjoining Him to Dwell in Tranquility

Enjoining Him to Carry Out His Obligations

Informing Him of What He Must Do to Fully Understand His Unspoken Commitments

Enjoining Him to Heed What He Reveres

Enjoining Him in How He Must Practice


ab.

Abbreviations

C Choné
D Degé
H Lhasa (Shöl)
J Lithang
K Beijing Kangxi
N Narthang
S Stok Palace Manuscript
Y Yongle

n.

Notes

n.­1
For a summary in English of the First and Second Councils and the subsequent schism in the saṅgha as recounted in The Chapters on Monastic Discipline, see Rockhill (1907, 148–80). For modern scholarship on the councils and the compiling of the Buddhist canon, see Prebish (1974) and Skilling (2009).
n.­2
See Nattier and Prebish (1977) on the rise of the different schools, with references to both traditional sources and modern scholarship.
n.­3
On the history, dating, and geographical distribution of the Mūlasarvāstivādins and their relation to other schools (especially the Sarvāstivādins), see Frauwallner (1956), Nattier and Prebish (1977), Enomoto (1994), Rosenfeld (2006), Salomon (2006), and Clarke (2004a and forthcoming). The six complete extant codes are the Sarvāstivādin’s Ten Recitations in Chinese with fragmentary Sanskrit; the Mūlasarvāstivādin’s Collection of Four Scriptures in Tibetan and partial Sanskrit and Chinese; the Theravādin’s canonical Suttavibhaṅga, Khandhaka, and Appendices (Parivāra) and paracanonical Pātimokkha and Kammavācanā in Pali; the Dharmaguptaka’s Four Part Vinaya in Chinese and partial Sanskrit; the Mahīśāsaka’s Five Part Vinaya in Chinese; and the Mahāsāṃghika’s Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya in Chinese. See Clarke (2004a, 77–78) and Prebish (2003).
n.­4
The Vinayavastu (Toh 1), the Prātimokṣasūtra (Toh 2), the Vinayavibhaṅga (Toh 3), the Bhikṣuṇī Prātimokṣasūtra (Toh 4), the Bhikṣuṇī Vinayavibhaṅga (Toh 5), the Kṣudrakavastu (Toh 6), and two versions of the Uttaragrantha‍—the incomplete ’dul ba gzhung bla ma (Toh 7) and the complete ’dul ba gzhung dam pa (Toh 7a). For more on the Uttaragrantha (’dul ba gzhung dam pa and ’dul ba gzhung bla ma), see Kishino (2007, 1221, and 2013) and Clarke (2012).
n.­5
The Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya differs significantly in its structure from the other extant vinayas. See Frauwallner (1956) and Clarke (2004a).
n.­6
See Finnegan (2009, 10–28), for an overview of the history, language, and role of narrative in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. For readers of German, see Panglung (1981). In English, see also Schopen (2000, 94–99) and, for reference to the inclusion of narrative and sūtra in the Pali vinaya, see von Hinüber (1996).
n.­7
See Heirman (2008) and Kishino (2013) for Yijing and his translations into Chinese.
n.­8
See Rotman (2008, 15–30) for a discussion of the Divyāvadāna and the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, and Rotman (2008) and (2017) for English translations of portions of the text.
n.­53
A summary of each of these chapters is given in the introduction.
n.­54
Following YKN: blags (“heard,” “listened”) instead of D: bklags (“read”) (Pedurma, 722).
n.­55
Following YJKNC: khongs su chud (“absorbed in thought”) instead of D: khong du chud (“comprehended”) (Pedurma, 722).
n.­56
The Buddha saw an opportunity to be reborn in the right family, in the right land, at the right time, with the right patrilineage, and to the right woman (Kalyāṇamitra, folios 183.a.7–183.b.1).
n.­57
The “gulf between worlds” refers to the cold hells said to exist between the four continents of ancient Indian cosmology (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 183.b.5–6).
n.­58
The Sanskrit fragments of the Pravrajyāvastu recovered from Gilgit begin here. The first complete sentence in Sanskrit begins on the front or recto side of the second folio [S.2.a] (Vogel and Wille, 1992, 71).
n.­59
Following S: rtse ’grogs, and HKC (Pedurma, 723): rtsed grogs (playmates), instead of D: rtsen grogs.
n.­60
The exact meanings of the last three items in this list are obscure and do not appear in the Sanskrit [S.2.a.2] (Vogel and Wille, 1992, 71). A similar list does however appear in the Divyāvadāna’s “Story of Koṭikarṇa,” where Rotman translates these three as “debts, deposits, and trusts” (Rotman, 2008, 42). Kalyāṇamitra explains that dbyung ba “refers to the ‘yield’ of materials such as bamboo and so forth” (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 184.b.3). In deference to these two sources, we have decided to translate dbyung ba, gzhug pa, gzhag pa here as “expenditures, revenues, and deposits,” terms which are fundamental to finance, a subject likely to figure in a king’s education. The same trope is encountered later in the text 1.­143, where Śāriputra’s training in reciting the Vedas is described. In that case, we have chosen to follow Geshé Rinchen Ngödrup’s suggestion that these three skills refer to “the way words in Sanskrit are formed or constructed from verbal roots and parsed grammatically.” In that case, we have translated the three as “to exclude, to add, and to leave.”
n.­61
Following YJKNCH: spyod pa (“conduct”) instead of D: skyod pa (“movement”) (Pedurma, 723).
n.­62
According to Geshé Rinchen Ngödrup, this refers to the turbans warriors would wear into battle.
n.­63
The eighteen guilds were merchants, potters, garland makers, alcohol sellers, cowherds, barbers, millers, smiths, carpenters, fortune-tellers, weavers, leatherworkers, fishermen, dyers, bamboo-weavers, butchers, hunters, and ox-cart makers (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 185.b.4–6). Guilds were an important factor in urban life, “both in organizing production and in shaping public opinion… Customary usage of the guild (śreṇi-dharma) had the force of law. That the guild also intervened in the private lives of its members is also clear” (Thapar, 1990, 109–10).
n.­64
The four Vedas are the Ṛgveda, which contains sacred incantations or mantras; the Sāmaveda, which rearranges the Ṛgveda’s verses into chants or songs; the Yajurveda, which supplements the Sāmaveda’s chants with prose for ritual use; and the Atharvaveda, which has incantations used for more mundane ends (Doniger, 2009, 123-124). The branches of Vedic learning are treatises on precepts, rituals, grammar, prosody, etymology, and astrology (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 186.b.4–5).
n.­65
The first four are Vedic sages, ancestors of different brahmin gotras (lineages). The last two may be references to the Pañca Gauḍa and Pañca Drāviḍa, the two main geographical groupings of brahmins, respectively to the north and south of the Vindhya hills, each of which comprises five subgroups.
n.­66
On the goal of bodily ascent to heaven, in White (1996) see chapter three, “Embodied Ascent, Meditation & Yogic Suicide.”
n.­67
The implements they carry distinguish them as brahmin. The water jugs and ladles they bring would have been used for pūja while the bast robes they wore were made of vālkam/valkala or bark. “Valkala was also manufactured from the fiber of the bark of the trees and was usually worn by the saints. Another name for this was Druma Charma. Valkala cloth was forbidden to the Buddhist monks,” (Jain, 2003, 199). By the fourth century of the common era, the term vālkam was used to designate a certain class of textile that included, in addition to cloth made from tree bark, materials such as kṣauma, or linen (Kumar, 2008, 60).
n.­68
In this case, the victor’s prize was akin to an endowment, or a land grant (Skt. brahmadeya) that entitled the recipient to keep the taxes collected from that village. In Chakravarti (1987), see chapter three, “The Gahapati”.
n.­69
Following S: rtse ’grogs, and YHKN (Pedurma, 725): rtse grogs (playmates) instead of D: rtsen grogs.
n.­70
For these last three items, see n.­60.
n.­71
A materialist philosophy inspired by the Cārvaka (Tib. rgyang ’phen pa). It is called “This Worldly” (Tib. ’jig rten pa, Skt. lokāyata) because of its rejection of rebirth and an afterlife. For more on Lokāyata philosophy see Chattopadhaya (1959).
n.­72
The three folio sides 10.b to 11.b of the text contain a verbatim repetition of the passage from 7.a to 8.b, i.e. 1.­53 through 1.­69 above, beginning, “The brahmins’ students were in the habit…” and ending, “Since all worthy opponents and anyone counted as learned will be close to the king, it is the king I shall see.” The only difference is that in this later passage the “teacher of brahmins” who leads his students to Magadha and the Middle Country is not Māthara but Tiṣya, who‍—unlike Māthara in the earlier passage‍—is named twice. The passage in the Sanskrit runs from S.4.b.3 to S.5.a.5 (Vogel and Wille, 1992, 77).
n.­73
See n.­65.
n.­74
See n.­66.
n.­75
See n.­67.
n.­76
Following YJKNCH: lan (“respond,” “answer”) instead of D: len (“take”) (Pedurma, 726).
n.­77
Following YKCH: glo bur du (“for a short time”) instead of D: blo bur du (“sprung from mind”) (Pedurma, 727).
n.­78
Following YK: nyams par bgyis (“robbed,” “brought ruin,” “caused to diminish”) instead of D: nyams par bgyid (“robbing,” “bringing ruin,” “causing to diminish”) (Pedurma, 727).
n.­79
An early school of Indian grammar, possibly a source for the later grammarian Pāṇini. See Burnell (1875).
n.­80
Following NH: dpral (“forehead”) instead of D: ’phral (“incidental,” “immediate”) (Pedurma, 727).
n.­81
Following S: rtse ’grogs, and NH (Pedurma, 727): rtse grogs (playmates) instead of D: rtsen grogs.
n.­82
That is, the words of the Vedas (Kalyāṇamitra folio 190.b.4–5). Presumably, Upatiṣya is asking about the meaning of the words found in the Ṛgveda’s hymns, which were, as noted earlier, incorporated into the Sāmaveda’s chants and elaborated on in the Yajurveda’s ritual manuals.
n.­83
S.6.b.10 ends here with ca pratyupasthito bhavati eṣāṃ trayāṇāṃ (Vogel and Wille, 1992, 81). The Tibetan contains just over one half of a folio of material (Degé folios 15.a.6-16.b.1) before the Sanskrit resumes on S.7.a with sā aṣṭānāṃ vā navānāṃ vā masānāṃ (Vogel and Wille, 1992, 302).
n.­84
Following S: rtse ’grogs, YK: rtsed grogs, and NH (Pedurma, 728): rtse grogs (playmates) instead of D: rtsen grogs.
n.­85
A traditional meter of the Jagatī class consisting of twelve syllables per pāda (Morgan, 2011, 124).
n.­86
S.8.a.1-4 are missing from the Gilgit Manuscripts, (Vogel and Wille, 1984, 8).
n.­87
As beings are said to be miraculously reborn in the intermediate state, this is taken to be a rejection of the intermediate state (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 198.b.3–4).
n.­88
Following K: bag la zhi bar ’gyur (“recede”) instead of D: bag la zha bar ’gyur (Pedurma, 730).
n.­89
To Gośālīputra, “causes” refer to internal acts like meditation while “conditions” refer to external acts like listening to teachings (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 201.b.3–4).
n.­90
Literally, “unties a knot,” as in “unties a rope to open a door” (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 204.a.7).
n.­91
Most likely a reference to the sudarśana cakra, a circular saw-like weapon used by Viṣṇu as mentioned in the Mahābhārata (see Begley, 1973). The use of cakram, or circular throwing blades, in ancient Indian warfare is also well attested.
n.­92
One of the main brahmin gotra or patrilineages, the Śāṇḍilya clan traces its origins to the sage Śāṇḍilya. The Kangyur redactions give Śaṇḍila or Śanṭila (Pedurma, 65 and 731) while the Sanskrit at leaf 11.b.1 identifies the clan as the Kauṇḍinya clan (Vogel and Wille, 1984, 12).
n.­93
The three phases refer to the three stages of (1) identifying the four truths, (2) understanding how to relate to each of the four truths, and (3) knowing that the respective goals of the four truths have been accomplished; when these three stages are applied to each of the four truths, there are twelve aspects in all. The events around the Buddha’s awakening and teaching that these brief references summarize here, simply as chronological landmarks, are related in much more extensive detail in The Chapter on Schism in the Saṅgha (Toh 1, ch. 17). For this episode of the Buddha’s first teaching of the Four Truths, see The Sūtra of the Wheel of Dharma (Dharmachakra Translation Committee, 2018), which is itself an extract from ch. 17.
n.­94
The text of this summarized version here is simply lnga pa dang / nye lnga dag, but from the many more expansive accounts it can be surmised that the “group of five” (lnga pa, more often lnga sde, Skt. pañcaka, q.v. in Edgerton, also often called the pañcavargika) refers to the Buddha’s five former companions in ascetic practice‍—Kauṇḍinya, Aśvajit, Vāṣpa, Mahānāman, and Bhadrika‍—who received his first teaching and became his first followers; while the “five friends” (nye lnga, elsewhere nye lnga’i sde, see Tāranātha II, folio 28.b et seq.) refers to the five wealthy young Vārāṇasī merchants’ sons, first Yaśas and, following his lead, Pūrṇa, Vimala, Gavāṃpati, and Subāhu, all of whom constituted the first ten bhikṣus to receive ordination.
n.­95
The first batch of Sanskrit fragments end on Sanskrit leaf 12.b.10 (Vogel and Wille, 1984, p. 14). The Sanskrit fragments resume with leaf 43.b.1 (see Vogel and Wille, 1996, p. 254), which corresponds to folio 99.b.7 of the present text.
n.­96
The passage “who hurts, who wants, who is unhappy” is repeated in the Tibetan text as well. Kalyāṇamitra explains that on first mention, their meaning is to be understood in a straightforward way. He then glosses their second mention as follows, “Some argue that beings hurt because it is hard to escape [the suffering of saṃsāra], they want because there will be no other opportunities to make amends, and they are unhappy because they are subject to harm,” (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 219.a.2–4).
n.­97
Another, parallel version of the narrative from this point, with slightly less detail but interesting differences, is to be found in the Mahā­sannipāta­ratna­ketu­dhāraṇī, Toh 138, folio F.188.a et seq. For translation, see Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2020) The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī.
n.­98
The Sanskrit is: ye dharmā hetuprabhavā hetuṃ teṣāṃ tathāgato hy avadat | teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha evaṃvādī mahāśramaṇaḥ. This well known and widely quoted stanza, the origin of which is the story in this passage, is sometimes called “the essence of dependent arising” (rten ’brel snying po). The formula in Sanskrit and Pali has acquired the status of a dhāraṇī, and is ubiquitous in Buddhist Asia as a seal at the end of texts, rolled into scrolls in stūpas, or used in rituals (sometimes with oṁ at the beginning and svāhā at the end). See The Sūtra on Dependent Arising (Toh 212), in which the Buddha explains and recommends its use in the construction of stūpas; also Sykes (1856) and Skilling (2003). It should be noted that there are several quite significantly different renderings of the verse in Tibetan‍—compare, for example, the version in the present text and the one in Toh 212. A considerably expanded version of the same four lines, which exists in Tibetan translation but of which the original Sanskrit may be lost, can be seen in other texts‍—for example, in the parallel version of this narrative in the Mahā­sannipāta­ratna­ketu­dhāraṇī, Toh 138, folio 188.b (1.3) et seq. (see n.­97).
n.­99
Following S and YJKC: yid ma rangs (“disappointed”) instead of D: yi ma rangs (Pedurma, 734).
n.­100
The somewhat free translation of the second half of this verse follows Kalyāṇamitra’s tentative interpretation of it: that people meant to insult Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana’s followers by suggesting the Buddha only accepted them because they were the only people left who had not yet converted (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 223.b.5). The verse in the original seems less directed at those monks in particular and more expressive of a sense of general bereavement and grievance directed towards the Buddha himself, which the monks, by way of identifying with their new teacher, might have taken personally. Perhaps what is more important than the correctness of either interpretation is the suggestion that underlies them both, that the Buddha’s order had become the preeminent ascetic (or śramaṇa) order in Rājagṛha.
n.­101
See 1.­133.
n.­102
According to the commentary, Dīrghanakha argued that the self does not endure beyond this life because neither valid perception nor valid inference sees a self as persisting into a future life. Perception cannot see it because objects of perception must be “right in front of us,” which a future self, separated in time and space, cannot be. Nor can inference see it because objects of inference must be abstractions, not “things” like the self. The Buddha’s response suggests that Dīrghanakha’s view is nihilistic, for it holds that the self begins at birth and ends at death, thereby denying continuity from life to life (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 224.a.4–6).
n.­103
The index that follows the Buddha’s discourse contains the line, “worldly, ascetics and brahmins.” Apart from this line, each of the other lines in the intra-chapter summary has an explicit, if not verbatim, correlate in the Buddha’s discourse. It seems reasonable then to assume that the three positions on the view of self are those held by worldly persons, ascetics, and brahmins, respectively. Worldly persons adhere to the view that all selves endure. Ascetics (or śramaṇa), here meaning the followers of the Buddha, adhere to the view that no self endures. Brahmins adhere to the view some selves endure but others do not. This interpretation seems more consistent with the text than the one offered by Kalyāṇamitra, who equates these three positions with a belief in an eternal self, the nihilistic denial of any continuity of self from life to life, and a view that mixes eternalism and nihilism (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 226.a.1–2).
n.­104
The final section of this passage is rendered following NSY: bdag ni tham cad mi bzod; D reads instead: bdag ni kha cig bzod la kha cig mi bzod.
n.­105
Feelings that are finally traced to the five physical senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 229.b.3–4).
n.­106
A neutral feeling experienced, in the absence of other feelings, by mind alone for as long as one lives (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 229.b.6–7).
n.­107
A noble disciple greets death with joy and pleasure. His experience of pleasure at that moment is not accompanied by disturbing emotions such as desire (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 230.b.2–6).
n.­108
The arhat has not attained omniscience, as the phrase would seem to indicate, but rather the knowledge that he is no longer subject to suffering for he knows he has exhausted all of what causes it to arise (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 231.b.7).
n.­109
Although the text in every Kangyur consulted includes this sentence (Pedurma, 2006, 93), it appears to be out of place; the narrative moves on to discuss Śāriputra’s past lives and does not discuss until the very end of this chapter the circumstances that led to Koṣṭhila being named supreme among the Buddha’s monk disciples who had gained the knowledge of perfect discernment.
n.­110
The four placements of mindfulness, the four perfect abandonments, the four foundations of miraculous conduct, the five powers, the ten strengths, the seven branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 233.a7–b1).
n.­111
That is, he attained the middling enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha and abandoned the causes for his own suffering (Kalyāṇamitra folio 233.b.1–2).
n.­112
Knowledge of miraculous objects, the divine ear, states of mind, recollection of former lives, and foreknowledge of death and rebirth (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 235.a.2–3).
n.­113
See n.­111.
n.­114
Inserted following YKNH: dgra bcom pa (arhat), omitted in D (Pedurma, 737).
n.­115
Of the distinctions as “foremost of …” with which the Buddha singled out his arhat disciples, the first of the two for Śāriputra mentioned in this passage, his being “foremost of those with great wisdom” (mahāprajñāvatām agryaḥ, shes rab chen po dang ldan pa rnams kyi mchog), is widespread and constant throughout the canonical literature. The second, however, his being “foremost of those with great confident eloquence" (*mahāpratibhānavatām agryaḥ, spobs pa chen po dang ldan pa rnams kyi mchog), is to our knowledge not found elsewhere, at least in the Kangyur.
n.­116
This informal exchange is known as the “Come, monk” ordination (Tib. tshur shog gi bsnyen par rdzogs pa, Skt. ehibhikṣukā upasaṃpadā).
n.­117
The text gives gnas sbyin pa which we have read as a synonym for gnas kyi slob dpon.
n.­118
Tib. bslab pa’i gzhi, Skt. śikṣāpada. The “foundations of the training” refer either to the knowledge and stability that conduce to abandoning disturbing emotions or the basic precepts one pledges to uphold when going for refuge, such as refraining from killing (Kalyāṇamitra, folios 237.b.6–8.a.1).
n.­119
That is, the Buddha or an image of him.
n.­120
In place of “reverend.”
n.­121
The term gle ’dams pa, sometimes spelled sle ’dams pa, Skt. saṃbhinnavyañjana, among other categories taken as indicative of gender ambiguity, is said to denote conditions in which the person affected urinates and defecates through the same orifice. This might include certain kinds of fistula, such as a colovesical fistula, involving communication between the urinary tract and rectum, or possibly congenital disorders including certain extreme forms of hypospadias.
n.­122
A reference to the five types of offenses a monk may incur (defeats, saṅgha remnant, transgressions, confessable offenses, and misdeeds), each of which must be expunged in its own way. Defeats cannot be expunged. Saṅgha remnants are expunged through confession to the community followed by a period of probation and penance. Transgressions are of two types, those requiring forfeiture and simple transgressions. Transgressions requiring forfeiture are expunged through communal confession and the forfeiting of the object that caused the offense. Simple transgressions are expunged through participation in the community’s restoration. Confessable offenses are expunged through personal confession while misdeeds are expunged through resolving to refrain from them in the future (see Dudjom, 1999). According to Kalyāṇamitra, slight mental misdeeds must be reined in; transgressions, and confessable offenses should be confessed; while saṅgha remnants and transgressions requiring forfeiture must be formally excused (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 244.a.4–7).
n.­123
The saṅgha is “in concord” (Tib. mthun par gyur pa, Skt. samanuyujya) when all of the monks within a boundary (Tib. mtshams, Skt. sīmā) are either present or have given their consent for an official function such as an ordination ceremony. If it is not possible to gather the entire community together, a quorum may convene in an “inner circle” (Tib. dkyil ’khor, Skt. maṇḍalaka) within a monastery’s boundaries but set off from the rest of the community (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 244.b.3–7).
n.­124
This question is asked to ensure that the ordinand’s going forth has been formally allowed and that he has been inducted into the novitiate (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 250.b.6–7).
n.­125
As suggested by the prefacing statement “diseases that manifest on the body in these ways,” this is primarily a list of symptoms, not disease names, and has generally been translated as such. Certain symptoms can readily be equated with conditions familiar to modern medicine; for instance, tertian and quartan fevers are usually caused by malaria, and “consumption” is a now obsolete name for tuberculosis. Since several of these symptoms may be caused by a number of different illnesseses, further research is required to reliably determine which illnesses (temporarily or permanently) disqualify a candidate for ordination.
n.­126
See n.­124.
n.­127
See n.­125.
n.­128
In the Buddha’s time, much like today, the Gangetic plain had three distinct seasons: a cold season, spring, and monsoon, each lasting four months. The cold season ran for four months, roughly from October through January and into February, while spring ran roughly from February through May and into June. The four months of monsoon, itself split into three “seasons” for a total of five “seasons,” ran from June through September.
n.­129
The translation follows Schopen but compare NH: lha khang (Eng. “temple,” Skt. vihāra) and YJKC: snga gang or SD: snga khang (Pedurma, 742). The reading snga khang is preferred by Schopen, but the meaning is obscure; it is given in Mahāvyutpatti 5548, along with rnga khang, as being the equivalent of Skt. māṭa or māḍa, but the meaning of these terms is also obscure; see Edgerton under māḍa.
n.­130
Also possibly “voided urine.” Urine therapy, attested also in the sixth chapter of the Mahavagga, the Theravādin khandaka on medicine, is still practiced in India.
n.­131
A monk who violates one of four principal vows and thereby incurs a defeat is expelled from the saṅgha community. He is no longer entitled to participate in communal activities (e.g., the poṣadha restoration, the rains retreat, or the relaxation of restrictions that marks the end of the rains retreat, etc.) nor is he entitled to enjoy its perquisites, such as food and lodging (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 258.a.4–5). The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya does, however, allow a defeated monk to remain with the saṅgha as a penitent (Tib. bslab pa sbyin pa; Skt. śikṣādattaka), a lifelong status lower than monks but higher than novices.
n.­132
The measure in question here is called a māṣaka (Tib. ma sha ka). SA unit of money worth four gold coins called kākani or potika. Kākani were in turn equivalent to twenty cowrie shells (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 258.b.3–4).
n.­133
The final superhuman quality is nirvāṇa. An exalted superhuman quality is a quality shared by the Buddha and his disciples. Specific superhuman qualities refer to the four results of a stream enterer, once-returner, non-returner, and arhat. The states of nonperception and nondiscernment are states of absorption in which one does not perceive or discern the five aggregates (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 260.a.7–b.2). These are commonly referred to as form and formless absorptions and can serve as a platform for a contaminated consciousness (in which case it would be a state of nonperception) or an uncontaminated consciousness (in which case it would be a state of nondiscernment).
n.­134
Knowledge of the four truths, insight into the four truths, and first-hand experience of the four dhyānas through meditation, rather than rebirth in a form realm (Kalyāṇamitra, folios 260.b.6–261.a.2).
n.­135
Many sources interpret rnam par ’thor ba to mean “scavenged.” However, this appears to be a misreading of the Tibetan verb zos, which is used to gloss rnam par ’thor ba. While zos is an alternative spelling of the past tense of the verb za ba, “to eat,” in this context, it is bacteria that “eat away” at the corpse and not scavenging animals like hyenas. Kalyāṇamitra describes this stage of decomposition as “the wasting away that occurs at intervals in the flesh” (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 262.b.3). Since zos pa here means “eaten or wasting away,” as in the related verb chud zos, “to go to waste,” rnam par ’thor ba refers not to the scavenged remains of a corpse but to its “breaking apart” or “disintegration.”
n.­136
Emotional obscurations and obscurations to meditative absorption (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 264.a.2–3).
n.­137
As the Prātimokṣasūtra is recited during the poṣadha restoration rite, this serves as shorthand to indicate that all monks, regardless of seniority, are expected to engage in the same community activities (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 265.a.1–2).
n.­138
The monk’s commitments are “unspoken” insofar as the monk has not yet been fully apprised of the details at the time he commits to them (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 266.a.6–7).
n.­139
What he is to revere are his monastic precepts (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 266.b.7).
n.­140
That is to say they may not make repairs or improvements without permission (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 268.b.1–3).
n.­141
Anxiety about an offense helps to purify it (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 269.b.3).
n.­142
Following Kalyāṇamitra, read ’phyar for zhig (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 270.b.1). According to Kalyāṇamitra, this is meant to imply one has been insulted.
n.­143
Following Kalyāṇamitra, read dge ’dun la spu snyol bar byed for dge ’dun la spu sa la ltung ba lta bur byed (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 270.b.2).
n.­144
The saṅgha may impose a temporary probation upon a monk who incurs a saṅgha remnant offense and does not confess it the same day. If the offense is concealed, they may place him on probation. If the monk incurs the same offense again before the end of his probation and penance, a repeat probation and penance may be imposed. And if the monk offends again before completing a repeat probation and penance, a further probation and further penance may be imposed. During these times, the monk is obliged to perform certain menial tasks and observe a “special demeanor,” which entails, among other things, adopting a position of deference and rejecting honors accorded to monks of good standing. At the successful completion of a probation and penance, the monk can then be reinstated. These disciplinary procedures are known by the trope, “probation, penance, and reinstatement.”
n.­145
Monks mark their “monastic age” by the number of rains retreats they have passed.
n.­146
In this case, mātṛkā (Tib. ma mo, Eng. “mother”) refers to the Abhidharmapiṭaka. In the Abhidharmapiṭaka, a mātṛkā is “seen not so much as a condensed summary, as the seed from which something grows,” (Gethin, 1992, 161). Though mātṛkā function as indices of important topics that are elaborated on in a given text, they may have played an important role in “birthing” further texts, hence the name, mātṛkā (see Clarke, 2004 and Hirakawa, 1990, chap. 10). “Retains” as in “remembers” (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 273.b.1).
n.­147
These three refer to observing the proper bearing or behavior described in the Vinayavibhaṅga, the Vinayavastu and Vinayakṣudraka, and the Prātimokṣa, respectively (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 274.a.7).
n.­148
“Trainee” refers to those engaged in training to abandon disturbing emotions through the application of uncontaminated paths, specifically the seven types of noble persons (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 275.a.6). In this case, the “seven types of noble persons” most likely refer to the first seven of the eight “entrants and abiders” (Tib. zhugs gnas brgyad), who have either achieved or are in the process of achieving the results of stream enterer (Tib, rgyun zhugs, Skt. srota āpanna), once-returner (Tib. phyir ’ong, Skt. sakṛdāgāmin), non-returner (Tib. phyir mi ’ong, Skt. anāgāmin), and arhat (Tib. dgra bcom, Skt. arhat).
n.­149
nontrainee refers to arhats, who have abandoned disturbing emotions and thus no longer need to train (Kalyāṇamitra folio 275.b.3).
n.­150
An exemplar is one who has one or another of the twenty-one sets of five qualities listed above (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 277.a.7).
n.­151
The translation follows Kalyāṇamitra’s commentary, which states that gnas btsal is short for gnas kyi slob dpon btsal (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 277.b.5). As related above, the Buddha decreed that newly ordained monks were not allowed to live independently until they had passed ten years as a monk and possessed one of the twenty-one sets of five qualities described above. Until that time, they were obliged to live as wards of, or apprentices to, a “refuge.” To accept charge of monk apprentices and journeymen, a monk must himself be “a refuge” (Tib. gnas, Skt. niśraya), meaning that he has been ordained at least five or ten years without incurring an offense, and “knowledgeable” (Tib. mkhas, Skt. kuśāla / kovidā), meaning he has at least one of the twenty-one sets of five qualities described in this section. Such a monk is said to have “the qualities of stability and skill” (Tib. brtan mkhas kyi yon tan; see Nyima, 2009, p. 468–70 and Kalyāṇamitra, folio 271.a.5–6). It is probably relevant to note that the qualities of being a refuge may be implied in the Tibetan translation of sthavira or “elder,” gnas brtan.
n.­152
Here the Buddha amends his earlier decree that a monk must have passed ten years and possess five qualities to live independently to say that monks who have passed five years and possess five qualities may, indeed should, wander between rains retreats.
n.­153
These two circumstances are put to the Buddha to determine which is the more important factor in determining whether a monk should stay in one place or travel between rainy seasons. The Buddha’s answers indicate that both criteria, being ordained for five years and having five qualities, are equally important (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 278.b.1–4).
n.­154
Kalyāṇamitra describes these three as: knowledge of previous lives, knowledge of approaching death and birth, and knowledge of the exhaustion of defilements (Kalyāyāṇamitra, folio 278.b.4). However, Guṇaprabha gives another list: knowledge of what a refuge should do, should not do, and how to impose discipline (Guṇaprabha, folio 18.b.1–2).
n.­155
The three stains of desirous attachment, aversion, and delusion (Kalyāṇamitra, folio 278.b.4–5).
n.­198
See the Vinayakṣudraka for further conditions that disqualify a person from ordination.
n.­201
This colophon does not actually appear until the end of the entire Vinayavastu (Degé, vol. 4 (’dul ba, nga), folio 302.a). It has been inserted here for ease of reference.

