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ཤེར་ཕྱིན་ཁྲི་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ།

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 68: Growing and Flourishing

Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā

འཕགས་པ་ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་ཁྲི་བརྒྱད་སྟོང་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines”

Āryāṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitānāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 10

Degé Kangyur, vol. 29 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, ka), folios 1.a–300.a; vol. 30 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, kha), folios 1.a–304.a; vol. 31 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, ga), folios 1.a–206.a

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

Jinamitra
Surendrabodhi
Yeshé Dé

Translated by Gareth Sparham
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2022

Current version v 1.1.0 (2024)

Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.25.1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.

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Summary

s.1

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines is one version of the Long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras that developed in South and South-Central Asia in tandem with the Eight Thousand version, probably during the first five hundred years of the Common Era. It contains many of the passages in the oldest extant Long Perfection of Wisdom text (the Gilgit manuscript in Sanskrit), and is similar in structure to the other versions of the Long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras (the One Hundred Thousand and Twenty-Five Thousand) in Tibetan in the Kangyur. While setting forth the sacred fundamental doctrines of Buddhist practice with veneration, it simultaneously exhorts the reader to reject them as an object of attachment, its recurring message being that all dharmas without exception lack any intrinsic nature.

s.2

The sūtra can be divided loosely into three parts: an introductory section that sets the scene, a long central section, and three concluding chapters that consist of two important summaries of the long central section. The first of these (chapter 84) is in verse and also circulates as a separate work called The Verse Summary of the Jewel Qualities (Toh 13). The second summary is in the form of the story of Sadāprarudita and his guru Dharmodgata (chapters 85 and 86), after which the text concludes with the Buddha entrusting the work to his close companion Ānanda.

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Acknowledgements

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This sūtra was translated by Gareth Sparham under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

The Translator’s Acknowledgments

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This is a good occasion to remember and thank my friend Nicholas Ribush, who first gave me a copy of Edward Conze’s translation of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines in 1973. I also thank the Tibetan teachers and students at the Riklam Lobdra in Dharamshala, India, where I began to study the Perfection of Wisdom, for their kindness and patience; Jeffrey Hopkins and Elizabeth Napper, who steered me in the direction of the Perfection of Wisdom and have been very kind to me over the years; and Ashok Aklujkar and others at the University of British Columbia in Canada, who taught me Sanskrit and Indian culture while I was writing my dissertation on Haribhadra’s Perfection of Wisdom commentary. I thank the hermits in the hills above Riklam Lobdra and the many Tibetan scholars and practitioners who encouraged me while I continued working on the Perfection of Wisdom after I graduated from the University of British Columbia. I thank all those who continued to support me as a monk and scholar after the violent death of my friend and mentor toward the end of the millennium. I thank those at the University of Michigan and then at the University of California (Berkeley), particularly Donald Lopez and Jacob Dalton, who enabled me to complete the set of four volumes of translations from Sanskrit of the Perfection of Wisdom commentaries by Haribhadra and Āryavimuktisena and four volumes of the fourteenth-century Tibetan commentary on the Perfection of Wisdom by Tsongkhapa. I thank Gene Smith, who introduced me to 84000. I thank everyone at 84000: Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and the sponsors; the scholars, translators, editors, and technicians; and all the other indispensable people whose work has made this translation of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines and its accompanying commentary possible.

Around me everything I see would be part of a perfect road if I had better driving skills.

Where I was born, where everything is made of concrete, it too is a perfect place.

Everyone I have been with, everyone who is near me now, and even those I have forgotten‍—there is no one who has not helped me.

So, I bow to everyone and to the world and ask for patience, and, as a boon, a smile.

Acknowledgment of Sponsors

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We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of Matthew Yizhen Kong, Steven Ye Kong and family; An Zhang, Hannah Zhang, Lucas Zhang, Aiden Zhang, Jinglan Chi, Jingcan Chi, Jinghui Chi and family, Hong Zhang and family; Mao Guirong, Zhang Yikun, Chi Linlin; and Joseph Tse, Patricia Tse and family. Their support has helped make the work on this translation possible.

Introduction

i.1

In the introduction to his translation of The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines,1 Gyurme Dorje has given a clear account of the Tibetan tradition’s explanation (1) of the origin of the Perfection of Wisdom in the words of the Buddha on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill in Rājagṛha some 2,500 years ago, (2) of the way the Perfection of Wisdom became extant in our world through the efforts of Nāgārjuna, and (3) of the Perfection of Wisdom’s place in the vast corpus of the Buddha’s words as “the middle turning of the wheel of the Dharma.” He has also given a brief account of the conclusions arrived at by the Western research tradition, which suggest that the Perfection of Wisdom may have originated in the south of the Indian subcontinent, perhaps the Andhra region, but more likely first began circulating in the far northwest of the Indian subcontinent. A prophecy in the text translated into English here provides some support for this conclusion. In chapter 39 the Buddha says to Śāriputra, “with the passing away of the Tathāgata this perfection of wisdom will circulate in the southern region,” and “from the country Vartani [the east] this deep perfection of wisdom will circulate into the northern region.” A comparison of early fragments of a Perfection of Wisdom in the Gāndhārī language, written in Kharoṣṭhī script and dated ca. 75 ᴄᴇ, with an early translation of a Perfection of Wisdom text into Chinese by Lokakṣema in the middle of the second century ᴄᴇ has led the Western research tradition to the tentative conclusion that the Perfection of Wisdom first circulated in written form in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent some 2,000 years ago.

About the Perfection of Wisdom Manuscripts

The Title: Eighteen Thousand

The Structure of the Eighteen Thousand

I. Introduction

II. Brief Exegesis

III. Intermediate Exegesis

IV. Detailed Exegesis

V. Summaries

What Does the Eighteen Thousand Say?

SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTERS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapters 3–5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10 Chapters 11–13

Chapter 14 Chapters 15–16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21 Chapters 22–24

Chapter 25 Chapters 26–30

Chapters 31–32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37 Chapters 38–39

Chapters 40–41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48 Chapters 49–50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60 Chapters 61–62

Chapter 63 Chapters 64–72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

Chapter 83

Chapter 84 Chapters 85–86

Chapter 87

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines

Chapter 1: Introduction

[V29] [F.1.b] [B1]

1.1

We prostrate to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

1.2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Lord dwelt at Rājagṛha on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill together with a great community of monks, numbering17 five thousand monks, all worthy ones with the exception of one single person‍—that is, venerable Ānanda‍—with outflows dried up, without afflictions, fully controlled, with their minds well freed and their wisdom well freed, thoroughbreds, great bull elephants, with their work done, their task accomplished, with their burden laid down, with their own goal accomplished, with the fetters that bound them to existence broken, with their hearts well freed by perfect understanding, in perfect18 control of their whole mind; [F.2.a] with nuns numbering five hundred‍—Yaśodharā, Mahāprajāpatī, and so on‍—and with a great many laymen and laywomen, all of them with a vision of the Dharma; and with an unbounded, infinite number of bodhisattva great beings, all of whom had acquired the dhāraṇīs, were dwellers in emptiness, their range the signless, and who had not fashioned any wishes, had acquired forbearance for the sameness of all dharmas, had acquired the dhāraṇī of nonattachment, with imperishable clairvoyant knowledges, and with speech worth listening to; who were not hypocrites, not fawners, without thoughts of reputation and gain; who were Dharma teachers without thought of compensation, with perfect forbearance for the deep dharmas, who had obtained the fearlessnesses, and who had transcended all the works of Māra, who had cut the continuum of karmic obscuration, were skillful in expounding the analysis of investigations into phenomena, with the prayer that is a vow made during an asaṃkhyeya of eons really fully carried out, with smiling countenances, forward in addressing others, without a frown on their faces, skillful in communicating with others in chanted verse, without feelings of depression, without losing the confidence giving a readiness to speak, and endowed with fearlessness when surpassing endless assemblies; who were skilled in going forth during an ananta of one hundred million eons, understanding phenomena to be like an illusion, a mirage, a reflection of the moon in water, a dream, an echo, an apparition, a reflection in the mirror, and a magical creation; who were skillful in comprehending the thoughts, conduct, and beliefs of all beings and subtle knowledge, [F.2.b] with unobstructed thoughts, and endowed with extreme patience; who were skilled in causing entry into reality just as it is, having appropriated all the endless arrays of the buddhafields through prayer and setting out, with the meditative stabilization recollecting buddhas in an infinite number of world systems constantly and always activated; who were skillful in soliciting innumerable buddhas; who were skillful in eliminating the various views, propensities, obsessions, and defilements; and who were skillful in accomplishing a hundred thousand feats through meditative concentration. That is, he was together with the bodhisattva great beings Bhadrapāla, Ratnākara, Ratnagarbha,19 Ratnadatta, Susārthavaha, Varuṇadeva, Guhyagupta, Indradatta, Uttaramatin, Viśeṣamatin, Vardhamānamatin, Anantamati, Amoghadarśin, Anāvaraṇamatin, Susaṃprasthita, Suvikrāntavikrāmin, Anantavīrya, Nityodyukta, Nityaprayukta, Anikṣiptadhura, Sūryagarbha, Anupamamatin, and Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Mārabalapramardin, Vajramatin, Ratnamudrāhasta, Nityotkṣiptahasta, Mahākaruṇācinta, Mahāvyūha, Vyūharāja, and Merukūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, and many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion other bodhisattvas as well.

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Chapter 2: Production of the Thought

2.1

When the Lord understood that the world with its celestial beings, Māras and Brahmās, śramaṇas and brahmins, gods and humans, as well as bodhisattvas, most of them in youthful form, had assembled, he said to venerable Śāriputra, “Here, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms should make an effort at the perfection of wisdom.”

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2.2

The Lord having spoken thus, venerable Śāriputra inquired of him, “How then, Lord, [F.11.b] should bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms make an effort at the perfection of wisdom?”

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Chapter 3: Designation

3.1

Then [F.23.a] venerable Śāriputra inquired of the Lord, “Lord, how then should bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom?”

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3.2

Venerable Śāriputra having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Śāriputra, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not, even while they are bodhisattvas, see a bodhisattva. They do not see even the word bodhisattva. They do not see awakening either, and they do not see the perfection of wisdom. They do not see that ‘they practice,’ and they do not see that ‘they do not practice.’ They also do not see that ‘while practicing they practice and while not practicing do not practice,’ and they also do not see that ‘they do not practice, and do not not practice as well.’47 They do not see form. Similarly, they do not see feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness either. And why? Because, Śāriputra, the name bodhisattva is empty of the intrinsic nature of a name. The name bodhisattva is not empty because of emptiness. A bodhisattva is also empty of the intrinsic nature of a bodhisattva, but a bodhisattva is not empty because of emptiness. Awakening, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of awakening, but awakening is not empty because of emptiness. The perfection of wisdom, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of the perfection of wisdom, but the perfection of wisdom is not empty because of emptiness. Form, too, is empty of the intrinsic nature of form, but form is not empty because of emptiness. [F.23.b] And feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is48 also empty of the intrinsic nature of consciousness, but consciousness is not empty because of emptiness. And why? Because the emptiness of the name bodhisattva is not the name bodhisattva, and there is no name bodhisattva apart from emptiness, because the name bodhisattva itself is emptiness and emptiness is the name bodhisattva as well. The emptiness of the bodhisattva is not the bodhisattva and there is no bodhisattva apart from emptiness, because the bodhisattva is emptiness and emptiness is the bodhisattva as well. The emptiness of the perfection of wisdom is not the perfection of wisdom and there is no perfection of wisdom apart from emptiness, because the perfection of wisdom itself is emptiness and emptiness is the perfection of wisdom as well. The emptiness of form is not form and there is no form apart from emptiness, because form itself is emptiness and emptiness is form as well. And the emptiness of feeling … perception … volitional factors … and consciousness is not consciousness, and there is no consciousness apart from emptiness because consciousness itself is emptiness and emptiness is consciousness as well. And why? Because this‍—namely, bodhisattva‍—is just a name; because these‍—namely, the name bodhisattva, awakening, [F.24.a] the perfection of wisdom, form, feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness‍—are just names; and because this‍—namely, emptiness‍—is just a name. Why? Because where there is no intrinsic nature there is no production, stopping,49 decrease, increase, defilement, or purification. And why? Because form is like an illusion, feeling is like an illusion, perception is like an illusion, volitional factors are like an illusion, and consciousness is like an illusion. And an illusion is just a name that does not reside somewhere, does not reside in a particular place, so the sight of an illusion is mistaken and does not exist and is devoid of an intrinsic nature. Bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that do not see production, do not see stopping, do not see standing, do not see decrease, do not see increase, do not see defilement, and do not see purification in any dharma at all. They do not see ‘awakening,’ and they do not see a ‘bodhisattva’ anywhere. And why? Because names are made up. In the case of each of these different dharmas they are imagined,50 unreal, names plucked out of thin air working subsequently as conventional labels, and just as they are subsequently conventionally labeled, so too are they settled down on as real. Bodhisattva [F.24.b] great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not see any of those names as inherently existing, and because they do not see them, they do not settle down on them as real.

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Chapter 4: Equal to the Unequaled

4.1

Then venerable Śāriputra, venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, venerable Subhūti, venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, and venerable Mahākāśyapa, as well as other monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen celebrated for the state of their clairvoyance, and very many bodhisattva great beings said to the Lord, “This, Lord‍—that is, the perfection of wisdom‍—is the great perfection of bodhisattva great beings. This perfection of wisdom, Lord, is the vast perfection of bodhisattva great beings. This perfection of wisdom, Lord, is the highest perfection of bodhisattva great beings. It is the special perfection, it is the best perfection, it is the superb perfection, it is the sublime [F.54.b] perfection, it is the unsurpassed perfection, it is the unrivaled perfection, it is the unequaled perfection, it is the perfection equal to the unequaled, it is the calm and gentle perfection, it is the matchless perfection, it is the perfection for which no example does justice, it is the space-like perfection, it is the perfection of the emptiness of particular defining marks, it is the perfection endowed with all good qualities. This, Lord‍—that is, the perfection of wisdom‍—is the uncrushable perfection of bodhisattva great beings.

Chapter 5: Tongue

5.1

Then at that time the Lord extended his tongue and with it covered the great billionfold world system. Then from his tongue light beams of many colors, various colors, issued forth. Having issued forth, a great illumination spread through as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the east. Similarly, a great illumination spread through as many world systems as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the south, west, and north, in the intermediate directions to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, below and above.

Chapter 6: Subhūti

6.1

The Lord then said to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, starting with the perfection of wisdom, be confident in your readiness to give a Dharma discourse to the bodhisattva great beings about how bodhisattva great beings go forth in the perfection of wisdom.”

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6.2

Then it occurred to those bodhisattva great beings, those great śrāvakas, and those gods to think, “Will venerable Subhūti instruct the bodhisattva great beings in the perfection of wisdom on account of armor in which reposes the power of his own intellect and confident readiness, or will he instruct them through the power of the Buddha?”

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Chapter 7: Entry into Flawlessness

7.1

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Chapter 8: The Religious Mendicant Śreṇika

8.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see a bodhisattva or the perfection of wisdom, to which bodhisattva will I give advice and instruction in what perfection of wisdom? Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see any real basis, this really is something I might be uneasy about‍—Lord, while not finding, not apprehending, and not seeing any real basis, which dharma will advise and instruct which dharma? Because, Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see all dharmas, this really is something I might be uneasy about, how I might make just the name bodhisattva and just the name perfection of wisdom wax and wane.

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Chapter 9: Causal Signs

9.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, if bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom without skillful means [F.87.b] practice form169 they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘form is permanent’ or ‘impermanent’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is permanent’ or ‘impermanent’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom. If they practice ‘form is happiness’ or ‘suffering’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is ‘happiness’ or ‘suffering’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is self’ or ‘no self’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is self’ or ‘no self’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is calm’ or ‘not calm’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is calm’ or ‘not calm’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘form is isolated’ or ‘not isolated’ they practice a causal sign. If they practice ‘feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness is isolated’ or ‘not isolated’ they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom.

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10.

Chapter 10: Illusion-Like

10.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, suppose someone were to ask, ‘Does this illusory being, having trained in the perfection of wisdom, go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’ What, Lord, should be said to that questioner? And similarly, suppose someone were to ask, ‘Does this illusory being, having trained in the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, and perfection of giving go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’ What, Lord, should be said to that questioner? And as to ‘Do they, having trained in, up to the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, [F.97.a] up to the knowledge of all aspects, go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’‍—what, Lord, should be said to that questioner?”

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11.

Chapter 11: Embarrassment

11.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, you say ‘bodhisattva’ again and again. What is its basis in reality?”204

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11.2

The Lord [F.110.b] replied to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, the basis in reality for bodhisattva is an absence of a basis in reality. And why? Subhūti, it is because bodhi and sattva are not produced. Awakening and a being do not have an arising or an existence. They cannot be apprehended. Subhūti, awakening has no basis in reality and a being has no basis in reality, therefore a bodhisattva’s basis in reality is an absence of a basis in reality.

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12.

Chapter 12: Elimination of Views

12.1

Then venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “Lord, I too am confident in my readiness to speak the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be ‘great beings.’ ”

12.2

“Śāriputra,” replied the Lord, “be confident in your readiness to explain the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

12.3

Śāriputra then explained, “Lord, they reveal the Dharma to beings to eliminate the view of a self and, similarly, the view of a being, a living being, a person, one who lives, an individual, one born of Manu, a child of Manu, one who does, one who makes someone else do, a motivator, one who motivates, one who feels, one who makes someone else feel, one who knows, and one who sees. And by way of not apprehending anything they reveal the Dharma to beings to eliminate the view of annihilation, the view of permanence, the view of existence, and the view [F.119.b] of nonexistence; the view of aggregates, the view of constituents, the view of sense fields, the view of isolation, and the view of dependent origination; and the view of the perfections, the view of the dharmas on the side of awakening, the view of the powers and fearlessnesses, the view of the distinct attributes of a buddha, the view of bringing beings to maturity, the view of the purification of a buddhafield, the view of awakening, the view of the Buddha, the view of the Dharma, the view of the Saṅgha, the view of turning the wheel of the Dharma, and the view of complete nirvāṇa. It is in this sense bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

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13.

Chapter 13: The Six Perfections

13.1

Then venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to the Lord, “Lord, I too am confident in my readiness to speak the sense in which bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

“Pūrṇa, be confident in your readiness to speak,” replied the Lord.

13.2

Pūrṇa then said, “Lord, those beings are armed with great armor, [F.122.a] those beings have set out in a Great Vehicle, and those beings have mounted on a Great Vehicle. It is in this sense, Lord, that bodhisattvas are said to be great beings.”

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14.

Chapter 14: Neither Bound nor Freed

14.1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord, “Lord, you say ‘armed with great armor’ again and again. Lord, to what extent are bodhisattva great beings armed with great armor?”

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14.2

The Lord said, “Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings, having become armed with great armor‍—that is, armed with perfection of giving armor, and armed with perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom armor; armed with applications of mindfulness armor, and armed with right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and path armor; armed with inner emptiness armor, up to armed with emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature armor; and armed with powers armor, armed with fearlessnesses armor, armed with detailed and thorough knowledges armor, and armed with distinct attributes of a buddha armor‍—and having become armed with the armor of the knowledge of all aspects and the body of a buddha, they pervade world systems in the great billionfold world system with light and shake the earth. Having blown out all the fires in the hell dwellings, extinguished the sufferings of the beings in the hells, and caused them to know their suffering is extinguished, those bodhisattvas [F.132.b] say, ‘I bow to you, tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete Buddha!’ proclaiming the name out loud, and then those beings in the hells, having heard the sound buddha, find pleasure and mental happiness. They emerge from those hells just because of that pleasure and mental happiness, and wherever lord buddhas are standing and can be seen and can be pleased they take birth in those world systems, reborn as gods and humans.

16.

Chapter 16: Dhāraṇī Gateway

16.1

“Furthermore, Subhūti, the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings is this: the four applications of mindfulness. What are the four? They are the application of mindfulness to the body, the application of mindfulness to feeling, the application of mindfulness to mind, and the application of mindfulness to dharmas.

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16.2

“What is the application of mindfulness to the body? Here enthusiastic, introspective, mindful bodhisattva great beings, having cleared away ordinary covetousness and depression, dwell while viewing in a body the inner body by way of not apprehending anything, and without indulging in speculations to do with the body. They dwell while viewing in a body the outer body, and they dwell while viewing in a body [F.155.b] the inner and outer body by way of not apprehending anything, and without indulging in speculations to do with the body.

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17.

Chapter 17: Level Purification

17.1

“Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked‍—‘How have bodhisattva great beings come to set out in the Great Vehicle?’‍—Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections change place, going from level to level. And how do bodhisattva great beings practicing the six perfections change place, going from level to level? Like this: by all dharmas not changing place. And why? Because no dharma comes, or goes, or changes place, or is close to changing places. But even though they do not falsely project the level of those dharmas,305 do not direct their thoughts toward them, they still do the purification 306 for a level, and they do not view those levels.

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18.

Chapter 18: The Exposition of Going Forth in the Great Vehicle

18.1

“Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked‍—‘From where324 will the Great Vehicle go forth?’‍—it will go forth from the three realms and will stand wherever there is knowledge of all aspects, and it will stand, furthermore, by way of nonduality. And why? Because, Subhūti, these two dharmas‍—the Great Vehicle and the knowledge of all aspects‍—are not conjoined and not disjoined, are formless, cannot be pointed out, do not obstruct, and have only one mark‍—that is, no mark. And why? Because, Subhūti, a dharma without a mark is not going forth, nor will it go forth, nor has it gone forth. [F.180.b] Subhūti, someone who would assert that dharmas without marks go forth 325 might as well assert of suchness that it goes forth. Similarly, Subhūti, someone who would assert that dharmas without marks go forth might as well assert of the very limit of reality, the inconceivable element, the abandonment element, the detachment element, and the cessation element that they go forth. And why? Because, Subhūti, the intrinsic nature of suchness does not go forth from the three realms. And why? Because suchness is empty of the intrinsic nature of suchness.”

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19.

Chapter 19: Surpassing

19.1

Then venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, you say this‍—‘Great Vehicle’‍—again and again. It surpasses the world with its gods, humans, and asuras and goes forth. Is that why it is called a Great Vehicle?332

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19.2

“Lord, that vehicle is equal to space. To illustrate, Lord, just as space has room for infinite, countless beings beyond measure, the Great Vehicle also, Lord, has room333 for infinite, countless beings beyond measure. Such, Lord, is the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings. Lord, you cannot apprehend the Great Vehicle coming, going, or remaining, you cannot apprehend a prior limit, cannot apprehend a later limit, and cannot apprehend a middle either.

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20.

Chapter 20: Not Two

20.1

Then venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to the Lord, “Lord, tasked346 with the perfection of wisdom by the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete Buddha, this elder Subhūti thinks he has to give instruction in the Great Vehicle.”

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20.2

Venerable Subhūti then said to the Lord, “Let it not be the case, Lord, that I am giving instruction in the Great Vehicle, having violated the perfection of wisdom.”

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20.3

“No, you have not,” replied the Lord. “You are giving instruction in the Great Vehicle in harmony with the perfection of wisdom. And why? Because, Subhūti, śrāvaka dharmas, pratyekabuddha dharmas, bodhisattva dharmas, or buddha dharmas‍—or any wholesome dharmas, whatever they are‍—they all come together and stream into the perfection of wisdom.”

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21.

Chapter 21: Subhūti

21.1

Then venerable Śāriputra inquired of venerable Subhūti, “Venerable Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom investigate these dharmas? And, Venerable Subhūti, what is a bodhisattva? What is the perfection of wisdom? What is it to investigate?”

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21.2

“Venerable Śāriputra,” replied Subhūti, “in regard to what you asked‍—‘What is a bodhisattva?’‍—they are called bodhisattvas because awakening is itself their state of being.360 And with that awakening they know the aspects of dharmas but they do not settle down on those dharmas.

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22.

Chapter 22: Śatakratu

22.1

And indeed all the Four Mahārājas stationed in the great billionfold world system together with many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion gods were assembled in that very retinue, as were the Śatakratus,376 heads of the gods, and the Suyāmas, Saṃtuṣitas, Nirmāṇaratis, Paranirmitavaśavartins, and Brahmapurohitas, up to the Brahmās together with many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion gods also assembled, and as many Brahmās, up to Śuddhāvāsa classes of gods stationed in the great billionfold world system together with hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion gods, also were assembled. The light originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of those Cāturmahārājika gods, and the light originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of those Trāyastriṃśa, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, and Paranirmitavaśavartin classes of gods, and Brahmakāyika gods, up to the Śuddhāvāsa class of gods, does not approach the natural light of the Tathāgata even by a hundredth part, or by a thousandth part, or by a hundred thousandth part, or by a hundred-thousand hundred-millionth part; it would not stand up to any number, or fraction, or counting, or example, or comparison. In the presence of377 the natural light of the Tathāgata all the lights originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of the gods do not gleam, do not radiate, and do not shine. [F.243.a] Among those the light of the Tathāgata reveals itself as the highest, reveals itself as special, and reveals itself as the best, superb, exemplary, unsurpassed, and unrivaled. As an analogy, just as a fired iron statue in the presence of the golden Jambū River does not gleam, does not radiate, and does not shine, similarly, in the presence of the natural light of the Tathāgata all the lights originating from the maturation of earlier karma coming from the bodies of the gods do not gleam, do not radiate, and do not shine. Among those the light of the Tathāgata reveals itself as the highest, reveals itself as special, and reveals itself as the best, superb, exemplary, unsurpassed, and unrivaled.

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23.

Chapter 23: Hard to Understand

23.1

Then it occurred to those gods to think, “What would the elder Subhūti accept those listening to the Dharma to be like?”

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23.2

Then venerable Subhūti, understanding in his mind the thoughts occurring to those gods, said to those gods, “Gods, I would accept those listening to the doctrine to be like illusory beings. I would accept those listening to the doctrine to be like magically created beings. They will not listen to, master, or directly realize anything at all.”

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24.

Chapter 24: Unlimited

24.1

Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, “I will magically create flowers in order to worship this rain of Dharma being expounded by the elder Subhūti, and we will strew those flowers near, strew them in front, and strew them around the lord buddhas, the community of bodhisattva great beings, the monks, the elder Subhūti, and the perfection of wisdom.” And it occurred to all the Cāturmahārājika gods, up to the Akaniṣṭha class, as many as are stationed in the great billionfold world system, to think, “We will magically create flowers in [F.259.b] order to worship this rain of Dharma being expounded by the elder Subhūti, and will strew those flowers near, strew them in front, and strew them around the lord buddhas, the community of bodhisattva great beings, the monks, the elder Subhūti, and the perfection of wisdom.” Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, and all the Cāturmahārājika gods, up to the Akaniṣṭha class, as many as are stationed in the great billionfold world system, did magically create coral tree flowers and strewed them near, strewed them in front, and strewed them around the lord buddhas, the community of bodhisattva great beings, the monks, the elder Subhūti, and the perfection of wisdom. Immediately after Śatakratu, head of the gods, and the gods up to the Akaniṣṭha class had strewed those flowers, they matted together and spread out over the great billionfold world system and stayed there suspended in the sky, a second story of flowers delightful and pleasing to the mind.

25.