b.

Bibliography

The Translated Text: “The Chapter on Going Forth”

rab tu ’byung ba’i gzhi (Pravrajyā­vastu). Toh 1, ch. 1, Degé Kangyur, vol. 1 (’dul ba, ka), folios 1.a–131.a.

rab tu ’byung ba’i gzhi. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [“Pedurma” 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). Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol. 1, pp. 3–308 and pp. 722–67.

Vogel, Claus and Klaus Wille (1984). “Some Hitherto Unidentified Fragments of the Pravrajyā­vastu Portion of the Vinaya­vastu Manuscript Found Near Gilgit,” in Nachrichten der Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1–41. Göttingen: Philologisch-Historische Klasse, 1984.

Vogel, Claus and Klaus Wille (1992). “Some More Fragments of the Pravrajyā­vastu Portion of the Vinaya­vastu Manuscript Found Near Gilgit: Part 1: Saṅgha­rakṣitāvadāna,” in Sanskrit-Texte aus dem buddhistischen Kanon: Neuentdeckungen und Neueditionen III, edited by Heinz Bechert et al, 65–109. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1992.

Vogel, Claus and Klaus Wille (1996a). “The Final Leaves of the Pravrajyā­vastu Portion of the Vinaya­vastu Manuscript Found Near Gilgit: Part 1: Saṅgha­rakṣitāvadāna,” in Sanskrit-Texte aus dem buddhistischen Kanon: Neuentdeckungen und Neueditionen III, edited by G. Bongard-Levin et al, 241–96. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1996a.

Vogel, Claus and Klaus Wille (1996b). “The Final Leaves of the Pravrajyā­vastu Portion of the Vinaya­vastu Manuscript Found Near Gilgit. Part 2. Nāga­kumārāvadāna and a Kučā Fragment of the Upa­sampadā Section of the Sarvāstivādins,” in Sanskrit-Texte aus dem buddhistischen Kanon: Neuentdeckungen und Neueditionen IV, edited by J. Ching et al, 11–76. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1996b.

The Commentary to “The Chapter on Going Forth”

Ācārya Kalyāṇamitra. ’dul ba gzhi rgya cher ’grel ba (Vinaya­vastu­ṭīkā, “An Extensive Commentary on the Chapters on Monastic Discipline”). Toh 4113, Degé Tengyur, vol. 156 (’dul ba, tsu), folios 177.b–326.b.

Works Cited in Introduction and Endnotes

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g.

Glossary

Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language

AS

Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

AO

Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

AD

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.

AA

Approximate attestation

The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.

SU

Source unspecified

This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.­1

abandoned the five branches

Wylie:
  • yan lag lnga spangs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཡན་ལག་ལྔ་སྤངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Buddhas have abandoned five branches or factors that perpetuate saṃsāra: pursuing desires, ill will, lethargy and languor, regret and agitation, and view and doubt.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­2

Abode of Tuṣita

Wylie:
  • dga’ ldan gyi gnas
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་ལྡན་གྱི་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • tuṣitabhavana

One of the heavens of Buddhist cosmology, counted among the six heavens of the desire realm, it is home of future Buddha Maitreya.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­10
g.­3

abscesses

Wylie:
  • shu ba
Tibetan:
  • ཤུ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • dardru
  • dardrū

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­4

accept charge of

Wylie:
  • nye bar gzhag pa
  • gzung ba
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ།
  • གཟུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

To accept (e.g., a person) as a novice.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­548
  • 1.­575
  • n.­151
  • g.­314
g.­5

accept charge of novices

Wylie:
  • dge tshul nye bar gzhag pa
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་ཚུལ་ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­646
  • 1.­649
  • 1.­651-661
  • g.­162
  • g.­425
g.­7

act

Wylie:
  • las
Tibetan:
  • ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • karman

Matters that govern the saṅgha community’s daily life, regular observances (such as the rains retreat and the restoration) and special events (like ordination) are ratified by a formal act of the saṅgha. There are one hundred and one such types of formal acts, all of which fall into one of three categories depending on the procedure needed for ratification. An act of motion alone requires only a motion; an act whose second member is a motion require a motion and the statement of the act; while an act whose fourth member is a motion require a motion and three statements of the act.

Located in 23 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • p1.­4
  • 1.­426
  • 1.­433
  • 1.­513-514
  • 1.­636
  • 5.­23
  • ap1.­1
  • n.­89
  • n.­192
  • g.­11
  • g.­14
  • g.­15
  • g.­58
  • g.­99
  • g.­170
  • g.­241
  • g.­263
  • g.­304
  • g.­305
  • g.­325
  • g.­328
g.­8

act of censure

Wylie:
  • bsdigs pa’i las
Tibetan:
  • བསྡིགས་པའི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • tarjanīyakarman

One of five types of disciplinary acts meted out by the saṅgha. This was first imposed on the Pandulohitaka monks for their quarrelsomeness.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­636
  • g.­99
g.­9

act of chastening

Wylie:
  • smad pa’i las
Tibetan:
  • སྨད་པའི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • nirgarhaṇīyakarman

One of five types of disciplinary acts meted out by the saṅgha.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­636
  • g.­99
g.­10

act of expulsion

Wylie:
  • bskrad pa’i las
Tibetan:
  • བསྐྲད་པའི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • pravāsanīyakarman

One of five types of disciplinary acts meted out by the saṅgha.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­636
  • g.­99
g.­11

act of motion alone

Wylie:
  • gsol ba ’ba’ zhig gi las
Tibetan:
  • གསོལ་བ་འབའ་ཞིག་གི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • muktikājñāptikarman RS

A formal act of the saṅgha in which the motion suffices, with no need to formally state the act. Such an act is employed before a candidate for ordination is asked about private matters pertaining to his fitness for ordination.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­512
  • 1.­550
  • 1.­576
  • g.­7
g.­12

act of reconciliation

Wylie:
  • phyir ’gyed pa’i las
Tibetan:
  • ཕྱིར་འགྱེད་པའི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • pratisaṃharaṇīyakarman

One of five types of disciplinary acts meted out by the saṅgha.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­636
  • g.­99
g.­13

act of suspension

Wylie:
  • gnas nas dbyung ba’i las
Tibetan:
  • གནས་ནས་དབྱུང་བའི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • utkṣepaṇīyakarman

One of five types of disciplinary acts meted out by the saṅgha. A monk may be suspended on one of seven grounds: failing to acknowledge an offense; refusing to amend or rehabilitate one’s behavior; deviant views; being overly belligerent and quarrelsome; creating the circumstances for a quarrel; maintaining overly close relations with nuns, unruly people, and ne’er-do-wells; and refusing to let go of a Dharma matter that has been peacefully resolved.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • p1.­4
  • 1.­636
  • 5.­24
  • n.­197
  • g.­94
  • g.­99
g.­14

act whose fourth member is a motion

Wylie:
  • gsol ba dang bzhi’i las
Tibetan:
  • གསོལ་བ་དང་བཞིའི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • jñāpticaturthakarman

A formal act of the saṅgha that requires an initial motion followed by the statement of the proposed act, repeated three times. Such an act is required for several proceedings‍—among other occasions, to fully ordain someone, or to officially threaten an intransigent monk.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­423
  • 1.­433
  • 1.­618
  • g.­99
g.­15

act whose second member is a motion

Wylie:
  • gsol ba dang gnyis kyi las
Tibetan:
  • གསོལ་བ་དང་གཉིས་ཀྱི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • jñāptidvitīyakarman

A formal act of the saṅgha that requires an initial motion followed by the statement of the proposed act. Such an act is needed to grant the vows of full ordination to a nun, among other occasions.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • g.­7
g.­18

Ajātaśatru

Wylie:
  • ma skyes dgra
Tibetan:
  • མ་སྐྱེས་དགྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • ajātaśatru

The son of King Bimbisāra.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­183-185
  • 1.­187
g.­19

Ajita

Wylie:
  • mi pham
Tibetan:
  • མི་ཕམ།
Sanskrit:
  • ajita

See “Ajita of the hair shawl.”

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­18
  • 1.­240
  • 1.­243
g.­20

Ajita of the hair shawl

Wylie:
  • mi pham skra’i la ba can
Tibetan:
  • མི་ཕམ་སྐྲའི་ལ་བ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • ajita keśakambala

One of the six tīrthika teachers contemporaneous with Śākyamuni.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­226
  • 1.­239
  • g.­19
g.­21

Ājīvika

Wylie:
  • kun tu ’tsho ba’i rigs
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ཏུ་འཚོ་བའི་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • ājīvika

A tīrthika order.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­18
  • n.­30
  • n.­40
  • n.­47
  • g.­150
  • g.­298
  • g.­405
g.­23

allow someone to go forth

Wylie:
  • rab tu dbyung ba
Tibetan:
  • རབ་ཏུ་དབྱུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • pravrājayati

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­255
  • 1.­405
  • 4.­119
  • 6.­4
  • 6.­9
g.­24

alms

Wylie:
  • bsod snyoms
Tibetan:
  • བསོད་སྙོམས།
Sanskrit:
  • piṇḍapāta

An acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 34 passages in the translation:

  • i.­23
  • i.­40
  • 1.­228
  • 1.­236
  • 1.­286-287
  • 1.­315
  • 1.­317
  • 1.­321
  • 1.­369
  • 1.­376
  • 1.­430
  • 1.­503
  • 1.­595
  • 2.­27-28
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­32
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­7
  • 4.­10
  • 4.­121
  • 4.­123-124
  • 4.­320
  • 4.­334
  • 6.­5
  • n.­179
  • n.­190
  • g.­52
g.­25

always abides by the six spheres

Wylie:
  • rtag tu gnas pa drug gis gnas pa
Tibetan:
  • རྟག་ཏུ་གནས་པ་དྲུག་གིས་གནས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

To always abide by the six spheres means to always be aware of and attentive to the six objects of visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and mental consciousness.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­26

anal fistula

Wylie:
  • bkres ngab
Tibetan:
  • བཀྲེས་ངབ།
Sanskrit:
  • aṭakkara

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­27

Ānanda

Wylie:
  • kun dga’
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་དགའ།
Sanskrit:
  • ānanda

The Buddha’s nephew and attendant who recited the Buddha’s sūtra discourses from memory after the Buddha passed.

Located in 32 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • 1.­664-667
  • 1.­670-672
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­17-18
  • 4.­2-5
  • 4.­7
  • 4.­9-11
  • 4.­13-16
  • 4.­20
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­63-64
  • 4.­80
  • 4.­82
g.­28

Anantanemi

Wylie:
  • mu khyud mtha’ yas
Tibetan:
  • མུ་ཁྱུད་མཐའ་ཡས།
Sanskrit:
  • anantanemi

King of Ujjayinī and father of Pradyota.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­11
  • 1.­13
  • g.­299
  • g.­419
g.­30

Aṅga

Wylie:
  • ang ga
Tibetan:
  • ཨང་ག
Sanskrit:
  • aṅga

A kingdom on the southern bank of the Ganges (in modern day Bihar and Bengal) whose influence waned during the life of Śākyamūni Buddha at the hands of the kings of Magadha. Its capital was at Campā.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­16
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­47-48
  • 1.­116
  • g.­65
g.­31

Aparāntin cloth

Wylie:
  • nyi ’og gi gos
Tibetan:
  • ཉི་འོག་གི་གོས།
Sanskrit:
  • aparāntaka

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. Cloth from foreign countries to the west of Magadha, such as Aparānta (also Aparāntaka), an ancient kingdom in western India.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­593
g.­32

apprentice

Wylie:
  • lhan cig gnas pa
Tibetan:
  • ལྷན་ཅིག་གནས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sārdhaṃvihārin

A junior monk who lives with and under the guidance of a senior monk.

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­630-640
  • 1.­649
  • 1.­652-654
  • 1.­659-660
  • 4.­185
  • 4.­360
  • 4.­400
  • 4.­415-416
  • 6.­2
  • n.­42
  • n.­151
  • g.­314
  • g.­326
g.­33

Arāḍa Brahmadatta

Wylie:
  • rtsibs kyis ’phur tshangs byin
Tibetan:
  • རྩིབས་ཀྱིས་འཕུར་ཚངས་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • arāḍa brahmadatta

King of Śrāvastī and father of Prasenajit.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­11
  • 1.­13
  • g.­300
g.­35

arthritis

Wylie:
  • rtsib logs tsha ba
Tibetan:
  • རྩིབ་ལོགས་ཚ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • pārśvadāha

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­36

ascetic

Wylie:
  • dge sbyong
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་སྦྱོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • śramaṇa

Specifically non-Vedic ascetics; śramaṇa ascetics are typically contrasted with brahmin householders.

See also n.­25.

Located in 52 passages in the translation:

  • i.­13
  • i.­36-38
  • i.­40-41
  • 1.­240
  • 1.­276-277
  • 1.­325
  • 1.­330-331
  • 1.­335
  • 1.­362
  • 1.­430
  • 1.­602
  • 1.­605
  • 1.­607
  • 1.­614
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­28
  • 3.­33
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­61
  • 4.­81
  • 4.­97
  • 4.­234
  • 4.­236
  • 4.­241
  • 4.­268
  • 4.­330
  • 4.­334
  • 4.­353
  • 4.­368
  • 4.­392
  • 4.­409
  • n.­25
  • n.­40
  • n.­43
  • n.­94
  • n.­100
  • n.­103
  • g.­45
  • g.­96
  • g.­103
  • g.­202
  • g.­405
  • g.­431
g.­38

asthma

Wylie:
  • dbugs mi bde ba
Tibetan:
  • དབུགས་མི་བདེ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • śvāsa

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­39

Aśvajit

Wylie:
  • rta thul
Tibetan:
  • རྟ་ཐུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • aśvajit

One of the Five Excellent Companions, with whom Siddhārtha Gautama practiced asceticism near the Nairañjanā River and later heard the Buddha first teach the Four Noble Truths at the Deer Park in Sarnath. He was renowned for his pure conduct and holy demeanor so Buddha sent him to attract Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana to the order.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­284-288
  • 1.­291
  • 1.­293
  • 1.­295
  • 1.­306-307
  • 1.­309
  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
g.­41

Awakening’s seven branches

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi yan lag bdun
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག་བདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • saptabodhyaṅga

Mindfulness, discernment, diligence, joy, pliancy, samādhi, and equanimity (Kalyāṇamitra, folios 217.b.6–218.b.2).

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­42

Bamboo Park

Wylie:
  • ’od ma’i tshal
Tibetan:
  • འོད་མའི་ཚལ།
Sanskrit:
  • veṇuvana

The park of Veṇuvana was the first settled residence specifically dedicated to the Buddhist saṅgha, offered to the Buddha by King Bimbisāra of Magadha.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­276
  • 1.­295
  • 1.­303
  • 1.­306
  • 1.­311
  • 1.­664
  • 3.­57
  • 3.­61
  • g.­186
g.­44

bar

Wylie:
  • skyes bu
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེས་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A synonym for the wood splint used as a sundial to mark time in ordination ceremonies.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­88
g.­45

bark

Wylie:
  • shing shun
Tibetan:
  • ཤིང་ཤུན།
Sanskrit:
  • valkala

Cloth made from the bark of the valkala tree was worn by Indian ascetics but forbidden to Buddhist monks and nuns.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­37
  • 1.­200
  • n.­67
g.­47

Bhadrika

Wylie:
  • bzang ldan
Tibetan:
  • བཟང་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • bhadrika

One of the five excellent companions, with whom Siddhārtha Gautama practiced asceticism near the Nairañjanā River and who later heard the Buddha first teach the Four Noble Truths at the Deer Park in Sarnath.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
g.­48

Bhāgīrathī

Wylie:
  • chu klung skal ldan shing rta
Tibetan:
  • ཆུ་ཀླུང་སྐལ་ལྡན་ཤིང་རྟ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhāgīrathī

Another name for the river Gaṇgā, mentioned by the teacher Sañjayin in encouraging Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana to seek out the Buddha who was born on its banks.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­262
g.­49

Bimbī

Wylie:
  • gzugs can
  • btsun mo gzugs can
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས་ཅན།
  • བཙུན་མོ་གཟུགས་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • bimbī
  • rājñī bimbī

The queen, wife of King Mahāpadma and mother of Bimbisāra.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • g.­50
  • g.­222
g.­50

Bimbisāra

Wylie:
  • gzugs can snying po
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས་ཅན་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bimbisāra

The king of Magadha and a great patron of Śākyamūni Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s. His father, mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (Goldie), named him ‘Essence of Gold.’

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­15-16
  • 1.­18-19
  • 1.­23-24
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­28-29
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­39-42
  • 1.­44-48
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­74
  • 1.­107
  • 1.­110
  • 1.­183-185
  • 1.­187
  • 1.­276
  • 5.­2
  • g.­18
  • g.­42
  • g.­49
  • g.­186
  • g.­199
  • g.­205
  • g.­222
  • g.­248
  • g.­462
g.­51

birth totem gods

Wylie:
  • lhan cig skyes pa’i lha
Tibetan:
  • ལྷན་ཅིག་སྐྱེས་པའི་ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • devatā sahajā

Yakṣa and other spirits that appear at the same time a person is born in order to protect them.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­149
g.­53

blood disorders

Wylie:
  • khrag nad
Tibetan:
  • ཁྲག་ནད།
Sanskrit:
  • rudhira

Illnesses that may be considered an impediment to ordination

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­54

body’s most basic feelings

Wylie:
  • lu kyi mtha’ pa’i tshor ba
Tibetan:
  • ལུ་ཀྱི་མཐའ་པའི་ཚོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

See n.­105.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­352
g.­56

bondsman

Wylie:
  • bran
Tibetan:
  • བྲན།
Sanskrit:
  • dāsa

Someone born into service, e.g., the children of slaves, serfs, and servants.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­57

bone pain

Wylie:
  • rus pa la zug pa
Tibetan:
  • རུས་པ་ལ་ཟུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • asthibheda

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­58

boundary

Wylie:
  • mtshams
Tibetan:
  • མཚམས།
Sanskrit:
  • sīmā

An area demarcated by the saṅgha which then functions as the community’s borders. Such boundaries may be set to define the area monks are confined to during the rains retreat. A gathering of all the monks within these boundaries constitutes a “consensus,” during which formal acts of saṅgha may be performed.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­636
  • n.­123
  • g.­170
g.­59

bowl

Wylie:
  • ril ba
Tibetan:
  • རིལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhājana

An implement used by brahmins for pūjā.

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­67
  • 1.­104
  • 1.­286-287
  • 1.­313
  • 1.­315
  • 1.­317
  • 1.­321
  • 1.­359
  • 1.­388-390
  • 1.­407
  • 1.­454
  • 1.­471
  • 1.­500-503
  • 1.­506
  • 1.­522
  • 1.­557
  • 1.­580-581
  • 1.­628
  • 1.­630-631
  • 1.­642-643
  • 1.­668
  • 2.­28
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­32
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­6-7
  • 4.­64
  • 4.­152
  • 4.­196
  • 4.­218
  • 4.­224
  • 4.­230
  • 4.­233
  • 4.­288
  • 4.­291
  • 4.­298-299
  • 4.­325
  • 4.­334
  • 6.­6
  • ap1.­1
g.­60

Brahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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).

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­149
  • 1.­254
  • 1.­275
  • 4.­193
g.­61

breach

Wylie:
  • ’gal tshabs can
Tibetan:
  • འགལ་ཚབས་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • sātisāra

Located in 38 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­444
  • 1.­447
  • 1.­501
  • 1.­545
  • 1.­574
  • 1.­631-639
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­34
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­34
  • 3.­56
  • 3.­75
  • 3.­85
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­99
  • 4.­110
  • 4.­128
  • 4.­178
  • 4.­337
  • 4.­358
  • 4.­398
  • 5.­17
  • 5.­19
  • 5.­21
  • 5.­23
  • 6.­8-10
g.­63

burrowed-out crevice

Wylie:
  • bya skyibs su byas pa
Tibetan:
  • བྱ་སྐྱིབས་སུ་བྱས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kṛtaprāgbhāra

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­64

call up

Wylie:
  • go skon
Tibetan:
  • གོ་སྐོན།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃnāhayati

To call up reserves or members of a standing army.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­32
g.­65

Campā

Wylie:
  • tsam pa
Tibetan:
  • ཙམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • campā

The capital of Aṅga.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­4
  • 1.­42-44
  • g.­30
g.­66

captive

Wylie:
  • brkus pa
Tibetan:
  • བརྐུས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • muṣita

Someone seized and held captive by another government, as with prisoners of war.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­67

carbuncles

Wylie:
  • lhog pa
Tibetan:
  • ལྷོག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • lohaliṅga

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination. See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­68

cell

Wylie:
  • khang pa
Tibetan:
  • ཁང་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhavana
  • veśman

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­70

chapter

Wylie:
  • gzhi
Tibetan:
  • གཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • vastu

Located in 59 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­6
  • i.­8-12
  • i.­14
  • i.­16-17
  • i.­20
  • i.­27-28
  • i.­31-33
  • i.­35
  • i.­41
  • i.­45-48
  • p1.­4
  • p2.­1
  • 1.­1
  • 3.­1
  • 4.­58
  • n.­14-22
  • n.­27-28
  • n.­37
  • n.­50
  • n.­52
  • n.­53
  • n.­66
  • n.­68
  • n.­109
  • n.­130
  • n.­182
  • n.­192
  • n.­196-197
  • g.­126
  • g.­184
  • g.­215
  • g.­270
  • g.­314
  • g.­325
  • g.­326
  • g.­365
  • g.­369
g.­71

chronic fevers

Wylie:
  • rtag pa’i rims
Tibetan:
  • རྟག་པའི་རིམས།
Sanskrit:
  • nityajvara

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­72

cloth of a fitting color

Wylie:
  • kha dog ran pa
Tibetan:
  • ཁ་དོག་རན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • samavarṇa

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. In this case, a “fitting color” has equal shades of blue, yellow, and saffron while “ill-colored” means exclusively blue, yellow, or saffron.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­73

coin

Wylie:
  • kAr ShA pa Na
Tibetan:
  • ཀཱར་ཥཱ་པ་ཎ།
Sanskrit:
  • kārṣāpaṇa

A coin of variable value, sometimes worth as little as a burnt bun and other times equal to twenty gold coins.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­29
  • n.­132
  • g.­91
g.­74

“Come, monk.”

Wylie:
  • dge slong tshur shog gi bsnyen par rdzogs pa
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་སློང་ཚུར་ཤོག་གི་བསྙེན་པར་རྫོགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ehibhikṣukā upasaṃpadā

The informal ordination first employed by the Buddha.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­12
  • i.­20
  • i.­41
  • 1.­313
  • 1.­359
  • 1.­421
  • 4.­288
  • n.­116
g.­76

complexes

Wylie:
  • ’dus pa
Tibetan:
  • འདུས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • samnipāta

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­77

confronted

Wylie:
  • sems yongs su gtugs
Tibetan:
  • སེམས་ཡོངས་སུ་གཏུགས།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­346
  • 4.­199
g.­78

consensus

Wylie:
  • mthun par gyur pa
Tibetan:
  • མཐུན་པར་གྱུར་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • samanuyujya

A gathering of all the monks present within a monastery’s boundaries for an official function (such as an ordination ceremony); with consent from any absentee monks. Also rendered here as “in concord.”

See also n.­123.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­445
  • 1.­473
  • 2.­4
  • n.­123
  • g.­58
  • g.­170
g.­80

consult

Wylie:
  • zhu bar byed pa
Tibetan:
  • ཞུ་བར་བྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­198
  • 1.­466
  • 1.­629
g.­81

convert to a tīrthika order

Wylie:
  • mu stegs can zhugs pa
Tibetan:
  • མུ་སྟེགས་ཅན་ཞུགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tīrthikāvakrāntaka

A person, who though once a Buddhist later converts, barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 4.­337
g.­82

cotton cloth

Wylie:
  • ras gos
Tibetan:
  • རས་གོས།
Sanskrit:
  • kārpāsaka

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­378
  • 1.­593
g.­83

cough

Wylie:
  • lud pa
Tibetan:
  • ལུད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kāsa

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­84

countering and undermining to the self

Wylie:
  • bdag lhan cig rtsod pa ’gyed par ’gyur
Tibetan:
  • བདག་ལྷན་ཅིག་རྩོད་པ་འགྱེད་པར་འགྱུར།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­340
  • 1.­342
  • 1.­344
g.­85

crossed the four rivers

Wylie:
  • chu bo bzhi las rgal ba
Tibetan:
  • ཆུ་བོ་བཞི་ལས་རྒལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • caturoghottīrṇa

Buddhas have crossed the rivers of desire, existence, view, and ignorance.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­86

daily fevers

Wylie:
  • rims nyin re ba
Tibetan:
  • རིམས་ཉིན་རེ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­88

debunk

Wylie:
  • rnam par ’tshe ba
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­340
  • 1.­342
  • 1.­344
g.­89

defeat

Wylie:
  • pham pa
Tibetan:
  • ཕམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pārājika

The most severe of the five types of offenses a monk can incur. It cannot be expunged and results in the monk’s defrocking, unless the saṅgha sees fit to allow him to engage in rehabilitory training.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­66
  • 1.­103
  • 1.­533
  • 1.­563
  • 1.­603
  • 1.­605
  • 1.­607
  • 1.­609-610
  • 5.­22-23
  • n.­122
  • n.­131
  • g.­129
  • g.­199
  • g.­280
  • g.­348
g.­90

defilements

Wylie:
  • zag pa
Tibetan:
  • ཟག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­357
  • 1.­613
  • 2.­18-19
  • n.­154
  • g.­120
  • g.­376
  • g.­398
  • g.­404
g.­93

deposits

Wylie:
  • gzhag pa
Tibetan:
  • གཞག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A skill taught to brahmins and kings that may relate to finance or grammar.

See also n.­60.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­16
  • n.­60
g.­94

deviant views

Wylie:
  • sdig pa can gyi lta ba
Tibetan:
  • སྡིག་པ་ཅན་གྱི་ལྟ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • pāpadarśana

One of seven grounds for suspension from the saṅgha community.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­635-636
  • 1.­649
  • 5.­24
  • g.­13
g.­95

Dharmākara

Wylie:
  • dharmA ka ra
Tibetan:
  • དྷརྨཱ་ཀ་ར།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmākara

Butön includes the Kashmiri preceptor Dharmākara in his list of ninety-three paṇḍitas invited to Tibet to assist in the translation of the Buddhist scriptures. Tāranātha dates Dharmākara to the rule of *Vanapāla, son of Dharmapāla. With Paltsek, he translated two of Kalyāṇamitra’s works on Vinaya, the Vinayapraśnakārikā (’dul ba dri ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa, Toh 4134, Degé Tengyur, vol. SU, folios 70.b.3–74.b.5) and the Vinayapraśnaṭīkā (’dul ba dri ba rgya cher ’grel pa, Toh 4135, Degé Tengyur, vol. SU, folios 74.b.5–132.a.2).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • c.­1
g.­96

Dīrghanakha

Wylie:
  • sen rings
Tibetan:
  • སེན་རིངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dīrghanakha

“He Who Has Long Fingernails,” Koṣṭhila’s name after he joined an order of wandering ascetics to continue his studies of Lokāyata philosophy. He later joined the Buddhist order and was known as Koṣṭhila again.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­38
  • 1.­134
  • 1.­332-333
  • 1.­358
  • 1.­361
  • n.­102
  • g.­202
g.­97

discarded rags

Wylie:
  • phyag dar
Tibetan:
  • ཕྱག་དར།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃkāra

An acceptable type of clothing for a Buddhist monk, as detailed in the Four Supports section.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­592
g.­98

disciple

Wylie:
  • nyan thos
Tibetan:
  • ཉན་ཐོས།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvaka

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.”

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

  • i.­14
  • 1.­283
  • 1.­310-311
  • 1.­346-349
  • 1.­363
  • 1.­422
  • 1.­431
  • 3.­59-60
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­71-72
  • 4.­220
  • 4.­226
  • 4.­232
  • 4.­276
  • 4.­295
  • 4.­313
  • 4.­317
  • 5.­18
  • n.­42
  • n.­107
  • n.­109
  • n.­115
g.­99

disciplinary act

Wylie:
  • nan tur gyi las
Tibetan:
  • ནན་ཏུར་གྱི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • praṇidhikarman

A formal act of the saṅgha requiring a act whose fourth member is a motion, meted out to a wayward monk or monks. There are five types: acts of censure, chastening, expulsion, reconciliation, and suspension.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­628
  • 1.­636
  • n.­197
  • g.­8
  • g.­9
  • g.­10
  • g.­12
  • g.­13
  • g.­309
  • g.­328
g.­100

disintegration

Wylie:
  • rnam par ’thor ba
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་འཐོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

See n.­135.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­612
g.­101

dissipation

Wylie:
  • rims ldang dub pa
Tibetan:
  • རིམས་ལྡང་དུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­104

dry rashes

Wylie:
  • g.ya’
Tibetan:
  • གཡའ།
Sanskrit:
  • kaṇḍū

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­106

dugūla

Wylie:
  • du gu la’i ras
Tibetan:
  • དུ་གུ་ལའི་རས།
Sanskrit:
  • daukūlaka

Also spelled dukula and dugulla, this has been identified differently over the centuries as a kind of bark-fiber cloth, woven silk, linen, and cloth made from cotton grown in Ganda. It is considered an acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­593
g.­107

duplicitous

Wylie:
  • tha dad du gnas pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐ་དད་དུ་གནས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • nānāsaṃvāsika

The quality of someone who has done something to be removed from a monastery or harbored intentions that contradict the Dharma.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­108

Early Rite

Wylie:
  • sngon gyi cho ga
Tibetan:
  • སྔོན་གྱི་ཆོ་ག
Sanskrit:
  • purākalpa

The early ordination rite, later adapted to include stricter criteria for admission and introduce the intermediate step, between joining the order and ordination, of induction into the novitiate.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­12
  • i.­22-23
  • 1.­429-430
g.­109

earthen cave

Wylie:
  • sa phug
Tibetan:
  • ས་ཕུག
Sanskrit:
  • bhūmiguhā
  • bhūmigrahā

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­110

eight branches of the path

Wylie:
  • lam gyi yan lag brgyad
Tibetan:
  • ལམ་གྱི་ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད།
Sanskrit:
  • aṣṭāṅgamārga

Right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­112

elder

Wylie:
  • gnas brtan
Tibetan:
  • གནས་བརྟན།
Sanskrit:
  • sthavira

A monk who possesses the qualities of stability and skill.