Chapter 25: Second Śatakratu

25.1

The women and men and masses of seers, together with the gods‍—those with the Indras,400 those with the Brahmās, and those with the Prajāpatis as their leaders‍—cried out three times cries of delight in the Dharma that the elder Subhūti, through the might of the Tathāgata, through the sustaining power of the Tathāgata, had pointed out, taught, thrown light on, and illuminated: “Ah! How well it has been explained. Ah! How well this Dharma has been explained. Ah! How well the true dharmic nature of this Dharma has been explained.” And they said, “Lord, we shall treat those bodhisattva great beings who do not become separated from the perfection of wisdom, who do not apprehend any dharma, be it form, or feeling, or perception, or volitional factors, or consciousness, up to or the knowledge of all aspects, but still make known the presentation of the three vehicles‍—the vehicle of the śrāvakas, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas, and the vehicle of the perfectly complete buddhas‍—exactly like tathāgatas.”

26.

Chapter 26: Getting Hold

26.1

Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, said to the Lord, “It is amazing, Lord, how these bodhisattva great beings who have taken up or borne in mind or read aloud or mastered or properly paid attention to this perfection of wisdom in this very life get hold of good qualities; how they bring beings to maturity, purify a buddhafield, and pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield in order to attend on the lord buddhas; how, if they still want to revere, demonstrate reverence for, show honor to, and worship those lord buddhas on account of wholesome roots, those wholesome roots establish it accordingly; how they go into the presence of those lord buddhas and listen to the Dharma; how they never forget their Dharma right up until they fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening; [F.275.b] how they take possession of a perfect family, perfect celebrity,402 a perfect life, a perfect retinue, perfect major marks, perfect radiance, perfect eyes, a perfect voice, perfect concentration, and perfect dhāraṇī; how they go from world system to world system where the lord buddhas have not appeared and with skillful means magically produce themselves in the shape a buddha assumes; how they speak in praise of the perfection of giving and speak in praise of the perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom; how they speak in praise of inner emptiness, up to the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; how they speak in praise of the concentrations, speak in praise of the immeasurables and formless absorptions, speak in praise of the applications of mindfulness, and speak in praise of the right efforts, legs of miraculous power, faculties, powers, limbs of awakening, and eightfold noble path; how they speak in praise of the ten powers, fearlessnesses, detailed and thorough knowledges, up to the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha; and how with skillful means they tame beings in the three vehicles‍—the Śrāvaka Vehicle, Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and Great Vehicle‍—teaching them the Dharma.”

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27.

Chapter 27: Reliquary

27.1

Then the Lord said to Śatakratu, head of the gods, “Kauśika, if some son of a good family or daughter of a good family takes up or bears in mind or reads out loud or recites or teaches or intones or harmonizes with or properly pays attention to this deep perfection of wisdom, and if they go up to the front line of battle and have engaged in or are engaging in, or are traversing, or are sitting down or standing up in a battle that is underway, Kauśika, even if an arrow or a club or a stick or a stone or a sword is flung at that son of a good family or daughter of a good family who takes up or bears in mind or reads out loud or recites or teaches or intones or harmonizes with or properly pays attention to this deep perfection of wisdom, it is impossible that those projectiles would land on their body; it is impossible that the attacks of others would interfere with their life. And why? Kauśika, it is because that son of a good family or daughter of a good family who has practiced the perfection of wisdom for a long time has vanquished their own greed arrows and greed swords; they have vanquished others’ greed arrows and greed swords; they have vanquished their own hatred arrows and confusion arrows and their hatred swords and confusion swords; they have vanquished others’ hatred arrows and confusion arrows and hatred swords and confusion swords; they have vanquished their own arrows of instances of views and swords of instances of views, and they have vanquished others’ arrows of instances of views and swords of instances of views; they have vanquished their own obsession [F.284.b] arrows and obsession swords, and they have vanquished others’ obsession arrows and obsession swords; and they have vanquished their own proclivity arrows and proclivity swords, and they have vanquished others’ proclivity arrows and proclivity swords. Kauśika, because of this one of many explanations, even if an arrow or a sword is flung at a son of a good family or daughter of a good family, it does not land on their body.

28.

Chapter 28: Declaration of the Good Qualities of the Thought of Awakening

28.1

Śatakratu, head of the gods, having said this, the Lord then said to him, “Exactly so. Kauśika, exactly so. Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family [F.294.a] who write out and make this perfection of wisdom into a book; take it up, bear it in mind, read it aloud, master it, and properly pay attention to it and on top of that respect, revere, honor, and worship it with flowers, perfumes, incense, garlands, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags, and banners would, based on that, make a lot of merit, an immeasurable, countless, inconceivable, infinite, incomparable amount. And why? Kauśika, it is because the knowledge of all aspects of tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas issues forth from the perfection of wisdom. Kauśika, the five perfections, all the emptinesses, the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, the detailed and thorough knowledges, the distinct attributes of a buddha, the five eyes, the six clairvoyances, bringing beings to maturity, and the perfect purification of a buddhafield issue forth from the perfection of wisdom. Kauśika, all-knowledge, knowledge of path aspects, and knowledge of all aspects issue forth from the perfection of wisdom. Kauśika, the Śrāvaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and the Great Vehicle issue forth from the perfection of wisdom, and unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening issues forth from the perfection of wisdom too.

29.

Chapter 29: Different Tīrthika Religious Mendicants

29.1

Then, many different tīrthika religious mendicants intent on criticizing, a hundred of them, specifically approached the Lord to level criticism.

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29.2

Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, “These many different tīrthika religious mendicants intent on criticizing the doctrine, a hundred of them, have specifically approached the Lord to level criticism. I will certainly recite as much of the perfection of wisdom as I have taken up in order that these different tīrthika religious mendicants will not get at all close to the Lord to hinder the teaching of the perfection of wisdom.”

31.

Chapter 31: Physical Remains

31.1

Then the Lord asked Śatakratu, head of the gods, “Kauśika, which of these two options would you choose: to have this Jambudvīpa filled right to the top with the physical remains of tathāgatas and to respect, revere, honor, and worship them with flowers, perfumes, incense, garlands, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags, and banners, or to be given this perfection of wisdom?”

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31.2

“Lord,” replied Śatakratu, “were I to be offered this Jambudvīpa filled right to the top with the physical remains of the tathāgatas and to be offered this perfection of wisdom written out in book form‍—were I to be presented with these two options‍—I would want the perfection of wisdom. And why? Lord, it is not that I do not venerate those physical remains of the tathāgatas. Lord, I do indeed venerate them. It is not that I do not respect those physical remains of the tathāgatas, or do not revere, do not honor, and do not worship them. But I respect, revere, honor, and worship those physical remains of the tathāgatas because they come about from the perfection of wisdom. The physical remains of the tathāgatas [F.10.a] are suffused by the perfection of wisdom. That is why the physical remains of the tathāgatas get to be worshiped.”

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32.

Chapter 32: The Superiority of Merit

32.1

“Kauśika, [F.22.b] there is infinitely great merit from establishing one being in the result of stream enterer, but not so much from establishing the beings in Jambudvīpa in the ten wholesome actions. And why? Kauśika, those who have been established in the ten wholesome actions have not totally got out from the forms of life in the hells, in the animal realms, in the worlds of Yama, or as asuras. A being established in the result of stream enterer is freed from all the terrible forms of life. Similarly, there is infinitely great merit from establishing one being in a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, but not so much from establishing the beings in Jambudvīpa in the ten wholesome actions. Kauśika, a son of a good family or daughter of a good family who establishes one being in unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening creates infinitely greater merit than that. And why? Because it is established specifically so the way of buddhas is not brought to an end.

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33.

Chapter 33: Dedication

33.1

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya said to the elder Subhūti, “Venerable monk Subhūti, when the basis of meritorious action arisen from a bodhisattva great being’s rejoicing that has been made into something shared in common by all beings has been dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening‍—and dedicated, furthermore, by way of not apprehending anything‍—that basis of meritorious action arisen from a bodhisattva great being’s rejoicing [F.36.a] that has been made into something shared in common by all beings and dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening is the highest, the most excellent, the foremost, the best, the most superb, sublime, unsurpassed, and unrivaled in comparison to the bases of meritorious action arisen from all beings’ rejoicing, and in comparison to the bases of meritorious action arisen from giving, the bases of meritorious action arisen from morality, and the bases of meritorious action arisen from meditation of those who have set out in the Śrāvaka Vehicle and those who have set out in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle. And why? Because all the bases of meritorious action arisen from giving, arisen from morality, and arisen from meditation of those in the Śrāvaka Vehicle and those in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle are made for personal disciplining, for personal calming, and for a personal complete nirvāṇa; the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, up to emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness are for personal disciplining, personal calming, and a personal complete nirvāṇa, but that basis of meritorious action arisen from a bodhisattva’s rejoicing is for disciplining all beings, for calming all beings, and for the complete nirvāṇa of all beings, because it has been dedicated to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

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34.

Chapter 34: Perfect Praise of the Quality of Accomplishment

34.1

Then venerable Śāriputra said to the Lord, “Lord, the perfection of wisdom makes things clear because of absolute purity. Lord, the perfection of wisdom makes you want to bow. Lord, I bow to the perfection of wisdom. Lord, the perfection of wisdom is untainted by all three realms. Lord, the perfection of wisdom corrects visual distortions because of having eliminated all the darkness of afflictive emotion and views. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the highest of the dharmas on the side of awakening. Lord, the perfection of wisdom provides security because it has eliminated all hazards, terrors, and persecution. Lord, the perfection of wisdom gives light because then all beings easily appropriate [F.52.b] the five eyes. Lord, the perfection of wisdom shows the ruts 452 because beings caught in the ruts avoid the two edges. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the knowledge of all aspects because of having eliminated all residual impressions, connections, and afflictions. Lord, the perfection of wisdom is the mother of great bodhisattvas because she gives birth to all the buddhadharmas. Lord, the perfection of wisdom is unproduced and unceasing because of being empty of its own mark. Lord, the perfection of wisdom counteracts saṃsāra because it is not unmoved and not destroyed. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the protector of all unprotected beings because it is the giver of all precious dharmas. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as the ten powers because it deals with those who are untamed. Lord, the perfection of wisdom works as repeating and thus turning the wheel of the Dharma that has twelve aspects three times because it does not go forward and does not turn back.453 Lord, the perfection of wisdom works to show the intrinsic nature of all dharmas because of the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. Since this is the case, Lord, how does one stand in the perfection of wisdom?”

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35.

Chapter 35: Hells

35.1

Then venerable Śāriputra inquired of the Lord, “Where did they die, Lord, bodhisattva great beings who have come here and believe in this perfection of wisdom? How long has it been since a son of a good family or daughter of a good family believing in this perfection of wisdom as the meaning and method458 set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening? On how many tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas have they attended? For how long have they been practitioners of the perfection of giving? For how long have they been practitioners of the perfection of morality, patience, perseverance, and concentration? For how long have they been practitioners of the perfection of wisdom?”

38.

Chapter 38: Cannot Be Apprehended

38.1

Then [F.86.b] venerable Subhūti said to the Lord, “Lord, this perfection of wisdom is a perfection of a nonexistent thing.”

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“Because space is a nonexistent thing, Subhūti,” replied the Lord.

38.2

“Lord, this perfection of wisdom is a perfection of equality,” said Subhūti.

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“Because all dharmas are equally nonapprehendable, Subhūti,” replied the Lord.

38.3

“Lord, this perfection of wisdom is a perfection of isolation,” said Subhūti.

“Because of the emptiness that transcends limits,” replied the Lord.

39.

Chapter 39: The Northern Region

39.1

Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, “Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family must have served the earlier victors well for the proclamation of this perfection of wisdom to be within their range of hearing; their wholesome roots must be sprung from the Tathāgata, and they must have been assisted by spiritual friends for the proclamation of this perfection of wisdom to be within their range of hearing too, so what need is there to say more about those who take up, bear in mind, read aloud, and master it, and about those who, having taken it up and borne it in mind, read it aloud, and mastered it, also practice it for suchness?479 Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family who take up, bear in mind, read aloud, and master this perfection of wisdom, and who, having taken it up and borne it in mind, read it aloud and mastered it, also practice it for suchness, have attended on many buddhas. Those sons of a good family [F.93.a] or daughters of a good family who do not tremble, feel frightened, or become terrified even when they have listened to this deep perfection of wisdom have also made inquiries about it with earlier tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas. Those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family who do not tremble, feel frightened, or become terrified even when they have listened to this deep perfection of wisdom have also practiced the perfection of giving and practiced the perfection of morality, patience, perseverance, concentration, and wisdom for many hundred millions of eons.”

40.

Chapter 40: The Work of Māra

40.1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord,502 “Lord, in light of these pronouncements you have made about the good qualities that accrue to those sons of a good family and daughters of a good family who have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and who are practicing the six perfections, bringing beings to maturity, and taking possession of a buddhafield, what sorts of hindrances can those sons of a good family and daughters of a good family expect to face?”

41.

Chapter 41: Not Complete Because of Māra

41.1

“Furthermore, Subhūti, when the Dharma listener wants to listen to the perfection of wisdom, to write it out, take it up, clearly articulate it, recite it, and read it out loud, and the Dharma preacher has become too lazy, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should know that this too is the work of Māra.

41.2

“Furthermore, Subhūti, when the Dharma preacher has not become too lazy to write out this deep perfection of wisdom, to take it up, clearly articulate it, and recite it, but the Dharma listener has gone off to some other place, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should know that this too is the work of Māra.

42.

Chapter 42: Revealing the World

42.1

“To illustrate, Subhūti, there might be [F.128.b] five, or ten, or twenty, or thirty, or forty, or fifty, or a hundred, or a thousand, or a hundred thousand sons of a certain woman and all of them would make an effort,510 thinking, ‘What can we do so that our mother who gave birth to us, gave us the bodies we have and gave us life, does not fall sick; what can we do so that our mother is not in danger; what can we do so that our mother lives for a long time; what can we do so that our mother is not physically uncomfortable?’ Serving their mother with the finest service, protecting her with the finest protection, those sons think, ‘She must not face danger to her life or grow physically weak; or be attacked by mosquitos, black flies, or poisonous crawling creatures; or suffer from cold or heat, hunger or thirst.’ Thus, those sons attend on their mother with all the requirements for happiness; thus they serve their mother, thinking, ‘She reveals this world to us.’

43.

Chapter 43: Inconceivable

43.1

Then as many gods as there were stationed in the great billionfold world system, living in the desire realm, and living in the form realm took sandalwood powders and specifically approached the Lord, went up to him, bowed their heads to the feet of the Lord, and stood to one side. Even while standing to one side those gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm said [F.136.b] to the Lord, “Lord, this revelation of the perfection of wisdom is deep. Why, Lord, is the perfection of wisdom deep?”

45.

Chapter 45: A Boat

45.1

“To illustrate, Subhūti, you should know that when a boat has broken up on the ocean, unless those people who are standing in it grab hold of a log, or an inflated skin, or a human corpse as a support, Subhūti, they will not reach the shore of the ocean and will die. Subhūti, when a boat has broken up on the ocean, those people who have it in mind to grab hold of a log, or an inflated skin, or a human corpse as a support, Subhūti, they will not die in the ocean; they will happily cross over the ocean and stand on dry land. Similarly, Subhūti, those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family in the Bodhisattva Vehicle endowed with just faith and just joy who do not write out, clearly articulate, recite, or properly pay attention to the sūtras connected with this deep perfection of wisdom, and similarly, connect this with do not write out, clearly articulate, recite, or hold as a support the perfection of concentration, perfection of perseverance, perfection of patience, perfection of morality, or perfection of giving, and similarly, connect this with each, up to do not write out, clearly articulate, recite, properly pay attention to, or hold as a support the knowledge of all aspects‍—you should know about these people in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who have set forth to the knowledge of all aspects that in the interim they will get into trouble on the path. They [F.150.a] will actualize the śrāvaka level or pratyekabuddha level. Subhūti, those people in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who have faith, have forbearance, have serene confidence, have a surpassing aspiration, have enjoyment, have belief, have renunciation, and have not given up the effort for full awakening to unsurpassed, complete awakening will write out, clearly articulate, recite, and properly pay attention to this perfection of wisdom. Look, Subhūti, those sons of a good family or daughters of a good family with faith, forbearance, serene confidence, a surpassing aspiration, belief, and renunciation, who have not given up the effort for unsurpassed, complete awakening, and those who assist528 the perfection of wisdom, up to assist the knowledge of all aspects will not get into trouble in the interim. They pass beyond the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels and, having brought beings to maturity and purified a buddhafield, fully awaken to unsurpassed, complete awakening.

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47.

Chapter 47: Taming Greed

47.1

Subhūti [F.162.a] then asked, “Lord, what will the attributes, tokens, and signs 538 be of those bodhisattva great beings who will believe in this deep perfection of wisdom, and what will be their intrinsic nature?”

47.2

Venerable Subhūti having thus inquired, the Lord replied to him, “Those bodhisattva great beings who will believe in this deep perfection of wisdom have eliminated greed and are in their intrinsic nature isolated from it; they have also eliminated hatred and confusion and are in their intrinsic nature isolated from them. Subhūti, they are in their intrinsic nature isolated from the token of greed. Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings are in their intrinsic nature isolated from the tokens of hatred and confusion.

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48.

Chapter 48: A Presentation of the Bodhisattvas’ Training

48.1

Then the gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm took up divine sandalwood powders, took up divine blue lotus, red lotus, and white lotus flowers, and specifically strewed them down on the Lord. Having strewed them they approached the Lord, went up to him, bowed their heads to the Lord’s feet, and stood to one side. Even while standing to one side those gods living in the desire realm and living in the form realm said to the Lord, “Lord, the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas have thus taught in this deep perfection of wisdom: ‘Just form is the knowledge of all aspects, and the knowledge of all aspects is form. Just feeling…, perception…, volitional factors…, and consciousness is the knowledge of all aspects, [F.167.a] and the knowledge of all aspects is consciousness. That which is the suchness of form and that which is the suchness of the knowledge of all aspects are a single suchness, not two and not divided. Similarly, connect this with that which is the suchness of … up to the buddhas, and that which is the suchness of … up to the knowledge of all aspects are a single suchness, not two and not divided.’ Thus, this perfection of wisdom‍—namely, the awakening of the tathāgatas‍—is deep, hard to behold, hard to understand, not something about which you can speculate, not an object of speculative thought, calm, subtle, an object to be known by the brilliantly learned and wise, a counterpoint to all that is ordinary.”

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49.

Chapter 49: Irreversibility

49.1

The Lord having said this, venerable Subhūti inquired of him, “Lord, what is the attribute, what is the token, and what is the sign of irreversible bodhisattva great beings? How do I know, ‘These bodhisattva great beings are irreversible?’ ”

49.2

Venerable Subhūti having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, here what are called the level of ordinary persons, the level of śrāvakas, the level of pratyekabuddhas, the level of bodhisattvas, and the level of tathāgatas‍—all of them are suchness, unchanging, undifferentiated, not two, and not divided. They enter into that suchness just as it is. Thus, they do not differentiate the undifferentiated and thus enter into it. Those who have entered like that, having heard about suchness just as it is, having transcended it, have no doubt at all that they are not each separate from suchness, and are not both different and suchness. They do not say whatever just comes into their minds, their words are meaningful, and they do not talk nonsense. They are not concerned with what others have and have not done; they search for what has been well spoken. Subhūti, you should know that bodhisattva great beings who have those attributes, those tokens, and those signs are irreversible.”

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50.

Chapter 50: Teaching the Signs of Irreversibility

50.1

“Furthermore, Subhūti, Māra the wicked one comes into the presence of bodhisattva great beings and discourages them, saying, ‘The knowledge of all aspects is like space; it is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and it is empty of its own mark. These dharmas are like space as well; they are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and they are empty of their own marks. In dharmas that are like space with a nonexistent intrinsic nature and empty of their own marks, you cannot apprehend any dharma at all which might fully awaken, through which you might fully awaken, and which will be fully awakened to. All those dharmas are like space with a nonexistent intrinsic nature and empty of their own marks, so this‍—namely, this teaching that you should fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening‍—will frustrate you. It is meaningless, it is the work of Māra, it is not a teaching of the perfectly complete buddha. Son of a good family, reject those ways of thinking or else they will bring you misfortune and suffering and a descent into error.’

51.

Chapter 51: Skillful Means

51.1

The Lord having said this, venerable Subhūti said to him, “Lord, bodhisattva great beings irreversible from awakening are endowed with tremendous good qualities. Lord, irreversible bodhisattva great beings are endowed with infinite good qualities. Lord, irreversible bodhisattva great beings are endowed with immeasurable good qualities.”

51.2

“Exactly so, Subhūti, exactly so!” replied the Lord. “Irreversible bodhisattva great beings are endowed with tremendous good qualities. Subhūti, irreversible bodhisattva great beings are endowed with infinite good qualities. Subhūti, irreversible bodhisattva great beings are endowed with immeasurable good qualities. And why? It is because they have gained a limitless and boundless knowledge not shared in common with śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. Standing in that knowledge, irreversible bodhisattva great beings accomplish the detailed and thorough knowledges. Though questioned by the world with its gods, humans, and asuras, their responses with the detailed and thorough knowledges can never be exhausted.”

52.

Chapter 52: Completion of Means

52.1

Then venerable Śāriputra asked venerable Subhūti, [F.207.a] “Venerable Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings have become absorbed in the three meditative stabilizations on emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness in a dream, do they improve on account of the perfection of wisdom?”

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52.2

Venerable Śāriputra having asked that, venerable Subhūti said to him, “Venerable Śāriputra, if they improve on account of having meditated during the day, they improve in a dream like that as well. And why? Venerable Śāriputra, it is because a dream and the daytime are undifferentiated. Venerable Śāriputra, if bodhisattva great beings who practice meditation on the perfection of wisdom during the daytime have a meditation on the perfection of wisdom, then there is also a meditation on the perfection of wisdom in bodhisattva great beings’ dreams as well.”

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53.

Chapter 53: The Prophecy about Gaṅgadevī

53.1

Then the sister Gaṅgadevī, who had joined the assembly and was seated in that very retinue, got up from her seat, adjusted her upper robe so it hung down from one shoulder, knelt down with her right knee on the ground, cupped her palms together in a gesture of supplication specifically to the Lord, bowed forward to him, and said to the Lord, “I too, Lord, I too, Sugata, will practice the six perfections well, and just like the tathāgatas, [F.216.b] worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas will look after such buddhafields as those taught in this perfection of wisdom.”

55.

Chapter 55: Teaching the Stopping of Thought Construction

55.1

“Furthermore,586 Subhūti, if the śrāvaka level or pratyekabuddha level or the three realms do not retain any attraction for bodhisattva great beings even in dreams, and if they do not entertain the thought that they are of benefit, if they see all dharmas like a dream, see all dharmas like an echo, like a mirage, and like a magical creation and still do not actualize the very limit of reality,587 you should know, Subhūti, that too is a sign that irreversible bodhisattva great beings are irreversible from awakening.

56.

Chapter 56: Equal Training

56.1

Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, said to the Lord, “Lord, because the perfection of wisdom is extremely isolated this perfection of wisdom is deep, hard to behold, hard to comprehend, not something about which you can speculate, not an object of speculative thought, up to subtle, and an object to be known by the brilliantly learned and wise, so those who hear, take up, bear in mind, read aloud, master, and practice this deep perfection of wisdom for suchness, not giving space to other mind or mental factor dharmas up until they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, do not have paltry wholesome roots.”

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58.

Chapter 58: Exposition of the Absence of Thought Construction

58.1

Then it occurred to Śatakratu, head of the gods, to think, “Here, since even bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of giving, perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom, connect this in the same way with each, up to and the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha surpass all beings, what need is there to say more about when they have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening? Since those beings whose thought is going toward the knowledge of all aspects get things easily and stay alive easily, what need is there to say more about those who have produced the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening? The beings who will have produced the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening are pleasing to me. The beings who produce the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening are also pleasing to me.”

60.

Chapter 60: Entrusting

60.1

Then Śatakratu, head of the gods, asked the Lord, “Speaking like that and teaching like that, am I saying what the Lord has said, teaching the Dharma and perfectly giving expression to the Dharma in its totality?”

60.2

“Kauśika,” replied the Lord, “speaking like that and teaching like that you are saying what the Lord has said, teaching the Dharma and giving expression to the Dharma in its totality.”

60.3

Śatakratu said, “Lord, it is amazing how the elder Subhūti is confident in his readiness to speak about it [F.264.b] all with emptiness as the point of departure, is confident in his readiness to speak with signlessness and wishlessness as the point of departure, and is confident in his readiness to speak about the applications of mindfulness, up to awakening with that point of departure.”

61.

Chapter 61: Inexhaustible

61.1

Then it occurred to venerable Subhūti to think, “Ah! This awakening of the tathāgatas is deep, so without a doubt I am going to have to question the Tathāgata.” Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, is this perfection of wisdom not exhausted?”623

61.2

“Subhūti,” he replied, “because space is inexhaustible 624 the perfection of wisdom is not exhausted.”

61.3

“Lord, how are bodhisattva great beings to accomplish the perfection of wisdom?”625 he asked.

62.

Chapter 62: Leaping Above Absorption

62.1

Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, how do bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of morality incorporate the perfection of giving?”

62.2

Venerable Subhūti having asked this, the Lord replied to him, “Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings standing in the perfection of morality do not grasp the śrāvaka level or pratyekabuddha level as absolute on account of any rule, be it a rule to do with body or speech or mind.627 Standing in the perfection of morality they do not kill beings. They do not steal, do not engage in illicit sex because of lust, do not lie, [F.278.b] do not insult, do not engage in backbiting, do not babble nonsense, do not covet, do not bear malice, and do not have a wrong view. Standing in that perfection of morality, whatever the gift they give, be it food to those who are begging for food, something to drink to those who want something to drink, incense to those who want incense,628 transport to those who want transport, clothes to those who want clothes, flower garlands to those who want flower garlands, creams to those who want creams, beds to those who want beds, seats to those who want seats, a lamp to those who want a lamp, prerequisites for those who need the prerequisites,629 up to whatever human requirements are appropriate,630 they make that gift into something shared in common by all beings and dedicate it to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. They make a dedication in such a way that it is not a dedication to the śrāvaka level or the pratyekabuddha level. In that way, Subhūti, the bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of morality incorporate the perfection of giving.”

63.

Chapter 63: Many Inquiries About the Two Dharmas

63.1

Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, how long a time has it been since bodhisattva great beings with such skillful means set out?”

63.2

Venerable Subhūti having asked this, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, it is a countless one hundred million billion eons since the bodhisattva great beings with such skillful means set out.”

63.3

“Lord, how many lord buddhas have the bodhisattva great beings with such skillful means attended on?”

64.

Chapter 64: Perfectly Displayed

64.1

The Lord having said this, venerable Subhūti said to him, “Deep, Lord, is the perfection of wisdom. Those who do what is difficult, Lord, are those bodhisattva great beings who have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. They have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening for the sake of beings even though a being is not apprehended and the designation of a being is not apprehended.

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65.

Chapter 65: Worshiping, Serving, and Attending on Spiritual Friends as Skillful Means

65.1

The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti then asked him, “Lord, you say ‘bodhisattva’s practice’ again and again. Lord, what are the words bodhisattva’s practice for?”

65.2

“Subhūti, a ‘bodhisattva’s practice’ is a practice practiced for bodhi, therefore it is called a bodhisattva’s practice.”

65.3

“Lord, where is that practice‍—that bodhisattva great beings’ practice practiced for awakening?” [F.20.b]

66.

Chapter 66: A Demonstration of Skillful Means

66.1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord, “Lord, bodhisattva great beings who do not attend on the lord buddhas, do not plant wholesome roots, and are not looked after by spiritual friends‍—those bodhisattva great beings would not gain the knowledge of all aspects, would they?”

66.2

“Subhūti,” replied the Lord, “bodhisattva great beings who have not attended on the lord buddhas, have not planted wholesome roots, and have not been looked after by spiritual friends would not gain the knowledge of all aspects. And why? Even bodhisattva great beings who have attended on the lord buddhas, have planted wholesome roots, and have been looked after by spiritual friends will not be able to gain the knowledge of all aspects, never mind bodhisattva great beings who have not attended on the lord buddhas, have not planted wholesome roots, and have not been looked after by spiritual friends. It is impossible that they will gain the knowledge of all aspects. Therefore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings [F.24.a] should attend on the lord buddhas, plant wholesome roots, and rely on spiritual friends.”

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67.

Chapter 67: Morality

67.1

“Furthermore, Subhūti, starting from the production of the first thought, bodhisattva great being practicing the perfection of morality with attention connected with the knowledge of all aspects guard morality. They do not obscure it with a greedy thought, or hate, or confusion, or a bad proclivity, or an obsession, or any unwholesome dharma at all that obstructs awakening‍—namely, with miserliness, immorality, an emotionally upsetting thought, a lazy thought, deficient thought, thought that veers off, an intellectually confused thought, pride, conceit, pride in being superior, egotism, or a śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha thought. And why? Because they understand that all dharmas are empty of their own mark; they see all dharmas as not arisen, not thoroughly established, and as not having come into being; and they enter into the mark that marks all dharmas as dharmas, entering into all dharmas marked as being without the capacity to function and not occasioning anything. Endowed with those skillful means they grow and flourish on wholesome roots. Growing and flourishing [F.25.a] on wholesome roots, they practice the perfection of morality. Practicing the perfection of morality, they bring beings to maturity and purify a buddhafield, but without hoping for a result from morality‍—a result from morality that they would enjoy in saṃsāra. On the contrary, they practice the perfection of morality because they want to look after beings, to avoid hurting beings, and to benefit beings.”

68.

Chapter 68: Growing and Flourishing

68.1

Similarly, connect this with the perfection of patience, the perfection of perseverance, and the perfection of concentration as well.

68.2

“Furthermore, Subhūti, starting from the production of the first thought, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom with attention connected with the knowledge of all aspects cultivate wisdom. They do not obscure it with a greedy thought, up to a śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha thought. And why? Subhūti, it is because they understand all dharmas are empty of their own mark; they see all dharmas as not arisen, as not thoroughly established, and as not having come into being; and they enter into the mark that marks all dharmas as dharmas, entering into all dharmas marked as being without the capacity to function and not occasioning anything. Endowed with those skillful means, they grow and flourish on wholesome roots. Growing and flourishing on wholesome roots, they practice the perfection of wisdom. Practicing the perfection of wisdom, they bring beings to maturity and purify a buddhafield, but without hoping for a result from wisdom‍—a result from wisdom that they would enjoy in saṃsāra. On the contrary, they practice [F.25.b] the perfection of giving in order to protect beings and in order to liberate beings.”

68.3

This was the sixty-eighth chapter, “Growing and Flourishing,” of “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines.”

69.

Chapter 69: An Explanation of Meditation on the Path

69.1

“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings become absorbed in the first concentration, up to become absorbed in the fourth concentration, become absorbed in the immeasurables, up to and become absorbed in the formless absorptions, but they do not get saddled with their maturation. And why? Because they are endowed with skillful means, those skillful means endowed with which they understand that the concentrations, immeasurables, and formless absorptions are empty of their own mark, up to understand that they do not occasion anything.

70.

Chapter 70: An Explanation of Serial Action, Training, and Practice

70.1

The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, if there is not even the patience that arises in a natural order for someone with the perception of an existing thing, how could there be attainment, and how could there be clear realization?

70.2

“Given that there is not, [F.38.a] is there the patience that arises in a natural order for someone with the perception of a nonexistent thing? Is there the Śuklavipaśyanā level, Gotra level, Aṣṭamaka level, Darśana level, Tanū level, Vītarāga level, Kṛtāvin level, Pratyekabuddha level, Bodhisattva level, and cultivation of the path? And, thanks to the cultivation of the path, are the afflictions connected with śrāvakas and the afflictions connected with pratyekabuddhas eliminated? When obstructed by those afflictions, there is no entry into the secure state of a bodhisattva. Unless they have entered into the secure state of a bodhisattva, there is no gaining the knowledge of all aspects, and if they have not gained the knowledge of all aspects, there is no elimination of all residual impressions, connections, and afflictions.

71.

Chapter 71: The True Nature of Dharmas That Cannot Be Apprehended

71.1

The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, if all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, Lord, what reality do bodhisattva great beings who have set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening for the welfare of beings see?”

71.2

“Subhūti,” replied the Lord, “just as all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, in exactly the same way bodhisattva great beings set out for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. And why? Subhūti, an apprehended object is severely limiting. Someone who perceives an apprehended object has no attainment, has no clear realization, and has no unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

73.

Chapter 73: Exposition of the Major Marks and Minor Signs and the Completion of Letters

73.1

The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti then inquired of him, “Lord, how, when all dharmas are like a dream, have no basis, are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and are empty of their own marks, can you present these as wholesome and these as unwholesome, these as ordinary and these as extraordinary, these as with outflows and these as without outflows, these as compounded and these as uncompounded, as well as these for making manifest the result of stream enterer, these for making manifest the result of once-returner, these for making manifest the result of non-returner, these for making manifest the state of a worthy one, these for making manifest a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, and these for making manifest unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening? And similarly, up to how, when all dharmas are like an echo, like an apparition, like an illusion, like a mirage, and like [F.65.a] a magical creation; are nonexistent things; are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature; and are empty of their own marks, can you present these for making manifest unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?”

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74.

Chapter 74: Exposition of the Sameness of Dharmas

74.1

Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, how have bodhisattva great beings realized well what marks dharmas as dharmas?”

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74.2

“Subhūti, to illustrate, a magical creation has nothing to do with greed, hatred, and confusion; it has nothing to do with form, up to it has nothing to do with consciousness; and similarly, it has nothing to do with inner and outer dharmas, has nothing to do with bad proclivities and obsessions, has nothing to do with dharmas with outflows and without outflows, and has nothing to do with ordinary and extraordinary dharmas, those shared in common and not shared in common, or those that are compounded and uncompounded; and it has nothing to do with the path and has nothing to do with the results. To have realized well what marks the dharmas as being dharmas is like that.”

75.

Chapter 75: Exposition of Noncomplication

75.1

Then venerable Subhūti [F.98.a] asked the Lord, “Lord, if a being is absolutely not apprehended and even the designation of a being does not exist, for whose sake do bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom?”

75.2

Venerable Subhūti having asked this, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, having taken the very limit of reality as the measure,820 bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom. Subhūti, if the very limit of reality were to be one thing and the limit of beings another, bodhisattva great beings would not practice the perfection of wisdom. But, Subhūti, the very limit of reality is not one thing and the limit of beings another, therefore bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom for the sake of beings. Subhūti, by not complicating the very limit of reality, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom establish beings at the very limit of reality.”

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78.

Chapter 78: Teaching the Skillful Means for the Purification of a Buddhafield

78.1

Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, are bodhisattva great beings ‘destined’ or rather ‘not necessarily destined’?”

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78.2

“Subhūti,” replied the Lord, “bodhisattva great beings are destined, not not necessarily destined.”

78.3

“Lord, which group, the śrāvaka group or the pratyekabuddha group, are they destined to be in?”

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78.4

“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings are not necessarily destined to be in the śrāvaka group or in the pratyekabuddha group; they are destined to be in the buddha group.”

79.

Chapter 79: Teaching the Nonexistence of an Intrinsic Nature

79.1

Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, if those dharmas are the bodhisattva dharmas, well then, Lord, what are the buddhadharmas?”

79.2

The Lord replied, “Again, Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked‍—‘If those dharmas are the bodhisattva dharmas what, then, are the buddhadharmas?’‍—Subhūti, just those bodhisattva dharmas are the buddhadharmas as well. When bodhisattva great beings have completely awakened to those dharmas in all aspects and have reached the knowledge of all aspects, they eliminate all the residual impression connections. They will fully awaken to those, but tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas have fully awakened to all dharmas through the wisdom of the unique single instant. That, Subhūti, is the difference between bodhisattva great beings and the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas.

80.

Chapter 80: Teaching That There is No Defilement or Purification

80.1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord,839 “Lord, if all dharmas are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, if they have not been made by buddhas, have not been made by pratyekabuddhas, have not been made by worthy ones, have not been made by non-returners, have not been made by once-returners, have not been made by stream enterers, and have not been made by those bodhisattva great beings who are practicing for this awakening, well then, Lord, why in these dharmas is there a distinction made between them, or a presentation of them thus: ‘These are beings in hell, these in the animal world, these in the world of Yama, these are gods, these are humans; because of this karma they are in hell, because of this in the animal world, because of this in the world of Yama, because of this they are gods, because of this humans, because of this Brahmakāyika, up to Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana gods; because of this karma they are stream enterers, up to because of this karma they are pratyekabuddhas, because of this karma they are bodhisattvas, and because of this karma they are tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas’? [F.139.b] Lord, in a dharma that is not real there is no action such that, on account of such an action, they would go to hell, or to the animal world, or to the world of Yama, or take birth as a god or human, up to a Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana god; or reach the result of stream enterer, or reach the result of once-returner, or the result of non-returner, or the state of a worthy one, or a pratyekabuddha’s awakening; or be a bodhisattva, or practice the awakening path, or reach the knowledge of all aspects, or, having reached that, cause beings to be liberated from saṃsāra.”

81.

Chapter 81: Yogic Practice of the Ultimate

81.1

Then venerable Subhūti inquired of the Lord, “Lord, for someone who sees reality, defilement does not happen and purification does not happen, and even for someone who does not see reality, defilement does not happen and purification does not happen. This is because, Lord, all dharmas are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. So, there is no defilement and there is no purification for something that does not exist, and there is no defilement and there is no purification even for something that does exist. Lord, if there is no defilement and there is no purification even for something that exists in itself, [F.143.b] and if there is no defilement and there is no purification even for something that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, well then, what is that purification the Lord has been speaking about?”

82.

Chapter 82: The Unchanging True Nature of Dharmas

82.1

Then venerable Subhūti asked the Lord, “Lord, if the sameness of all dharmas is empty of a basic nature, then no dharma does anything, so how, while dharmas are not doing anything and are not anything at all, do bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom not move from the ultimate but still work for the welfare of beings by way of giving gifts, kind words, beneficial actions, and consistency between words and deeds?”

83.

Chapter 83: Categorization of a Bodhisattva’s Training

83.1

Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya 851 asked the Lord, “Lord, how do bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who want to train in a bodhisattva’s training [F.152.b] train in form, and how do they train in feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness; how do they train in the eye sense field, ear sense field, nose sense field, tongue sense field, body sense field, and thinking mind sense field; how do they train in the form sense field, sound sense field, smell sense field, taste sense field, feeling sense field, and dharma sense field; how do they train in the eye constituent, form constituent, and eye consciousness constituent, ear constituent, sound constituent, and ear consciousness constituent, nose constituent, smell constituent, and nose consciousness constituent, tongue constituent, taste constituent, and tongue consciousness constituent, body constituent, feeling constituent, and body consciousness constituent, and thinking mind constituent, dharma constituent, and thinking-mind consciousness constituent; how do they train in the eye contact sense field, and the ear, nose, tongue, body, and thinking-mind contact sense field; how do they train in ignorance, and how do they train in volitional factors, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, contact, feeling, craving, appropriation, existence, birth, and old age and death; how do they train in the truth of suffering, and how do they train in the truth of origination, truth of cessation, and truth of the path; how do they train in dharmas that have form, and how do they train in those that are formless, show themselves and do not show themselves, and are obstructed and not obstructed, compounded and uncompounded, with outflows and without outflows, a basic immorality and not a basic immorality, to be resorted to [F.153.a] and not resorted to, vile and sublime, inner and outer, seen, heard, thought about, and known, past, present, and future, wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral, connected with the desire realm, connected with the form realm, connected with the formless realm, and not connected, in the dharmas of those in training and of those for whom there is no more training, in the dharmas of greed, rage, conceit, ignorance, view, and doubt; how do they train in miserliness and giving, immorality and morality, malice and patience, laziness and perseverance, distraction and concentration, and intellectual confusion and wisdom; how do they train in conceptualization and emptiness, a causal sign and signlessness, an improper wish and wishlessness, unpleasant dharmas, impermanence, suffering, and selflessness; and how do they train in affliction and the elimination of affliction, defilement and purification, saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, awakening and the buddhadharmas?”

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84.

Chapter 84: Collection

84.1

Furthermore, the Lord, yet again teaching this perfection of wisdom in order to cause a great joy in those four retinues, at that time spoke these verses:869

84.2

With the finest liking, respect, and serene confidence

That clear away obscuring afflictions and pass beyond stains,870

Listen to this perfection of wisdom of the brave,

Practiced by heroes who have set out for the sake of the world.871

84.3

All the rivers flowing here in Jambudvīpa,

Which make medicinal plants and forests with flowers and fruit grow,

Have their source in the powerful nāga who rules in Lake Anavatapta,

And are all that Nāga-Lord’s glorious power.872 [F.163.b]

85.

Chapter 85: Sadāprarudita

85.1

Then the Lord, having spoken these verses, [F.181.b] said to venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, any son of a good family or daughter of a good family who wants to search for the perfection of wisdom, that son of a good family or daughter of a good family should search for the perfection of wisdom as it was sought for by the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, who is now practicing celibacy in the presence of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Bhīṣmagarjitanirghoṣasvara.”

86.

Chapter 86: Dharmodgata

86.1

“Having said this, the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata said to the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita, ‘Son of a good family, tathāgatas have not come from anywhere and have not gone anywhere. They do not move from suchness. The Tathāgata is suchness.

86.2

“ ‘Son of a good family, there is no coming or going in what is not produced. The Tathāgata is not produced.

“ ‘Son of a good family, there is no coming or going in the very limit of reality. The Tathāgata is the very limit of reality.

87.

Chapter 87: Entrusting

87.1

“Subhūti, the moment the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita came into possession of those six million meditative stabilization gateways, he beheld, in world systems as many as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River in the eastern direction, southern direction, western direction, and northern direction, in the intermediate directions, and in the directions below and above, the lord buddhas surrounded by a community of monks and at the head of an assembly of bodhisattvas, as many as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, teaching the perfection of wisdom in just such ways as these, with just these names, and in just these words, just as I, Subhūti, the Dharma teacher in this great billionfold world system, am now teaching the perfection of wisdom surrounded by a community of monks and at the head of an assembly of bodhisattvas in just such ways as these, with just these names, and in just these words. He became endowed with inconceivably great learning and an ocean-like erudition; he was never separated from the buddhas wherever he was born; in all his lives he took birth in places where he would come face to face with the lord buddhas; and he was not separated from the lord buddhas even in dreams. He avoided the places that preclude a perfect human birth and accomplished a perfect human birth.1126

Colophon

c.1

The Noble Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines is completed. It has been translated, proofed, and prepared for publication by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, Yeshé Dé, and so on.1131

ab.

Abbreviations

AAV	Āryavimuktisena (’phags pa rnam grol sde). ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i rnam par ’grel pa (Āryapañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñā-pāramitopadeśaśāstrābhisamayālaṃkārakārikāvārttika).
AAVN	Āryavimuktisena. Abhisamayālamkāravrtti (mistakenly titled Abhisamayālaṅkāravyākhyā). Nepal German Manuscript Preservation Project A 37/9, National Archives Kathmandu Accession Number 5/55. The numbers follow the page numbering of Sparham’s undated, unpublished transliteration of the part of the manuscript not included in Pensa 1967.
Abhisamayālaṃkāra	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba tshig le’ur byas pa (Abhisamayālaṃkāra-nāma-prajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstrakārikā) [The Ornament for the Clear Realizations]. Numbering of the verses as in the Unrai Wogihara edition: Abhisamayālaṃkārālokā Prajñāpāramitā Vyākhyā: The Work of Haribhadra.
Amano	Amano, Koei H. Abhisamayālaṃkāra-kārikā-śāstra-vivṛti.
Aṣṭa	Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā. Page numbers are Wogihara (1973) that includes the edition of Mitra (1888).
Buddhaśrī	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa’i tshig su byas pa’i dka’ ’grel (Prajñāpāramitāsaṃcayagāthāpañjikā).
Bṭ1	Anonymous/Daṃṣṭrāsena. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ’bum gyi rgya cher ’grel (Śatasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitābṛhaṭṭīkā) [Bṛhaṭṭīkā].
Bṭ3	Vasubandhu/Daṃṣṭrāsena. ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ’bum dang / nyi khri lnga sgong pa dang / khri brgyad stong pa rgya cher bshad pa (Āryaśatasāhasrikāpañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāṣṭādaśa-sāhasrikāprajñāpāramitābṭhaṭṭīkā) [Bṛhaṭṭīkā]. English translation in Sparham 2022.
C	Choné (co ne) Kangyur and Tengyur.
D	Degé (sde dge) Kangyur and Tengyur.
Edg	Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary.
Eight Thousand	Conze, Edward. The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary.
GRETIL	Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages.
Ghoṣa	Ghoṣa, Pratāpachandra, ed. Śatasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā.
Gilgit	Gilgit Buddhist Manuscripts.
GilgitC	Edward Conze, ed. and trans. The Gilgit Manuscript of the Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā: Chapters 55 to 70 Corresponding to the 5th Abhisamaya.
Gyurme (khri pa)	Gyurme Dorje. The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines.
H	Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur and Tengyur.
K	Peking (Kangxi) Kangyur and Tengyur.
LC	Lokesh Candra. Tibetan Sanskrit Dictionary.
LSPW	Conze, Edward. The Large Sutra on Perfection Wisdom (Conze 1984).
MDPL	Conze, Edward. Materials for a Dictionary of the Prajñāpāramitā Literature.
MQ	Conze, Edward and Shotaro Iida. “Maitreya’s Questions” in the Prajñāpāramitā.
MW	Monier-Williams, M. A. A Sanskrit–English dictionary etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages.
Mppś	Lamotte, Étienne. Le Traité de la Grande Vertu de Sagesse de Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñā-pāramitā-śāstra).
Mppś English	Gelongma Karma Migme Chodron. The Treatise on the Great Virtue of Wisdom of Nāgārjuna.
Mvy	Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa chen po).
N	Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur and Tengyur.
NAK	National Archives Kathmandu.
NGMPP	Nepal German Manuscript Preservation Project.
PSP	Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā.
RecA	Skt and Tib editions of Recension A in Yuyama 1976.
RecAs	Sanskrit Recension A in Yuyama 1976.
RecAt	Tibetan Recension A in Yuyama 1976.
S	Stok Palace (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur.
Skt	Sanskrit.
Subodhinī	Attributed to Haribhadra. bcom ldan ’das yon tan rin po che sdud pa’i tshig su byas pa’i dka’ ’grel shes bya ba (Bhagavadratnaguṇasaṃcayagāthā-pañjikānāma) [“Easy Pañjikā”].
Thempangma	bka’ ’gyur rgyal rtse’i them spang ma.
Tib	Tibetan.
Toh	Tōhoku Imperial University A Complete Catalogue of the Tibetan Buddhist Canons (bkaḥ-ḥgyur and bstan-ḥgyur).
Wogihara	Unrai Wogihara. Abhisamayālaṃkārālokā Prajñāpāramitā Vyākhyā: The Work of Haribhadra.
Z	Zacchetti, Stefano. In Praise of the Light.
brgyad stong pa	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [Eight Thousand].
khri brgyad stong pa	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines].
khri pa	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri pa (Daśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines, Toh 11].
le’u brgyad ma	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [Haribhadra’s “Eight Chapters”]. Citations are from the 1976–79 Karmapae chodhey gyalwae sungrab partun khang edition, first the Tib vol. letter, followed by the folio and line number.
nyi khri	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines].
rgyan snang	Haribhadra. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā-vyākhyānābhisamayālaṃkārālokā) [Illumination of the Abhisamayālaṃkāra].
ŚsPK	Śatasāhasrikāprajñaparamitā.
ŚsPN3	Śatasāhasrikāprajñaparamitā NGMPP A 115/3, NAK Accession Number 3/632. Numbering of the scanned pages.
ŚsPN4	Śatasāhasrikāprajñaparamitā NGMPP B 91/3, NAK Accession Number 3/633. Numbering of the scanned pages.
ŚsPN4/2	Śatasāhasrikāprajñaparamitā NGMPP B 91/3, NAK Accession Number 3/633 (part two). Numbering of the scanned pages.
’bum	shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag brgya pa (Śatasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines]. Citations are from the 1976–79 Karmapae chodhey gyalwae sungrab partun khang edition, first the Tib letter in italics of the vol., followed by the folio and line number.

Notes

n.1

Padmakara Translation Group, trans., The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines (Daśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Toh 11), 2018. Hereafter, referred to as khri pa.

n.2

Zacchetti 2005: 17, 23 n. 76.

n.3

Gareth Sparham, trans., The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines (Śatasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Toh 8), 2024. Hereafter, referred to as ’bum.

n.4

Padmakara Translation Group, trans., The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Toh 9), 2023. Hereafter, referred to as nyi khri.

n.5

Zacchetti 2005: 40, n. 167; Lee undated: 1.

n.6

Nañjio 1883: 2–3.

n.7

Nañjio 1883: 3, (c).

n.8

Gareth Sparham, trans., The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines (Toh 3808), 2022. Hereafter, referred to as Bṭ3.

n.17

Here and below “numbering” renders mātra (from the root mā, “to measure”). D tsam means “just” (in a limiting sense).

n.18

“Perfect” is the MDPL rendering of paramapārami (dam pa’i pha rol tu son pa). Seton (Appendix I, 36) says Ratnākaraśānti dissolves the compound more fully to mean “because they have gone and are in a state that has gone to the limit of mental mastery.”

n.19

H: rin chen snying po.

n.47

All the Tib versions of the sūtra have all four possibilities, and none of the Skt versions do.

n.48

This is a truncation of the longer list, taking out “is empty of the intrinsic nature of form, but is not empty because of emptiness” for each of the intervening aggregates.

n.49

Ghoṣa 119 asthānam (“not standing”), which is better, as below.

n.50

Q brtags pa; D gdags pa (“labels”).

n.134

“Comprehend” (khong du chud, parijñā) is knowledge paired with “elimination” (spang ba, prahā) that follows just below.

n.169

To “practice form” means to engage in the practice set forth in the fundamental Buddhist scriptures wherein the practitioner, keeping him- or herself in mind as the objective support, goes through each of the dharmas, starting with the form aggregate comprised of a form, eyes, and eye consciousness and so on.

n.204

This renders K. D and Thempangma 147b3 have byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ “you say ‘bodhisattva, sattva.’ ” We have rendered padārtha, gzhi’i don “basis in reality”; ’bum 8.1 (ga 28a4), nyi khri 8.2 (ka 178b7) tshig ’di’i don (“meaning of this word”); le’u brgyad ma ga 176a1 tshig gi don (“meaning of the term”). Earlier (6.4) has byang chub sems dpa’ zhes bgyi ba de chos gang gi tshig bla dags = dharmasya adhivacanam (“the name of the dharma”); here PSP 1-2:17 has kaḥ padārthaḥ; Ghoṣa 1192, Gilgit 307.6 ko ’sya padārthaḥ; LSPW renders padārtha by “meaning of the word,” “real,” and “track.” Wogihara 75 kaḥ padārtha; brgyad stong pa 10b3 gzhi’i don gang.

n.251

Below (17.1) the question is repeated with ji ltar, in place of ji tsam na: “How have bodhisattva great beings come to set out in the Great Vehicle?” Gilgit 332.13–14 kiyatā bhagavan bodhisattvo mahāsattvo mahāyāne prasthito veditavāḥ; Ghoṣa 1405 kiyanto bhagavan bodhisattvo mahāsattvo mahāyānasaṃprasthitā veditavāḥ; nyi khri ka 220a4 and le’u brgyad ma ga 213b4 ji tsam gyis na; PSP 1-2:58 and below 1-2:87–88 kathaṃ bhagavan bodhisattvo mahāsattvo mahāyanasaṃprasthito veditavyaḥ. Jäschke records but questions ji tsam=ji snyad from J. Schmidt’s Tibetish-Deutsches Wörterbuch.

n.252

Here “where” renders gang la; below, when the question is repeated (18.1), gang nas “from where” (kutaḥ) (the response is, “from the three realms”). Again, the yang dag par zhugs here is nges par ’byung bar ’gyur below.

n.253

A bodhisattva is a Great Vehicle that carries many people, in the sense that a bodhisattva supports or is responsible for their welfare, as in the colloquial “she has been carrying them all since they became unemployed.”

n.305

Emend kyis to kyi sa (yā dharmāṇāṃ bhūmis).

n.306

“Purification” (yongs su sbyong ba, parikarma); alternatively, “groundwork”; LSPW “preparation.” In the Tib translation of the Daśabhūmikā (sa bcu pa) pariśodhana is rendered systematically as yongs su sbyong ba.

n.324

This renders gang nas; earlier (15.1) gang la (“where”).

n.325

Ghoṣa 1474, Gilgit 362.5. PSP 1-2:103 adds dharmadhātoḥ (“from the dharma-constituent”).

n.332

The idea in this section of the sūtra, as we understand it, derives from i/yā as “going,” in the sense of a dynamic state of being, like persons who find themselves going through time. The emptiness of that is a niryāna, “no going,” and that is the Mahāyāna “great going.” We have retained the basic English translations of niryāṇa as “going forth” and mahāyāna as “Great Vehicle.” They are not intended to convey all the aspects of the Skt words, but, as with the Tib translations, are lexical markers for them.

n.333

“Space” (ākāśa) “has room” (avakāśa).

n.346

Ghoṣa, Gilgit adhyeṣita; PSP adhīṣṭa.

n.360

“Awakening” renders bodhi; “state of being” renders sattva.

n.376

The plural of the heads of each of the orders of gods is intended.

n.377

LSPW renders purataḥ (“in comparison to”).

n.400

The sense is “gods with Indra as their leader,” but we have retained the plural because the multiplication of worlds is a recurring motif. LSPW 431 “the gods around Indra” and so on.

n.402

D ming; N, H rus; Gilgit janetri [=janayitrī]; PSP jananī; le’u brgyad ma nga 43b7 ma ma; ’bum ca 239a3 skye ba; nyi khri, kha 58a4 skyid pa. Probably the sense intended in this list of ten benefits is that the bodhisattva is born of the solar race (kula) into the famous Śākya clan, and born in the royal family there (janman). However, ma ma (janayitrī) brings to mind a good patrilineage (N and H have cho rigs), matrilineage, and a special aunt as wet nurse.