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­24
  • 1.­621
  • 1.­648
  • 1.­664
  • 1.­666
  • 1.­671
  • 2.­2
  • 4.­15-16
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­87
  • 4.­89-90
  • 4.­92-93
  • 4.­95-96
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­132-133
  • 4.­148
  • 4.­160-161
  • 4.­299
  • 4.­301-302
  • 4.­374-378
  • 4.­415-417
  • 4.­419-421
  • n.­151
g.­114

elephantiasis

Wylie:
  • rkang ’bam
Tibetan:
  • རྐང་འབམ།
Sanskrit:
  • ślīpadin

A physical condition considered an impediment to ordination.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
  • 6.­9
g.­116

everyday fare

Wylie:
  • rtag res ’khor
Tibetan:
  • རྟག་རེས་འཁོར།
Sanskrit:
  • naityaka

An acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­596
g.­117

exanthema

Wylie:
  • ’brum phran
Tibetan:
  • འབྲུམ་ཕྲན།
Sanskrit:
  • kiṭibha

An illness such as measles or rubella, considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­118

expenditures

Wylie:
  • dbyung ba
Tibetan:
  • དབྱུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A skill taught to brahmins and kings that may relate to finance or grammar.

See also n.­60.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­16
  • n.­60
g.­119

fatigue

Wylie:
  • ngal ba
Tibetan:
  • ངལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • klama

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
  • 4.­216
  • 4.­222
  • 4.­228
g.­120

fearless in four ways

Wylie:
  • mi ’jigs pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • མི་འཇིགས་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturvaiśāradya
  • caturabhaya

Buddhas have no fear in proclaiming that they have achieved perfect buddhahood, exhausted defilements, teach the path of renunciation, and teach precisely what constitutes an obstacle to that path and realization.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­121

feasts on the fifth, the eighth, the fourteenth, or the full moon

Wylie:
  • lnga ston
  • brgyad ston
  • bcu bzhi ston
  • nya ston
Tibetan:
  • ལྔ་སྟོན།
  • བརྒྱད་སྟོན།
  • བཅུ་བཞི་སྟོན།
  • ཉ་སྟོན།
Sanskrit:
  • pāñcamika
  • aṣṭamika
  • caturdaśika
  • pāñcadaśika

Feasts falling on these days of the lunar month are considered an acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­596
g.­122

fellow brahmacārin

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa mtshungs par spyod pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ་མཚུངས་པར་སྤྱོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sabrahmacārin

Those who are engaged in the same celibate spiritual path as the protagonist.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­24
  • 1.­542
  • 1.­621
  • 4.­94
  • 4.­147
  • 4.­152
  • 4.­220
  • 4.­226
  • 4.­232
  • 4.­334
  • 4.­336
g.­123

fevers which last a day

Wylie:
  • nyin gcig pa
Tibetan:
  • ཉིན་གཅིག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ekāhika

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­124

find refuge for

Wylie:
  • gnas ’char gzhug
Tibetan:
  • གནས་འཆར་གཞུག
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­659-660
g.­125

fine Kāśī cotton

Wylie:
  • yul ka shi’i ras phran
Tibetan:
  • ཡུལ་ཀ་ཤིའི་རས་ཕྲན།
Sanskrit:
  • kāśikasūkṣma

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­126

fire sacrifice

Wylie:
  • sbyin sreg
Tibetan:
  • སྦྱིན་སྲེག
Sanskrit:
  • —

In “The Chapter on Going Forth,” this is presumably a reference to Vedic sacrifices, which brahmins offered to, and hence burned in, a sacred fire.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­83
  • 1.­143
  • 1.­159
  • 1.­228
  • n.­40
g.­127

first-hand experience

Wylie:
  • reg par spyod pa
Tibetan:
  • རེག་པར་སྤྱོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

See n.­134.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­609
g.­128

fits

Wylie:
  • brjed byed
Tibetan:
  • བརྗེད་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • apasmāra

Epileptic or otherwise, symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­129

five types of offenses

Wylie:
  • ltung ba sde lnga
Tibetan:
  • ལྟུང་བ་སྡེ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcāpattinīkāya

The 253 different offenses a monk may incur are divided into five types: defeats, saṅgha remnants, offenses, transgressions, confessable offenses, and misdeeds.

See also n.­122.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • n.­122
  • g.­89
  • g.­237
  • g.­287
  • g.­411
g.­130

fluid retention

Wylie:
  • skya rbab
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱ་རྦབ།
Sanskrit:
  • pāṇḍu

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­131

food and drink fit for a period

Wylie:
  • thun tshod du rung ba
Tibetan:
  • ཐུན་ཚོད་དུ་རུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • yāmikāni
  • yāmikaḥ

One of “the four medicines.” This category of medicine is comprised of juices and selected other strained or pulp-free liquids, which were mainly allowed as they helped to combat the “illness” of thirst. This includes coca (coconut milk), moca (gum of the śālmalī tree), kola (jujube, sour juice or vinegar), aśvattha (juice of leaves of the fig-tree or bodhi tree), udumbara (juice of leaves of the fig-tree), pāruṣika (juice of Frewia Asiatica), mṛdvikā (raisin juice), kharjura (date juice).

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­600
g.­132

food fit for a time

Wylie:
  • dus su rung ba
Tibetan:
  • དུས་སུ་རུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • kālikāni
  • kālikaḥ

One of “the four medicines.” “Food fit for a time” is food eaten between dawn and noon, the appropriate time according to the monastic code. It refers mainly to maṇḍa (scum of boiled rice), odana (boiled rice gruel), kulmāsa (sour gruel), and māṃsapūpā (meat cake). It is medicinal in that it is primarily aimed at combating the “illness” of hunger. An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­600
g.­133

foot of a tree

Wylie:
  • shing drung
Tibetan:
  • ཤིང་དྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • vṛkṣamūla

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­306
  • 1.­597
g.­134

forgiveness

Wylie:
  • bzod pa
Tibetan:
  • བཟོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

‍—

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­636
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­31
g.­135

foundations of the training

Wylie:
  • bslab pa’i gzhi
Tibetan:
  • བསླབ་པའི་གཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • śikṣāpada

Refers to the knowledge and stability that conduce to abandoning disturbing emotions or the basic precepts one pledges to uphold when going for refuge, such as refraining from killing.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­433
  • n.­118
g.­136

four foundations of miraculous conduct

Wylie:
  • rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catvāra ṛddhipādā

Aspiration, diligence, attention, and analysis.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­280
  • n.­110
g.­137

four means of attraction

Wylie:
  • bsdu ba’i dngos po bzhi
Tibetan:
  • བསྡུ་བའི་དངོས་པོ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catvāri saṃgrahavastūni

Buddhas attract disciples through generosity, speaking pleasantly, consistency in action, and acting altruistically.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­138

Four Supports

Wylie:
  • gnas bzhi
Tibetan:
  • གནས་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catvāro niśrayaḥ

In getting ordained, a monk pledges to make do with a restricted set of supports that conduce to the holy life. These fall into four categories: clothing, shelter, food, and medicine.

Located in 59 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­591
  • g.­24
  • g.­31
  • g.­63
  • g.­68
  • g.­72
  • g.­82
  • g.­97
  • g.­106
  • g.­109
  • g.­116
  • g.­121
  • g.­125
  • g.­132
  • g.­133
  • g.­145
  • g.­151
  • g.­154
  • g.­156
  • g.­159
  • g.­160
  • g.­161
  • g.­176
  • g.­177
  • g.­203
  • g.­206
  • g.­207
  • g.­216
  • g.­224
  • g.­231
  • g.­232
  • g.­233
  • g.­234
  • g.­238
  • g.­246
  • g.­247
  • g.­252
  • g.­274
  • g.­319
  • g.­323
  • g.­324
  • g.­336
  • g.­337
  • g.­340
  • g.­341
  • g.­371
  • g.­374
  • g.­380
  • g.­397
  • g.­428
  • g.­435
  • g.­436
  • g.­437
  • g.­445
  • g.­448
  • g.­453
  • g.­454
  • g.­455
  • g.­460
g.­140

further probation

Wylie:
  • yang gzhi nas bslang ste mgu bar bya ba
  • yang gzhi nas bslang ste spo ba
Tibetan:
  • ཡང་གཞི་ནས་བསླང་སྟེ་མགུ་བར་བྱ་བ།
  • ཡང་གཞི་ནས་བསླང་སྟེ་སྤོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • mūlāpakarṣaparivāsa
  • mūlāpakarṣamānāpya
  • mūlāpakarṣamānātva

Imposed on a monk who incurs a third saṅgha remnant offense while serving his probation.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­144
g.­141

gandharva

Wylie:
  • dri za
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་ཟ།
Sanskrit:
  • gandharva

The term usually (and elsewhere in this text) refers to a class of nonhuman beings sometimes known as “celestial musicians.” In this particular context, however, it designates a disembodied sentient being in the intermediate state between death and rebirth, seeking a new body in which to take rebirth.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­150
g.­142

gaṇḍī beam

Wylie:
  • gaN+D+’i
  • gaN D+’i
Tibetan:
  • གཎྜྰི།
  • གཎ་ཌྰི།
Sanskrit:
  • gaṇḍī

An elongated, shoulder-held wooden bar (or beam) struck with a wooden striker to call the saṅgha community to assembly.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­445
  • 4.­218
  • 4.­224
  • 4.­230
g.­143

Gavāmpati

Wylie:
  • ba lang bdag
Tibetan:
  • བ་ལང་བདག
Sanskrit:
  • gavāmpati

One of the first to join the Buddha’s order of monks. He followed his friend Yaśas into the Buddhist order.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • g.­461
g.­144

Gayāśīrṣa

Wylie:
  • ga yA mgo
Tibetan:
  • ག་ཡཱ་མགོ
Sanskrit:
  • gayāśīrṣa

Site of a stūpa where the Buddha instructed the thousand monks from Uruvilvā by displaying three miracles, thereby freeing them from the wilds of saṃsāra and establishing them in the utterly final state of perfection and the unsurpassably blissful state of nirvāṇa.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­276
g.­145

ghee

Wylie:
  • zhun mar
Tibetan:
  • ཞུན་མར།
Sanskrit:
  • ājya RS
  • ghṛta RS

An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­83
  • 1.­143
  • 1.­159
  • 1.­272
  • 1.­600
  • 4.­183
  • g.­408
g.­146

givers of instruction

Wylie:
  • gnas sbyin pa
Tibetan:
  • གནས་སྦྱིན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • niśrayadāyaka

A monk who gives you instruction for even a single day. One of five types of instructors named by the Buddha when asked to elaborate on the role of an instructor.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­433
  • g.­171
g.­147

go forth

Wylie:
  • rab tu ’byung ba
Tibetan:
  • རབ་ཏུ་འབྱུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • pravrajati

To leave the life of a householder and embrace the life of a wandering, renunciant follower of the Buddha.

Located in 175 passages in the translation:

  • i.­21
  • i.­37
  • p1.­3
  • 1.­133
  • 1.­137
  • 1.­195
  • 1.­198
  • 1.­211-212
  • 1.­216
  • 1.­219-221
  • 1.­223
  • 1.­262-263
  • 1.­275-276
  • 1.­287-289
  • 1.­305
  • 1.­328
  • 1.­330
  • 1.­361
  • 1.­377
  • 1.­387-390
  • 1.­393
  • 1.­399-400
  • 1.­405-407
  • 1.­413-414
  • 1.­418-419
  • 1.­421
  • 1.­423
  • 1.­426
  • 1.­431
  • 1.­434
  • 1.­446
  • 1.­448
  • 1.­450
  • 1.­532-533
  • 1.­535-536
  • 1.­563
  • 1.­565-566
  • 1.­591-592
  • 1.­595
  • 1.­597
  • 1.­599
  • 1.­602
  • 1.­618
  • 1.­629
  • 1.­648
  • 2.­2-6
  • 2.­16
  • 2.­23-26
  • 2.­32-34
  • 3.­4-5
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­13-15
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­21-22
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­27-29
  • 3.­32
  • 3.­34
  • 3.­36-37
  • 3.­44-47
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­54-56
  • 3.­61-62
  • 3.­67-68
  • 3.­71
  • 3.­75-76
  • 3.­85-87
  • 4.­12-15
  • 4.­20
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­64-65
  • 4.­69-72
  • 4.­78
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­90
  • 4.­99
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­110
  • 4.­112
  • 4.­117-119
  • 4.­128
  • 4.­207
  • 4.­277
  • 4.­281
  • 4.­285
  • 4.­287
  • 4.­301
  • 4.­307-309
  • 4.­316
  • 4.­319
  • 4.­330-331
  • 4.­337
  • 4.­356
  • 4.­358
  • 4.­395
  • 4.­398
  • 5.­13
  • 5.­15
  • 5.­17-24
  • 6.­3-4
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­9
  • ap1.­1
  • g.­461
g.­148

gods of park shrines

Wylie:
  • kun dga’ ra ba’i lha
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བའི་ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • ārāmadeva

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­149
g.­150

Gośālīputra

Wylie:
  • gnag lhas kyi bu
Tibetan:
  • གནག་ལྷས་ཀྱི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • gośālīputra

One of the six tīrthika teachers contemporaneous with Śākyamuni. Teacher and head of the Ājīvika sect.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­18
  • i.­38
  • 1.­226
  • 1.­231
  • 1.­235
  • n.­30
  • n.­47
  • n.­89
g.­151

grass hut

Wylie:
  • rtswa’i spyil bu
Tibetan:
  • རྩྭའི་སྤྱིལ་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • yavasakuṭikā RS

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­598
g.­152

groped

Wylie:
  • phyar g.yeng
Tibetan:
  • ཕྱར་གཡེང་།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­2
g.­153

group of six

Wylie:
  • drug sde
Tibetan:
  • དྲུག་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • ṣaḍvārgikāḥ

See n.­167.

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­88
  • 4.­96
  • 4.­131-132
  • 4.­140
  • 4.­147
  • 4.­153
  • 4.­155
  • 4.­158-160
  • 4.­168
  • 4.­172
  • 4.­175-177
  • 4.­199
  • 6.­2
  • n.­167
  • g.­40
  • g.­69
  • g.­249
  • g.­308
  • g.­418
  • g.­424
g.­154

gruel

Wylie:
  • skyo ma
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱོ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • tarpaṇa

An acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­213
  • 1.­596
  • g.­132
g.­155

hemorrhoids

Wylie:
  • gzhang ’brum
Tibetan:
  • གཞང་འབྲུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • arśa
  • arśāṅgin
  • arśāṅgikuṣṭa

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­156

hempen cloth

Wylie:
  • sha na’i ras
Tibetan:
  • ཤ་ནའི་རས།
Sanskrit:
  • śaṇaśāṭin

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­157

hiccoughs

Wylie:
  • skyigs bu
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱིགས་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • hikkā

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­158

holy life

Wylie:
  • tshangs spyod
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་སྤྱོད།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmacarya

A euphemism for celibacy.

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

  • i.­20
  • i.­41-43
  • 1.­203-204
  • 1.­206-207
  • 1.­209-210
  • 1.­227-228
  • 1.­231
  • 1.­235
  • 1.­239
  • 1.­243
  • 1.­247
  • 1.­253
  • 1.­255
  • 1.­263
  • 1.­303-305
  • 1.­312-313
  • 1.­352
  • 1.­358-359
  • 1.­361
  • 1.­400
  • 1.­414
  • 1.­419
  • 1.­536
  • 1.­538
  • 1.­566-567
  • 3.­43
  • 4.­71
  • 4.­275
  • 4.­281
  • 4.­288
  • 4.­308
  • 4.­326
  • g.­138
g.­159

honey

Wylie:
  • sbrang rtsi
Tibetan:
  • སྦྲང་རྩི།
Sanskrit:
  • mākṣika

An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. Also used to translate the Sanskrit “madhu.”

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­272
  • 1.­600
g.­160

hut of leaves

Wylie:
  • lo ma’i spyil bu
Tibetan:
  • ལོ་མའི་སྤྱིལ་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • parṇakuṭikā

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­161

ill-colored cloth

Wylie:
  • kha dog ngan pa
Tibetan:
  • ཁ་དོག་ངན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • durvarṇa

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. In this case, a “fitting color” has equal shades of blue, yellow, and saffron while “ill-colored” means exclusively blue, yellow, or saffron.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­162

immature elder

Wylie:
  • gnas brtan byis pa
Tibetan:
  • གནས་བརྟན་བྱིས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A monk who has been ordained for at least ten years yet still cannot recite thePrātimokṣasūtraor its supplements and is thus not entitled to grant entry into the order, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, or live independently.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­662
g.­163

impediments

Wylie:
  • bar chad kyi chos
Tibetan:
  • བར་ཆད་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • antarāyikadharma

Personal qualities or circumstances that impede the start of or success in a person’s monastic career.

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • i.­27
  • 1.­434
  • 1.­446
  • 1.­461
  • 1.­512
  • 1.­544
  • 1.­550-552
  • 1.­572
  • 1.­576-581
  • 2.­4
  • ap1.­1
g.­164

impostor

Wylie:
  • rku thabs su gnas pa
Tibetan:
  • རྐུ་ཐབས་སུ་གནས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • steyasaṃvāsika

Someone who pretends to have been ordained though they have not. One class of person barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 4.­95
  • 4.­99-100
  • n.­169
g.­167

indentured servant

Wylie:
  • btsongs pa
Tibetan:
  • བཙོངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vikrīta

Someone obtained through sale.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­168

index

Wylie:
  • sdom
Tibetan:
  • སྡོམ།
Sanskrit:
  • uddāna

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­1
  • n.­103
g.­169

inducted into the novitiate

Wylie:
  • dge tshul nyid du nye bar sgrub pa
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་ཚུལ་ཉིད་དུ་ཉེ་བར་སྒྲུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­26
  • 1.­461-462
  • n.­124
  • g.­175
g.­170

inner circle

Wylie:
  • dkyil ’khor
Tibetan:
  • དཀྱིལ་འཁོར།
Sanskrit:
  • maṇḍalaka

A demarcated area within a larger boundary. An official act of the saṅgha requires a “consensus” of all monks present within the monastery’s boundaries or of a quorum of monks within an “inner circle.”

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­473
  • 1.­515
  • 1.­546
  • 1.­574
  • 1.­579
  • n.­123
g.­171

instructor

Wylie:
  • slob dpon
Tibetan:
  • སློབ་དཔོན།
Sanskrit:
  • ācārya

Along with the position of preceptor, this is one of two official positions created by the Buddha to ensure that new monks would receive sufficient training. The Buddha specified five types of instructor: instructors of novices, privy advisors, officiants, givers of instruction, and recitation instructors.

Located in 51 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­19
  • i.­24
  • 1.­374
  • 1.­391
  • 1.­408
  • 1.­430-435
  • 1.­437
  • 1.­440-441
  • 1.­449-450
  • 1.­462-463
  • 1.­466-468
  • 1.­475-476
  • 1.­618
  • 1.­623
  • 1.­629-640
  • 1.­667
  • 1.­671
  • 4.­120-122
  • 4.­133-134
  • 4.­161-162
  • g.­146
  • g.­172
  • g.­303
  • g.­321
g.­172

instructor of novices

Wylie:
  • dge tshul gyi slob dpon
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་ཚུལ་གྱི་སློབ་དཔོན།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāmaṇerācārya RS

An instructor who grants refuge and the novice precepts. One of five types of instructors named by the Buddha when asked to elaborate on the role of an instructor.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­433
  • g.­171
g.­173

intersex person

Wylie:
  • skyes nas ma ning
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེས་ནས་མ་ནིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • jātipaṇḍaka

Someone born with both male and female sexual organs. One of the five types of person labeled a paṇḍaka, all of whom are barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­111-112
  • n.­170
  • g.­281
g.­174

intervening summary

Wylie:
  • bar sdom
Tibetan:
  • བར་སྡོམ།
Sanskrit:
  • antaroddāna

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­362
  • 1.­628
  • 1.­677
g.­175

investiture

Wylie:
  • nye bar sgrub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་བར་སྒྲུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • upanaya

The rite by which one is inducted into the novitiate and confirms a candidate’s status as a novice in the Buddhist order of renunciates.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • ap1.­1
g.­176

invited on a whim

Wylie:
  • ’phral la bos pa
Tibetan:
  • འཕྲལ་ལ་བོས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • autpātika

To be invited to eat on a whim is an acceptable way to receive food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­596
g.­177

invited to a banquet

Wylie:
  • mgron du bos pa
Tibetan:
  • མགྲོན་དུ་བོས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • nimantraṇaka

Food served at a banquet to which one has been invited is an acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­596
g.­178

jaundice

Wylie:
  • mkhris nad
Tibetan:
  • མཁྲིས་ནད།
Sanskrit:
  • pittadoṣa

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­180

Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park

Wylie:
  • rgyal rgyal byed kyi tshal mgon med zas sbyin gyi kun dga’ ra ba
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ་མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན་གྱི་ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jetavanam anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ AO

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park. Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors.

Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth century it had been reduced to ruins.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­641
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­22
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­20
  • 3.­35
  • 3.­48
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­85
  • 4.­101
  • 4.­113
  • 4.­243
  • 4.­330
  • 4.­340
  • 4.­379
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­24
  • 6.­2
  • g.­179
g.­182

Jñātiputra, the Nirgrantha

Wylie:
  • gnyen gyi bu gcer bu
Tibetan:
  • གཉེན་གྱི་བུ་གཅེར་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • nirgrantha jñātiputra

One of the six tīrthika teachers contemporaneous with Śākyamuni. According to some, one and the same with Mahāvira, the last Tīrthaṅkara of the Jains.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­226
  • 1.­247
  • g.­181
g.­183

journeyman

Wylie:
  • nye gnas
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­630-640
  • 1.­659-660
  • 3.­63
  • n.­151
  • g.­314
  • g.­326
g.­184

junior exemplar

Wylie:
  • ches gzhon pa
Tibetan:
  • ཆེས་གཞོན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kaniṣṭha

An exemplar is one who has one or another of the twenty-one sets of five qualities given in “The Chapter on Going Forth.”

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­662
g.­185

Kakuda Kātyāyana

Wylie:
  • ka tyA’i bu nog can
Tibetan:
  • ཀ་ཏྱཱའི་བུ་ནོག་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • kakuda kātyāyana

One of the six tīrthika teachers contemporaneous with Śākyamuni. Also rendered here as “Kakuda, a descendant of Kātyāyana.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­226
  • 1.­243-244
  • 1.­247
g.­186

Kalandakanivāpa

Wylie:
  • ka lan da ka’i gnas
Tibetan:
  • ཀ་ལན་ད་ཀའི་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • kalandakanivāpa

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 Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’ Abode”) in their honor. The story is told in the Saṅghabhedavastu (Toh 1, ch.17, Degé Kangyur vol.4, folio 77.b et seq.).

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­276
  • 1.­295
  • 1.­303
  • 1.­306
  • 1.­664
  • 3.­57
g.­187

Kālika

Wylie:
  • nag po
Tibetan:
  • ནག་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • kālika

The nāga king who lauded Siddhārtha after he gave up his austerities and prepared to sit under the bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­272
g.­189

Kaṇṭaka

Wylie:
  • tsher ma
Tibetan:
  • ཚེར་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • kaṇṭaka

One of Upananda’s two novices whose homoerotic play led the Buddha to forbid allowing two novices to live together.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­2
g.­190

Kapilavastu

Wylie:
  • ser skye’i gnas
Tibetan:
  • སེར་སྐྱེའི་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • kapilavastu

The Śākya capital, where Siddhārtha Gautama was raised.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­76
  • 4.­2
  • g.­43
  • g.­443
g.­191

Karpāsī forest

Wylie:
  • ras bal can gyi tshal
Tibetan:
  • རས་བལ་ཅན་གྱི་ཚལ།
Sanskrit:
  • karpāsīvana

Where Buddha converted a noble band of sixty youths.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­276
g.­193

Kāṣṭhavāṭa

Wylie:
  • shing thags can
Tibetan:
  • ཤིང་ཐགས་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • kāṣṭhavāṭa

Maudgalyāyana’s birthplace.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­149
  • 1.­168
  • 1.­175
  • 1.­213
g.­194

Kāśyapa

Wylie:
  • ’od srung
Tibetan:
  • འོད་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • kāśyapa

One of the Buddha’s principal pupils, who became the Buddha’s successor on his passing. Also the name of the Buddha who preceded Śākyamuni.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • i.­1
g.­195

Kāśyapa

Wylie:
  • ’od srung
Tibetan:
  • འོད་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • kāśyapa

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon. Also the name of the one of the Buddha’s principal pupils.

Located in 26 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­398-400
  • 1.­413-414
  • 1.­417-419
  • 4.­68-69
  • 4.­71
  • 4.­197
  • 4.­220
  • 4.­226
  • 4.­232
  • 4.­295
  • 4.­301
  • 4.­307-308
  • 4.­313
  • 4.­316
  • 4.­319
  • 4.­326
  • g.­311
  • g.­343
  • g.­432
g.­196

Kauṇḍinya

Wylie:
  • kauN+Di n+ya
Tibetan:
  • ཀཽཎྜི་ནྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • kauṇḍinya

One of the five excellent companions, with whom Siddhārtha Gautama practiced asceticism near the Nairañjanā River and who later heard the Buddha first teach the Four Noble Truths at the Deer Park in Sarnath. Kauṇḍinya immediately realized its import and entered the stream, shortly thereafter becoming an arhat.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­92
  • n.­94
g.­197

Kauśāmbī

Wylie:
  • kau shAm bI
Tibetan:
  • ཀཽ་ཤཱམ་བཱི།
Sanskrit:
  • kauśāmbī

Home to a group of troublesome monks who quarreled with monks from Vaiśālī.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • p1.­4
  • 1.­11
  • g.­355
  • g.­417
g.­199

King of Aṅga

Wylie:
  • ang ga’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • ཨང་གའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • aṅgarāja

The King of Aṅga was the pre-eminent ruler in the eastern Gangetic region at the time of the Buddha’s birth. His defeat at the hands of Prince Bimbisāra of Magadha is narrated at the start of the Pravrajyāvastu.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2-7
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­19
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­25-26
  • 1.­28-29
  • 1.­31-34
  • 1.­40-42
  • 1.­44
g.­200

known bandit or thief

Wylie:
  • chom rkun par grags pa
Tibetan:
  • ཆོམ་རྐུན་པར་གྲགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

One of the classes of people barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­201

Kolita

Wylie:
  • pang nas skyes
Tibetan:
  • པང་ནས་སྐྱེས།
Sanskrit:
  • kolita

The name given to Maudgalyāyana by his relatives because it seemed to them he had come to them from the lap of the gods.

Located in 68 passages in the translation:

  • i.­14-15
  • i.­17
  • i.­20
  • 1.­156
  • 1.­158-159
  • 1.­168
  • 1.­172
  • 1.­175
  • 1.­179
  • 1.­185-186
  • 1.­189-190
  • 1.­192
  • 1.­194-196
  • 1.­198
  • 1.­200
  • 1.­203-214
  • 1.­216
  • 1.­221
  • 1.­225
  • 1.­227
  • 1.­229
  • 1.­231
  • 1.­233
  • 1.­235
  • 1.­237
  • 1.­239
  • 1.­241
  • 1.­243
  • 1.­245
  • 1.­247
  • 1.­249
  • 1.­252-253
  • 1.­255-258
  • 1.­270-271
  • 1.­277
  • 1.­283-284
  • 1.­295-296
  • 1.­301
  • 1.­304
  • 1.­306
  • 1.­309-312
g.­202

Koṣṭhila

Wylie:
  • stod rings
Tibetan:
  • སྟོད་རིངས།
Sanskrit:
  • koṣṭhila

Maternal uncle of Śāriputra and son of Māṭhara. He went south to study Lokāyata philosophy with Tiṣya. He later returned to study Lokāyata philosophy with an order of wandering ascetics, pledged not to cut his nails so long as he upheld Lokāyata philosophy and became known as Dīrghanakha, “He Who Has Long Fingernails.”

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­82
  • 1.­85
  • 1.­87-88
  • 1.­90
  • 1.­125-127
  • 1.­129
  • 1.­325
  • 1.­329
  • 1.­332
  • 1.­363
  • 1.­416
  • 1.­418
  • n.­109
  • g.­96
g.­203

koṭampa cloth

Wylie:
  • ko tam pa’i ras
Tibetan:
  • ཀོ་ཏམ་པའི་རས།
Sanskrit:
  • koṭambaka

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. A low-grade cloth made from kotampa fibers or kausheyam silk and linen or cotton weave.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­593
g.­206

lambswool

Wylie:
  • be’u phrug
Tibetan:
  • བེའུ་ཕྲུག
Sanskrit:
  • saumilakā

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­207

large piece of cotton

Wylie:
  • ras yug chen
Tibetan:
  • རས་ཡུག་ཆེན།
Sanskrit:
  • paṭaka

“Large” meaning twelve cubits. An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­208

large pustules

Wylie:
  • ’bras
Tibetan:
  • འབྲས།
Sanskrit:
  • gaṇḍa

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­209

latent fever

Wylie:
  • rims
Tibetan:
  • རིམས།
Sanskrit:
  • jvara

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­210

lay vow holder

Wylie:
  • dge bsnyen
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་བསྙེན།
Sanskrit:
  • upāsaka

A lay person who has taken refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha and, in addition, taken at least one of the five lay vows.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­25
  • i.­42
  • 1.­438
  • 1.­442
  • 2.­4
g.­211

learned noble disciples

Wylie:
  • ’phags pa nyan thos thos pa dang ldan pa
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་པ་ཉན་ཐོས་ཐོས་པ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • āryaśrāvakaśrutavāt

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­340
  • 1.­342
  • 1.­344
  • 1.­362
g.­212

leprosy

Wylie:
  • sha bkra
Tibetan:
  • ཤ་བཀྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

An illness considered an impediment to ordination. Can translate both sitapuṣpika and kilāsa.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­213

life-force’s most basic feeling

Wylie:
  • srog gi mtha’ pa’i tshor ba
Tibetan:
  • སྲོག་གི་མཐའ་པའི་ཚོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

See n.­106.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­352
g.­214

lifelong medicines

Wylie:
  • ’tsho ba’i bar du bcang ba
Tibetan:
  • འཚོ་བའི་བར་དུ་བཅང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • yāvajjīvika

There are no limits to the length of time monks are permitted to keep medicine proper. Hence those compounds commonly understood to be medicine proper are literally called “kept lifelong,” that is “lifelong medicines.” These are aimed at combating illnesses that arise from the confluence of factors such as bile, phlegm, and wind. The texts describe these medicines as being made from roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and other plant materials.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­600
g.­215

lifting restrictions

Wylie:
  • dgag dbye
Tibetan:
  • དགག་དབྱེ།
Sanskrit:
  • pravāraṇa

A ceremony in which restrictions adopted for the rains retreat are relaxed, marking its end. Also short for the Vinayavastu’s third chapter on the same.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • p1.­4
g.­216

linen

Wylie:
  • zar ma’i ras
Tibetan:
  • ཟར་མའི་རས།
Sanskrit:
  • kṣaumaka

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­593
  • n.­67
  • g.­106
  • g.­203
g.­218

live independently

Wylie:
  • mi gnas par ’dug pa
Tibetan:
  • མི་གནས་པར་འདུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Literally, “to live where I do not,” where “I” refers to the Buddha.

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­646
  • 1.­649-661
  • n.­151-152
  • g.­162
  • g.­326
  • g.­425
g.­219

Magadha

Wylie:
  • ma ga d+ha
Tibetan:
  • མ་ག་དྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • magadha

A kingdom on the banks of the Ganges (in the southern part of the modern day Indian state of Bihar), whose capital was at Pāṭaliputra (modern day Patna). During the life of Śākyamuni Buddha, it was the dominant kingdom in north central India and is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, Nālandā, and its capital Rājagṛha.

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­16
  • i.­18
  • 1.­2-4
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­47-48
  • 1.­116
  • 1.­276
  • 1.­316
  • 1.­318
  • 1.­322
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­4-5
  • n.­40
  • n.­72
  • g.­30
  • g.­31
  • g.­42
  • g.­50
  • g.­199
  • g.­222
  • g.­248
  • g.­318
g.­220

Mahaka

Wylie:
  • chen po pa
Tibetan:
  • ཆེན་པོ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahaka

One of Upananda’s two novices whose homoerotic play led the Buddha to forbid allowing two novices to live together.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­2
g.­221

Mahānāman

Wylie:
  • ming chen
Tibetan:
  • མིང་ཆེན།
Sanskrit:
  • mahānāman

One of the Five Excellent Companions, with whom Siddhārtha Gautama practiced asceticism near the Nairañjanā River and who later heard the Buddha first teach the Four Noble Truths at the Deer Park in Sarnath.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
g.­222

Mahāpadma

Wylie:
  • pad ma chen po
Tibetan:
  • པད་མ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāpadma

King of Magadha at the time of the Buddha’s birth, husband of Queen Bimbī, and father of Bimbisāra.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­4-7
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­22-23
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­28-29
  • 1.­32-34
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­44-45
  • 1.­47
  • 4.­74
  • g.­49
g.­224

mansion

Wylie:
  • khang bzangs
Tibetan:
  • ཁང་བཟངས།
Sanskrit:
  • prāsāda

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. Also estate.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­155
  • 1.­598
g.­225

mantle

Wylie:
  • snam sbyar
Tibetan:
  • སྣམ་སྦྱར།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃghāṭi

One of a Buddhist monk’s three robes

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­479
  • 1.­488-490
  • 4.­95
  • 4.­152
  • 4.­160
  • g.­402
g.­226

Māṭhara

Wylie:
  • gnas len gyi bu
Tibetan:
  • གནས་ལེན་གྱི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • māṭhara

A learned brahmin and author of “Māṭhara’s Treatise.” He was also the grandfather of Upatiṣya, that is Śāriputra.

Located in 31 passages in the translation:

  • i.­16
  • 1.­72-75
  • 1.­78-79
  • 1.­81-82
  • 1.­84
  • 1.­108-111
  • 1.­113
  • 1.­115-117
  • 1.­121-125
  • 1.­140
  • 1.­325-326
  • g.­202
  • g.­248
  • g.­352
  • g.­406
g.­227

matricide

Wylie:
  • ma bsad pa
Tibetan:
  • མ་བསད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • mātṛghātaka

One class of person barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­46
  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 4.­358
  • 4.­360
  • 4.­363-364
  • n.­194
g.­228

mātṛkā

Wylie:
  • ma mo
Tibetan:
  • མ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mātṛkā

An early name for the abhidharmapiṭaka and also a germinal list or index of topics.

See also n.­146.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­650-652
  • 4.­86
  • 4.­198
g.­229

Maudgalyāyana

Wylie:
  • maud gal gyi bu
Tibetan:
  • མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • maudgalyāyana

The greatest miracle worker among the Buddha’s direct disciples. His relatives named him Maudgalyāyana in honor of his being a descendant of Mudgala. Respectfully referred to as Mahāmaudgalyāyana.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • i.­12
  • i.­14
  • i.­42
  • 1.­157-158
  • 1.­163
  • 1.­165
  • 1.­402
  • 1.­412-413
  • 1.­415
  • n.­100
  • g.­39
  • g.­48
  • g.­193
  • g.­201
  • g.­297
  • g.­351
  • g.­392
  • g.­393
  • g.­394
g.­230

measure

Wylie:
  • ma sha ka
Tibetan:
  • མ་ཤ་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • māṣaka

See n.­132.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­605
g.­231

medicinal fruits

Wylie:
  • ’bras bu’i sman
Tibetan:
  • འབྲས་བུའི་སྨན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­600
g.­232

medicinal leaves

Wylie:
  • lo ma’i sman
Tibetan:
  • ལོ་མའི་སྨན།
Sanskrit:
  • viṭapabhaiṣajya RS

An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­600
g.­233

medicinal roots

Wylie:
  • rtsa ba’i sman
Tibetan:
  • རྩ་བའི་སྨན།
Sanskrit:
  • vṛntabhaiṣajya RS

An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­258
  • 1.­600
  • 4.­308
  • 4.­360
  • 4.­400
g.­234

medicinal stalks

Wylie:
  • sdong bu’i sman
Tibetan:
  • སྡོང་བུའི་སྨན།
Sanskrit:
  • daṇḍabhaṣajya

An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­600
g.­235

menial tasks

Wylie:
  • dman pa’i spyod pa
Tibetan:
  • དམན་པའི་སྤྱོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A monk who has received a punitive act must perform five kinds of menial deeds that entail his adopting the subservient role of a penitent.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • n.­144
  • g.­348
g.­236

Middle Country

Wylie:
  • yul dbus
Tibetan:
  • ཡུལ་དབུས།
Sanskrit:
  • madhyadeśa

Most of the Buddha’s life and ministry took place in the Middle Country. Its land extended to the Likara Forest in the east; the city of Śarāvatī and the Śarāvatī River in the south; the brahmin towns of Sthūṇa and Upasthūṇa in the west; and Uśīragiri in the north.

Located in 24 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­49
  • 1.­51
  • 1.­57
  • 1.­59-62
  • 1.­64
  • 1.­66-68
  • 1.­85
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­94
  • 1.­96-99
  • 1.­101
  • 1.­103-105
  • 1.­473
  • n.­72
g.­237

misdeed

Wylie:
  • nyes byas
Tibetan:
  • ཉེས་བྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • duṣkṛta

One of five types of offenses a monk can incur. Misdeeds are the least grave offense a monk may incur. Thus, a monk must refrain from each of 112 misdeeds. To purify this offense, a monk must only confess it.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • n.­122
  • g.­129
g.­238

molasses

Wylie:
  • bu ram gyi dbu ba
Tibetan:
  • བུ་རམ་གྱི་དབུ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • phāṇita

An acceptable form of medicine for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­600
  • g.­408
g.­239

monastery

Wylie:
  • gtsug lag khang
Tibetan:
  • གཙུག་ལག་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • vihāra

Located in 48 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­605
  • 1.­630
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­15
  • 4.­130-131
  • 4.­136
  • 4.­138
  • 4.­141
  • 4.­147
  • 4.­152-154
  • 4.­156
  • 4.­158-159
  • 4.­164
  • 4.­166
  • 4.­169
  • 4.­175-176
  • 4.­199
  • 4.­215-216
  • 4.­218-219
  • 4.­221-222
  • 4.­224-225
  • 4.­227-228
  • 4.­230-232
  • 4.­359
  • 4.­399
  • n.­123
  • n.­175
  • n.­188
  • g.­6
  • g.­78
  • g.­107
  • g.­165
  • g.­170
  • g.­198
  • g.­240
  • g.­243
g.­241

monk petitioner

Wylie:
  • zhu ba’i dge slong
Tibetan:
  • ཞུ་བའི་དགེ་སློང་།
Sanskrit:
  • —

The monk who acts as intermediary between a candidate for ordination and the saṅgha.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­423
  • 1.­444-445
  • 3.­38
g.­242

monkhood

Wylie:
  • dge slong gi dngos po
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་སློང་གི་དངོས་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhikṣubhāva

Also, according to certain usage, a phrase used in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya in praise of monks fully committed to the monastic ideal, as opposed especially to those who merely wear the robes.