n.425

bsngags pa yongs su brjod par mdzad (nāmadheyaṃ parikīrtaya), rendered ming yongs su brjod par mdzad below. We have translated them differently because the Tib here renders them separately.

n.452

’bum cha 178a5, nyi khri 25.1 (kha 161b6) shul gol ba (“wrong road”); so too le’u brgyad ma nga 127a6 lam log pa. Alternatively, the metaphor may be of a track through the forest that is not clearly marked.

n.453

PSP 2-3:143 triparivartadvādaśākāradharmacakrapravartayitrī; ’bum cha 178b2 and nyi khri 25.1 (kha 162a3): rnam pa bcu gnyis rgyud gsum du ’khor ba’i chos kyi ’khor lo (“that turns three times and has twelve aspects”) is a better translation.

n.458

Haribhadra (Wogihara 391, Sparham 2006–11 vol. 2, 272) glosses the clearer version of this in the Aṣṭa: “They follow doctrine, understand meaning, and instruct others by means of both of those methods.”

n.479

The ultimate practice, beyond ordinary convention or thought construction; alternatively, “practice so it is exactly as” a bodhisattva has heard, without any distortion.

n.502

The lacuna in the Gilgit manuscript ends here.

n.510

N, K.

n.528

PSP 4:86 yaiḥ prajñāpāramitā parigṛhītā; nyi khri 35.7 (kha 298a5) and below 35.8 (299b4) has yongs su bzung (“assisted by” the perfection of wisdom) throughout, which is better.

n.531

D brten (“rely on”).

n.532

PSP 4:94, ŚsPN3 4593v5 bhaktavya. Another meaning of bsnyen is “stay close to.”

n.538

D shows this triad in an irregular order here: rtags rnams dang / rnam pa dang / mthan ma rnams. This and any other incidental instances of the triad have been emended in the English to reflect the regular order: attributes (rnam pa), tokens (rtags), and signs (mtshan ma).

n.586

From here (parivarta 55) Gilgit is available in the Conze (1962) edition, cited hereafter as GilgitC.

n.587

This is contextually the most likely meaning, however sākṣātkṛ might mean to treat something as being as real as when it is right before one’s eyes, hence to over-reify.

n.623

The twelve links of dependent origination (dvadaśāṅgapratītyasamutpāda) are exhausted, which is to say, come to an end in a sequence, and with that end comes nirvāṇa (and the akṣayajñāna, the knowledge of it). The same word akṣaya is being used here to describe the emptiness of all dharmas (the dharmanairātmya) and the bodhisattva’s knowledge of it.

n.624

“Space (ākāśa) is inexhaustible (akṣayatva).”

n.625

We have supplied the subject that is missing from the passive construction in the Skt and Tib. Haribhadra (Wogihara 883) relates this to the beginner and says Subhūti is asking how anyone who settles down on an objective support as real can find it.

n.627

sdom pa, PSP 5:83 saṃvara (“restraint”), and hence a rule in a code restraining monks and so on from unwholesome behavior; Gilgit 93 saṃcara, LSPW 455 “engagement.”

n.628

The order has been jumbled. This should be later in the list.

n.629

The prerequisite three robes and a begging bowl of a monk or nun is probably the meaning.

n.630

The full list is given earlier (21.64).

n.709

This section has a parallel in khri pa 28.1ff.

n.820

The meaning of these opening paragraphs in plain English is: If the ultimate nature (which is pure from the beginning, and nirvāṇa) and the ultimate nature of beings (caught in saṃsāra based on imaginary things conjured out of thin air) is the same ultimate nature, how can you talk about beings in saṃsāra getting to nirvāṇa?

n.839

This section is found from PSP 6-8: 158 and le’u brgyad ma ca 323a2. The Maitreya Chapter (below called “The eighty-third … chapter”) comes here (PSP 6-8: 145 and le’u brgyad ma ca 314a5) in Haribhadra’s edition.

n.851

The edition of this chapter in Conze and Iida 1968, 229–42 (MQ) is the same as PSP 6-8:145ff. and le’u brgyad ma ca 314a5ff. Conze and Iida (MQ 230) say, “Both the Tibetan versions in 18.000 and 25.000 ślokas have at the end a miscellaneous collection of items missing in the version in 100.000 Lines, and in both cases the Maitreya-chapter is the first of these additions… . Chapter 83 of the version in 18.000 ślokas is fairly close to the Tan-jur text… . On the other hand, chapter 72 of the version in 25.000 ślokas … differs a great deal.”

n.869

The verses in this chapter are distinguished in the original by what has been characterized as a “hybrid” language incorporating apparently vernacular features into Sanskrit. Necessarily, this distinguishing feature is largely lost in both the Tib and English translations. It is noteworthy that the Eighteen Thousand version of the perfection of wisdom scripture incorporates this eighty-fourth chapter, which circulates as a separate work called The Verse Summary of the Jewel Qualities, right into the body of the text. It functions as a summary of what has gone earlier. Here at the outset the verses are put into the mouth of “the Lord,” but many of the verses are in fact spoken by the other interlocutors met with earlier in the course of the scripture, so they have not been punctuated as quoted speech.

n.870

Buddhaśrī 118b7 says the stains are the obscuring afflictions (der ni dri ma zhes bya ba’i sgra tshig snga ma dang sbyar ro).

n.871

See 2.3ff.

n.872

About Lake Anavatapa (ma dros pa), Malalasekera, s.v. anotatta, says it is “the last one to dry up at the end of the world”; Buddhaśrī 120a6 has ma dros pa las ’byung ba; Subodhinī 8b1 bdag nyid kyi khyim suggests the name of the lake is the name of the nāga who dwells in and rules it. On nāgendra (“most powerful serpent”) and nāgapati (“serpent ruler”), see Vogel 1926 Chapter V, “Principal Nāga-rājas”; also McKay 2015, Chapter Five. “Anavatapta Nāgendra Nāgapati” means the powerful nāga who rules the lake at the center of the world.

n.1126

“Avoided the places that preclude a perfect human birth” renders akṣaṇā (literally “those on account of which the moment is not there”; Tib mi khom pa, “absences of leisure or capacity”) vivarjitāḥ. “Accomplished a perfect human birth” renders kṣaṇasampac- (literally “perfect moment”; Tib (dal ba/khom pa) phun tshogs, “fullnesses of leisure or capacity̛”) cārāvagatāḥ (Wogihara 989). The implied metaphor is a flash of lightning that stands for the perfection of wisdom, understood as a brilliant and powerful state of mind, in essence “the thought of awakening” that makes clear, in a billion lifetimes of darkness, a meaningful life. It does not mean an instant, in the usual sense of the word, but a lifetime that, when compared with the billions of other lifetimes a practitioner has spent in darkness without understanding the perfection of wisdom, is an instant.

n.1131

S ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa rdzogs so// rgya gar gyi mkhan po dzi na mi tra dang / su ren+d+ra bo d+hi dang / zhu chen gyi lo tsa ba ban de ye shes sde la sogs pas bsgyur cig zhus te gtan la bab pa’o. D omits. The Hemis Kangyur (from the Ladahki/Mustang group) and the Gangteng Kanygur (Thempangma) list the Indian preceptor Prajñāvarman (pradz+nya barma) instead of Surendrabodhi.

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shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa rdo rje bcod pa (Vajracchedikā) [The Diamond Sūtra]. Toh 16, Degé Kangyur vol. 34 (sher phyin, rna tshogs, ka), folios 121.a–132.b.

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag brgya pa (Śatasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines]. Toh 8, Degé Kangyur vols. 14–25 (shes phyin, ’bum, ka–a), folios ka.1.b–a.395.a. English translation in Sparham 2024.

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines]. Toh 9, Degé Kangyur vols. 26–28 (shes phyin, nyi khri, ka–a), folios ka.1.b–ga.381.a. English translation in Padmakara Translation Group 2023.

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa tshigs su bcad pa (Prajñāpāramitāratnaguṇasaṃcayagāthā) [The Verse Summary of the Jewel Qualities]. In shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) Toh 10, Degé Kangyur vol. 31 (shes phyin, khri brgyad, ga), folios 163.a–181.b. Also Toh 13, Degé Kangyur vol. 34 (shes rab sna tshogs pa, ka), folios 1.b–19.b.

Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā [The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines]. GRETIL edition input by Klaus Wille (Göttingen), based on the edition by Takayasu Kimura. Tokyo: Sankibo Busshorin 2007–9 (1-1, 1–2), 1986 (2–3), 1990 (4), 1992 (5), 2006 (6–8).

Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā [The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines]. Ed. Wogihara (1973) incorporating Mitra (1888).

Abhisamayālaṃkāranāmaprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstra [The Ornament for the Clear Realizations]. Ed. Wogihara (1973).

Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā [The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines]. Dutt, Nalinaksha. Calcutta Oriental Series 28. London: Luzac, 1934. Reprint edition, Sri Satguru Publications, 1986.

Secondary References

Sūtras

rgya cher rol pa (Lalitavistara) [The Play in Full]. Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b; Lhasa Kangyur 96, vol. 48 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–352.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2013.

dam pa’i chos dran pa nye bar gzhag pa (Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna). Toh 287, Degé Kangyur, vols. 68–71 (mdo sde, ya–sha), folios ya.82.a–sha.229.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020a.

dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po (Saddharmapuṇḍarika) [The White Lotus of the Good Dharma]. Toh 113, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1.b–180.b. English translation in Roberts 2018.

de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan pa (Tathāgatamahākaruṇānirdeśa) [Great Compassion of the Tathāgata Sūtra] [Dhāraṇīśvararāja]. Toh 147, Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 142.a–242.b; Lhasa Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, da), folios 153.b–319.a. English translation in Burchardi 2020.

de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po (Tathāgatagarbha) [Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra]. Toh 258, Dege Kangyur vol. 66 (mdo sde, za), folios 245.b–259.b; Lhasa Kangyur 260, vol. 67 (mdo sde, zha), folios 1.b–24.a.

de bzhin gshegs pa’i gsang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i bstan pa (Tathāgatācintyaguhyakanirdeśa) [Explanation of the Inconceivable Secrets of the Tathāgatas]. Toh 47, Degé Kangyur vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ka), folios 100.a–203.a; Lhasa Kangyur vol. 35 (dkon brtsegs, ka), folios 151.a–313.b. English translation in Fiordalis, David. and Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2023.

dri ma med par grags pas bstan pa (Vimalakīrtinirdeśa) [The Teaching of Vimalakīrti]. Toh 176, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 175.a–239.b. English translation in Thurman 2017.

mdo chen po stong pa nyid ces bya ba (Śūnyatānāmamahāśūtra) [Śūnyatā Sūtra]. Toh 290, Degé Kangyur vol. 71 (mdo sde, sha), folios 250.a–253.b; Lhasa Kangyur 293, vol. 71 (mdo sde, ra), folios 476.b–482.a.

chos bcu pa (Daśadharmaka) [The Ten Dharmas Sūtra]. Toh 53, Degé Kangyur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, kha), folios 164.a–184.b.

tshangs pa’i dra ba (Brahmajāla) [Brahma’s Net Sūtra]. Toh 352, Degé Kangyur vol. 76 (mdo sde, aH), folios 70.b–86.a; Lhasa Kangyur 360, vol. 76 (mdo sde, a), folios 111.a–135.b.

byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod (Bodhisattvapiṭaka) [Bodhisattva Piṭaka Sūtra]. Toh 56, Degé Kangyur vols. 40–41 (dkon brtsegs, kha–ga), folios kha.255.b–ga.205.b; Lhasa Kangyur 56, vol. 37 (dkon brtsegs, ga), folios 1.b–380.b. English translation in Norwegian Institute of Palaeography and Historical Philology 2023.

za ma tog bkod pa (Kāraṇḍavyūha). Toh 116, Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sde, pa), folios 200.a–247.b. English translation in Roberts 2013.

lang kar gshegs pa (Laṅkāvatāra) [The Descent to Laṅkā Sūtra]. Toh 107, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, ca), folios 56.a–191.b.

blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa (Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā) [The Questions of Sāgaramati. Toh 152, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 1.b–115.b; Lhasa Kangyur 153, vol. 58 (mdo sde, na), folios 1.b–180.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020b.

blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa (Akṣayamatinirdeśa) [The Teaching of Akṣayamati]. Toh 175, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 79.a–174.b; Lhasa Kangyur 176, vol. 60 (mdo sde, pha), folios 122.b–270.b. English translation in Braarvig and Welsh 2020.

shes rab snying po (Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya). Toh 21, Degé Kangyur vol. 34 (sher phyin, ka), folios 144.b–146.a; Toh 531, Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud, na), folios 94.b–95.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2022.

sa bcu pa’i mdo (Daśabhūmikasūtra) [The Ten Levels Sūtra]. Lhasa Kangyur 94, vol. 43 (phal chen, ga), folios 67.a–234.b. English translation in Roberts 2021.

sangs rgyas phal po che zhes bya ba shin tu rgyas pa chen po (Buddhāvataṃsakanāmamahāvaipūlya) [Avataṃsaka Sūtra]. Toh 44, Degé Kangyur vols. 35–36 (phal chen, ka–a); Lhasa Kangyur 94, vols. 41–46 (phal chen, ka–cha).

lha mo dpal ’phreng gi seng ge’i sgra (Śrīmālādevīsiṃhanāda) [The Lion’s Roar of the Goddess Śrīmālā]. Toh 92, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 255.a–277.b.

Indic Commentaries

Abhayākaragupta. thub pa’i dgongs pa’i rgyan (Munimatālaṃkāra) [“Thought of the Sage”]. Toh 3903, Degé Tengyur vol. 211 (dbu ma, a), folios 73.b–293.a.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i ’grel pa gnad kyi zla ’od (Āṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāvṛttimarmakaumudī) [“Moonlight”]. Toh 3805, Degé Tengyur vol. 90 (shes phyin, da), folios 1.b–228.a.

Anonymous/Daṃṣṭrāsena. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ’bum gyi rgya cher ’grel (Śatasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitābṛhaṭṭīkā) [“Detailed Explanation of the One Hundred Thousand”]. Toh 3807, Degé Tengyur vols. 91–92 (shes phyin, na–pa).

Āryavimuktisena. ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i rnam par ’grel pa (Āryapañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstrābhisamayālaṃkārakārikāvārttika) [“Āryavimuktisena’s Commentary”]. Toh 3787, Degé Tengyur vol. 80 (shes phyin, ka), folios 14.b–212.a.

Asaṅga. theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa (Mahāyānottaratantraśāstravyākhyā) [“Explanation of the Uttaratantra”]. Toh 4025, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), folios 74.b–129.a.

‍—‍—‍—. theg pa chen po bsdus pa (Mahāyānasaṃgraha). Toh 4048, Degé Tengyur vol. 236 (sems tsam, ri), folios 1.b–43.a.

‍—‍—‍—. rnal ’byor spyod pa’i sa (Yogācārabhūmi) [“The Yogācāra Levels”]. Toh 4035–4042, Degé Tengyur vol. 229 (sems tsam, tshi–’i), folios tshi.1.b–’i.68.b.

‍—‍—‍—. rnal ’byor spyod pa’i sa las byang chub sems dpa’i sa (Bodhisattvabhūmi) [“The Bodhisattva Levels”]. Toh 4037, Degé Tengyur vol. 231 (sems tsam, wi), folios 1.b–213.a.

Asaṅga/Maitreya. theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos (Mahāyānottaratantraśāstraratnagotravibhāga) [Uttaratantra]. Toh 4024, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), folios 54.b–73.a.

Asvabhāva. theg pa chen po bsdus pa’i bshad sbyar (Mahāyānasaṃgrahopanibandhana) [“Explanation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha”]. Toh 4051 Degé Tengyur vol. 236 (sems tsam, ri), folios 190.b–296.a.

Bhadanta Vimuktisena (btsun pa grol sde). ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i rnam par ’grel pa (*Āryapañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitopadeśa-śāstrābhisamayālaṃkārakārikāvārttika) [“Bhadanta’s Commentary”]. Toh 3788, Degé Tengyur vol. 81 (shes phyin, kha), folios 1.b–181.a.

Buddhaśrī. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa’i tshig su byas pa’i dka’ ’grel (Prajñāpāramitāsaṃcayagāthāpañjikā) [“Buddhaśrī’s Explanation of the Jewel Qualities”]. Toh 3798, Degé Tengyur (shes phyin, nya), folios 116.a–189.b.

Daśabalaśrīmitra. ’dus byas ’dus ma byas rnam par nges pa (Saṃskṛtāsaṃskṛtaviniścaya) [“Determination of Compounded and Uncompounded Phenomena”]. Toh 3897, Degé Tengyur (dbu ma, ha), folios 109.a–317.a.

Dharmatrāta. ched du brjod pa’i tshoms (Udānavarga) [“Compilation of Udānas”]. Toh 4099, Degé Tengyur vol. 250 (mngon pa, tu), folios 1.b–45.a; Toh 326, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 209.a–253.a.

Haribhadra. bcom ldan ’das yon tan rin po che sdud pa’i tshig su byas pa’i dka’ ’grel shes bya ba (Bhagavadratnaguṇasaṃcayagāthā-pañjikānāma/Subodhinī) [“Easy Pañjikā”]. Toh 3792, Degé Tengyur vol. 86 (shes phyin, ja), folios 1.b–78.a.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāvyākhyānābhisamayālaṃkārālokā) [“Illumination of the Abhisamayālaṃkāra”]. Toh 3791, Degé Tengyur vol. 85 (shes phyin, cha), folios 1.b–341.a.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i ’grel pa (Abhisamayālaṃkāranāmaprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstravṛtti) [“Clear Meaning Commentary”]. Toh 3793, Degé Tengyur vol. 86 (shes phyin, ja), folios 78.b–140.a.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [“Eight Chapters”]. Toh 3790, Degé Tengyur vols. 82–84 (shes phyin, ga–ca), folios ga.1.a–ca.342.a.

Jñānavajra. ’phags pa lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan zhes bya ba (Āryalaṅkāvatāranāmamahāyānasūtravṛttitathāgatahṛdayālaṃkāranāma) [“Commentary on the Descent to Laṅkā Sūtra”]. Toh 4019, Degé Tengyur vol. 122 (mdo ’grel, pi), folios 1.b–310.a.

Maitreya. theg pa chen po mdo sde’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa (Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkārakārikā) [“Ornament for the Mahāyāna Sūtras”]. Toh 4020, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), folios 1.b–39.a.

‍—‍—‍—. dbus dang mtha’ rnam par ’byed pa’i tshig le’ur byas pa (Madhyāntavibhāga) [“Delineation of the Middle and Extremes”]. Toh 4021, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), folios 40.b–45.a.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba tshig le’ur byas pa, sde dge, (Abhisamayālaṃkāranāmaprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstrakārikā) [The Ornament for the Clear Realizations]. Toh 3786, Degé Tengyur vol. 80 (shes phyin, ka), folios 1.b–13.a.

Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’phags pa chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam par spros pa’i ting nge ’dzin kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa grags pa’i phreng ba (Sarvadharmasvabhāvasamatāvipañcitasamādhirājanāmamahāyānasūtraṭīkākīrtimālā) [“Samādhirājasūtra Commentary”]. Toh 3897, Degé Tengyur (mdo ’grel, nyi), folios 1.b–163.b.

Nāgārjuna. dbu ma rtsa ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa shes rab ces bya ba (Prajñānāmamūlamadhyamakakārikā) [“Root Verses on Wisdom”]. Toh 3897, Degé Tengyur vol. 198 (dbu ma, tsa), folios 1.b–19.a.

Prajñāvardhan. ched du brjod pa’i tshoms kyi rnam par ’grel pa (Udānavargavivaraṇa) [“Explanation of the Udānavārga”]. Toh 4100, Degé Tengyur vols. 148–49 (mngon pa, tu–thu), folios tu.45.b–thu.222.a.

Pūrṇavardana. chos mngon par chos kyi ’grel bshad mtshan nyid kyi rjes su ’brang ba (Abhidharmakośaṭīkālakṣaṇānusāriṇī) [“Explanation of the Treasury of Knowledge”]. Toh 4093, Degé Tengyur vols. 144–45 (mngon pa, cu–chu), folios cu.1.b–chu.322.a.

Ratnākaraśānti. mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi ’grel pa’i tshig le’ur byas pa’i ’grel pa dag ldan (Abhisamayālaṃkārakārikāvṛittiśuddhamatī) [“Purity”]. Toh 3801, Degé Tengyur vol. 88 (shes phyin, ta), folios 76.a–204.a.

‍—‍—‍—. nam mkha’ dang mnyam pa zhes bya ba’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Khasamānāmaṭīkā) [“Explanation of the Khasamā”]. Toh 1424, Degé Tengyur vol. 21 (rgyud, wa), folios 153.a–171.a.

‍—‍—‍—. ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i dka’ ’grel snying po mchog (Āryāṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāpañjikāsārottamā) [Sāratamā]. Toh 3803, Degé Tengyur vol. 89 (shes phyin, tha), folios 1.b–230.a.

Sāgaramegha (rgya mtsho sprin). rnal ’byor spyod pa’i sa las byang chub sems dpa’i sa’i rnam par bshad pa (Bodhisattvabhūmivyākhyā) [“Explanation of the Bodhisattva Levels”]. Toh 4047, Degé Tengyur vol. 235 (sems tsam, yi), folios 1.b–338.a.

Śrījagattalanivāsin. bcom ldan ’das ma’i man ngag gi rjes su brang ba zhes bya ba’i rnam par bshad pa (Bhagavatyāmnāyānusāriṇīnāmavyākhyā) [“Commentary Following the Tradition”]. Toh 3811, Degé Tengyur vol. 94 (shes phyin, ba), folios 1.b–320.a.

Sthiramati. mdo sde rgyan gyi ’grel bshad (Sūtrālaṃkāravṛttibhāṣya) [“Commentary on the Ornament for the Sūtras”]. Toh 4034, Degé Tengyur vols. 227–28 (sems tsam, ma–tsi).

Vasubandhu. chos mngon pa’i mdzod kyi tshig le’ur byas pa (Abhidharmakośakārikā) [“The Treasury of Knowledge”]. Toh 4089, Degé Tengyur vol. 242 (mngon pa, ku), folios 1.b–25.a.

‍—‍—‍—. chos mngon pa’i mdzod kyi bshad pa (Abhidharmakośabhāṣya) [“Autocommentary to The Treasury of Knowledge”]. Toh 4090, Degé Tengyur vols. 242–43 (mngon pa, ku–khu), folios ku.26.a–khu.95.a.

‍—‍—‍—. mdo sde’i rgyan gyi bshad pa (Sūtrālaṃkāravyākhyā) [“Explanation of the Ornament for the Sūtras”]. Toh 4026, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), folios 129.b–260.a.

‍—‍—‍—. dbus dang mtha’ rnam par ’byed pa’i ’grel pa (Madhyāntavibhāgabhāṣya) [“Explanation of The Delineation of the Middle and Extremes”]. Toh, 4027, Degé Tengyur vol. 226 (sems tsam, bi), folios 1.b–27.a.

‍—‍—‍—. ’phags pa bcom ldan ’das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa rdo rje gcod pa’i don bdun gyi rgya cher ’grel pa (Āryabhagavatīprajñāpāramitāvajracchedikāsaptārthaṭīkā) [“Explanation of The Diamond Sūtra”]. Toh 3816, Degé Tengyur vol. 95 (shes phyin, ma), folios 178.a–203.b.

‍—‍—‍—. ’phags pa blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa rgya cher ’grel pa (Āryākṣayamatinirdeśaṭīkā) [“Long Explanation of The Teaching of Akṣayamati”]. Toh 3994, Degé Tengyur vol. 114 (mdo ’grel, ci), folios 1.b–269.a.

‍—‍—‍—. ’phags pa sa bcu pa’i rnam par bshad pa (Āryadaśabhūmivyākhyāna) [“Explanation of The Ten Level Sūtra”]. Toh 3993, Degé Tengyur vol. 215 (mdo sde, ngi), folios 103.b–266.a.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa rdo rje gcod pa bshad pa’i bshad sbyar gyi tshig le’ur byas pa (Vajracchedikāyāḥprajñāpāramitāyā vyākhyānopanibandhanakārikā) [“Verse Explanation of the Diamond Sūtra”]. Lhasa Tengyur 5864, vol. 146 (ngo mtshar bstan bcos, nyo), folios 1.a–5.b.

Vasubandhu/Daṃṣṭrāsena. ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ’bum dang / nyi khri lnga sgong pa dang / khri brgyad stong pa rgya cher bshad pa (Āryaśatasāhasrikāpañcaviṃśati-sāhasrikāṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitābṛhaṭṭīkā) [“Long Explanation of the One Hundred, Twenty-Five, and Eighteen Thousand”/“Detailed Explanation of the Three Sūtras”]. Toh 3808, Degé Tengyur vol. 93 (shes phyin, pha), folios 1.b–291.b. English translation in Sparham 2022.

Indigenous Tibetan Works

Ar Changchup Yeshé (ar byang chub ye shes). mngon rtogs rgyan gyi ’grel pa rnam ’byed [“Disentanglement of Haribhadra’s Exposition of Maitreya’s ‘Ornament for the Clear Realizations’]. In ar byang chub ye shes kyi gsung chos skor, bka’ gdams dpe dkon gches btus, vol. 2. Edited by dpal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib ’jug khang. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006.

Bodong Tsöntru Dorjé (bo dong brtson ’grus rdo rje). shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi ’grel bshad shes rab mchog gi rgyan (stod cha) [“Ornament for the Supreme Wisdom”]. ’phags yul rgyan drug mchog gnyis kyi zhal lung, vol. 11, pp. 22–565.

Butön (bu ston rin chen grub). bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i mdzod/ chos ’byung chen mo [“History of Indian Buddhism”]. In zhol phar khang gsung ’bum, vol. 26 (ya), folios 1.b–212.a.

Chim Namkha Drak (mchims nam mkha’ grags). shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i stong phrag brgya pa gzhung gi don rnam par ’byed pa’i bshad pa [“Summary Explanation of the One Hundred Thousand”]. ’phags yul rgyan drug mchog gnyis kyi zhal lung, vol. 8, pp. 217–468.

Chomden Rikpé Reltri (bcom ldan rigs pa’i ral gri). shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phra brgya pa rgyan gyi me tog [“Flower Ornament for the Clear Realizations”]. gsung ’bum, Kamtrul Sonam Dondrub typeset edition, vol. ca.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i ’grel bshad mngon par rtogs pa rgyan gyi me tog [“Flower Ornament for the Clear Realizations”]. gsung ’bum, Kamtrul Sonam Dondrub typeset edition, vol. ga.

Dolpopa (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan). ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi su lnga pa’i bshad pa [“Explanation of the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines”]. In jo nang kun mkhyen dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan gyi gsung ’bum (glog klad ma gsungs ’bum), vol. 6, pp. 1–279. Edited by dpal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib ’jug khang. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2011.

‍—‍—‍—. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa’i mchan bu zur du bkod pa (stod cha) [“Notes to the Eight Thousand”]. ’dzam thang gsum ’bum, vol. ma, 5.3–134. BDRC W21208.

Jamsar Shérap Wozer (’jam gsar ba shes rab ’od zer). mngon rtogs rgyan gyi ’grel bshad ’thad pa’i ’od ’bar [“Blaze of What Is Tenable”]. In ’phags yul rgyan drug mchog gnyis kyi zhal lung, vol. 9, pp. 22–458.

Lui Gyaltsen (klu’i rgyal mtshan [byang chub rdzu ’phrul]). ’phags pa dgongs pa nges par ’grel pa’i mdo’i rnam par bshad pa (Āryasaṃdhinirmocanasūtravyākhyāna) [“Explanation of the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra”] Toh 4358, Degé Tengyur vol. 205 (sna tshogs, cho, jo), folios 1.b–293.a; 1.b–183.b.

Pema Karpo (kun mkhyen pad ma dkar po). mngon par rtogs pa rgyan gyi ’grel pa rje btsun byams pa’i zhal lung [“Words of Maitreya”]. In Collected Works (gsuṅ-’bum) of Kun-Mkhyen Padma-Dkar-Po, vol. 8, pp. 1–340. Darjeeling: Kargyud Sungrab Nyamso Khang, 1973–74.

Rongtön (rong ston shes bya kun rig). sher phyin stong phrag brgya pa’i rnam ’grel. In gsung ’bum, vol. 4, pp. 380–678. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2008. BDRC W1PD83960.

Serdok Shakya Chokten (gser mdog paN chen shAkya mchog ldan). shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan ’grel pa dang bcas pa’i snga phyi’i ’brel rnam par btsal zhing / dngos bstan kyi dka’ ba’i gnas la legs par bshad pa’i dpung tshogs rnam par bkod pa / bzhed tshul rba rlabs kyi phreng ba [“Garland of Waves”]. In Complete Works, vol. 11. Thimphu, 1975.

Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa). shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan ’grel pa dang bcas pa’i rgya cher bshad pa legs bshad gser gyi phreng ba [“Golden Garland of Eloquence: Long Explanation of the Perfection of Wisdom”]. Xining: tsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1986. Page numbers are the same as vols. tsa and tsha in gsung ’bum/ tsong kha pa, vol. 11, pp. 11–519. Xining: mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1999. BDRC W20510.

bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa chen po (Mahāvyutpatti). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.b–131.a.

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Glossary

Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language

Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.

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.

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.

Source unspecified

This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.1

a hundred thousand one hundred million world systems

’jig rten gyi khams bye ba phrag ’bum

འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས་བྱེ་བ་ཕྲག་འབུམ།

koṭiśatasahasralokadhātu

g.2

abandonment element

spong ba’i dbyings

སྤོང་བའི་དབྱིངས།

prahāṇadhātu

g.3

abdhātvaparyanta

chu’i khams mu med pa

ཆུའི་ཁམས་མུ་མེད་པ།

abdhātvaparyanta

g.7

Abhimukhī

mngon du gyur pa

མངོན་དུ་གྱུར་པ།

abhimukhī

g.21

absence of occasioning anything

mngon par ’du byed pa med pa
mngon par ’du bya ba med pa
mngon par ’du bgyi ba ma mchis pa

མངོན་པར་འདུ་བྱེད་པ་མེད་པ།
མངོན་པར་འདུ་བྱ་བ་མེད་པ།
མངོན་པར་འདུ་བགྱི་བ་མ་མཆིས་པ།

anabhisaṃskāra

g.27

absorption

snyoms par ’jug pa

སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ།

samāpatti

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Sanskrit literally means “attainment,” and is used to refer specifically to meditative attainment and to particular meditative states. The Tibetan translators interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which suggests the idea of “equal” or “level”; however, they also parsed it as sam-āpatti, in which case it would have the sense of “concentration” or “absorption,” much like samādhi, but with the added sense of “attainment.”

g.28

absorptions

snyoms par ’jug pa

སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ།

samāpatti

g.30

Acalā

mi g.yo ba

མི་གཡོ་བ།

acalā

g.36

actualize the very limit of reality

yang dag pa’i mtha’ mngon sum du byed

ཡང་དག་པའི་མཐའ་མངོན་སུམ་དུ་བྱེད།

bhūtakoṭīṃ sākṣātkṛ

g.44

affliction

nyon mongs pa

ཉོན་མོངས་པ།

kleśa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.

Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

In this text:

Also rendered here as afflictive emotion.

g.45

afflictive emotion

nyon mongs pa

ཉོན་མོངས་པ།

kleśa

g.46

aggregate

phung po

ཕུང་པོ།

skandha

Lit. a “heap” or “pile.” The five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.

However, in this text, five pure or uncontaminated aggregates are also listed, namely: the aggregate of morality, the aggregate of meditative stabilization, the aggregate of wisdom, the aggregate of liberation, and the aggregate of knowledge and seeing of liberation.

g.47

aggregate of knowledge and seeing of liberation

rnam par grol ba’i ye shes mthong ba’i phung po

རྣམ་པར་གྲོལ་བའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་མཐོང་བའི་ཕུང་པོ།

vimuktijñānadarśanaskandha

g.48

aggregate of liberation

rnam par grol ba’i phung po

རྣམ་པར་གྲོལ་བའི་ཕུང་པོ།

vimuktiskandha

g.49

aggregate of meditative stabilization

ting nge ’dzin gyi phung po

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་ཕུང་པོ།

samādhiskandha

g.50

aggregate of morality

tshul khrims kyi phung po

ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོ།

śīlaskandha

g.51

aggregate of wisdom

shes rab kyi phung po

ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོ།

prajñāskandha

g.53

Akaniṣṭha

’og min

འོག་མིན།

akaniṣṭha

g.61

akṣaya

zad mi shes pa

ཟད་མི་ཤེས་པ།

akṣaya

g.63

Akṣobhya

mi ’khrugs pa

མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།

akṣobhya

g.65

all-knowledge

thams cad mkhyen pa nyid
thams cad shes pa nyid

ཐམས་ཅད་མཁྱེན་པ་ཉིད།
ཐམས་ཅད་ཤེས་པ་ཉིད།

sarvajñatva

g.69

Amoghadarśin

mthong ba don yod

མཐོང་བ་དོན་ཡོད།

amoghadarśin

g.72

Ānanda

kun dga’ bo

ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།

ānanda

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

g.73

Anantamati

blo gros mtha’ yas

བློ་གྲོས་མཐའ་ཡས།

anantamati

g.76

Anantavīrya

brtson ’grus mtha’ yas

བརྩོན་འགྲུས་མཐའ་ཡས།

anantavīrya

g.77

Anāvaraṇamatin

blo gros sgrib med

བློ་གྲོས་སྒྲིབ་མེད།

anāvaraṇamatin

g.79

Anavatapta

ma dros pa

མ་དྲོས་པ།

anavatapta

g.85

Anikṣiptadhura

brtson pa mi gtong

བརྩོན་པ་མི་གཏོང་།

anikṣiptadhura

g.89

annihilation

chad pa

ཆད་པ།

uccheda

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The extreme philosophical view that rejects rebirth and the law of karma by considering that causes (and thus actions) do not have effects and that the self, being the same as one or all of the aggregates (skandhas), ends at death. Commonly translated as “nihilism” or, more literally, as “view of annihilation.” It is often mentioned along with its opposite view, the extreme of eternalism or permanence.

g.90

antithetical to all worlds

’jig rten thams cad dang mi ’thun pa

འཇིག་རྟེན་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་མི་འཐུན་པ།

sarvalokavipratyanīka

g.91

Anupamamatin

blo gros dpe med

བློ་གྲོས་དཔེ་མེད།

anupamamatin

g.93

apparition

mig yor

མིག་ཡོར།

pratibhāsa

g.94

application of mindfulness

dran pa nye bar gzhag pa

དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ།

smṛtyupasthāna

g.97

apprehend

dmigs

དམིགས།

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

dmigs (pa) translates a number of Sanskrit terms, including ālambana, upalabdhi, and ālambate. These terms commonly refer to the apprehending of a subject, an object, and the relationships that exist between them. The term may also be translated as “referentiality,” meaning a system based on the existence of referent objects, referent subjects, and the referential relationships that exist between them. As part of their doctrine of “threefold nonapprehending/nonreferentiality” (’khor gsum mi dmigs pa), Mahāyāna Buddhists famously assert that all three categories of apprehending lack substantiality.

g.99

appropriation

len pa

ལེན་པ།

upādāna

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This term, although commonly translated as “appropriation,” also means “grasping” or “clinging,” but it has a particular meaning as the ninth of the twelve links of dependent origination, situated between craving (tṛṣṇā, sred pa) and becoming or existence (bhava, srid pa). In some texts, four types of appropriation (upādāna) are listed: that of desire (rāga), view (dṛṣṭi), rules and observances as paramount (śīlavrataparāmarśa), and belief in a self (ātmavāda).

g.107

Arciṣmatī

’od ’phro ba can

འོད་འཕྲོ་བ་ཅན།

arciṣmatī

g.109

arhat

dgra bcom pa

དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།

arhat

g.112

armor

go cha

གོ་ཆ།

saṃnāha

g.114

array

bkod pa

བཀོད་པ།

vyūha

g.120

as it really is

ji lta ba bzhin du
ji lta ba’i bdag nyid
bdag nyid ji lta ba

ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་དུ།
ཇི་ལྟ་བའི་བདག་ཉིད།
བདག་ཉིད་ཇི་ལྟ་བ།

yathābhūtam
yathātmyaṃ

g.126

asaṃkhyeya

grangs med pa

གྲངས་མེད་པ།

asaṃkhyeya

g.132

aspiration

bsam pa
sems pa

བསམ་པ།
སེམས་པ།

āśaya

g.133

Aṣṭamaka level

brgyad pa’i sa

བརྒྱད་པའི་ས།

aṣṭamakabhūmi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A person who is “eight steps” away in the arc of their development from becoming an arhat (Tib. dgra bcom pa). Specifically, this term refers to one who is on the cusp of becoming a stream enterer (Skt. srotaāpanna; Tib. rgyun du zhugs pa), and it is the first and lowest stage in a list of eight stages or classes of a noble person (Skt. āryapudgala). The person at this lowest stage in the sequence is still on the path of seeing (Skt. darśanamārga; Tib. mthong lam) and then enters the path of cultivation (Skt. bhāvanāmārga; Tib. sgom lam) upon attaining the next stage, that of a stream enterer (stage seven). From there they progress through the remaining stages of the śrāvaka path, becoming in turn a once-returner (stages six and five), a non-returner (stages four and three), and an arhat (stages two and one). This same “eighth stage” also appears in a set of ten stages (Skt. daśabhūmi; Tib. sa bcu) found in Mahāyāna sources, where it is the third out of the ten. Not to be confused with the ten stages of the bodhisattva’s path, these ten stages mark the progress of one who sequentially follows the paths of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and then bodhisattva on their way to complete buddhahood. In this set of ten stages a person “on the eighth stage” is similarly one who is on the cusp of becoming a stream enterer.

In this text:

Lit. “Eighth level,” sometimes rendered “Eighth Lowest.” The third of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. See “ten levels.”

g.135

asura

lha ma yin

ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།

asura
dānava

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

g.138

Atapa

mi gdung

མི་གདུང་།

atapa

g.140

attribute

rnam pa
chos

རྣམ་པ།
ཆོས།

ākāra
dharma

g.144

available

nye bar gnas pa

ཉེ་བར་གནས་པ།

pratyupasthitā

g.147

Avalokiteśvara

spyan ras gzigs dbang phyug

སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་དབང་ཕྱུག

avalokiteśvara

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

In this text:

A bodhisattva great being present in the audience of this sūtra.

g.152

Avṛha

mi che ba

མི་ཆེ་བ།

avṛha

g.153

awakening path

byang chub kyi lam

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ལམ།

bodhimārga

g.156

bad proclivity

bag la nyal

བག་ལ་ཉལ།

anuśaya

g.163

bases of meritorious action

bsod nams bya ba’i dngos po
bsod nams bgyi ba’i dngos po

བསོད་ནམས་བྱ་བའི་དངོས་པོ།
བསོད་ནམས་བགྱི་བའི་དངོས་པོ།

puṇyakriyāvastu

g.165

basic immorality

kha na ma tho ba
kha na ma tho ba dang bcas pa

ཁ་ན་མ་ཐོ་བ།
ཁ་ན་མ་ཐོ་བ་དང་བཅས་པ།

sāvadya

g.166

basic nature

rang bzhin

རང་བཞིན།

prakṛti

g.168

basis in reality

gzhi’i don

གཞིའི་དོན།

padārtha

g.176

beings in hell

sems can dmyal ba

སེམས་ཅན་དམྱལ་བ།

naraka

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings. Birth in hell is considered to be the karmic fruition of past anger and harmful actions. According to Buddhist tradition there are eighteen different hells, namely eight hot hells and eight cold hells, as well as neighboring and ephemeral hells, all of them tormented by increasing levels of unimaginable suffering.

g.177

belief

mos pa

མོས་པ།

adhimukti
adhimucyanatā

g.178

beneficial actions

don spyod pa

དོན་སྤྱོད་པ།

arthacaryā

g.183

Bhadrapāla

bzang skyong

བཟང་སྐྱོང་།

bhadrapāla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Head of the “sixteen excellent men” (ṣoḍaśasatpuruṣa), a group of householder bodhisattvas present in the audience of many sūtras. He appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas (Pratyutpannabuddhasaṃmukhāvasthitasamādhisūtra, Toh 133) and is perhaps also the merchant of the same name who is the principal interlocutor in The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (Toh 83).

In this text:

Lit. “Guardian of Good.” A bodhisattva great being present in the audience of this sūtra.

g.186

Bhīṣmagarjitanirghoṣasvara

sgra dbyangs mi bzad par sgrogs pa

སྒྲ་དབྱངས་མི་བཟད་པར་སྒྲོགས་པ།

bhīṣmagarjitanirghoṣasvara

g.189

birth

skye ba

སྐྱེ་བ།

jāti

g.195

black fly

sha sbrang

ཤ་སྦྲང་།

maśaka

g.201

blue lotus

ud pa la
ut+pa la
ut+pala

ཨུད་པ་ལ།
ཨུཏྤ་ལ།
ཨུཏྤལ།

utpala

g.203

bodhi

byang chub

བྱང་ཆུབ།

bodhi

g.207

bodhisattva

byang chub sems dpa’

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།

bodhisattva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

In this text:

The Tibetan translators consistently understand the word bodhisattva as bodhi-satva and render it byang chub sems dpa’ (“awakening thought hero”).

g.209

bodhisattva great being

byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ chen po

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ།

bodhisattvamahāsattva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- is closer in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna” than to the mahā- in “mahāsiddha.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.

Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term‍—variably‍—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.

g.210

Bodhisattva level

byang chub sems dpa’i sa

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ས།

bodhisattvabhūmi

g.214

body consciousness constituent

lus kyi rnam par shes pa’i khams

ལུས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པའི་ཁམས།

kāyavijñānadhātu

g.219

Brahmā

tshangs pa

ཚངས་པ།

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 (Mahābrahmā).

g.221

Brahmakāyika

tshangs ris

ཚངས་རིས།

brahmakāyika

g.222

Brahmaloka

tshangs pa’i ’jig rten

ཚངས་པའི་འཇིག་རྟེན།

brahmaloka

A collective name for the first three heavens of the form realm, which correspond to the first concentration (dhyāna): Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, and Mahābrahmā (also called Brahmapārṣadya in this text). These are ruled over by the god Brahmā, who believes himself to be the creator of the universe. According to some sources, it can also be a general reference to all the heavens in the form realm and formless realm.

g.223

Brahmapārṣadya

tshangs ’khor
tshangs pa kun ’khor

ཚངས་འཁོར།
ཚངས་པ་ཀུན་འཁོར།

brahmapārṣadya
brahmapāriṣadya

Lit. “Retinue of Brahmā.” This is usually considered to be an alternate name of the Brahmapurohita heaven, the second of the seventeen heavens of the form realm. However, in this text, it seems to refer to the third heaven and also to the name of the gods living there‍—otherwise called Mahābrahmā (tshangs pa chen po). In the form realm, which is structured according to the four concentrations and pure abodes‍, or Śuddhāvāsa‍, it is listed as the third of the three heavens that correspond to the first of the four concentrations.

g.224

Brahmapurohita

tshangs pa’i mdun na ’don

ཚངས་པའི་མདུན་ན་འདོན།

brahmapurohita

g.226

brahmin

bram ze

བྲམ་ཟེ།

brāhmaṇa

g.231

brought to an end

rgyun chad

རྒྱུན་ཆད།

samuccheda

g.232

buddha eye

sangs rgyas kyi mig

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་མིག

buddhacakṣu

g.233

Buddha level

sangs rgyas kyi sa
sangs rgyas sa

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ས།
སངས་རྒྱས་ས།

buddhabhūmi

g.234

buddhadharma

sangs rgyas kyi chos

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།

buddhadharma

g.235

buddhahood

sangs rgyas nyid

སངས་རྒྱས་ཉིད།

buddhatva

g.240

by way of not apprehending anything

mi dmigs pa’i tshul gyis

མི་དམིགས་པའི་ཚུལ་གྱིས།

anupalambhayogena

g.253

Cāturmahārājika

rgyal chen bzhi’i ris

རྒྱལ་ཆེན་བཞིའི་རིས།

cāturmahārājika

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the heavens of Buddhist cosmology, lowest among the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu, ’dod khams). Dwelling place of the Four Great Kings (caturmahārāja, rgyal chen bzhi), traditionally located on a terrace of Sumeru, just below the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Each cardinal direction is ruled by one of the Four Great Kings and inhabited by a different class of nonhuman beings as their subjects: in the east, Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the gandharvas; in the south, Virūḍhaka rules the kumbhāṇḍas; in the west, Virūpākṣa rules the nāgas; and in the north, Vaiśravaṇa rules the yakṣas.

In this text:

For consistency rgyal chen bzhi’i ris is rendered cāturmahārājika (“[gods] belonging to the group of the Four Great Kings”), even though there are a number of Skt. forms (Edg says the forms are cāturmahārājakāyika and less often caturmahārājakāyika, and cāturmahārājika and less often caturmahārājika) and slight differences are encountered in the Tib. translation. “Gods” is sometimes rendered explicitly and is sometimes implicit in the Tib.

g.255

causal sign

mtshan ma

མཚན་མ།

nimitta

g.259

cessation

’gog pa
’gog pa’i chos

འགོག་པ།
འགོག་པའི་ཆོས།

nirodha
nirodhadharma

g.261

cessation element

’gog pa’i dbyings

འགོག་པའི་དབྱིངས།

nirodhadhātu

g.263

child of Manu

shed bu

ཤེད་བུ།

mānava

g.269

clairvoyance

mngon par shes pa

མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ།

abhijñā

The clairvoyances are listed as either five or six. The first five are the divine eye, divine ear, performance of miraculous power, recollection of past lives, and knowing others’ thoughts. A sixth, knowing that all outflows have been eliminated, is often added. The first five are attained through concentration (dhyāna) and are sometimes described as worldly, as they can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogins, while the sixth is supramundane and attained only by realization‍.

g.270

clairvoyant knowledge

mngon par shes pa
mngon shes

མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ།
མངོན་ཤེས།

abhijñā

g.273

clear realization

mngon par rtogs pa

མངོན་པར་རྟོགས་པ།

abhisamaya

g.282

community

dge ’dun

དགེ་འདུན།

saṅgha

g.283

compassion

snying rje

སྙིང་རྗེ།

karuṇā
kāruṇya

g.284

complete nirvāṇa

yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa

ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།

parinirvāṇa

g.286

compounded

’dus byas

འདུས་བྱས།

saṃskṛta

g.290

concentration

bsam gtan

བསམ་གཏན།

dhyāna

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.

g.291

concentrations

bsam gtan

བསམ་གཏན།

dhyāna

g.292

conceptualization

rnam par rtog pa

རྣམ་པར་རྟོག་པ།

vikalpa

g.294

condition

rkyen

རྐྱེན།

pratyaya

g.295

conduct

spyod pa

སྤྱོད་པ།

caraṇa

g.296

confident readiness

spobs pa

སྤོབས་པ།

pratibhā
pratibhāna

g.302

confusion

gti mug

གཏི་མུག

moha

g.304

conjoined with

dang ldan pa
’du ba

དང་ལྡན་པ།
འདུ་བ།

saṃyukta

g.306

connections

mtshams sbyor ba

མཚམས་སྦྱོར་བ།

anusaṃdhi

g.307

consciousness

rnam par shes pa

རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ།

vijñāna

g.308

consistency between words and deeds

don ’thun pa

དོན་འཐུན་པ།

samānārthatā

g.311

constituent

khams

ཁམས།

dhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).

This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.

In this text:

Also rendered here as “element.”

g.314

contact

’dus te reg pa
reg pa

འདུས་ཏེ་རེག་པ།
རེག་པ།

saṃsparśa
sparśa

g.327

conventional label

tha snyad gdags pa
tha snyad ’dogs pa

ཐ་སྙད་གདགས་པ།
ཐ་སྙད་འདོགས་པ།

vyavahṛ
vyavahāra

g.333

counterpoint to all that is ordinary

’jig rten thams cad dang mi ’thun pa

འཇིག་རྟེན་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་མི་འཐུན་པ།

sarvalokavipratyanīkā

g.335

covetousness

brnab sems

བརྣབ་སེམས།

abhidhyā

g.339

craving

sred pa

སྲེད་པ།

tṛṣṇā

g.344

cultivate

sgom

སྒོམ།

bhāvaya

g.347

cyclic existence

’khor ba

འཁོར་བ།

saṃsāra

g.348

Darśana level

mthong ba’i sa

མཐོང་བའི་ས།

darśanabhūmi

g.355

decrease

’grib

འགྲིབ།

apaci

g.359

deficient thought

dman pa’i sems

དམན་པའི་སེམས།

hīnacitta

g.361

defilement

kun nas nyon mongs pa

ཀུན་ནས་ཉོན་མོངས་པ།

saṃkleśa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A term meaning defilement, impurity, and pollution, broadly referring to cognitive and emotional factors that disturb and obscure the mind. As the self-perpetuating process of affliction in the minds of beings, it is a synonym for saṃsāra. It is often paired with its opposite, vyavadāna, meaning “purification.”

g.362

defining mark

mtshan nyid

མཚན་ཉིད།

lakṣaṇa

g.371

dependent origination

rten cing ’brel bar ’byung ba

རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་བར་འབྱུང་བ།

pratītyasamutpāda

g.375

descent into error

log par ltung ba

ལོག་པར་ལྟུང་བ།

vinipāta

g.378

designation

btags pa
gdags pa

བཏགས་པ།
གདགས་པ།

prajñapti

g.380

desire realm

’dod pa’i khams

འདོད་པའི་ཁམས།

kāmadhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist cosmology, this is our own realm, the lowest and most coarse of the three realms of saṃsāra. It is called this because beings here are characterized by their strong longing for and attachment to the pleasures of the senses. The desire realm includes hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lowest six heavens of the gods‍—from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings (cāturmahārājika) up to the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin). Located above the desire realm is the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu).

g.381

destined

nges pa

ངེས་པ།

niyata

g.384

detailed and thorough knowledge

so so yang dag par rig pa

སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ།

pratisaṃvid

g.388

devas

ལྷ།

deva

g.391

dhāraṇī

gzungs

གཟུངས།

dhāraṇī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings‍—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.

g.394

dharma

chos

ཆོས།

dharma

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term dharma conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyāyukti. The primary meanings are as follows: the doctrine taught by the Buddha (Dharma); the ultimate reality underlying and expressed through the Buddha’s teaching (Dharma); the trainings that the Buddha’s teaching stipulates (dharmas); the various awakened qualities or attainments acquired through practicing and realizing the Buddha’s teaching (dharmas); qualities or aspects more generally, i.e., phenomena or phenomenal attributes (dharmas); and mental objects (dharmas).

In this text:

Regarding the translation of this term in this text, see i.22.

g.397

dharma constituent

chos kyi khams

ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཁམས།

dharmadhātu

g.399

dharma eye

chos kyi mig

ཆོས་ཀྱི་མིག

dharmacakṣu

g.401

dharma in its totality

chos kyi rjes su ’thun pa’i chos

ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྗེས་སུ་འཐུན་པའི་ཆོས།

dharmasya cānudharma

g.403

Dharma listener

chos nyan pa

ཆོས་ཉན་པ།

dharmaśravaṇika

g.404

Dharma preacher

chos smra ba

ཆོས་སྨྲ་བ།

dharmabhāṇaka
dharmakathika

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Speaker or reciter of scriptures. In early Buddhism a section of the saṅgha would consist of bhāṇakas, who, particularly before the teachings were written down and were only transmitted orally, were a key factor in the preservation of the teachings. Various groups of dharmabhāṇakas specialized in memorizing and reciting a certain set of sūtras or vinaya.

g.405

dharma-constituent

chos kyi dbyings
chos dbyings

ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས།
ཆོས་དབྱིངས།

dharmadhātu

Dharma-dhātu is a synonym for emptiness or the ultimate nature of phenomena (dharmatā). This term is interpreted variously‍—given the many connotations of dharma/chos‍—as the sphere, element, or nature of phenomena, suchness, or truth. In this text it is used with this general, Mahāyāna sense, not to be confused with dharma constituent (Tib. chos kyi khams), also called in Sanskrit dharmadhātu, which is one of the eighteen constituents. See also “dharma constituent.”

g.408

Dharmameghā

chos kyi sprin

ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྤྲིན།

dharmameghā

g.410

dharmas on the side of awakening

byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།

bodhipakṣadharma

g.412

Dharmodgata

chos ’phags

ཆོས་འཕགས།

dharmodgata

A great bodhisattva, residing in a divine city called Gandhavatī, who teaches the Prajñāpāramitā three times a day. He is known for becoming the teacher of the bodhisattva Sadāprarudita, who decides to sell his flesh and blood in order to make offerings to him and receive his teachings. This story is told in this sūtra in chapters 85 and 86. It can also be found quoted in several works, such as The Words of My Perfect Teacher (kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung) by Patrul Rinpoche.

g.419

direct perception

mngon sum

མངོན་སུམ།

pratyakṣa

g.424

discipline

yongs su ’dul ba
’dul ba
dul ba

ཡོངས་སུ་འདུལ་བ།
འདུལ་བ།
དུལ་བ།

paridamana
dama
damana

g.438

distinct attributes of a buddha

sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ།

āveṇikabuddhadharma

g.441

divine ear

lha’i rna ba

ལྷའི་རྣ་བ།

divyaśrotra

g.444

divine eye

lha’i mig

ལྷའི་མིག

divyacakṣus

g.450

doubt

the tshom
the tshom za

ཐེ་ཚོམ།
ཐེ་ཚོམ་ཟ།

vicikitsā
vicikitsiṣyati

g.453

dream

g.yar lam
rmi lam

གཡར་ལམ།
རྨི་ལམ།

svapna

g.459

Dūraṃgamā

ring du song ba

རིང་དུ་སོང་བ།

dūraṃgamā

g.462

ear consciousness constituent

rna ba’i rnam par shes pa’i khams

རྣ་བའི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པའི་ཁམས།

karṇavijñānadhātu

g.464

egotism

nga’o snyam pa’i nga rgyal

ངའོ་སྙམ་པའི་ང་རྒྱལ།

asmimāna

g.465

eight deliverances

rnam par thar pa brgyad

རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ་བརྒྱད།

aṣṭau vimokṣāḥ

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A series of progressively more subtle states of meditative realization or attainment. There are several presentations of these found in the canonical literature. One of the most common is as follows: (1) One observes form while the mind dwells at the level of the form realm. (2) One observes forms externally while discerning formlessness internally. (3) One dwells in the direct experience of the body’s pleasant aspect. (4) One dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite space by transcending all conceptions of matter, resistance, and diversity. (5) Transcending the sphere of infinite space, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite consciousness. (6) Transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of nothingness. (7) Transcending the sphere of nothingness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. (8) Transcending the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, one dwells in the realization of the cessation of conception and feeling.

g.470

eighteen constituents

khams bcwa brgyad

ཁམས་བཅྭ་བརྒྱད།

aṣṭādaśadhātu

The eighteen constituents through which sensory experience is produced: the six sense faculties (indriya); the six corresponding sense objects (ālambana); and the six sensory consciousnesses (vijñāna).