Located in 29 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­312
  • 1.­358-359
  • 1.­421-422
  • 1.­424
  • 1.­426-427
  • 1.­602-603
  • 1.­605
  • 1.­607
  • 1.­614
  • 1.­618
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­20-21
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­47
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­87
  • 4.­275
  • 4.­285
  • 4.­287
  • 5.­18
  • 5.­20
  • 5.­22
  • 5.­24
g.­244

motion

Wylie:
  • gsol ba
Tibetan:
  • གསོལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jñapti

A formal request, e.g., that a postulant be accepted into the renunciate order or that a monk serve as preceptor granting ordination, etc.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­423
  • 1.­428
  • 1.­514
  • 1.­548
  • 1.­580
  • 2.­5-6
  • g.­7
  • g.­11
  • g.­14
  • g.­15
  • g.­245
g.­245

motion to act

Wylie:
  • las brjod pa
Tibetan:
  • ལས་བརྗོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • karmavācanā

After a motion is put to the saṅgha, a monk other than the petitioner must make a move to act on the motion.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­428
  • 1.­581-582
  • 2.­7
  • ap1.­1
g.­246

mountain cave

Wylie:
  • ri phug
Tibetan:
  • རི་ཕུག
Sanskrit:
  • giriguhā

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­598
  • 4.­313-314
g.­247

muslin

Wylie:
  • dar la
Tibetan:
  • དར་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • aṃśuka

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­248

Nālada

Wylie:
  • na la da
Tibetan:
  • ན་ལ་ད།
Sanskrit:
  • nālada

Śāriputra’s birthplace in Magadha. King Bimbisāra granted Śāriputra’s grandfather Māṭhara and father Tiṣya rights to this village as a victor’s spoils after debates held in his presence.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­72
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­108
  • 1.­116
  • 1.­167
  • 1.­179
  • 1.­213-214
  • 1.­325
g.­250

Nandā

Wylie:
  • dga’ mo
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • nandā

One of two sisters who nursed Siddhārtha Gautama after his six years of austerities.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­272
  • 1.­276
  • g.­364
g.­251

Nandabalā

Wylie:
  • dga’ stobs
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་སྟོབས།
Sanskrit:
  • nandabalā

One of two sisters who nursed Siddhārtha Gautama after his six years of austerities.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­272
  • 1.­276
  • g.­364
g.­252

natural crevice

Wylie:
  • bya skyibs su ma byas pa
Tibetan:
  • བྱ་སྐྱིབས་སུ་མ་བྱས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • akṛtaprāgbhāra

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­253

nausea

Wylie:
  • skyug bro ba
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱུག་བྲོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • chardi

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­254

new monks

Wylie:
  • gsar bu
Tibetan:
  • གསར་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • navaka

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­23-24
  • 1.­667
  • 1.­671
  • g.­171
  • g.­325
g.­255

nine stages of meditative absorption

Wylie:
  • mthar gyis gnas pa’i snyoms par ’jug pa dgu
Tibetan:
  • མཐར་གྱིས་གནས་པའི་སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ་དགུ
Sanskrit:
  • navānupūrva­vihāra­samāpattaya

The four dhyānas, the four absorptions of the formless realm, and absorption in cessation.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­256

nine things that inspire aggression

Wylie:
  • kun nas mnar sems kyi dngos po dgu
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ནས་མནར་སེམས་ཀྱི་དངོས་པོ་དགུ
Sanskrit:
  • navāghātavastūni

In his Gateway to Knowledge, Mipham identifies three groups of three thoughts that inspire aggression: (1–3) the thoughts, “This has hurt me,” “This is hurting me,” and “This will hurt me”; (4–6) the thoughts “This has hurt someone dear to me,” “This is hurting someone dear to me,” and “This will hurt someone dear to me”; and (7–9) the thoughts, “This has helped my enemy,” “This helps my enemy,” and “This will help my enemy” (mi pham rgyam mtsho 1978, p. 74).

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­257

novice

Wylie:
  • dge tshul
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་ཚུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāmaṇera

Located in 50 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­25
  • i.­39
  • 1.­461
  • 1.­463-465
  • 1.­467
  • 1.­469
  • 1.­471
  • 1.­479
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­28-32
  • 3.­2-3
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­15-18
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­25-26
  • 4.­31
  • 4.­63
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­72
  • 4.­298-301
  • 4.­321
  • 4.­323-325
  • 4.­327
  • ap1.­1
  • n.­131
  • g.­4
  • g.­172
  • g.­175
  • g.­189
  • g.­220
  • g.­333
g.­258

obscure

Wylie:
  • mi mngon pa
Tibetan:
  • མི་མངོན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • gūḍha

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­157
  • n.­60
g.­260

of good standing

Wylie:
  • rang bzhin du gnas pa
Tibetan:
  • རང་བཞིན་དུ་གནས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • prakṛtistha

An adjective applied to a monk who observes his vows and hence is “in good standing” or to a person who is sound of mind.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­100
  • 6.­2
  • n.­144
g.­261

officer

Wylie:
  • zho shas ’tsho ba
Tibetan:
  • ཞོ་ཤས་འཚོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • pauruṣeya

A government officer or official. Also a day-laborer.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­19-21
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­29
  • g.­243
g.­262

officer of the king

Wylie:
  • rgyal pos bkrabs pa
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོས་བཀྲབས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • rājabhaṭa

Such as a courtier. One of the classes of people barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­263

officiant

Wylie:
  • las byed pa
Tibetan:
  • ལས་བྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • karmakāraka

The monk that moves the saṅgha act on an aspirant’s request to join the order and be ordained.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • i.­22
  • 1.­433
  • 1.­471
  • 1.­508-509
  • 1.­512
  • 1.­546
  • 1.­550
  • 1.­552
  • 1.­574
  • 1.­576-578
  • 1.­580
  • 3.­38
  • ap1.­1
  • g.­171
g.­265

oozing pustules

Wylie:
  • mdzes
Tibetan:
  • མཛེས།
Sanskrit:
  • kuṣṭha

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­266

oozing rashes

Wylie:
  • khyi rngo
Tibetan:
  • ཁྱི་རྔོ།
Sanskrit:
  • kacchu

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination. According to Monier-Williams, any cutaneous disease.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­267

ordain

Wylie:
  • bsnyen par rdzogs pa
Tibetan:
  • བསྙེན་པར་རྫོགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • upasaṃpadā

The formal term for granting orders and confirming a candidate as a monk.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • i.­21-22
  • i.­25
  • 1.­488
  • 3.­6
  • 3.­85-86
  • 4.­119
  • ap1.­1
  • g.­14
g.­269

pain in the extremities

Wylie:
  • yan lag tu zug pa
Tibetan:
  • ཡན་ལག་ཏུ་ཟུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • aṅgabheda

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­270

Palgyi Lhünpo

Wylie:
  • dpal gyi lhun po
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་གྱི་ལྷུན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Apart from Butön’s inclusion of Palgyi Lhünpo in his list of translators, there does not appear to be much biographical information available on this ninth-century translator. In addition to his work on the vinaya, Palgyi Lhünpo translated at least two Mahāyāna sūtras (the Buddhapiṭakaduḥśīlanigraha and the Drumakinnararājaparipṛcchā), several chapters of dhāraṇī, and several works in verse included in the Tengyur. The colophons of his translations indicate that Paltsek revised some of his translations, including the Vinayavastu and the Bhikṣuṇī Vinayavibhaṅga, to either complete unfinished work or reflect newly adopted standards.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • c.­1
g.­271

Paltsek

Wylie:
  • dpal brtsegs
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་བརྩེགས།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Paltsek, from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoche’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa, Paltsek is named with Chokro Luyi Gyaltsen and Zhang Nanam Yeshé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana. He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra and was an author himself (for a list of his translations and writings, see Martin, 2011). Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Trisong Deutsen to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalogue translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs (the ldan kar ma and bsam yas mchims phu ma catalogs, which were probably the initiative of Tride Songtsen; see Raine, 2010, 8).

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • c.­1
  • g.­95
  • g.­270
  • g.­398
  • g.­439
g.­272

park

Wylie:
  • kun dga’ ra ba
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ārāma

An ārāma was a private citizen’s garden, generally found within the limits of a town or city.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­266
  • g.­39
  • g.­42
  • g.­43
  • g.­47
  • g.­186
  • g.­196
  • g.­221
  • g.­434
g.­273

patches

Wylie:
  • snam phran
Tibetan:
  • སྣམ་ཕྲན།
Sanskrit:
  • khaṇḍa

Monks’ robes are to be sewn into large sections from small patches of cloth rather than bolts of cloth.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­490
  • 1.­493
  • 1.­496
  • g.­359
g.­274

path

Wylie:
  • ’chag sar ma byas pa
Tibetan:
  • འཆག་སར་མ་བྱས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­275

patricide

Wylie:
  • pha bsad pa
Tibetan:
  • ཕ་བསད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pitṛghātaka

One of the classes of people barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­46
  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 4.­398
  • 4.­400
  • 4.­403-405
  • 4.­409
  • 4.­416
  • n.­193
g.­277

pawn

Wylie:
  • rtsod pa can
Tibetan:
  • རྩོད་པ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • vaktavyaka

Someone who has put himself up as surety or sold himself as a slave.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­279

penance

Wylie:
  • mgu bar bya ba
  • mgu
Tibetan:
  • མགུ་བར་བྱ་བ།
  • མགུ
Sanskrit:
  • mānāpya

A period of penance imposed by the saṅgha if a monk incurs a saṅgha remnant offense and fails to confess it that same day.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­638-639
  • 4.­86
  • n.­122
  • n.­144
  • g.­348
  • g.­382
g.­280

penitent

Wylie:
  • bslab pa sbyin pa
Tibetan:
  • བསླབ་པ་སྦྱིན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śikṣādattaka

A monk who has incurred a defeat but is given the opportunity to engage in rehabilitative training.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • n.­131
  • g.­235
g.­281

person labeled a paṇḍaka

Wylie:
  • ma ning
Tibetan:
  • མ་ནིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • paṇḍaka

In the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, the term paṇḍaka (Tib. ma ning) encompasses diverse physiological and behavioral conditions, such as intersexuality, erectile dysfunction, and fetishes that imply an inability to engage in normative sexual behavior. Five different types of person labeled a paṇḍaka are identified in the text (see 4.­111): intersex persons, rhythmic-consecutive persons, sexually submissive persons, persons with a voyeuristic fetish, and persons with a sexual disability (see glossary entries for each). The criteria for being designated a person labeled a paṇḍaka are not strictly physiological, but neither are they grounded exclusively in gender identity or sexual orientation. Person labeled a paṇḍaka is, in effect, a catchall category and, as such, defies easy translations like “neuter,” “androgyne,” “intersexual,” “transgender,” or “paraphiliac.”

See also Gyatso (2003), Cabezón (1993), Zwilling (1992), and Likhitpreechakul (2012).

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 4.­102-105
  • 4.­108-112
  • n.­170
  • g.­173
  • g.­284
  • g.­285
  • g.­335
  • g.­369
g.­282

person who has undergone castration

Wylie:
  • za ma
Tibetan:
  • ཟ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • ṣaṇḍha

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­285

person with a voyeuristic fetish

Wylie:
  • ma ning phrag dog can
Tibetan:
  • མ་ནིང་ཕྲག་དོག་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • īrṣyāpaṇḍaka

A person who only becomes erect out of the jealousy they feel when seeing a woman having sex with another person. One of the five types of person labeled a paṇḍaka, all of whom are barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­111-112
  • g.­281
g.­286

person with two sets of genitalia

Wylie:
  • mtshan gnyis pa
Tibetan:
  • མཚན་གཉིས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ubhayavyañjana

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­454
g.­287

personal confession

Wylie:
  • so sor bshags par bya ba
Tibetan:
  • སོ་སོར་བཤགས་པར་བྱ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • pratideśanīya

The least severe of five types of offenses a monk can incur. There are four types of offense requiring personal confession, which are expunged through personal confession.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­122
g.­296

pledge

Wylie:
  • rnyed btson
Tibetan:
  • རྙེད་བཙོན།
Sanskrit:
  • prāptaka

Someone put up as a pledge or surety by another person.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­68
  • 1.­105
  • 1.­255
  • 1.­271
  • 1.­440
  • 1.­467
  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 1.­644
  • 4.­179
  • n.­118
  • g.­135
  • g.­138
g.­297

Potalaka

Wylie:
  • gru ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • གྲུ་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • potalaka

Maudgalyāyana’s father, who was a wealthy royal priest.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­149
  • 1.­151
  • 1.­153-154
  • 1.­162-163
  • 1.­168
  • 1.­175
  • 1.­185
g.­299

Pradyota

Wylie:
  • rab snang
Tibetan:
  • རབ་སྣང་།
Sanskrit:
  • pradyota

Son of King Anantanemi of Ujjayinī.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • g.­28
g.­300

Prasenajit

Wylie:
  • gsal rgyal
Tibetan:
  • གསལ་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • prasenajit

Son of King Arāḍa Brahmadatta of Śrāvasti. Later, as king he gave all servants in his lands permission to join the Buddhist order if they wished.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­27
  • 5.­3
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­8
  • n.­196
  • g.­33
  • g.­443
g.­301

preceptor

Wylie:
  • mkhan po
Tibetan:
  • མཁན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • upādhyāya

An office decreed by the Buddha so that aspirants would not have to receive ordination from the Buddha in person. The Buddha identified two types: those who grant entry into the renunciate order and those who grant ordination.

Located in 161 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­6
  • i.­19
  • i.­24
  • i.­38
  • 1.­51
  • 1.­61-62
  • 1.­64
  • 1.­66
  • 1.­74-75
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­98-99
  • 1.­101
  • 1.­103
  • 1.­108-111
  • 1.­119-120
  • 1.­122-123
  • 1.­137
  • 1.­169
  • 1.­172
  • 1.­254-255
  • 1.­257-258
  • 1.­260-261
  • 1.­270
  • 1.­305
  • 1.­374
  • 1.­391
  • 1.­400
  • 1.­408
  • 1.­414
  • 1.­419
  • 1.­430-434
  • 1.­444
  • 1.­446
  • 1.­449-451
  • 1.­454
  • 1.­457-459
  • 1.­461
  • 1.­471
  • 1.­475-476
  • 1.­478-480
  • 1.­482-483
  • 1.­485-486
  • 1.­489-491
  • 1.­493-494
  • 1.­496-497
  • 1.­503-504
  • 1.­508
  • 1.­510
  • 1.­513
  • 1.­538-539
  • 1.­544
  • 1.­548
  • 1.­551
  • 1.­567
  • 1.­572
  • 1.­575
  • 1.­577
  • 1.­580-582
  • 1.­618
  • 1.­620
  • 1.­623
  • 1.­629-640
  • 1.­667
  • 1.­671
  • 2.­3-8
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­62-64
  • 3.­66-69
  • 4.­97
  • 4.­119-120
  • 4.­134
  • 4.­162
  • 4.­188
  • 4.­309
  • 4.­321-325
  • 4.­327
  • 4.­362-363
  • 4.­374-377
  • 4.­402-403
  • 4.­415-417
  • 4.­419-420
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­7
  • c.­1
  • ap1.­1
  • n.­168
  • g.­95
  • g.­171
  • g.­244
  • g.­339
  • g.­354
  • g.­363
  • g.­439
g.­302

Present Day Rite

Wylie:
  • da ltar byung ba’i cho ga
Tibetan:
  • ད་ལྟར་བྱུང་བའི་ཆོ་ག
Sanskrit:
  • vartamānakalpa

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­12
  • i.­25-26
g.­303

privy advisor

Wylie:
  • gsang ste ston pa
Tibetan:
  • གསང་སྟེ་སྟོན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • raho'nuśāsaka

One of five types of instructors named by the Buddha when asked to elaborate on the role of an instructor.

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­433
  • 1.­471
  • 1.­508-509
  • 1.­511-515
  • 1.­518
  • 1.­520
  • 1.­522
  • 1.­524
  • 1.­529-536
  • 1.­538
  • 1.­540
  • 1.­542
  • 1.­554
  • 1.­556-558
  • 1.­561-568
  • 1.­571
  • 3.­38
  • ap1.­1
  • g.­171
g.­304

probation

Wylie:
  • spo ba
Tibetan:
  • སྤོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • pārivāsa

A period of probation imposed by the saṅgha if a monk incurs a saṅgha remnant offense and confesses it straight away. During the period of probation, the offending monk loses many privileges and is barred from participating in official acts of the saṅgha, such as ordination ceremonies.

See also n.­144.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • p1.­4
  • 1.­628
  • 1.­637-638
  • n.­122
  • n.­144
  • g.­139
  • g.­140
  • g.­328
  • g.­331
  • g.­332
  • g.­348
  • g.­382
g.­305

probation, penance, and reinstatement

Wylie:
  • spo mgu dbyung gsum
Tibetan:
  • སྤོ་མགུ་དབྱུང་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • parivāsa, mānāpya, āvarhaṇa

Official acts of saṅgha enacted when a monk incurs a saṅgha remnant offense.

See also n.­144.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­144
g.­306

prominent nose

Wylie:
  • sna’i gzengs mtho ba
Tibetan:
  • སྣའི་གཟེངས་མཐོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • tuṅganāsa

A prominent nose, i.e. with a high nasal root, was considered an attractive feature in ancient India. This may refer to an aquiline nose.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­139
  • 1.­156
  • 4.­182
g.­307

pulmonary consumption

Wylie:
  • skem pa
Tibetan:
  • སྐེམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śoṣa

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­309

punitive act

Wylie:
  • chad pa’i las
Tibetan:
  • ཆད་པའི་ལས།
Sanskrit:
  • daṇḍakarman

A generic name for disciplinary acts imposed by the saṅgha.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • n.­166
  • g.­235
  • g.­382
g.­310

Pūraṇa

Wylie:
  • rdzogs byed
Tibetan:
  • རྫོགས་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • pūraṇa

An abbreviation of Pūraṇa Kāśyapa.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­18
  • 1.­228
  • 1.­231
  • g.­311
g.­311

Pūraṇa Kāśyapa

Wylie:
  • ’drob skyong gi bu rdzogs byed
Tibetan:
  • འདྲོབ་སྐྱོང་གི་བུ་རྫོགས་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • pūraṇa kāśyapa

Literally, “Pūraṇa, descendant of Kāśyapa,” he was one of the six tīrthika teachers contemporaneous with Śākyamuni.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­226-227
  • g.­310
g.­312

Pūrṇa

Wylie:
  • gang po
Tibetan:
  • གང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • pūrṇa

One of the first to join the Buddha’s renunciate order. He followed his friend Yaśas into the Buddhist order.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
  • g.­461
g.­313

pyrexia

Wylie:
  • lus tsha ba
Tibetan:
  • ལུས་ཚ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • aṅgadāha

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination. The correct Sanskrit may be agnidāha.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­314

qualities of stability and skill

Wylie:
  • brtan mkhas kyi yon tan
Tibetan:
  • བརྟན་མཁས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

To accept charge of monk apprentices and monk journeymen, a monk must himself be both stable, meaning he has been ordained at least five or ten years without incurring an offense, and knowledgeable, meaning he has at least one of the twenty-one sets of five qualities described in “The Chapter on Going Forth.”

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • n.­151
  • g.­112
g.­315

quartan fevers

Wylie:
  • nyin bzhi pa
Tibetan:
  • ཉིན་བཞི་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • cāturthaka

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
  • n.­125
g.­316

raging fever

Wylie:
  • rims drag po
Tibetan:
  • རིམས་དྲག་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • prajvara

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­318

Rājagṛha

Wylie:
  • rgyal po’i khab
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Sanskrit:
  • rājagṛha

Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar, Rājagṛha was the capital of the kingdom of Magadha during the Buddha’s lifetime.

Located in 37 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • i.­14-15
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­105
  • 1.­183
  • 1.­225-226
  • 1.­265
  • 1.­276-277
  • 1.­286-287
  • 1.­295
  • 1.­303
  • 1.­315-322
  • 1.­324
  • 1.­328-329
  • 1.­664
  • 1.­671
  • 3.­57
  • n.­100
  • g.­219
  • g.­462
g.­319

raw silk

Wylie:
  • mon dar
Tibetan:
  • མོན་དར།
Sanskrit:
  • kauśeyaka

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­320

ready your robes

Wylie:
  • chos gos kyi las gyis shig
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་གོས་ཀྱི་ལས་གྱིས་ཤིག
Sanskrit:
  • cīvarakarma karotu

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­664-665
g.­321

recitation instructor

Wylie:
  • klog gi slob dpon
Tibetan:
  • ཀློག་གི་སློབ་དཔོན།
Sanskrit:
  • pāṭhācārya

A monk who teaches another to recite even a single verse. One of five types of instructors named by the Buddha when asked to elaborate on the role of an instructor.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­433
  • g.­171
g.­323

red shawl

Wylie:
  • la dmar
Tibetan:
  • ལ་དམར།
Sanskrit:
  • kṛmivarṇā

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­324

red wool

Wylie:
  • be’u ras dmar po
Tibetan:
  • བེའུ་རས་དམར་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • kṛmilikā

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­325

refuge

Wylie:
  • gnas
Tibetan:
  • གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • niśraya

In “The Chapter on Going Forth,” Kalyāṇamitra reads this as an abbreviation of “refuge instructor” (Tib. gnas kyi slob dpon). A “refuge” or “refuge monk” is one who has passed ten years as a monk and possesses five qualities and is thus fit to guide new monks, grant ordination, and instruction. In “The Chapter on Going Forth,” the Buddha says a monk who has been ordained five years may be considered “independent” enough to travel independently between monsoons. Though the text does not address the issue, a monk of five years ordination would not, in ordinary circumstances, acts as a refuge instructor.