When grouped these are: the eye constituent, form constituent, and eye consciousness constituent; the ear constituent, sound constituent, and ear consciousness constituent; the nose constituent, smell constituent, and nose consciousness constituent; the tongue constituent, taste constituent, and tongue consciousness constituent; the body constituent, touch constituent, and body consciousness constituent; the thinking-mind constituent, dharma constituent, and thinking-mind consciousness constituent.

eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha

sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa bcwa brgyad

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅྭ་བརྒྱད།

aṣṭādaśāveṇikabuddhadharma

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.

g.473

eighteen emptinesses

stong pa nyid bco brgyad

སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་བཅོ་བརྒྱད།

aṣṭādaśaśūnyatā

g.474

eightfold noble path

’phags pa’i lam yan lag brgyad

འཕགས་པའི་ལམ་ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད།

āryāṣṭāṅgamārga

g.479

element

khams
dbyings

ཁམས།
དབྱིངས།

dhātu

g.484

eliminate

spong bar byed

སྤོང་བར་བྱེད།

prahāṇaṃ kṛ

g.489

emotionally upsetting thought

’khrug pa’i sems

འཁྲུག་པའི་སེམས།

kṣubhaṇacitta

g.492

emptiness

stong pa nyid

སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

śūnyatā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

g.493

emptiness of a basic nature

rang bzhin gyi stong pa nyid

རང་བཞིན་གྱི་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

prakṛtiśūnyatā

g.495

emptiness of a nonexistent thing

dngos po med pa stong pa nyid

དངོས་པོ་མེད་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

abhāvaśūnyatā

g.496

emptiness of all dharmas

chos thams cad stong pa nyid

ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

sarvadharmaśūnyatā

g.497

emptiness of an intrinsic nature

ngo bo nyid stong pa nyid

ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

svabhāvaśūnyatā

g.498

emptiness of emptiness

stong pa nyid stong pa nyid

སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

śūnyatāśūnyatā

g.499

emptiness of its own mark

rang gi mtshan nyid stong pa nyid

རང་གི་མཚན་ཉིད་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

svalakṣaṇaśūnyatā

g.500

emptiness of no beginning and no end

thog ma dang tha ma med pa stong pa nyid

ཐོག་མ་དང་ཐ་མ་མེད་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

anavarāgraśūnyatā

g.501

emptiness of nonrepudiation

dor ba med pa stong pa nyid

དོར་བ་མེད་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

anavakāraśūnyatā

g.502

emptiness of not apprehending

mi dmigs pa stong pa nyid

མི་དམིགས་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

anupalambhaśūnyatā

g.503

emptiness of the compounded

’dus byas stong pa nyid

འདུས་བྱས་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

saṃskṛtaśūnyatā

g.504

emptiness of the uncompounded

’dus ma byas stong pa nyid

འདུས་མ་བྱས་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

asaṃskṛtaśūnyatā

g.506

emptiness of ultimate reality

don dam pa stong pa nyid

དོན་དམ་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

paramārthaśūnyatā

g.507

emptiness of what transcends limits

mtha’ las ’das pa stong pa nyid

མཐའ་ལས་འདས་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

atyantaśūnyatā

g.508

emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature

dngos po med pa’i ngo bo nyid stong pa nyid

དངོས་པོ་མེད་པའི་ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

abhāvasvabhāvaśūnyatā

g.509

emptiness that transcends limits

mtha’ las ’das pa’i stong pa nyid

མཐའ་ལས་འདས་པའི་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

atyantaśūnyatā

g.510

emptinesses

stong pa nyid

སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

śūnyatā

g.523

entertain the thought

sems bskyed

སེམས་བསྐྱེད།

cittotpadyate

g.526

equal to the unequaled

mi mnyam pa dang mnyam pa

མི་མཉམ་པ་དང་མཉམ་པ།

asamasama

g.527

equanimity

btang snyoms

བཏང་སྙོམས།

upekṣā

g.534

examination of dharmas

chos rnam par ’byed pa

ཆོས་རྣམ་པར་འབྱེད་པ།

dharmapravicaya

g.539

existence

srid pa

སྲིད་པ།

bhava

g.540

existent thing

dngos po

དངོས་པོ།

bhāva

g.549

extremely isolated

shin tu dben pa

ཤིན་ཏུ་དབེན་པ།

atyanatayā viviktaḥ

g.551

extremely pure

rnam par dag pa
shin tu rnam par dag pa

རྣམ་པར་དག་པ།
ཤིན་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་དག་པ།

viśuddha
suviśuddha

g.553

eye consciousness constituent

mig gi rnam par shes pa’i khams

མིག་གི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པའི་ཁམས།

cakṣuvijñānadhātu

g.554

eye contact sense field

mig gi ’dus te reg pa’i skye mched

མིག་གི་འདུས་ཏེ་རེག་པའི་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།

cakṣuḥsaṃsparśāyatana

g.555

face to face

mngon sum du

མངོན་སུམ་དུ།

saṃmukham

g.556

faculty

dbang po

དབང་པོ།

indriya

g.560

faith

dad pa

དད་པ།

śraddhā

g.565

false projection

rlom sems su byed

རློམ་སེམས་སུ་བྱེད།

g.568

farther shore

pha rol

ཕ་རོལ།

para

g.573

fearlessness

mi ’jigs pa

མི་འཇིགས་པ།

vaiśāradya

g.574

feeling

tshor ba

ཚོར་བ།

vedanā

g.578

fetter

kun tu sbyor ba

ཀུན་ཏུ་སྦྱོར་བ།

saṃyojana

g.583

final limit of reality

yang dag pa’i mtha’

ཡང་དག་པའི་མཐའ།

bhūtakoṭi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This term has three meanings: (1) the ultimate nature, (2) the experience of the ultimate nature, and (3) the quiescent state of a worthy one (arhat) to be avoided by bodhisattvas.

In this text:

Also translated as “very limit of reality.”

g.587

five aggregates

phung po lnga

ཕུང་པོ་ལྔ།

pañcaskandha

g.590

five eyes

mig lnga

མིག་ལྔ།

pañcacakṣu

g.591

five faculties

dbang po lnga

དབང་པོ་ལྔ།

pañcendriya

g.594

five forms of life

’gro ba lnga
’gro ba lnga po
’gro ba rnam pa lnga

འགྲོ་བ་ལྔ།
འགྲོ་བ་ལྔ་པོ།
འགྲོ་བ་རྣམ་པ་ལྔ།

g.597

five perfections

pha rol tu phyin pa lnga

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་ལྔ།

pañcapāramitā

g.598

five powers

stobs lnga

སྟོབས་ལྔ།

pañcabala

g.606

flesh eye

sha’i mig

ཤའི་མིག

māṃsacakṣu

g.612

for making manifest

mngon sum du byed par ’gyur

མངོན་སུམ་དུ་བྱེད་པར་འགྱུར།

sākṣātkṛyāyai

g.614

for whom there is no more training

mi slob pa

མི་སློབ་པ།

aśaikṣa

g.615

forbearance

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣānti

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance for the unborn nature, or nonproduction, of dharmas.”

In this text:

Also rendered here as “patience.”

g.618

form

gzugs

གཟུགས།

rūpa

g.623

form realm

gzugs kyi khams

གཟུགས་ཀྱི་ཁམས།

rūpadhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology, it is characterized by subtle materiality. Here beings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification. It consists of seventeen heavens structured according to the four concentrations of the form realm (rūpāvacaradhyāna), the highest five of which are collectively called “pure abodes” (śuddhāvāsa). The form realm is located above the desire realm (kāmadhātu) and below the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu).

g.624

formless

gzugs med pa

གཟུགས་མེད་པ།

arūpin

g.625

formless absorption

gzugs med pa’i snyoms par ’jug pa

གཟུགས་མེད་པའི་སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ།

ārūpyasamāpatti

g.626

formless realm

gzugs med pa’i khams

གཟུགས་མེད་པའི་ཁམས།

ārūpyadhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The highest and subtlest of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology. Here beings are no longer bound by materiality and enjoy a purely mental state of absorption. It is divided in four levels according to each of the four formless concentrations (ārūpyāvacaradhyāna), namely, the Sphere of Infinite Space (ākāśānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness (vijñānānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Nothingness (akiñcanyāyatana), and the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception (naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana). The formless realm is located above the other two realms of saṃsāra, the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the desire realm (kāmadhātu).

g.631

four applications of mindfulness

dran pa nye bar gzhag pa bzhi

དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ་བཞི།

catuḥsmṛtyupasthāna

g.635

four concentrations

bsam gtan bzhi

བསམ་གཏན་བཞི།

caturdhyāna

g.637

four detailed and thorough knowledges

so so yang dag par rig pa bzhi

སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ་བཞི།

catuḥpratisaṃvid

g.639

four fearlessnesses

mi ’jigs pa bzhi

མི་འཇིགས་པ་བཞི།

caturvaiśāradya

g.641

four formless absorptions

gzugs med pa’i snyoms par ’jug pa bzhi

གཟུགས་མེད་པའི་སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ་བཞི།

caturārūpyasamāpatti

g.643

four immeasurables

tshad med pa bzhi

ཚད་མེད་པ་བཞི།

catvāryapramāṇāni

g.645

four legs of miraculous power

rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi

རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ་བཞི།

caturṛddhipāda

g.646

Four Mahārājas

rgyal po chen po bzhi

རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།

caturmahārāja

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahārājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

g.647

four noble truths

’phags pa’i bden pa bzhi

འཕགས་པའི་བདེན་པ་བཞི།

caturāryasatya

g.649

four practices of spiritual practitioners

tshangs pa’i gnas pa bzhi

ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞི།

caturbrahmavihāra

g.651

four retinues

’khor bzhi po

འཁོར་བཞི་པོ།

catasraḥ parṣadaḥ
catuḥpariṣad

g.652

four right efforts

yang dag pa’i spong ba bzhi

ཡང་དག་པའི་སྤོང་བ་བཞི།

catuḥsamyakprahāṇa

g.656

fourteen emptinesses

stong pa nyid bcu bzhi po

སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་བཅུ་བཞི་པོ།

caturdaśaśūnyatā

g.670

fully awakened

mngon par rdzogs par sangs rgyas

མངོན་པར་རྫོགས་པར་སངས་རྒྱས།

abhisambuddha

g.677

gain

thob

ཐོབ།

anuprāp

g.680

Gandhavatī

spos ldan

སྤོས་ལྡན།

gandhavatī

g.681

Gaṅgā River

gang gA’i klung

གང་གཱའི་ཀླུང་།

gaṅgā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

g.682

Gaṅgadevī

gang gA’i lha mo

གང་གཱའི་ལྷ་མོ།

gaṅgadevī
gaṅgadevā

g.691

get into trouble

nyon mongs par ’gyur

ཉོན་མོངས་པར་འགྱུར།

vyasanam āpad

g.692

ghost

yi dwags

ཡི་དྭགས།

preta

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.

The pretas live in the realm of Yama, the Lord of Death, where they are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance.

g.693

giver

sbyin pa po

སྦྱིན་པ་པོ།

dāyaka

g.694

giving

sbyin pa

སྦྱིན་པ།

dāna
dakṣiṇā

g.695

giving gifts

sbyin pa sbyin pa
sbyin pa

སྦྱིན་པ་སྦྱིན་པ།
སྦྱིན་པ།

dāna

g.700

go forth

nges par ’byung

ངེས་པར་འབྱུང་།

niryā

g.703

god

lha
lha’i bu

ལྷ།
ལྷའི་བུ།

deva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In the most general sense the devas‍—the term is cognate with the English divine‍—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

g.710

Gotra level

rigs kyi sa

རིགས་ཀྱི་ས།

gotrabhūmi

g.714

Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill

bya rgod kyi phung po’i ri

བྱ་རྒོད་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོའི་རི།

gṛdhrakūṭaparvata

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gṛdhrakūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

g.715

great being

sems dpa’ chen po

སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahāsattva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- (“great”) is close in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.

g.716

great billionfold world system

stong gsum gyi stong chen po’i ’jig rten gyi khams

སྟོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྟོང་ཆེན་པོའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།

trisahasramahāsāhasralokadhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000^³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Sumeru, continents, sun and moon, etc.

g.717

great bull elephants

glang po chen po

གླང་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahānāga

g.718

great emptiness

chen po stong pa nyid

ཆེན་པོ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

mahāśūnyatā

g.720

great learning

mang du thos

མང་དུ་ཐོས།

bāhuśrutya

g.722

great śrāvaka

nyan thos chen po

ཉན་ཐོས་ཆེན་པོ།

mahāśrāvaka

g.724

Great Vehicle

theg pa chen po

ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahāyāna

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.

g.725

greed

’dod chags

འདོད་ཆགས།

rāga
lobha

g.727

greedy thought

’dod chags kyi sems
’dod chags dang bcas pa’i sems

འདོད་ཆགས་ཀྱི་སེམས།
འདོད་ཆགས་དང་བཅས་པའི་སེམས།

rāgacitta
sarāgacitta

g.730

Guhyagupta

phug sbas

ཕུག་སྦས།

guhyagupta

g.732

guru

bla ma

བླ་མ།

guru

g.741

hatred

zhe sdang

ཞེ་སྡང་།

dveṣa
doṣa

g.750

head of the gods

lha’i dbang po

ལྷའི་དབང་པོ།

devānām indriya
devendra

g.753

hell dwelling

sems can dmyal ba thams cad kyi gnas

སེམས་ཅན་དམྱལ་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་གནས།

nairayikabhavana

g.755

hindrance

bar du gcod pa
bar chad

བར་དུ་གཅོད་པ།
བར་ཆད།

āvaraṇa
antarāya
paripantha

g.757

hold as a support

lhag par dmigs pa

ལྷག་པར་དམིགས་པ།

adhyālamb

g.762

householder

khyim pa
khyim na gnas pa

ཁྱིམ་པ།
ཁྱིམ་ན་གནས་པ།

gṛhin

g.770

ignorance

ma rig pa

མ་རིག་པ།

avidyā

g.775

imagined

brtags pa

བརྟགས་པ།

kalpita

g.776

immeasurables

tshad med pa

ཚད་མེད་པ།

apramāṇa

g.778

immorality

’chal ba’i tshul khrims
tshul khrims ’chal pa

འཆལ་བའི་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།
ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་འཆལ་པ།

dauḥśīlya

g.784

improve

’phel

འཕེལ།

vṛdh

g.792

in the bodhisattva vehicle

byang chub sems dpa’i theg pa pa

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ཐེག་པ་པ།

bodhisattvayānika

g.798

inconceivable element

bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i dbyings

བསམ་གྱིས་མི་ཁྱབ་པའི་དབྱིངས།

acintyadhātu

g.799

incorporate

yongs su ’dzin

ཡོངས་སུ་འཛིན།

parigrah

g.800

increase

’phel

འཕེལ།

upaci
vṛdh
utsada

g.802

Indra

dbang po

དབང་པོ།

indra

g.803

Indradatta

dbang pos byin

དབང་པོས་བྱིན།

indradatta

g.807

inexhaustible

bas ma ’tshal ba lags
zad pa med pa
mi zad pa

བས་མ་འཚལ་བ་ལགས།
ཟད་པ་མེད་པ།
མི་ཟད་པ།

akṣaya

g.814

inner and outer emptiness

phyi nang stong pa nyid

ཕྱི་ནང་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

adhyātmabahirdhāśūnyatā

g.815

inner body

nang gi lus

ནང་གི་ལུས།

adhyātmakāya
adhyātma
ātmabhāva
adhyātmika

g.816

inner emptiness

nang stong pa nyid

ནང་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

adhyātmaśūnyatā

g.818

intellect

བློ།

buddhi

g.821

intrinsic nature

ngo bo nyid
rang bzhin

ངོ་བོ་ཉིད།
རང་བཞིན།

svabhāva

g.825

irreversible

phyir mi ldog pa

ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པ།

avaivarttika

g.829

isolation

dben pa

དབེན་པ།

vivikta
viveka

Isolation is traditionally categorized as being of three types: (1) isolation of the body (kāyaviveka), which refers to remaining in solitude free from desirous or disturbing objects; (2) isolation of the mind (cittaviveka), which is mental detachment from desirous or disturbing objects; and (3) isolation from the “substrate” (upadhiviveka), which indicates detachment from all things that perpetuate rebirth, including the five aggregates, the afflictions, and karma.

g.831

Jambū

’dzam bu

འཛམ་བུ།

jambū

g.832

Jambudvīpa

’dzam bu’i gling

འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།

jambudvīpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

g.839

Jinamitra

dzi na mi tra

ཛི་ན་མི་ཏྲ།

jinamitra

g.842

joy

dga’ ba

དགའ་བ།

prema

g.851

karma

las
sug las
phyag las
lag las

ལས།
སུག་ལས།
ཕྱག་ལས།
ལག་ལས།

karman

g.855

Kauśika

kau shi ka

ཀཽ་ཤི་ཀ

kauśika

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

“One who belongs to the Kuśika lineage.” An epithet of the god Śakra, also known as Indra, the king of the gods in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. In the Ṛgveda, Indra is addressed by the epithet Kauśika, with the implication that he is associated with the descendants of the Kuśika lineage (gotra) as their aiding deity. In later epic and Purāṇic texts, we find the story that Indra took birth as Gādhi Kauśika, the son of Kuśika and one of the Vedic poet-seers, after the Puru king Kuśika had performed austerities for one thousand years to obtain a son equal to Indra who could not be killed by others. In the Pāli Kusajātaka (Jāt V 141–45), the Buddha, in one of his former bodhisattva lives as a Trāyastriṃśa god, takes birth as the future king Kusa upon the request of Indra, who wishes to help the childless king of the Mallas, Okkaka, and his chief queen Sīlavatī. This story is also referred to by Nāgasena in the Milindapañha.

g.857

kind words

snyan par smra ba

སྙན་པར་སྨྲ་བ།

priyavadya

g.863

knowledge

rig pa
ye shes
shes pa
mkhyen pa

རིག་པ།
ཡེ་ཤེས།
ཤེས་པ།
མཁྱེན་པ།

vidyā
jñāna

g.870

knowledge of all aspects

rnam pa thams cad mkhyen pa nyid

རྣམ་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་མཁྱེན་པ་ཉིད།

sarvākārajñatā

g.878

knowledge of path aspects

lam gyi rnam par shes pa nyid
lam gyi rnam pa shes pa

ལམ་གྱི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ་ཉིད།
ལམ་གྱི་རྣམ་པ་ཤེས་པ།

mārgākārajñatā

g.891

Kṛtāvin level

byas pa rtogs pa can gyi sa

བྱས་པ་རྟོགས་པ་ཅན་གྱི་ས།

kṛtāvibhūmi

g.901

leader

yongs su ’dren pa
’dren pa

ཡོངས་སུ་འདྲེན་པ།
འདྲེན་པ།

parināyikā
parināyaka
nāyaka

g.902

learned

mkhas pa

མཁས་པ།

abhijña RS

g.903

legs of miraculous power

rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa

རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ།

ṛddhipāda

g.906

liberate

yongs su dgrol
yongs su bkrol

ཡོངས་སུ་དགྲོལ།
ཡོངས་སུ་བཀྲོལ།

parimocaya

g.910

limb of awakening

byang chub kyi yan lag

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག

bodhyaṅga

g.911

limitless and boundless

mtha’ yas mu med pa

མཐའ་ཡས་མུ་མེད་པ།

anantāparyanta

g.912

lineage

gdung
rigs
rus

གདུང་།
རིགས།
རུས།

vaṃśā
kula
gotra

g.919

living being

srog chags
srog

སྲོག་ཆགས།
སྲོག

prāṇin
jīva

g.926

lord

bcom ldan ’das

བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།

bhagavān
bhagavat

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

In this text:

An epithet of the buddhas. The Tibetan translators consistently understand the word bhagavān as bha[gna]-ga-vat and render it bcom ldan ’das “one who has destroyed (bcom) obscurations, possesses (ldan) the buddhadharmas, and has gone (’das) into nirvāṇa.” An alternative translation is “Blessed One” from bhaga-vat “one who possesses (vat) good fortune (bhaga).”

g.929

loving

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

maitra

g.930

loving-kindness

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

maitrī

g.937

Mahābrahmā

tshangs pa chen po

ཚངས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahābrahmā

g.938

Mahākaruṇācinta

snying rje cher sems

སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེར་སེམས།

mahākaruṇācinta

g.939

Mahākāśyapa

’od srung chen po

འོད་སྲུང་ཆེན་པོ།

mahākāśyapa

g.943

Mahāmaudgalyāyana

maud gal gyi bu chen po

མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahāmaudgalyāyana

g.944

Mahāprajāpatī

skye dgu’i bdag mo chen mo

སྐྱེ་དགུའི་བདག་མོ་ཆེན་མོ།

mahāprajāpatī

g.946

Mahāsthāmaprāpta

mthu chen thob

མཐུ་ཆེན་ཐོབ།

mahāsthāmaprāpta

g.947

Mahāvyūha

bkod pa chen po

བཀོད་པ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahāvyūha

g.950

Maitreya

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

maitreya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”

For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).

g.952

major mark

mtshan

མཚན།

lakṣaṇa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The thirty-two primary physical characteristics of a “great being,” mahāpuruṣa, which every buddha and cakravartin possesses. They are considered “major” in terms of being primary to the eighty minor marks or signs of a great being.

In this text:

For their enumeration in this text, see 73.89.

g.960

malice

gnod sems

གནོད་སེམས།

vyapāda

g.963

Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta

’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa

འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུར་གྱུར་པ།

mañjuśrī kumārabhūta

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

g.964

Māra

bdud

བདུད།

māra

g.966

Māra the wicked one

bdud sdig can

བདུད་སྡིག་ཅན།

māraḥ pāpīyān

g.967

Mārabalapramardin

bdud kyi stobs rab tu ’joms pa

བདུད་ཀྱི་སྟོབས་རབ་ཏུ་འཇོམས་པ།

mārabalapramardin

g.969

mark

mtshan nyid
mtshan

མཚན་ཉིད།
མཚན།

lakṣaṇa

g.981

maturity

smin pa
yongs su smin pa

སྨིན་པ།
ཡོངས་སུ་སྨིན་པ།

pāka
paripāka

g.982

Maudgalyāyana

maud gal gyi bu

མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ།

maudgalyāyana

g.986

meditative stabilization

ting nge ’dzin
ting ’dzin

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
ཏིང་འཛིན།

samādhi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.

In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.

g.987

meditative stabilization gateway

ting nge ’dzin gyi sgo

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་སྒོ།

samādhimukha

g.998

mental factor

sems las byung ba

སེམས་ལས་བྱུང་བ།

cetasika

g.1003

merit

bsod nams

བསོད་ནམས།

puṇya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhism more generally, merit refers to the wholesome karmic potential accumulated by someone as a result of positive and altruistic thoughts, words, and actions, which will ripen in the current or future lifetimes as the experience of happiness and well-being. According to the Mahāyāna, it is important to dedicate the merit of one’s wholesome actions to the awakening of oneself and to the ultimate and temporary benefit of all sentient beings. Doing so ensures that others also experience the results of the positive actions generated and that the merit is not wasted by ripening in temporary happiness for oneself alone.

g.1005

Merukūṭa

lhun po’i rtse mo

ལྷུན་པོའི་རྩེ་མོ།

merukūṭa

g.1011

mindful

dran pa

དྲན་པ།

smṛta
smṛtiman

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This is the faculty that enables the mind to maintain its attention on a referent object, counteracting the arising of forgetfulness, which is a great obstacle to meditative stability. The root smṛ may mean “to recollect” but also simply “to think of.” Broadly speaking, smṛti, commonly translated as “mindfulness,” means to bring something to mind, not necessarily something experienced in a distant past but also something that is experienced in the present, such as the position of one’s body or the breath.

Together with alertness (samprajāna, shes bzhin), it is one of the two indispensable factors for the development of calm abiding (śamatha, zhi gnas).

g.1012

mindfulness

dran pa

དྲན་པ།

smṛti

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Together with alertness (samprajāna, shes bzhin), it is one of the two indispensable factors for the development of calm abiding (śamatha, zhi gnas).

g.1030

miraculous power

rdzu ’phrul

རྫུ་འཕྲུལ།

ṛddhi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The supernatural powers of a śrāvaka correspond to the first abhijñā: “Being one he becomes many, being many he becomes one; he becomes visible, invisible; goes through walls, ramparts and mountains without being impeded, just as through air; he immerses himself in the earth and emerges from it as if in water; he goes on water without breaking through it, as if on [solid] earth; he travels through the air crosslegged like a winged bird; he takes in his hands and touches the moon and the sun, those two wonderful, mighty beings, and with his body he extends his power as far as the Brahma world” (Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, trans. Lamotte 2003).

The great supernatural powers (maharddhi) of bodhisattvas are “causing trembling, blazing, illuminating, rendering invisible, transforming, coming and going across obstacles, reducing or enlarging worlds, inserting any matter into one’s own body, assuming the aspects of those one frequents, appearing and disappearing, submitting everyone to one’s will, dominating the supernormal power of others, giving intellectual clarity to those who lack it, giving mindfulness, bestowing happiness, and finally, emitting beneficial rays” (Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, trans. Lamotte 2003).

g.1031

mirage

smig rgyu

སྨིག་རྒྱུ།

marīcikā

g.1032

miserliness

ser sna

སེར་སྣ།

matsara
mātsarya

g.1034

monk

dge slong

དགེ་སློང་།

bhikṣu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.

In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).

g.1037

morality

tshul khrims

ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།

śīla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. In a general sense, moral discipline is the cause for rebirth in higher, more favorable states, but it is also foundational to Buddhist practice as one of the three trainings (triśikṣā) and one of the six perfections of a bodhisattva. Often rendered as “ethics,” “discipline,” and “morality.”

g.1042

mosquito

sbrang bu mchu ring

སྦྲང་བུ་མཆུ་རིང་།

daṃśa

g.1044

motivator

slong ba po

སློང་བ་པོ།

utthāpaka

g.1047

nāga

ཀླུ།

nāga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

g.1054

name and form

ming dang gzugs

མིང་དང་གཟུགས།

nāmarūpa

g.1065

natural state

chos nyid

ཆོས་ཉིད།

dharmatā

g.1074

nine serial absorptions

mthar gyis gnas pa’i snyoms par ’jug pa dgu

མཐར་གྱིས་གནས་པའི་སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ་དགུ

navānupūrvavihārasamāpatti

g.1076

Nirmāṇarati

’phrul dga’

འཕྲུལ་དགའ།

nirmāṇarati

g.1079

nirvāṇa

mya ngan las ’das pa

མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།

nirvṛti

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Sanskrit, the term nirvāṇa literally means “extinguishment” and the Tibetan mya ngan las ’das pa literally means “gone beyond sorrow.” As a general term, it refers to the cessation of all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence, as well as to the state in which all such rebirth and suffering has permanently ceased.