Located in 43 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­433-434
  • 1.­436
  • 1.­457-458
  • 1.­461
  • 1.­463
  • 1.­646
  • 1.­649-661
  • 1.­667
  • 1.­671-672
  • 1.­674-675
  • 1.­677-678
  • 2.­4
  • 3.­38
  • 4.­115-117
  • 4.­179
  • ap1.­1
  • n.­118
  • n.­151
  • n.­154
  • g.­135
  • g.­162
  • g.­172
  • g.­210
  • g.­425
g.­326

refuge instructor

Wylie:
  • gnas kyi slob dpon
Tibetan:
  • གནས་ཀྱི་སློབ་དཔོན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Newly ordained monks are not allowed to live independently until they have passed ten years as a monk and possess one of twenty-one sets of five qualities described in “The Chapter on Going Forth.” Until that time, they are obliged to live as apprentices or journeymen to a refuge so that they may learn and become established in the conduct expected of a Buddhist renunciate.

See also n.­151.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • g.­325
g.­327

regular duties

Wylie:
  • kun tu spyod pa’i chos
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ཏུ་སྤྱོད་པའི་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • samudācāradharma

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­630
  • 2.­27
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­30
g.­328

reinstatement

Wylie:
  • dbyung ba
Tibetan:
  • དབྱུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ābarhaṇa
  • āvarhaṇa

Though classed as one of the five disciplinary acts imposed on a monk, it is the act used to restore full status to a monk upon his satisfactory completion of a disciplinary act like probation.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­628
  • 1.­639
g.­329

renunciant

Wylie:
  • rab byung
Tibetan:
  • རབ་བྱུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Sanskrit pravrajyā literally means “going forth,” with the sense of leaving the life of a householder and embracing the life of a renunciant. When the term is applied more technically, it refers to the act of becoming a male novice (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or female novice (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma), this being a first stage leading to full ordination.

Located in 37 passages in the translation:

  • i.­11
  • i.­13-15
  • i.­19
  • i.­26
  • i.­28
  • i.­37
  • 1.­224-225
  • 1.­255
  • 1.­284
  • 1.­287
  • 1.­290
  • 1.­315
  • 1.­317
  • 1.­321
  • 1.­328
  • 1.­330
  • 1.­377
  • 1.­383
  • 1.­394-395
  • 1.­457-460
  • 2.­29-30
  • 3.­82
  • 4.­238-239
  • 4.­276
  • 6.­6
  • n.­24
  • n.­185
  • g.­147
g.­330

reparations

Wylie:
  • phyir bcos
Tibetan:
  • ཕྱིར་བཅོས།
Sanskrit:
  • pratikriyā

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­636
g.­331

repeat penance

Wylie:
  • gzhi nas mgu bar bya ba
Tibetan:
  • གཞི་ནས་མགུ་བར་བྱ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • mūlamānāpya

Imposed on a monk who incurs a second similar saṅgha remnant offense while serving his probation.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­638-639
g.­332

repeat probation

Wylie:
  • gzhi nas spo ba
Tibetan:
  • གཞི་ནས་སྤོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • mūlaparivāsa

Imposed on a monk who incurs a second similar saṅgha remnant offense while serving his probation.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­637-638
  • n.­144
g.­333

restoration

Wylie:
  • gso sbyong
Tibetan:
  • གསོ་སྦྱོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • poṣadha

A twice monthly ceremony performed by monks, nuns, and novices in which the ordained confess and remedy offenses against their vows, thereby purifying and restoring the vows.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • p1.­4
  • 4.­100
  • 4.­332-333
  • 4.­336
  • n.­122
  • n.­131
  • n.­137
  • n.­169
  • n.­192
  • g.­7
  • g.­79
  • g.­375
g.­334

revenues

Wylie:
  • gzhug pa
Tibetan:
  • གཞུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A skill taught to brahmins and kings that may relate to finance or grammar.

See also n.­60.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­16
  • n.­60
g.­335

rhythmic-consecutive person

Wylie:
  • zla ba phyed pa’i ma ning
Tibetan:
  • ཟླ་བ་ཕྱེད་པའི་མ་ནིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • pakṣapaṇḍaka

Someone who is female for half of the month and then becomes male for the other half; someone who is stricken with female desires for half of the month and male desires for the other half; or a person who has a sexual disability for half of the month. One of the five types of person labeled a paṇḍaka, all of whom are barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­111-112
  • g.­281
g.­336

rice

Wylie:
  • ’bras zan
Tibetan:
  • འབྲས་ཟན།
Sanskrit:
  • bhakta

An acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­48
  • 1.­59
  • 1.­96
  • 1.­213
  • 1.­272
  • 4.­325
  • g.­132
g.­337

rock cave

Wylie:
  • brag phug
Tibetan:
  • བྲག་ཕུག
Sanskrit:
  • śailaguhā

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­598
g.­339

role model in the renunciant life

Wylie:
  • tshul dang ’brel ba’i gzugs brnyan
Tibetan:
  • ཚུལ་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་གཟུགས་བརྙན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

As a monk should regard his preceptor as a surrogate father, the preceptor is referred to as a “role model in the renunciant life.”

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­620
  • 3.­41
  • ap1.­1
g.­340

rooftop shed

Wylie:
  • khang steng gi yol khang
Tibetan:
  • ཁང་སྟེང་གི་ཡོལ་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • talakopari daṇḍacchadana

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­341

rotunda

Wylie:
  • ba gam
Tibetan:
  • བ་གམ།
Sanskrit:
  • aṭṭāla
  • aṣṭhala
  • aṣṭala
  • niryūha

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­342

royal priest

Wylie:
  • mdun na ’don pa
Tibetan:
  • མདུན་ན་འདོན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • purohita

A brahmin who serves as the king’s chaplain and chief ritual officiate for Vedic sacrifices.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • i.­14
  • 1.­149
  • 1.­168
  • 1.­175
  • 1.­185-188
  • 1.­331
  • g.­297
g.­343

Ṛṣipatana Deer Park

Wylie:
  • drang srong ri dwags kyi nags
Tibetan:
  • དྲང་སྲོང་རི་དྭགས་ཀྱི་ནགས།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛṣipatana mṛgadāva
  • ṛṣivadana mṛgadāva

The site near Vārāṇasī where the Buddha first turned the wheel of Dharma and former abode of the Buddha Kāśyapa.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­398
  • 1.­413
  • 1.­417
  • 4.­69
  • 4.­295
  • 4.­307
  • 4.­313
g.­346

sanction

Wylie:
  • byin gyis brlab pa
Tibetan:
  • བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • adhiṣṭhāna

A monk’s robes are sanctioned at ordination. Furthermore, two types of offenses, saṅgha remnant offense and transgressions requiring forfeiture, must be formally sanctioned or excused in order to be completely expunged.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • ap1.­1
g.­347

sanctuary

Wylie:
  • dri gtsang khang
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་གཙང་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • gandhakuṭī

A special room or shrine dedicated to a buddha, intended as both residence and reliquary. A common feature especially in rock-cut temples.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­389
  • 1.­404
  • 4.­197
  • g.­361
g.­348

saṅgha remnant

Wylie:
  • dge ’dun lhag ma
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་འདུན་ལྷག་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • saṅghāvaśeṣa

One of five types of offense a monk can incur. Second only to a defeat in severity, there are thirteen such offenses. After a monastic incurs one of these offenses, a “remnant” (Tib. lhag ma; Skt. śeṣa) of the prātimokṣa vow must be restored through the serving of a probation or, if the offense is concealed, a penance followed by probation, during which the offending monk loses certain privileges and must perform menial tasks. Upon completion of this period of probation and penance, the saṅgha may then reinstate the monk with full honors and privileges.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­637
  • 4.­86
  • n.­122
  • n.­144
  • g.­129
  • g.­140
  • g.­279
  • g.­304
  • g.­305
  • g.­331
  • g.­332
  • g.­346
g.­350

Sañjayin, son of Vairaṭṭī

Wylie:
  • smra ’dod kyi bu mo’i bu yang dag rgyal
Tibetan:
  • སྨྲ་འདོད་ཀྱི་བུ་མོའི་བུ་ཡང་དག་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • sañjayin vairaṭṭīputra

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­226
  • 1.­235
g.­351

Sañjayin, the teacher

Wylie:
  • ston pa yang dag rgyal
Tibetan:
  • སྟོན་པ་ཡང་དག་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • śāstā sañjayin

Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana joined his order after rejecting the six tīrthika teachers.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • i.­15
  • 1.­252-253
  • 1.­255
  • 1.­257
  • 1.­329
  • g.­48
  • g.­392
  • g.­393
  • g.­394
g.­352

Śārikā

Wylie:
  • shA ri kA
  • shA ri
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱ་རི་ཀཱ།
  • ཤཱ་རི།
Sanskrit:
  • śārikā

Māṭhara’s daughter and mother of Upatiṣya (aka Śāriputra).

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­84-85
  • 1.­124-128
  • 1.­135-136
  • 1.­138-139
  • 1.­141
  • 1.­325
  • 1.­327
  • g.­353
  • g.­406
g.­353

Śāriputra

Wylie:
  • shA ri’i bu
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • śāriputra

The wisest of Buddha’s disciples. Śāriputra’s father Tiṣya named him Śāriputra, “Śārikā’s Son,” to honor Śāriputra’s mother Śārikā.

Located in 49 passages in the translation:

  • i.­12
  • i.­14
  • i.­39
  • i.­42
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­141-142
  • 1.­223
  • 1.­328
  • 1.­356-357
  • 1.­362
  • 1.­364-365
  • 1.­381
  • 1.­383-384
  • 1.­395
  • 1.­397
  • 1.­399
  • 1.­401
  • 4.­95
  • 4.­179-180
  • 4.­184-185
  • 4.­189
  • 4.­193
  • 4.­195
  • n.­60
  • n.­100
  • n.­109
  • n.­115
  • g.­39
  • g.­48
  • g.­202
  • g.­226
  • g.­248
  • g.­349
  • g.­351
  • g.­352
  • g.­389
  • g.­391
  • g.­392
  • g.­393
  • g.­394
  • g.­406
  • g.­426
g.­354

Sarvajñādeva

Wylie:
  • sarba dz+nyA de ba
Tibetan:
  • སརྦ་ཛྙཱ་དེ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • sarvajñādeva

According to traditional accounts, the Kashmiri preceptor Sarvajñādeva was among the “one hundred” paṇḍitas invited by Trisong Deutsen (r. 755–797/800) to assist with the translation of the Buddhist scriptures into Tibetan. Sarvajñādeva assisted in the translation of more than twenty-three works, including numerous sūtras and the first translations of Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra and Nāgarjuna’s Suhṛllekha. Much of this work was likely carried out in the first years of the ninth century and may have continued into the reign of Ralpachen, who ascended the throne in 815 and died in 838 or 841 ᴄᴇ. (See Dotson, 2007, for a summary of the imperial chronology between Trisong Deutsen’s abdication in 797 and Ralpachen’s ascension in 815).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • c.­1
g.­355

Śatānīka

Wylie:
  • dmag brgya pa
Tibetan:
  • དམག་བརྒྱ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śatānīka

King of Kauśāmbī and father of Udayana.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­11
  • 1.­13
  • g.­417
g.­356

scabs

Wylie:
  • rkang shu
Tibetan:
  • རྐང་ཤུ།
Sanskrit:
  • vicarcikā

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­357

scion of Agniveṣya's line

Wylie:
  • mer ’jug
Tibetan:
  • མེར་འཇུག
Sanskrit:
  • agnivaiśyāyana

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­333-339
  • 1.­346-347
g.­358

seclusion

Wylie:
  • nang du yang dag ’jog
Tibetan:
  • ནང་དུ་ཡང་དག་འཇོག
Sanskrit:
  • pratisaṃlayana

This term can mean both physical seclusion and a meditative state of withdrawal.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­15
  • 1.­252-253
g.­359

section

Wylie:
  • glegs bu
Tibetan:
  • གླེགས་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • paṭṭaka

Monks’ robes are to be sewn into large sections from small patches of cloth rather than bolts of cloth.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­490
  • 1.­493
  • 1.­496
g.­360

secure

Wylie:
  • mkhos su ’bebs pa
Tibetan:
  • མཁོས་སུ་འབེབས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pratiśāmayati

As in to secure one’s goods to a pack animal.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­15
  • 1.­222
  • 4.­285
g.­362

seek counsel

Wylie:
  • yongs su zhu bar byed pa
Tibetan:
  • ཡོངས་སུ་ཞུ་བར་བྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­629
g.­364

Senānī

Wylie:
  • sde ’dod
Tibetan:
  • སྡེ་འདོད།
Sanskrit:
  • senānī

The village where the village headman’s daughters, Nandā and Nandabalā (elsewhere known as Sujata and her sister) nursed Siddhārtha Gautama after his six years of austerities and where he later convinced them of the Truths.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­272
  • 1.­276
g.­365

senior exemplar

Wylie:
  • ches rgan pa
Tibetan:
  • ཆེས་རྒན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vṛddhataraka

An exemplar is one who has one or another of the twenty-one sets of five qualities given in “The Chapter on Going Forth.”

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­662
g.­367

sesame oil

Wylie:
  • ’bru mar
Tibetan:
  • འབྲུ་མར།
Sanskrit:
  • taila

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­600
g.­368

seven treasures of a noble being

Wylie:
  • ’phags pa’i nor bdun
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་པའི་ནོར་བདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • saptadhanāni

Dungkar Rinpoche gives two similar lists of the seven treasures of a noble being: (1) faith, ethics, generosity, learning, samaya, a conscience, and wisdom; and (2) faith, ethics, learning, generosity, a conscience, propriety, and wisdom (dung dkar, 2002, pp. 1370–71).

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­369

sexually submissive person

Wylie:
  • ’khyud nas ldang ba’i ma ning
Tibetan:
  • འཁྱུད་ནས་ལྡང་བའི་མ་ནིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • āsaktaprādurbhāvī paṇḍaka

“The Chapter on Going Forth” defines this as, “One who becomes erect if embraced by another.” Though its exact meaning is not clear, fetishism seems to be implied. One of the five types of person labeled a paṇḍaka, all of whom are barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­111-112
  • g.­281
g.­370

shape shifter

Wylie:
  • sprul pa
Tibetan:
  • སྤྲུལ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pratāraṇā RS

One of the classes of beings barred from joining the renunciate order. The word sprul pa denotes a wide range of phenomena‍—emanations, apparitions, conjurings, shape-shifting creatures, etc.‍—all united by their tendency to morph through their own agency or another’s. We have therefore translated sprul pa according to context as “emanation” or “shape shifter.”

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 4.­124-128
  • 4.­155
  • 4.­177
  • 4.­199
  • 4.­201-204
  • n.­178
  • g.­115
g.­371

shed

Wylie:
  • yol khang
Tibetan:
  • ཡོལ་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • daṇḍacchadana

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­598
g.­372

shrine

Wylie:
  • mchod rten
Tibetan:
  • མཆོད་རྟེན།
Sanskrit:
  • stūpa
  • caitya

This can refer to a shrine or a reliquary.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­197-198
  • 4.­201
  • g.­347
g.­374

silk

Wylie:
  • dar
Tibetan:
  • དར།
Sanskrit:
  • —

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­593
  • g.­106
  • g.­203
g.­375

simple transgression

Wylie:
  • ltung byed ’ba’ zhig
Tibetan:
  • ལྟུང་བྱེད་འབའ་ཞིག
Sanskrit:
  • śuddhaprāyaścittika

One of two types of offense. There are ninety varieties of simple transgression. These are expunged through participation in the community’s restoration.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­122
g.­376

six branches

Wylie:
  • yan lag drug
Tibetan:
  • ཡན་ལག་དྲུག
Sanskrit:
  • ṣaḍaṅga

Knowledge of miraculous realms, the divine ear, different states of mind, previous rebirths, birth and death, and the exhaustion of defilements.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­378

small pustules

Wylie:
  • phol mig
Tibetan:
  • ཕོལ་མིག
Sanskrit:
  • piṭaka

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­379

son of a lord

Wylie:
  • rje’i sras
Tibetan:
  • རྗེའི་སྲས།
Sanskrit:
  • āryaputra

A respectful address used by a wife to her husband.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­153
  • 1.­377
  • 3.­48
  • 4.­340
  • 4.­349
  • 4.­351
  • 4.­387
  • 4.­390
g.­380

soup

Wylie:
  • thug pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • yavāgū

An acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­430
  • 1.­596
g.­381

South (region)

Wylie:
  • yul lho
Tibetan:
  • ཡུལ་ལྷོ།
Sanskrit:
  • dakṣiṇāpatha

A region centered on the capital city at Suvarṇagiri.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­49
  • 1.­55
  • 1.­58
  • 1.­85
  • 1.­92
  • 1.­95
  • 1.­130-131
  • 1.­325
  • n.­65
  • g.­202
g.­382

special demeanor

Wylie:
  • khyad par gyi spyod pa
Tibetan:
  • ཁྱད་པར་གྱི་སྤྱོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A monk who has received a punitive act, a probation and penance, must accept a probation that involves rejecting the honors accorded to observant monks and adopting a position of deference.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­144
g.­383

splint

Wylie:
  • thur ma
Tibetan:
  • ཐུར་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A wood splint four-finger widths tall used as a sundial to mark the time in ordination ceremonies.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­585
  • g.­44
g.­384

Śrāvastī

Wylie:
  • mnyan yod
Tibetan:
  • མཉན་ཡོད།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvastī

During the life of the Buddha, Śrāvastī was a major city in the kingdom of Kosala, in present day Uttar Pradesh.

Located in 50 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­11
  • 1.­641-642
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­27-28
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­10-11
  • 3.­14-17
  • 3.­20
  • 3.­24-25
  • 3.­28
  • 3.­30-32
  • 3.­35
  • 3.­48
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­2-4
  • 4.­85
  • 4.­87
  • 4.­92-94
  • 4.­101
  • 4.­113
  • 4.­131
  • 4.­159
  • 4.­179
  • 4.­243
  • 4.­330
  • 4.­340
  • 4.­379
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­24
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­5-6
  • g.­33
  • g.­62
g.­385

stable

Wylie:
  • brtan pa
Tibetan:
  • བརྟན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A monk who has been ordained at least five or ten years without incurring an offense is considered stable.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • g.­314
g.­386

Subāhu

Wylie:
  • lag bzangs
Tibetan:
  • ལག་བཟངས།
Sanskrit:
  • subāhu

One of the first to join the Buddha’s order of monks. He followed his friend Yaśas into the Buddhist order.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
  • g.­461
g.­389

Sūkṣmā

Wylie:
  • zhib mo
Tibetan:
  • ཞིབ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • sūkṣmā

The younger sister of the pratyekabuddha Śūrpī and also a prior incarnation of Śāriputra.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­367-368
  • 1.­371-372
  • 1.­375
  • 1.­378-381
  • g.­391
g.­391

Śūrpī

Wylie:
  • zhib ma mo
Tibetan:
  • ཞིབ་མ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • śūrpī

A boy in a story the Buddha tells to explain why Śāriputra is his brightest student. The pratyekabuddha brother of Sūkṣmā, a prior incarnation of Śāriputra.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­367
  • 1.­369
  • 1.­373-375
  • g.­389
g.­392

Suvarṇadvīpa

Wylie:
  • gser gling
Tibetan:
  • གསེར་གླིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • suvarṇadvīpa

Home of King Suvarṇapati who figures in a prophecy made by Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana’s teacher Sañjayin that convinces them of their teacher’s prescience, which in turn gives them conviction to seek out the Buddha as Sañjayin advised they should.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­259
  • 1.­265-266
  • g.­393
  • g.­394
g.­393

Suvarṇajaṭa

Wylie:
  • ral pa gser ’dra
Tibetan:
  • རལ་པ་གསེར་འདྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • suvarṇajaṭa

A young brahmin from Suvarṇadvīpa who brings news to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana that confirms their teacher Sañjayin’s prophecy and sparks their search for the Buddha.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­265
g.­394

Suvarṇapati

Wylie:
  • gser bdag
Tibetan:
  • གསེར་བདག
Sanskrit:
  • suvarṇapati

A king of Suvarṇadvīpa who figures in a prophecy made by the teacher Sañjayin that convinces Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana of his prescience. This in turn gives them conviction to seek out the Buddha as Sañjayin advised they should.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­259
  • 1.­266
  • g.­392
g.­396

tantamount to stealing

Wylie:
  • rku ba’i grangs su gtogs pa
Tibetan:
  • རྐུ་བའི་གྲངས་སུ་གཏོགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

The measure of an object’s value that makes taking it without permission an act of stealing.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­605
g.­397

temple

Wylie:
  • gtsug lag khang
Tibetan:
  • གཙུག་ལག་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • vihāra

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 4.­148
  • n.­129
  • n.­173
  • g.­347
g.­398

ten strengths

Wylie:
  • stobs bcu
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་བཅུ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśabala

Kalyāṇamitra gives a list of nine strengths: the strengths of knowing right from wrong; knowing one’s karma is one’s own doing; absorption in concentration, liberation, and samādhi; knowing supreme faculties from those that are not; knowing the range of dispositions; knowing the paths on which all tread; knowing and recollecting past rebirths; knowing birth and death; and knowing the exhaustion of defilements (Kalyāṇamitra, folios 218.b.2–218.b.6). To these, one can add the tenth from a list given by Kawa Paltsek in his A Mnemonic for Dharma Lists, which follows Kalyāṇamitra’s in most other regards: The strength of knowing the range of different inclinations (nor brang 2008, pp. 2180–81).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­280
  • n.­110
g.­399

tertian fevers

Wylie:
  • nyin gsum pa
Tibetan:
  • ཉིན་གསུམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • traitīyaka

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­400

threat to the king

Wylie:
  • rgyal po la sdigs pa
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོ་ལ་སྡིགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

One of the classes of people barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­401

three approaches to discipline

Wylie:
  • dul ba’i gnas gsum
Tibetan:
  • དུལ་བའི་གནས་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Buddhas discipline in ways that are unequivocally gentle, unequivocally harsh, and both gentle and harsh.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­402

three robes

Wylie:
  • chos gos gsum
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་གོས་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • tricīvara

The upper robe, under robe, and mantle of a monk.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­479
  • 1.­489
  • 1.­522
  • 1.­557
  • 1.­580-581
  • g.­225
  • g.­420
  • g.­427
g.­403

three trainings

Wylie:
  • bslab pa gsum
Tibetan:
  • བསླབ་པ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • śikṣātraya
  • triśikṣā

Ethics, attention, and wisdom.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­404

three types of knowledge

Wylie:
  • rig pa gsum
Tibetan:
  • རིག་པ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • trividyā

Recollecting past lives, presaging death, and knowing the exhaustion of defilements.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­405

tīrthika

Wylie:
  • mu stegs can
Tibetan:
  • མུ་སྟེགས་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • tīrthya
  • tīrthika

The term used by early Buddhists to refer to contemporary religious or philosophical orders, including Brahmanical traditions as well as non-Brahmanical traditions such as the Jains, Jaṭilas, Ājīvikas, and Cārvākas. Initially, the term tīrthika or tīrthya may have referred to non-Brahmanic ascetic orders. According to Edgerton and supported by Schopen (2000, n. I.18), the term was generally used in a pejorative sense, as a marker of differentiation.

See also n.­26 and n.­27.

Located in 48 passages in the translation:

  • i.­12
  • i.­15
  • i.­17-18
  • i.­42
  • p1.­2
  • 1.­226
  • 1.­252
  • 1.­315
  • 1.­317
  • 1.­321
  • 1.­330
  • 1.­430
  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
  • 1.­648
  • 2.­2-11
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­268
  • 4.­330
  • 4.­332
  • 4.­335-339
  • 4.­353
  • 4.­392
  • n.­26-27
  • n.­185
  • g.­20
  • g.­21
  • g.­150
  • g.­182
  • g.­185
  • g.­311
  • g.­344
  • g.­351
g.­406

Tiṣya

Wylie:
  • skar rgyal
Tibetan:
  • སྐར་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • tiṣya

Lokāyata philosopher from Dakṣiṇa who bested Māṭhara in debate and was offered the hand of Māṭhara’s daughter, Śārikā. Father of Upatiṣya (aka Śāriputra).

Located in 38 passages in the translation:

  • i.­16
  • 1.­86-88
  • 1.­90
  • 1.­100
  • 1.­106-107
  • 1.­111-117
  • 1.­122
  • 1.­124-126
  • 1.­128-129
  • 1.­135-136
  • 1.­138-141
  • 1.­147
  • 1.­167
  • 1.­179
  • 1.­187
  • 1.­325
  • 1.­327
  • n.­72
  • g.­202
  • g.­248
  • g.­353
  • g.­426
g.­407

to parse

Wylie:
  • ’byed pa
Tibetan:
  • འབྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­83
  • 1.­143
  • 1.­159
g.­408

tonics kept for seven days

Wylie:
  • zhag bdun par bcang ba
Tibetan:
  • ཞག་བདུན་པར་བཅང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • sāptāhika

These medicinal tonics were called “seven-day tonics” because monks were only permitted to keep them for seven days after receiving them. They were primarily used to treat imbalances of prāṇa and include butter, ghee, oil, molasses, lotus root and the oil gained from melting the fat of fish, crocodile, rabbit, bear and pig.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­600
g.­409

training of higher attention

Wylie:
  • lhag pa’i sems kyi bslab pa
Tibetan:
  • ལྷག་པའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་བསླབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • adhicittaśikṣā

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­653
g.­410

transcended the five rebirths

Wylie:
  • ’gro ba lnga las yang dag par ’das pa
Tibetan:
  • འགྲོ་བ་ལྔ་ལས་ཡང་དག་པར་འདས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañca­gati­samatikrānta

Buddhas have transcended rebirth as a god, human, hell being, animal, and spirit.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­280
g.­411

transgression

Wylie:
  • ltung byed
Tibetan:
  • ལྟུང་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • pāyantika

The third most severe of the five types of offenses a monk can incur. There are 120 different types of transgression, thirty requiring forfeiture and ninety simple transgressions.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • n.­122
  • g.­129
  • g.­412
g.­412

transgression requiring forfeiture

Wylie:
  • spang ba’i ltung byed
Tibetan:
  • སྤང་བའི་ལྟུང་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • naiḥsargikāpatti

A sub-type of offense of which there are thirty varieties. These are expunged through communal confession and the forfeiting of the object that caused the transgression.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • n.­122
  • g.­346
  • g.­411
g.­413

travel the realm

Wylie:
  • ljongs rgyur ’gro ba
Tibetan:
  • ལྗོངས་རྒྱུར་འགྲོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­664-668
  • 1.­671-673
  • 1.­675-676
g.­414

tribute

Wylie:
  • lo thang dang dpya
Tibetan:
  • ལོ་ཐང་དང་དཔྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • karapratyāya

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­9
  • 1.­19-21
  • 1.­23-24
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­29-31
g.­415

tumors

Wylie:
  • skran
Tibetan:
  • སྐྲན།
Sanskrit:
  • gulma

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination. According to Monier-Williams, this is a chronic enlargement of the spleen or any glandular enlargement.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­416

two day fevers

Wylie:
  • nyin gnyis pa
Tibetan:
  • ཉིན་གཉིས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • dvaitīyaka

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­417

Udayana

Wylie:
  • shar ba
Tibetan:
  • ཤར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • udayana

Son of King Śatānīka of Kauśāmbī.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • g.­355
g.­419

Ujjayinī

Wylie:
  • ’phags rgyal
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • ujjayinī

The kingdom of King Anantanemi.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­11
  • g.­28
  • g.­299
g.­420

under robe

Wylie:
  • sham thabs
  • mthang gos
Tibetan:
  • ཤམ་ཐབས།
  • མཐང་གོས།
Sanskrit:
  • nivāsana
  • antarvāsa

One of a Buddhist monk’s three robes. The term sham thabs (nivāsana) is the most widespread and is the one used throughout this text, except in 1.­485 and 1.­496 where the alternative term mthang gos (antarvāsa) is used.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­286
  • 1.­315
  • 1.­455
  • 2.­28
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­32
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­152
  • 6.­6
  • g.­402
g.­421

undermining

Wylie:
  • ’gyed pa
Tibetan:
  • འགྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­341
  • 1.­343
  • 1.­345
g.­423

Upāli

Wylie:
  • nye bar ’khor
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་བར་འཁོར།
Sanskrit:
  • upāli

A great upholder of monastic discipline, who recited the vinaya at the First Council following the Buddha’s passing.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • i.­4
  • 1.­673-676
  • 2.­9-11
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­16
  • 4.­100
  • 4.­338-339
  • 5.­18-23
g.­424

Upananda

Wylie:
  • nye dga’
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་དགའ།
Sanskrit:
  • upananda

One of the notorious “group of six” monks whose antics and heavy-handed interference prompted a great many of the Buddha’s injunctions on conduct.

Located in 24 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­2
  • 4.­132
  • 4.­134-135
  • 4.­140
  • 4.­145
  • 4.­151
  • 4.­153
  • 4.­160
  • 4.­162-163
  • 4.­168-169
  • 4.­172
  • 4.­175-176
  • 6.­3-7
  • n.­167
  • g.­189
  • g.­220
g.­425

Upasena

Wylie:
  • nye sde
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • upasena

A monk of one year whose premature taking of a ward prompted the Buddha to decree that only those who had been monks for ten years could allow going forth, grant ordination, accept charge of novices, give refuge, and live independently.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­12
  • i.­19
  • 1.­641-646
  • 1.­661-663
g.­426

Upatiṣya

Wylie:
  • nye rgyal
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • upatiṣya

Śāriputra’s grandfather named him Upatiṣya, “Tiṣya’s Heir,” to honor Śāriputra’s father Tiṣya.

Located in 74 passages in the translation:

  • i.­14-15
  • i.­17
  • i.­20
  • 1.­140-143
  • 1.­148
  • 1.­165
  • 1.­167
  • 1.­169
  • 1.­171
  • 1.­174-175
  • 1.­179
  • 1.­187-189
  • 1.­191-192
  • 1.­195
  • 1.­197
  • 1.­214-216
  • 1.­218-219
  • 1.­221-222
  • 1.­225
  • 1.­227
  • 1.­229
  • 1.­231
  • 1.­233
  • 1.­235
  • 1.­237
  • 1.­239
  • 1.­241
  • 1.­243
  • 1.­245
  • 1.­247
  • 1.­249
  • 1.­252-253
  • 1.­255-259
  • 1.­261
  • 1.­265
  • 1.­270-271
  • 1.­277
  • 1.­283-284
  • 1.­287-288
  • 1.­293
  • 1.­295-297
  • 1.­301
  • 1.­304
  • 1.­306
  • 1.­309-312
  • n.­82
  • g.­226
  • g.­352
  • g.­406
g.­427

upper robe

Wylie:
  • bla gos
Tibetan:
  • བླ་གོས།
Sanskrit:
  • uttarāsaṅga

One of a Buddhist monk’s three robes

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­482
  • 1.­493
  • 4.­152
  • g.­402
g.­428

upper room

Wylie:
  • khang pa brtsegs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཁང་པ་བརྩེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kūṭāgāra

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. Also, terraced cottage, tower, pavilion, penthouse, etc.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­429

urethral fistula

Wylie:
  • mtshan par rdol ba
Tibetan:
  • མཚན་པར་རྡོལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhasmaka
  • bhagaṃdara

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­430

urinary retention

Wylie:
  • chus bgags pa
Tibetan:
  • ཆུས་བགགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • mūtrarodha

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­431

Uruvilvā

Wylie:
  • lteng rgyas
Tibetan:
  • ལྟེང་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • uruvilvā
  • urubilvā

Known in Pali as Uruvela, Uruvilvā is another name for Gayā. The Buddha inspired a group of one thousand dreadlocked ascetics to join his order of monks and ordained them there. Also spelled Urubilvā.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­276
  • n.­156
  • g.­103
  • g.­144
g.­432

Uttara

Wylie:
  • bla ma
Tibetan:
  • བླ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • uttara

A young brahmin whose awakening as Śākyamuni was foretold by the Buddha Kāśyapa.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­400
  • 1.­414
  • 1.­419
  • 4.­308
g.­433

Vārāṇasī

Wylie:
  • wA rA Na sI
Tibetan:
  • ཝཱ་རཱ་ཎ་སཱི།
Sanskrit:
  • vārāṇasī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Also known as Benares, one of the oldest cities of northeast India on the banks of the Ganges, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. It was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kāśi, and in the Buddha’s time it had been absorbed into the kingdom of Kośala. It was an important religious center, as well as a major city, even during the time of the Buddha. The name may derive from being where the Varuna and Assi rivers flow into the Ganges. It was on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī that the Buddha first taught the Dharma, in the location known as Deer Park (Mṛgadāva). For numerous episodes set in Vārāṇasī, including its kings, see The Hundred Deeds, Toh 340.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­275
  • 1.­398
  • 1.­404
  • 1.­413
  • 1.­417
  • 4.­69
  • 4.­295
  • 4.­307
  • 4.­313
  • n.­94
  • g.­192
  • g.­343
  • g.­461
g.­434

Vāṣpa

Wylie:
  • rlangs pa
Tibetan:
  • རླངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vāṣpa
  • bāṣpa

One of the Five Excellent Companions, with whom Siddhārtha Gautama practiced asceticism near the Nairañjanā River and who later heard the Buddha first teach the Four Noble Truths at the Deer Park in Sarnath.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
g.­435

vegetables

Wylie:
  • spags pa
Tibetan:
  • སྤགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • utpiṇḍa

An acceptable form of food for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­596
g.­436

veranda

Wylie:
  • bsil khang
Tibetan:
  • བསིལ་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • harmya

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual. Here, a covered area or overhang formed by crossbeams extending from a house rather than a harmyam mansion with several rooms and an open courtyard.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­598
g.­437

veranda above a gatehouse

Wylie:
  • sgo khang gi steng gi bsil khang
Tibetan:
  • སྒོ་ཁང་གི་སྟེང་གི་བསིལ་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • bālāgrapotikā
  • vātāgravedikā
  • vāṭāgravedikā

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­438

victor’s prize

Wylie:
  • rgol ba’i longs spyod
Tibetan:
  • རྒོལ་བའི་ལོངས་སྤྱོད།
Sanskrit:
  • vādibhoga

A prize awarded by a king to the winner of a debate. In the Vinayavastu, the prize was title to a village and its taxes.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­81
  • 1.­115-116
  • 1.­122
  • n.­68
g.­439

Vidyākaraprabha

Wylie:
  • bi dyA ka ra pra bha
Tibetan:
  • བི་དྱཱ་ཀ་ར་པྲ་བྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • vidyākaraprabha

According to Nyangral Nyimai Özer’s history, Ralpachen invited the Indian preceptor Vidyākaraprabha to Tibet along with Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, and Dānaśīla in the first part of the ninth century (Martin, 2002, n. 13). Vidyākaraprabha was the author of the Madhyamakanayasārasamāsaprakaraṇa, a work in the Yogācāra-Madhyamaka school pioneered by Śāntarakṣita (Ruegg, 1981, 99, n. 311), translated into Tibetan with Paltsek under the name dbu ma’i lugs kyi snying po mdor bsdus pa’i rab tu byed pa(Toh 3893, Degé Tengyur, vol. HA, folios 43b.5–50a.6). He worked with Paltsek on numerous other translations on topics as diverse as the Sphuṭārthā commentary to the Abhisamayālaṅkāra, an extract from Buddhaghoṣa’s Vimuktimārga, and the early tantra Vidyottamamahātantra (see Martin, 2006).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • c.­1
g.­440

Vimala

Wylie:
  • dri med
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་མེད།
Sanskrit:
  • vimala

One of the first to join the Buddha’s order of monks. He followed his friend Yaśas into the Buddhist order.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
  • g.­461
g.­441

Vinaya master

Wylie:
  • ’dul ba ’dzin pa
Tibetan:
  • འདུལ་བ་འཛིན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vinayadhara

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­473
g.­443

Virūḍhaka

Wylie:
  • ’phags skyes po
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་སྐྱེས་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • virūḍhaka

A son of King Prasenajit of Kosala, who first served as a general in his father’s army, but later usurped the throne. As a boy he discovered that his mother, who had been offered to his father by the Śākyas, had originally only been a servant rather than a noblewoman as the Śākyas had claimed; and later, as king, in revenge he attacked and destroyed Kapilavastu, slaughtering most of the Śākya inhabitants. However, he then died there in a flood. Not to be confused with the Virūḍhaka who is one of the Four Great Kings.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­2
  • 4.­4
  • 5.­10
g.­445

voided urine

Wylie:
  • bkus te bor
Tibetan:
  • བཀུས་ཏེ་བོར།
Sanskrit:
  • pūtimukta

The medicine of first resort for monks, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­130
g.­446

vomiting and diarrhea

Wylie:
  • gsud pa
Tibetan:
  • གསུད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • viṣūcikā

Symptom of a cholera-like illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­447

vow

Wylie:
  • brtul zhugs
Tibetan:
  • བརྟུལ་ཞུགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vrata

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • i.­9
  • i.­42
  • 1.­137
  • 1.­240
  • 1.­377
  • 1.­434-435
  • 1.­439
  • 1.­465
  • 2.­4
  • ap1.­1
  • n.­131
  • n.­165
  • n.­179
  • g.­15
  • g.­210
  • g.­260
  • g.­276
  • g.­333
  • g.­348
  • g.­452
g.­448

walkway

Wylie:
  • ’chag sar byas pa
Tibetan:
  • འཆག་སར་བྱས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kṛtacaṅkramaṇa

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­449

wandering mendicant

Wylie:
  • kun tu rgyu
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ཏུ་རྒྱུ།
Sanskrit:
  • parivrājaka

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A non-Buddhist religious mendicant who literally “roams around.” Historically, they wandered in India from ancient times, including the time of the Buddha, and held a variety of beliefs, engaging with one another in debate on a range of topics. Some of their metaphysical views are presented in the early Buddhist discourses of the Pali Canon. They included women in their number.

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • i.­38
  • 1.­131
  • 1.­134
  • 1.­226
  • 1.­231-232
  • 1.­240
  • 1.­283-284
  • 1.­287
  • 1.­304
  • 1.­306
  • 1.­332
  • 1.­358
  • 2.­3
  • 4.­268
g.­450

welcome

Wylie:
  • so sor kun dga’ bar bya
Tibetan:
  • སོ་སོར་ཀུན་དགའ་བར་བྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

To welcome a visitor with pleasantries.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­50
  • 1.­75
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­111
  • 1.­644
  • 4.­133
  • 4.­161
  • 4.­207
  • 4.­216
  • 4.­222
  • 4.­228
  • 4.­284
g.­451

welts

Wylie:
  • glog pa
Tibetan:
  • གློག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • rajata

Symptom that may be evidence of an illness considered an impediment to ordination.

See also n.­125.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­540
  • 1.­568
g.­453

wooden hut

Wylie:
  • spang leb khang
Tibetan:
  • སྤང་ལེབ་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • phalacchadana

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­598
g.­454

wool

Wylie:
  • be’u ras
Tibetan:
  • བེའུ་རས།
Sanskrit:
  • prāvāra

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­593
g.­455

woolen cloth

Wylie:
  • bal gos
Tibetan:
  • བལ་གོས།
Sanskrit:
  • aurṇakavāsa

An acceptable form of cloth for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­593
g.­456

worked to harm the king

Wylie:
  • rgyal po la gnod pa’i las byed pa
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོ་ལ་གནོད་པའི་ལས་བྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • rājāpathya RS

One of the classes of people barred from joining the renunciate order.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­527
  • 1.­559
g.­460

yard

Wylie:
  • sab mos bskor ba
Tibetan:
  • སབ་མོས་བསྐོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • vāṭadattikā
  • vātadattikā

An acceptable form of shelter for a monk, as identified in the Four Supports section of the ordination ritual.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­598
g.­461

Yaśas

Wylie:
  • grags pa
Tibetan:
  • གྲགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • yaśas

The son of a wealthy merchant in Vārāṇasī. After the five excellent disciples, Yaśas was the next to go forth and receive ordination. He was followed in short order by Pūrṇa, Vimala, Gavāmpati, and Subāhu, all five together being referred to as the “five excellent companions.”

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­95
  • n.­94
  • g.­143
  • g.­312
  • g.­386
  • g.­440
g.­462

Yaṣṭī Grove

Wylie:
  • ltang brang gi tshal
Tibetan:
  • ལྟང་བྲང་གི་ཚལ།
Sanskrit:
  • yaṣṭīvana

The forest outside of Rājagṛha where King Bimbisāra, along with 80,000 gods and many hundreds of thousands of Magadhan brahmins and householders, were converted to Buddhism.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 5.­2
g.­463

Your Majesty

Wylie:
  • lha
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • deva

The term deva, meaning “god,” was often used as an honorific term of address for divine beings and royalty.

Located in 33 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­4
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­19-20
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­30-31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­72-74
  • 1.­77
  • 1.­79
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­107-110
  • 1.­112-113
  • 1.­115-116
  • 3.­78
  • 4.­266
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­10-11
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