More specifically, three main types of nirvāṇa are identified. (1) The first type of nirvāṇa, called nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), is the state in which arhats or buddhas have attained awakening but are still dependent on the conditioned aggregates until their lifespan is exhausted. (2) At the end of life, given that there are no more causes for rebirth, these aggregates cease and no new aggregates arise. What occurs then is called nirvāṇa without remainder ( anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), which refers to the unconditioned element (dhātu) of nirvāṇa in which there is no remainder of the aggregates. (3) The Mahāyāna teachings distinguish the final nirvāṇa of buddhas from that of arhats, the nirvāṇa of arhats not being considered ultimate. The buddhas attain what is called nonabiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa), which transcends the extremes of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, i.e., existence and peace. This is the nirvāṇa that is the goal of the Mahāyāna path.

g.1082

Nityaprayukta

brtson pa mi gtong

བརྩོན་པ་མི་གཏོང་།

nityaprayukta

g.1083

Nityodyukta

rtag tu brtson

རྟག་ཏུ་བརྩོན།

nityodyukta

g.1084

Nityotkṣiptahasta

rtag tu phyag brkyang

རྟག་ཏུ་ཕྱག་བརྐྱང་།

nityotkṣiptahasta

g.1088

no intrinsic nature

ngo bo nyid med pa
rang bzhin med pa

ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་མེད་པ།
རང་བཞིན་མེད་པ།

niḥsvabhāvatva
asvabhāva

g.1092

noble

’phags pa

འཕགས་པ།

ārya

g.1093

noble being

’phags pa

འཕགས་པ།

ārya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Sanskrit ārya has the general meaning of a noble person, one of a higher class or caste. In Buddhist literature, depending on the context, it often means specifically one who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason. In particular, it applies to stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and worthy ones (arhats) and is also used as an epithet of bodhisattvas. In the five-path system, it refers to someone who has achieved at least the path of seeing (darśanamārga).

g.1097

non-returner

phyir mi ’ong ba

ཕྱིར་མི་འོང་བ།

anāgāmin

g.1099

nonapprehender

dmigs su med par byed

དམིགས་སུ་མེད་པར་བྱེད།

g.1102

nonduality

gnyis su med pa

གཉིས་སུ་མེད་པ།

advaya

g.1104

nonexistent thing

dngos po med pa
dngos po ma mchis pa

དངོས་པོ་མེད་པ།
དངོས་པོ་མ་མཆིས་པ།

abhāva

g.1108

nonsense

don dang mi ldan pa

དོན་དང་མི་ལྡན་པ།

anarthopasaṃhita

g.1109

nose consciousness constituent

sna’i rnam par shes pa’i khams

སྣའི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པའི་ཁམས།

ghrāṇavijñānadhātu

g.1113

not an agent

bgyid pa ma lags

བགྱིད་པ་མ་ལགས།

akārakṛ

g.1114

not apprehending

mi dmigs pa

མི་དམིགས་པ།

anupalambha

g.1132

not necessarily destined

ma nges pa

མ་ངེས་པ།

aniyata

g.1135

not separated

dang ma bral

དང་མ་བྲལ།

avirahita

g.1136

not something about which you can speculate

brtag par mi nus pa

བརྟག་པར་མི་ནུས་པ།

atarkya

g.1144

not worthwhile

snying po med pa

སྙིང་པོ་མེད་པ།

asāra

g.1149

objective support

dmigs pa

དམིགས་པ།

ālambana
ārambana

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

g.1150

obscuration

sgrib pa

སྒྲིབ་པ།

āvaraṇa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The obscurations to liberation and omniscience. They are generally categorized as two types: affective obscurations (kleśāvaraṇa), the arising of afflictive emotions; and cognitive obscurations (jñeyāvaraṇa), those caused by misapprehension and incorrect understanding about the nature of reality.

The term is used also as a reference to a set five hindrances on the path: longing for sense pleasures (Skt. kāmacchanda), malice (Skt. vyāpāda), sloth and torpor (Skt. styānamiddha), excitement and remorse (Skt. auddhatyakaukṛtya), and doubt (Skt. vicikitsā).

g.1151

obscure

bsgrib

བསྒྲིབ།

āvṛ

g.1153

offering

mchod pa

མཆོད་པ།

pūjā

g.1155

old age and death

rga shi

རྒ་ཤི།

jarāmaraṇa

g.1156

omniscience

thams cad mkhyen pa

ཐམས་ཅད་མཁྱེན་པ།

sarvajña

g.1157

once-returner

lan cig phyir ’ong ba

ལན་ཅིག་ཕྱིར་འོང་བ།

sakṛdāgāmin

g.1158

one born of Manu

shed las skyes

ཤེད་ལས་སྐྱེས།

manuja

g.1160

one who does

byed pa po

བྱེད་པ་པོ།

kāraka

g.1161

one who feels

tshor ba po

ཚོར་བ་པོ།

vedaka

g.1162

one who is beginning the work

las dang po pa

ལས་དང་པོ་པ།

ādikarmika

g.1163

one who knows

shes pa po

ཤེས་པ་པོ།

jānaka

g.1164

one who lives

gso ba po
gso ba

གསོ་བ་པོ།
གསོ་བ།

poṣa

g.1165

one who makes someone else do

byed du ’jug pa po

བྱེད་དུ་འཇུག་པ་པོ།

kārayitṛ

g.1166

one who makes someone else feel

tshor bar byed du ’jug pa po
tshor bar byed pa po

ཚོར་བར་བྱེད་དུ་འཇུག་པ་པོ།
ཚོར་བར་བྱེད་པ་པོ།

vedayitṛka

g.1167

one who motivates

kun nas slong ba po

ཀུན་ནས་སློང་བ་པོ།

samutthāpaka

g.1168

one who sees

mthong ba po

མཐོང་བ་པོ།

paśyaka

g.1177

ordinary convention

’jig rten gyi tha snyad
tha snyad

འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཐ་སྙད།
ཐ་སྙད།

lokavyavahāreṇa
vyavahāra

g.1180

ordinary person

so so’i skye bo

སོ་སོའི་སྐྱེ་བོ།

pṛthagjana

g.1188

origination

kun ’byung ba

ཀུན་འབྱུང་བ།

samudaya

g.1190

outer emptiness

phyi stong pa nyid

ཕྱི་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།

bahirdhāśūnyatā

g.1192

outflow

zag pa

ཟག་པ།

āsrava

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.

In this text:

The metaphor explaining outflows (āsrava), rendered as “contaminated,” is a house with a faulty roof. But it does not simply mean that something from the outside, hatred or greed, drips in on the pristine mind of a person. Rather the drips come from within the person. They arise from unskillful mindsets that give rise to the afflictions, hence “outflows” rather than “inflows.”

g.1193

outflows dried up

zag pa zad pa

ཟག་པ་ཟད་པ།

kṣīṇāsrava

g.1207

paltry

ngan ngon

ངན་ངོན།

avaraka

g.1209

Paranirmitavaśavartin

gzhan ’phrul dbang byed

གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད།

paranirmitavaśavartin

g.1219

patience

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣānti

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In this text:

Also rendered here as “forbearance.”

g.1222

perception

’du shes

འདུ་ཤེས།

saṃjñā

g.1233

perfect moment/perfect human birth

dal ba phun sum tshogs pa

དལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པ།

kṣaṇasampad

g.1237

perfection

pha rol tu phyin pa

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

pāramitā

This term is used to refer to the main trainings of a bodhisattva. Because these trainings, when brought to perfection, lead one to transcend saṃsāra and reach the full awakening of a buddha, they receive the Sanskrit name pāramitā, meaning “perfection” or “gone to the farther shore.” They are listed as either six or ten.

See “six perfections” and “ten perfections.”

g.1238

perfection of concentration

bsam gtan gyi pha rol tu phyin pa

བསམ་གཏན་གྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

dhyānapāramitā

g.1239

perfection of giving

sbyin pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa

སྦྱིན་པའི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

dānapāramitā

g.1240

perfection of morality

tshul khrims kyi pha rol tu phyin pa

ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

śīlapāramitā

g.1242

perfection of patience

bzod pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa

བཟོད་པའི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

kṣāntipāramitā

g.1243

perfection of perseverance

brtson ’grus kyi pha rol tu phyin pa

བརྩོན་འགྲུས་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

vīryapāramitā

g.1244

perfection of wisdom

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa

ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

prajñāpāramitā

g.1245

perfectly complete buddha

yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas

ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།

samyaksaṃbuddha

g.1249

performance of miraculous power

rdzu ’phrul gyi yul
rdzu ’phrul bya ba

རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་ཡུལ།
རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་བྱ་བ།

ṛddhividhi

g.1250

perseverance

brtson ’grus

བརྩོན་འགྲུས།

vīrya

g.1251

person

gang zag

གང་ཟག

puruṣa

g.1255

phenomenon

chos

ཆོས།

dharma

g.1260

physical remains

sku gdung
ring bsrel

སྐུ་གདུང་།
རིང་བསྲེལ།

śarīra
dhātu

g.1265

places that preclude a perfect human birth

mi khom pa

མི་ཁོམ་པ།

akṣaṇa

g.1268

pliability

shin tu sbyangs pa

ཤིན་ཏུ་སྦྱངས་པ།

prasrabdhi
praśrabdhi

g.1269

plucked out of thin air

glo bur du

གློ་བུར་དུ།

āgantuka

g.1275

power

stobs

སྟོབས།

bala

g.1276

powers

stobs

སྟོབས།

bala

g.1278

Prabhākarī

’od byed pa

འོད་བྱེད་པ།

prabhākarī

g.1280

practice it for suchness

de bzhin nyid du sgrub
de bzhin nyid la sgrub

དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་དུ་སྒྲུབ།
དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་ལ་སྒྲུབ།

tathatvāya pratipad

g.1284

Prajāpati

skye dgu’i bdag po

སྐྱེ་དགུའི་བདག་པོ།

prajāpati

g.1287

Pramuditā

rab tu dga’ ba

རབ་ཏུ་དགའ་བ།

pramuditā

g.1289

pratyekabuddha

rang sangs rgyas

རང་སངས་རྒྱས།

pratyekabuddha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyekabuddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

g.1290

Pratyekabuddha level

rang sangs rgyas sa

རང་སངས་རྒྱས་ས།

pratyekabuddhabhūmi

g.1291

pratyekabuddha’s awakening

rang byang chub

རང་བྱང་ཆུབ།

pratyekabodhi

g.1292

prayer

smon lam

སྨོན་ལམ།

praṇidhāna

g.1293

preceptor

mkhan po

མཁན་པོ།

upādhyāya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A person’s particular preceptor within the monastic tradition. They must have at least ten years of standing in the saṅgha, and their role is to confer ordination, to tend to the student, and to provide all the necessary requisites, therefore guiding that person for the taking of full vows and the maintenance of conduct and practice. This office was decreed by the Buddha so that aspirants would not have to receive ordination from the Buddha in person, and the Buddha identified two types: those who grant entry into the renunciate order and those who grant full ordination. The Tibetan translation mkhan po has also come to mean “a learned scholar,” the equivalent of a paṇḍita, but that is not the intended meaning in Indic Buddhist literature.

g.1299

prerequisites

yo byad

ཡོ་བྱད།

upakaraṇam

g.1300

pride

nga rgyal

ང་རྒྱལ།

māna

g.1301

pride in being superior

lhag pa’i nga rgyal

ལྷག་པའི་ང་རྒྱལ།

adhimāna

g.1304

proclaim the name

ming yongs su brjod pa mdzad

མིང་ཡོངས་སུ་བརྗོད་པ་མཛད།

nāmadheyaṃ parikīrtaya

g.1314

purification

yongs su sbyang ba
yongs su sbyong ba
rnam par byang ba

ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱང་བ།
ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱོང་བ།
རྣམ་པར་བྱང་བ།

parikarman
vyavadāna

g.1315

purification of a buddhafield

sangs rgyas kyi zhing yongs su dag par bgyid pa
sangs rgyas kyi zhing yongs su dag par byed pa

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པར་བགྱིད་པ།
སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པར་བྱེད་པ།

buddhakṣetrapariśodhana

g.1318

Pūrṇa

gang po

གང་པོ།

pūrṇa

g.1319

Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra

byams ma’i bu gang po

བྱམས་མའི་བུ་གང་པོ།

pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra

g.1327

rage

khro ba
khong khro

ཁྲོ་བ།
ཁོང་ཁྲོ།

krodha

g.1329

Rājagṛha

rgyal po’i khab

རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།

rājagṛha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

g.1332

range of hearing

rna lam

རྣ་ལམ།

śrotāvabhāsa

g.1337

Ratnadatta

rin chen byin

རིན་ཆེན་བྱིན།

ratnadatta

g.1338

Ratnagarbha

rin po ches byin

རིན་པོ་ཆེས་བྱིན།

ratnagarbha

g.1340

Ratnākara

dkon mchog ’byung gnas
rin chen ’byung gnas

དཀོན་མཆོག་འབྱུང་གནས།
རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས།

ratnākara

g.1345

Ratnamudrāhasta

lag na phyag rgya rin po che

ལག་ན་ཕྱག་རྒྱ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།

ratnamudrāhasta

g.1349

real basis

dngos po

དངོས་པོ།

vastu

g.1350

real thing

dngos po

དངོས་པོ།

bhāva

g.1356

recollection

rjes su dran pa

རྗེས་སུ་དྲན་པ།

anusmṛti

g.1357

red lotus

ku mu da
ut+pa la dmar po

ཀུ་མུ་ད།
ཨུཏྤ་ལ་དམར་པོ།

kumuda

g.1359

reflection in the mirror

gzugs brnyan

གཟུགས་བརྙན།

pratibimba

g.1365

religious mendicant

kun tu rgyu

ཀུན་ཏུ་རྒྱུ།

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.

g.1370

residual impression connection

bag chags dang mtshams sbyor ba
bag chags kyi mtshams sbyor ba

བག་ཆགས་དང་མཚམས་སྦྱོར་བ།
བག་ཆགས་ཀྱི་མཚམས་སྦྱོར་བ།

vāsanānusaṃdhi

g.1371

residual impressions

bag chags

བག་ཆགས།

vāsanā

g.1379

reveal

ston

སྟོན།

darśaya

g.1381

right effort

yang dag pa’i rtsol ba

ཡང་དག་པའི་རྩོལ་བ།

samyakvyāyāma

g.1382

right efforts

yang dag pa’i spong ba

ཡང་དག་པའི་སྤོང་བ།

samyakprahāṇa

g.1383

right idea

yang dag pa’i rtog pa

ཡང་དག་པའི་རྟོག་པ།

samyaksaṃkalpa

g.1389

rule

sdom pa

སྡོམ་པ།

saṃvara

g.1391

rut

shul

ཤུལ།

mārga

g.1393

Sadāprarudita

rtag tu ngu

རྟག་ཏུ་ངུ།

sadāprarudita

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A bodhisattva famous for his quest for the Dharma and for his devotion to the teacher. It is told that Sadāprarudita, in order to make offerings to the bodhisattva Dharmodgata and request the Prajñāpāramitā teachings, sets out to sell his own flesh and blood. After receiving a first set of teachings, Sadāprarudita waits seven years for the bodhisattva Dharmodgata, his teacher, to emerge from meditation. When he receives signs this is about to happen, he wishes to prepare the ground for the teachings by settling the dust. Māra makes all the water disappear, so Sadāprarudita decides to use his own blood to settle the dust. He is said to be practicing in the presence of Buddha Bhīṣmagarjitanirghoṣasvara. His name means "Ever Weeping", on account of the numerous tears he shed until he found the teachings.

His story is told in detail by the Buddha in The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines (Toh 10, ch. 85–86), and can be found quoted in several works, such as The Words of My Perfect Teacher (kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung) by Patrul Rinpoche.

g.1394

Sādhumatī

legs pa’i blo gros

ལེགས་པའི་བློ་གྲོས།

sādhumatī

g.1398

Śākya

shAkya

ཤཱཀྱ།

śākya

g.1399

Śākyamuni

shAkya thub pa

ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།

śākyamuni

g.1412

sameness

mnyam pa nyid

མཉམ་པ་ཉིད།

samatā

g.1414

saṃsāra

’khor ba

འཁོར་བ།

saṃsāra

g.1416

Saṃtuṣita

yongs su dga’ ldan

ཡོངས་སུ་དགའ་ལྡན།

saṃtuṣita

g.1420

saṅgha

dge ’dun

དགེ་འདུན།

saṅgha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities‍—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen‍—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.

In this text:

Also rendered here as “community.”

g.1424

Śāriputra

shA ri’i bu

ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ།

śāriputra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyāyana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

g.1488

Śatakratu

brgya byin

བརྒྱ་བྱིན།

śakra
śatakratu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

g.1496

seer

drang srong

དྲང་སྲོང་།

ṛṣi

g.1503

sense faculty

dbang po

དབང་པོ།

indriya

g.1504

sense field

skye mched

སྐྱེ་མཆེད།

āyatana

g.1506

sense objects

’dod pa

འདོད་པ།

kāma
kāmaguṇa

g.1507

separated

bral ba
’bral ba

བྲལ་བ།
འབྲལ་བ།

vigata
viyukta

g.1510

serene confidence

dang ba

དང་བ།

prasāda

g.1516

settle down on as real

mngon par zhen

མངོན་པར་ཞེན།

abhiniviś

g.1518

seven emptinesses

stong pa nyid bdun

སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་བདུན།

g.1519

seven limbs of awakening

byang chub kyi yan lag bdun

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག་བདུན།

saptabodhyaṅga

The set of seven factors or aspects that characteristically manifest on the path of seeing: (1) mindfulness (smṛti, dran pa), (2) examination of dharmas (dharmapravicaya, chos rab tu rnam ’byed/shes rab), (3) perseverance (vīrya, brtson ’grus), (4) joy (prīti, dga’ ba), (5) mental and physical pliability (praśrabdhi, shin sbyangs), (6) meditative stabilization (samādhi, ting nge ’dzin), and (7) equanimity (upekṣā, btang snyoms).

g.1528

sign

mtshan ma

མཚན་མ།

nimitta

g.1529

signlessness

mtshan ma med pa

མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།

ānimitta
animitta

g.1542

sister

sring mo

སྲིང་མོ།

bhaginī

g.1544

six clairvoyances

mngon par shes pa drug

མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ་དྲུག

ṣaḍābhijña

g.1545

six faculties

dbang po drug

དབང་པོ་དྲུག

ṣaḍindriya

g.1547

six perfections

pha rol tu phyin pa drug

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་དྲུག

ṣaṭpāramitā

g.1549

six sense fields

skye mched drug

སྐྱེ་མཆེད་དྲུག

ṣaḍāyatana

g.1552

skandhamāra

phung po’i bdud

ཕུང་པོའི་བདུད།

skandhamāra

g.1560

something really worthwhile

snying po

སྙིང་པོ།

sāra

g.1561

something that does not exist

dngos po med pa

དངོས་པོ་མེད་པ།

abhāva

g.1562

something that exists

dngos po

དངོས་པོ།

bhāva

g.1567

southern region

lho phyogs kyi rgyud

ལྷོ་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་རྒྱུད།

dakṣiṇāpatha

g.1569

space element

nam mkha’i khams

ནམ་མཁའི་ཁམས།

ākāśadhātu

g.1580

spiritual friend

dge ba’i bshes gnyen

དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན།

kalyāṇamitra

g.1584

śramaṇa

dge sbyong

དགེ་སྦྱོང་།

śramaṇa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A general term applied to spiritual practitioners who live as ascetic mendicants. In Buddhist texts, the term usually refers to Buddhist monastics, but it can also designate a practitioner from other ascetic/monastic spiritual traditions. In this context śramaṇa is often contrasted with the term brāhmaṇa (bram ze), which refers broadly to followers of the Vedic tradition. Any renunciate, not just a Buddhist, could be referred to as a śramaṇa if they were not within the Vedic fold. The epithet Great Śramaṇa is often applied to the Buddha.

g.1585

śrāvaka

nyan thos

ཉན་ཐོས།

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.”

g.1601

station of endless consciousness

rnam shes mtha’ yas skye mched

རྣམ་ཤེས་མཐའ་ཡས་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།

vijñānānantyāyatana

g.1602

station of endless space

nam mkha’ mtha’ yas skye mched

ནམ་མཁའ་མཐའ་ཡས་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།

ākāśānantyāyatana

g.1604

station of neither perception nor nonperception

’du shes med ’du shes med min skye mched

འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་མིན་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།

naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana

g.1605

station of nothing-at-all

ci yang med pa’i skye mched

ཅི་ཡང་མེད་པའི་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།

ākiṃcityāyatana

g.1609

station of the nothing-at-all absorption

ci yang med pa’i skye mched kyi snyoms par ’jug pa

ཅི་ཡང་མེད་པའི་སྐྱེ་མཆེད་ཀྱི་སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ།

g.1615

stream enterer

rgyun du zhugs pa

རྒྱུན་དུ་ཞུགས་པ།

srotaāpanna
kunadī

g.1622

Subhūti

rab ’byor

རབ་འབྱོར།

subhūti

g.1628

suchness

de bzhin nyid

དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད།

tathātva
tathatā

g.1632

Sudarśana

shin tu mthong ba

ཤིན་ཏུ་མཐོང་བ།

sudarśana

g.1635

Śuddhāvāsa

gnas gtsang ma

གནས་གཙང་མ།

śuddhāvāsa

Lit. “Those in the Pure Abodes.” The five Pure Abodes are the highest heavens of the form realm and result from mastery of the fourth meditative absorption. They comprise the heavens of Avṛha, Atapa, Sudṛśa, Sudarśana, and Akaniṣṭha. The Pure Abodes, or Śuddhāvāsa, are never destroyed during the cycles of the destruction and creation of the universe. Rebirth there is the karmic result of accomplishing the fourth concentration.

g.1637

Sudṛśa

gya nom snang ba

གྱ་ནོམ་སྣང་བ།

sudṛśa

g.1638

Sudurjayā

shin tu sbyang dka’ ba

ཤིན་ཏུ་སྦྱང་དཀའ་བ།

sudurjayā

g.1639

suffering

sdug bsngal

སྡུག་བསྔལ།

duḥkha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The first of the four truths of the noble ones. The term “suffering” includes all essentially unsatisfactory experiences of life in cyclic existence, whether physical or mental. These comprise (1) the suffering of suffering, i.e., the physical sensations and mental experiences that are self-evident as suffering and toward which spontaneous feelings of aversion arise; (2) the suffering of change, i.e., all experiences that are normally recognized as pleasant and desirable, but which are nonetheless suffering in that persistent indulgence in these always results in changing attitudes of dissatisfaction and boredom; and (3) the suffering of the pervasive conditioning underlying the round of birth, aging, and death.

g.1641

suffused

yongs su bsgos pa

ཡོངས་སུ་བསྒོས་པ།

paribhāvita

g.1642

sugata

bde bar gshegs pa

བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ།

sugata

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).

g.1643

Śuklavipaśyanā level

dkar po rnam par mthong ba’i sa

དཀར་པོ་རྣམ་པར་མཐོང་བའི་ས།

śuklavipaśyanābhūmi

g.1644

Sumeru

ri rab

རི་རབ།

sumeru

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

g.1656

Surendrabodhi

su ren+d+ra bo d+hi

སུ་རེནྡྲ་བོ་དྷི།

surendrabodhi

g.1657

surpassing aspiration

lhag pa’i bsam pa

ལྷག་པའི་བསམ་པ།

adhyāśaya

g.1658

Sūryagarbha

nyi ma’i snying po

ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ།

sūryagarbha

g.1662

Susaṃprasthita

shin tu yang dag zhugs pa

ཤིན་ཏུ་ཡང་དག་ཞུགས་པ།

susaṃprasthita

g.1663

Susārthavaha

ded dpon bzang po

དེད་དཔོན་བཟང་པོ།

susārthavaha

g.1665

sustaining power

byin gyis brlabs pa

བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབས་པ།

adhiṣṭhāna

g.1667

sūtra

མདོ།

sūtra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Sanskrit literally “a thread,” this is an ancient term for teachings that were memorized and orally transmitted in an essential form. Therefore, it can also mean “pithy statements,” “rules,” and “aphorisms.” In Buddhism it refers to the Buddha’s teachings, whatever their length. It is one of the three divisions of the Buddha’s teachings, the other two being Vinaya and Abhidharma. It is also used in contrast with the tantra teachings, though a number of important tantras have sūtra in their title. It is also classified as one of the nine or twelve aspects of the Dharma, in which context sūtra means “a teaching given in prose.”

g.1668

Suvarṇapuṣpa

gser gyi me tog

གསེར་གྱི་མེ་ཏོག

suvarṇapuṣpa

g.1669

Suvikrāntavikrāmin

rab kyi rtsal gyis rnam par gnon pa

རབ་ཀྱི་རྩལ་གྱིས་རྣམ་པར་གནོན་པ།

suvikrāntavikrāmin

g.1670

Suyāma

rab ’thab bral

རབ་འཐབ་བྲལ།

suyāma

g.1676

take up

’dzin

འཛིན།

udgrah

g.1679

Tanū level

bsrabs pa’i sa

བསྲབས་པའི་ས།

tanūbhūmi

g.1680

Tārakopama

skar ma lta bu

སྐར་མ་ལྟ་བུ།

tārakopama

g.1681

tathāgata

de bzhin gshegs pa

དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།

tathāgata

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

In this text:

In this text, Tathāgata (capitalized) refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni. One possible translation is “realized one.”

g.1686

teacher

ston pa
mkhan po

སྟོན་པ།
མཁན་པོ།

śāstṛ
upādhyāya

g.1690

ten bodhisattva levels

byang chub sems dpa’i sa bcu

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ས་བཅུ།

daśa bodhisattvabhūmayaḥ

In this text, two sets of ten levels are mentioned. One set pertains to the progress of an individual practitioner who, starting from the level of an ordinary person, sequentially follows the path of a śrāvaka, a pratyekabuddha, and then a bodhisattva on their way to complete buddhahood (see “ten levels” for a detailed explanation of this set).

The other set is more common in Mahāyāna literature, although there are variations, and refers to the ten levels traversed by an individual practitioner who has already become a bodhisattva: (1) Pramuditā (Joyful), in which one rejoices at realizing a partial aspect of the truth; (2) Vimalā (Stainless), in which one is free from all defilement; (3) Prabhākarī (Light Maker), in which one radiates the light of wisdom; (4) Arciṣmatī (Radiant), in which the radiant flame of wisdom burns away earthly desires; (5) Sudurjayā (Invincible), in which one surmounts the illusions of darkness, or ignorance, as the Middle Way; (6) Abhimukhī (Directly Witnessed), in which supreme wisdom begins to manifest; (7) Dūraṃgamā (Far Reaching), in which one rises above the states of the lower vehicles of srāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; (8) Acalā (Immovable), in which one dwells firmly in the truth of the Middle Way and cannot be perturbed by anything; (9) Sādhumatī (Auspicious Intellect), in which one preaches the Dharma unimpededly; and (10) Dharmameghā (Cloud of Dharma), in which one benefits all sentient beings with Dharma, just as a cloud rains impartially upon everything.

g.1692

ten levels

sa bcu

ས་བཅུ།

daśabhūmi

In this text, two sets of ten levels are mentioned. One set refers to the standard list of ten levels most commonly found in the general Mahāyāna literature; for a detailed explanation of this set, see ten bodhisattva levels. The other set, common to Prajñāpāramitā literature, charts the progress of an individual practitioner who, starting from the level of an ordinary person, sequentially follows the path of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and then a bodhisattva on their way to complete buddhahood.

The first three levels pertain to an ordinary person preparing themselves for the path; the next four (4-7) chart the path of a śrāvaka; level eight aligns with the practices of a pratyekabuddha; level nine refers to the path of bodhisattvas; and finally, level ten is the attainment of buddhahood. These ten levels comprise (1) the level of Śuklavipaśyanā, (2) the level of Gotra, (3) the level of Aṣṭamaka, (4) the level of Darśana, (5) the level of Tanū, (6) the level of Vītarāga, (7) the level of Kṛtāvin, (8) the Pratyekabuddha level, (9) the Bodhisattva level, and (10) the Buddha level of perfect awakening.

g.1694

ten perfections

pha rol tu phyin pa bcu

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་བཅུ།

daśapāramitā

g.1695

ten powers

stobs bcu

སྟོབས་བཅུ།

daśabala

A category of the distinctive qualities of a tathāgata. They are knowing what is possible and what is impossible; knowing the results of actions or the ripening of karma; knowing the various inclinations of sentient beings; knowing the various elements; knowing the supreme and lesser faculties of sentient beings; knowing the paths that lead to all destinations of rebirth; knowing the concentrations, liberations, absorptions, equilibriums, afflictions, purifications, and abidings; knowing previous lives; knowing the death and rebirth of sentient beings; and knowing the cessation of the defilements. See also “five powers.”

g.1698

ten tathāgata powers

de bzhin gshegs pa’i stobs bcu

དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྟོབས་བཅུ།

daśatathāgatabala

g.1699

ten unwholesome actions

mi dge ba’i las kyi lam bcu
mi dge ba bcu’i las kyi lam

མི་དགེ་བའི་ལས་ཀྱི་ལམ་བཅུ།
མི་དགེ་བ་བཅུའི་ལས་ཀྱི་ལམ།

daśākuśalakarmapatha

g.1700

ten wholesome actions

dge ba bcu’i las

དགེ་བ་བཅུའི་ལས།

daśakuśalakarma

g.1702

terrible form of life

ngan song

ངན་སོང་།

apāya

g.1704

the real

yang dag pa

ཡང་དག་པ།

bhūtatā

g.1708

thinking mind

ཡིད།

manas

g.1709

thinking-mind consciousness constituent

yid kyi rnam par shes pa’i khams

ཡིད་ཀྱི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པའི་ཁམས།

manovijñānadhātu

g.1710

thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening

byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos sum cu rtsa bdun
byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos rnams

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་བདུན།
བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་རྣམས།

saptatriṃśabodhipakṣadharma

g.1712

those in training

slob pa

སློབ་པ།

śaikṣa

g.1714

thought of awakening

byang chub kyi sems

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས།

bodhicitta

g.1721

three gateways to liberation

rnam par thar pa’i sgo gsum

རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པའི་སྒོ་གསུམ།

trīṇi vimokṣamukhāni

g.1724

three planes of existence

srid pa gsum

སྲིད་པ་གསུམ།

tribhava

g.1725

three realms

khams gsum

ཁམས་གསུམ།

tridhātu

g.1729

three types of omniscience

thams cad mkhyen pa nyid gsum po

ཐམས་ཅད་མཁྱེན་པ་ཉིད་གསུམ་པོ།

trisarvajñatva

g.1730

three vehicles

theg pa gsum

ཐེག་པ་གསུམ།

triyāna

g.1735

tīrthika

mu stegs can

མུ་སྟེགས་ཅན།

tīrthika

g.1736

token

rtags

རྟགས།

liṅga

g.1739

tongue consciousness constituent

lce’i rnam par shes pa’i khams

ལྕེའི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པའི་ཁམས།

jihvāvijñānadhātu

g.1745

Trāyastriṃśa

sum cu rtsa gsum
sum cu rtsa gsum pa

སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ།
སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ་པ།

trāyastriṃśa
trayastriṃśa

g.1749

true dharmic nature

chos nyid

ཆོས་ཉིད།

dharmatā

g.1750

true nature of dharmas

chos nyid

ཆོས་ཉིད།

dharmatā

“True nature of dharmas” renders dharmatā (chos nyid). In dharmatā the -tā ending is the English “-ness.” The dharma is an attribute of a dharmin (an “attribute possessor”). The attribute is the ultimate, emptiness. The attribute possessors are all phenomena. So, it means “the true nature [= -ness] of the attribute [emptiness].” The issue is further complicated by the widespread use of the word dharma as phenomenon (as in “all dharmas”) and so on. In such contexts it is not a word for the ultimate attribute, but for any phenomenon.

g.1754

turn back

ldog

ལྡོག

vivart

g.1755

Tuṣita

dga’ ldan

དགའ་ལྡན།

tuṣita

Lit. “The Contented.” The fourth of the six heavens of the desire realm; also the name of the gods living there. It is the paradise in which the Buddha Śākyamuni lived as the tenth level bodhisattva Śvetaketu (dam pa tog dkar po) and regent, prior to his birth in this world, and where all future buddhas dwell prior to their awakening. At present the regent of Tuṣita is the bodhisattva Maitreya, the future buddha.

g.1756

twelve aspects of the wheel of Dharma

chos kyi ’khor lo rnam pa bcu gnyis

ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་རྣམ་པ་བཅུ་གཉིས།

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The classification of all aspects of the Buddha’s teachings into twelve types: sūtra, geya, vyākaraṇa, gāthā, udāna, nidāna, avadāna, itivṛttaka, jātaka, vaipulya, adbhutadharma, and upadeśa.

Respectively, the sūtras, literally “threads,” does not mean entire texts as in the general meaning of sūtra but the prose passages within texts; the geyas are the verse versions of preceding prose passages; the vyākaraṇas are prophecies; the gāthās are stand-alone verses; the udānas are teachings not given in response to a request; the nidānas are the introductory sections; the avadānas are accounts of the previous lives of individuals who were alive at the time of the Buddha; the itivṛttakas are biographies of buddhas and bodhisattvas in the past; the jātakas are the Buddha’s accounts of his own previous lifetimes; the vaipulyas are teachings that expand upon a certain subject; the adbhutadharmas are descriptions of miracles; and the upadeśas are explanations of terms and categories.

g.1757

twelve links of dependent origination

rten cing ’brel bar ’byung ba’i yan lag bcu gnyis

རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་བར་འབྱུང་བའི་ཡན་ལག་བཅུ་གཉིས།

dvādaśāṅge pratītyasamutpāde

g.1758

twelve sense fields

skye mched bcu gnyis

སྐྱེ་མཆེད་བཅུ་གཉིས།

dvādaśāyatana

g.1761

ultimate

don dam pa

དོན་དམ་པ།

paramārtha

g.1762

ultimate reality

don dam pa

དོན་དམ་པ།

paramārtha

g.1766

unadulterated

ma ’dres pa

མ་འདྲེས་པ།

aśabala

g.1776

unchanging

’gyur ba med pa
’gyur ba med

འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ།
འགྱུར་བ་མེད།

avikṛta

g.1778

uncompounded

’dus ma byas

འདུས་མ་བྱས།

asaṃskṛta

g.1800

unmarked

mtshan nyid med pa
mtshan nyid ma mchis pa

མཚན་ཉིད་མེད་པ།
མཚན་ཉིད་མ་མཆིས་པ།

alakṣaṇa

g.1809

unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening

bla na med pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i byang chub

བླ་ན་མེད་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ།

anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi

g.1810

untainted

gos pa med pa

གོས་པ་མེད་པ།

nirupalepa

g.1818

Uttaramatin

blo gros dam pa

བློ་གྲོས་དམ་པ།

uttaramatin

g.1822

Vajramatin

rdo rje blo gros

རྡོ་རྗེ་བློ་གྲོས།

vajramatin

g.1829

Vardhamānamatin

blo gros ’phel ba

བློ་གྲོས་འཕེལ་བ།

vardhamānamatin

g.1830

variation

tha dad du bgyi ba
tha dad du bya ba
tha dad du dbye ba

ཐ་དད་དུ་བགྱི་བ།
ཐ་དད་དུ་བྱ་བ།
ཐ་དད་དུ་དབྱེ་བ།

nānākaraṇa

g.1832

Vartani

bar ta ni
ba ta ni

བར་ཏ་ནི།
བ་ཏ་ནི།

vartani

g.1833

Varuṇadeva

chu lha’i lha

ཆུ་ལྷའི་ལྷ།

varuṇadeva

g.1838

venerable

tshe dang ldan pa

ཚེ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

āyuṣman

g.1839

venerable monk

btsun pa

བཙུན་པ།

bhadanta

g.1843

very limit of reality

yang dag pa’i mtha’

ཡང་དག་པའི་མཐའ།

bhūtakoṭi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This term has three meanings: (1) the ultimate nature, (2) the experience of the ultimate nature, and (3) the quiescent state of a worthy one (arhat) to be avoided by bodhisattvas.

In this text:

Also translated as “final limit of reality.”

g.1857

Vimalā

dri ma med pa

དྲི་མ་མེད་པ།

vimalā

g.1863

Viśeṣamatin

blo gros khyad par can

བློ་གྲོས་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན།

viśeṣamatin

g.1865

visual distortions

rab rib

རབ་རིབ།

vitimitakara RS

g.1866

Vītarāga level

’dod chags dang bral ba’i sa

འདོད་ཆགས་དང་བྲལ་བའི་ས།

vītarāgabhūmi

g.1872

volitional factors

’du byed

འདུ་བྱེད།

saṃskāra

g.1875

Vyūharāja

bkod pa’i rgyal po

བཀོད་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།

vyūharāja

g.1883

welfare

དོན།

artha

g.1884

well freed

rnam par grol ba

རྣམ་པར་གྲོལ་བ།

vinirmukta

g.1887

what marks dharmas as dharmas

chos rnams kyi chos kyi mtshan nyid

ཆོས་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་མཚན་ཉིད།

dharmāṇāṃ dharmalakṣaṇaṃ

g.1892

whatever human requirements are appropriate

mi’i yo byad ci yang rung ba

མིའི་ཡོ་བྱད་ཅི་ཡང་རུང་བ།

anyatarānyatarāni mānuṣyakāṇi sarvapariṣkāropakaraṇāni

g.1894

while viewing in a body

lus kyi rjes su lta

ལུས་ཀྱི་རྗེས་སུ་ལྟ།

kāyavipaśyin

g.1896

white lotus

pad ma dkar po

པད་མ་དཀར་པོ།

puṇḍarīka

g.1902

wholesome root

dge ba’i rtsa ba

དགེ་བའི་རྩ་བ།

kuśalamūla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to most lists (specifically those of the Pāli and some Abhidharma traditions), the (three) roots of virtue or the roots of the good or wholesome states (of mind) are what makes a mental state good or bad; they are identified as the opposites of the three mental “poisons” of greed, hatred, and delusion. Actions based on the roots of virtue will eventually lead to future happiness. The Dharmasaṃgraha, however, lists the three roots of virtue as (1) the mind of enlightenment, (2) purity of thought, and (3) freedom from egotism (Skt. trīṇi kuśalamūlāni | bodhicittotpādaḥ, āśayaviśuddhiḥ, ahaṃkāramamakāraparityāgaśceti|).

g.1906

wisdom

shes rab

ཤེས་རབ།

prajñā

g.1907

wisdom eye

shes rab kyi mig

ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་མིག

prajñācakṣu

g.1909

wishlessness

smon pa med pa

སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ།

apraṇihita

g.1911

with a vision of the Dharma

chos mthong ba

ཆོས་མཐོང་བ།

dṛṣṭadharma

g.1914

without a doubt

gor ma chag

གོར་མ་ཆག

nūnam
nu

g.1916

without a mark

mtshan nyid med pa

མཚན་ཉིད་མེད་པ།

alakṣaṇa

g.1929

without effort

rtsol ba med pa

རྩོལ་བ་མེད་པ།

anābhoga

g.1937

work for the welfare of beings

sems can rnams kyi don byed
sems can thams cad kyi don byed

སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ཀྱི་དོན་བྱེད།
སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་དོན་བྱེད།

sarvasattvānām arthaṃ kṛ

g.1938

work of Māra

bdud kyi las

བདུད་ཀྱི་ལས།

mārakarma

g.1939

world of Yama

gshin rje’i ’jig rten

གཤིན་རྗེའི་འཇིག་རྟེན།

yamaloka

g.1941

world system

’jig rten gyi khams

འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།

lokadhātu

g.1943

worthy one

dgra bcom pa

དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།

arhat

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.

g.1948

wrong view

log par lta ba
lta ba phyin ci log

ལོག་པར་ལྟ་བ།
ལྟ་བ་ཕྱིན་ཅི་ལོག

mithyādṛṣṭi
dṛṣṭiviparyāsa

g.1951

Yāma

’thab bral

འཐབ་བྲལ།

yāma

g.1952

Yaśodharā

grags ’dzin ma

གྲགས་འཛིན་མ།

yaśodharā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Daughter of Śākya Daṇḍadhara (more commonly Daṇḍapāṇi), sister of Iṣudhara and Aniruddha, she was the wife of Prince Siddhārtha and mother of his only child, Rāhula. After Prince Siddhārtha left his kingdom and attained awakening as the Buddha, she became his disciple and one of the first women to be ordained as a bhikṣunī. She attained the level of an arhat, a worthy one, endowed with the six superknowledges.

g.1955

Yeshé Dé

ye shes sde

ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.

ci.

Citation Index

1.2

60 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

Thus did I hear

At one time

The Lord (bhagavat)

Dwelt at Rājagṛha—

on Gṛdhrakūṭa Hill.

with a great community of monks,

numbering five thousand monks,

all worthy ones… with outflows dried up,

With outflows dried up—

Without afflictions

Fully controlled—

with their minds well freed

and their wisdom well freed

thoroughbreds

great bull elephants,

With their work done, their task accomplished

with their burden laid down.

with their own goal accomplished.

with the fetters that bound them to existence broken.

with their hearts well freed by perfect understanding.

in perfect control of their whole mind

with nuns numbering five hundred

… with a vision of the Dharma,

and with an unbounded, infinite number of bodhisattva great beings

all of whom had acquired the dhāraṇīs

acquired the dhāraṇīs.

dwellers in emptiness

dwellers in emptiness, their range the signless, and who had not fashioned any wishes.

had acquired forbearance for the sameness of all dharmas.

had acquired the dhāraṇī of nonattachment.

with imperishable clairvoyant knowledges.

with speech worth listening to.

not hypocrites

not fawners.

without thoughts of reputation and gain.

Dharma teachers without thought of compensation.

with perfect forbearance for the deep dharmas

had obtained the fearlessnesses.

had transcended all the works of Māra.

cut the continuum of karmic obscuration.

skillful in expounding the analysis of investigations into phenomena.

with the prayer that is a vow made during an asaṃkhyeya of eons really fully carried out.

with smiling countenances

forward in addressing others.

without a frown on their faces.

skillful in communicating with others in chanted verse

without feelings of depression.

without losing the confidence giving a readiness to speak.

endowed with fearlessness when surpassing endless assemblies.

skilled in going forth during an ananta of one hundred million eons.

understanding phenomena to be like an illusion, a mirage, a reflection of the moon in water, a dream, an echo, an apparition, a reflection in the mirror, and a magical creation.

skillful in comprehending the thoughts, conduct, and beliefs of all beings and subtle knowledge.

With unobstructed thoughts

endowed with extreme patience.

Skilled in causing entry into reality just as it is

having appropriated all the endless arrays of the buddhafields through prayer and setting out.

With the meditative stabilization recollecting buddhas in an infinite number of world systems constantly and always activated

skillful in soliciting innumerable buddhas.

Skillful in eliminating the various views, propensities, obsessions, and defilements

Skillful in accomplishing a hundred thousand feats through meditative concentration

1.3

5 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

Thereupon the Lord, having himself arranged the lion throne,

Sat down with his legs crossed, holding his body erect,

entered into the meditative stabilization, samādhirāja by name,

the meditative stabilization… in which all meditative stabilizations are put.

included, and by being encompassed come to meet.

1.4

4 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

he beamed with his whole body.

Issued sixty sixty-one hundred thousand one hundred million billion rays—

From the śrīvatsa mark—

became irreversible from the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.

2.1

15 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

when the Lord understood that the world with its celestial beings, Māras

When the Lord … said to venerable Śāriputra…

“Here, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms should make an effort at the perfection of wisdom.”

“Śāriputra [Son of Śāradvatī]”

“Here”

“Bodhisattva”—

“Great beings”—

“All dharmas”—

“In all forms”—

“Want to fully awaken”—

“at the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā),”

“should make an effort at the perfection of wisdom”

“should make”

“Here, Śāriputra, bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms should make an effort at the perfection of wisdom,”

2.2

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“How then, Lord, should bodhisattva great beings who want to fully awaken to all dharmas in all forms make an effort at the perfection of wisdom?”

3.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, how then should bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom?”

3.2

31 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

Venerable Śāriputra having thus inquired, the Lord said to him, “Śāriputra, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not, even while they are bodhisattvas, see a bodhisattva. They do not see even the word bodhisattva. They do not see awakening either, and they do not see the perfection of wisdom. They do not see that ‘they practice,’ and they do not see that ‘they do not practice.’ They also do not see that ‘while practicing they practice and while not practicing do not practice,’ and they also do not see that ‘they do not practice, and do not not practice as well.’ They do not see form. Similarly, they do not see feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness either,”

“and why?”

“the name bodhisattva is empty of the intrinsic nature of a name. The name bodhisattva is not empty because of emptiness,”

“The perfection of wisdom, too,”

“Because the emptiness of the name bodhisattva is not the name bodhisattva…”

“and there is no name bodhisattva apart from emptiness.”

“the name bodhisattva itself is emptiness.”

“And emptiness is the name bodhisattva as well”

The emptiness of the bodhisattva is not the bodhisattva. There is no bodhisattva apart from emptiness. The bodhisattva is emptiness. Emptiness is the bodhisattva as well.

“and why?”

“because this—namely, bodhisattva—is just a name,”

“just names.”

“And because this—namely, emptiness—is just a name”—

“why?”

“because where there is no intrinsic nature there is no production, stopping, decrease, increase, defilement, or purification.”

“And why?”

“Form is like an illusion, feeling is like an illusion,”

“And an illusion is just a name that does not reside somewhere, does not reside in a particular place”

“The sight of an illusion is mistaken and does not exist”

“And is devoid of an intrinsic nature”

“Bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom like that do not see production,”

“in any dharma at all”

“production… stopping”—

“decrease… increase”—

“defilement… purification”—

“And why? Because names are made up.”

“those interdependent dharmas, they are imagined,”

“names plucked out of thin air working subsequently as conventional labels,”

“just as they are subsequently conventionally labeled, so too are they settled down on as real”

“when bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not see any of those names as inherently existing,”

“because they do not see them, they do not settle down on them as real”;

6.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Subhūti, starting with the perfection of wisdom, be confident in your readiness to give a Dharma discourse to the bodhisattva great beings about how bodhisattva great beings go forth in the perfection of wisdom,”

The Lord… said…, “Subhūti, starting with the perfection of wisdom, be confident in your readiness to give a Dharma discourse to the bodhisattva great beings about how bodhisattva great beings go forth in the perfection of wisdom.”

6.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Will venerable Subhūti instruct… on account of armor in which reposes the power of his own intellect and ready speech?”

7.1

3 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend form should train in the perfection of wisdom,”

“Lord, bodhisattva great beings who want to comprehend form,”

8.1

5 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see a bodhisattva or the perfection of wisdom,”

“Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see a bodhisattva or the perfection of wisdom, to which bodhisattva will I give advice and instruction in what perfection of wisdom?”

“Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see any real basis…—Lord, while not finding, not apprehending, and not seeing any real basis, which dharma will advise and instruct which dharma?”

“this really is something I might be uneasy about.”

“Because, Lord, given that I do not find, do not apprehend, and do not see all dharmas, this really is something I might be uneasy about, how I might make just the name bodhisattva and just the name perfection of wisdom wax and wane.”

9.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, if bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom without skillful means practice form,”

“if… without skillful means [bodhisattva great beings] practice form they practice a causal sign; they do not practice the perfection of wisdom,”

10.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, suppose someone were to ask, ‘Does this illusory being, having trained in the perfection of wisdom, go forth to the knowledge of all aspects or reach the knowledge of all aspects?’ ”

“Lord, suppose someone were to ask,”

11.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, you say ‘bodhisattva great being.’ What is the meaning of the term?”

11.2

4 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Subhūti, the meaning of the word bodhisattva is an absence of a basis in reality,”

“Subhūti, it is because bodhi and sattva are not produced. Awakening and a being do not have an arising or an existence. They cannot be apprehended.”

“Subhūti, awakening has no basis in reality and a being has no basis in reality.”

“Therefore, a bodhisattva’s basis in reality is an absence of a basis in reality.”

12.3

6 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“the view of a self”

“view of annihilation”

“the view of aggregates”

“the view of complete nirvāṇa.”

“Eliminate the view of a self,”

“Eliminate the view of aggregates,”

13.2

4 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“are armed with great armor… have set out in a great vehicle, and… have mounted on a great vehicle.”

“are armed with great armor”

“have set out in a Great Vehicle”

“have mounted on a Great Vehicle”

14.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, to what extent are bodhisattva great beings armed with great armor?”

15.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, what is the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings?”

16.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Furthermore, Subhūti, the Great Vehicle of bodhisattva great beings is this: the four applications of mindfulness.”

“body… feeling… mind… and dharmas”—

16.2

3 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Dwell while viewing in a body the inner body”—

“viewing in a body the outer body.”

“viewing in a body the inner and outer body.”

17.1

3 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Subhūti, in regard to what you have asked—‘How have bodhisattva great beings come to set out in the Great Vehicle?’ ”

“By all dharmas not changing place”—

“But even though they do not falsely project the level of those dharmas… they still do the purification for a level”

18.1

13 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“it will go forth from the three realms and will stand wherever there is knowledge of all aspects.”

“Furthermore, by way of nonduality”—

“are not conjoined and not disjoined,”

“formless”

“cannot be pointed out,”

“do not obstruct”—

“have only one mark—that is, no mark.”

“Because, Subhūti, a dharma without a mark is not going forth, nor will it go forth, nor has it gone forth.”

“Subhūti, someone who would assert that dharmas without marks go forth might as well assert of suchness that it goes forth,”

“Subhūti, the intrinsic nature of suchness does not go forth from the three realms.”

“Suchness is empty of the intrinsic nature of suchness.”

“the inconceivable element,”

“The abandonment element, the detachment element, and the cessation element”—

19.1

3 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, you say this—‘Great Vehicle,’ ”

“It surpasses the world with its gods, humans, and asuras and goes forth; that is why it is called a great vehicle.”

“it surpasses the world with its gods, humans, and asuras and goes forth; … that vehicle is equal to space… to illustrate, Lord, just as space has room for infinite, countless beings beyond measure, … you cannot apprehend coming or going… [and] you cannot apprehend a prior limit or a later limit,”

19.2

5 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“That Great Vehicle is equal to space”

“To illustrate, just as space”

“has room”—

“beings”

“Great Vehicle,”

20.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, tasked with the perfection of wisdom… this elder Subhūti thinks he has to give instruction in the Great Vehicle.”

20.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Let it not be the case, Lord, that I am giving instruction in the Great Vehicle, having violated the perfection of wisdom”

20.3

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“you are giving instruction in the Great Vehicle in harmony with the perfection of wisdom”

21.1

3 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“then venerable Śāriputra inquired of venerable Subhūti”

“What is a bodhisattva? What is the perfection of wisdom? What is it to investigate?”

“To investigate”

21.2

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“they are called bodhisattvas because awakening is itself their state of being,”

“And with that awakening they know the aspects of dharmas but they do not settle down on those dharmas.”

22.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“all the Four Mahārājas stationed in the great billion world systems together with many hundreds of thousands of one hundred million billion gods were assembled in that very retinue,”

23.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“[Then it occurred to those gods to] think, ‘What would the elder Subhūti accept those listening to the Dharma to be like?’ ”

23.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Gods, I would accept those listening to the Dharma to be like illusory beings,”

26.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“a perfect family”

“magically produce themselves”

29.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“religious mendicants… a hundred of them… went back,”

30.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“all the buddhadharmas are preceded by the perfection of wisdom,”

31.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Śatakratu, head of the gods”

31.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“filled this Jambudvīpa right to the top with the physical remains of the tathāgatas,”

32.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“from establishing one being in the result of stream enterer, but not so much from establishing the beings in Jambudvīpa in the ten wholesome actions.”

33.1

6 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Then the bodhisattva Maitreya said to the… venerable monk Subhūti,”

“in comparison to the bases of meritorious action arisen from”

“the highest.”

“Because all the bases of meritorious action arisen from giving,”

“of those… in the Śrāvaka Vehicle and those… in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle are made”

“for personal disciplining… a bodhisattva’s… is for disciplining all beings.”

34.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Turning the wheel of the Dharma that has twelve aspects three times”—

“Lord, how does one stand in the perfection of wisdom?”

36.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, this purity is deep,”

“Śāriputra, it is deep because it is extremely pure”

37.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“is the nonapprehender of all dharmas.”

37.3

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“How do [they]… practice the perfection of wisdom?”

37.4

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“if they do not practice form,”

38.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Because space is a nonexistent thing, Subhūti”—

38.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Because all dharmas are equally nonapprehendable, Subhūti”—

44.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“it is made available to serve a great purpose,”

45.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“the boat on the ocean,”

46.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, how should bodhisattva great beings beginning the work train in the perfection of wisdom?”

46.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“should attend on spiritual friends.”

47.2

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“In their intrinsic nature they are isolated from the elimination of greed,”

“the tokens of greed”

48.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“the gods,”

“Lord… this deep perfection of wisdom,”

49.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“in regard to those suchnesses, they have no doubt at all that they are not each separate and both.”

52.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“When [they]… have become absorbed in the three meditative stabilizations on emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness in a dream, do they improve on account of the perfection of wisdom?”

52.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Venerable Śāriputra, if they improve on account of having meditated during the day, they improve in a dream like that as well?”

56.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, this perfection of wisdom is deep,”

59.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Ah! Those bodhisattva great beings who are practicing this perfection of wisdom make a practice of something really worthwhile.”

59.2

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“make a practice of something that is not worthwhile!”

“do not apprehend even something not worthwhile, so however could they apprehend something really worthwhile?”

64.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Deep, Lord, is the perfection of wisdom,”

66.2

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“even bodhisattva great beings who have attended on the lord buddhas, have planted wholesome roots, and have been looked after by spiritual friends will not be able to gain the knowledge of all aspects,”

73.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, how, when all dharmas are like a dream, have nonexistence for their intrinsic nature, and are empty of their own marks,”

74.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, how have… they realized well what marks dharmas as dharmas”

75.2

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Subhūti, having taken the very limit of reality as the measure”

“establish beings at the very limit of reality”

78.1

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“Lord, are bodhisattva great beings ‘destined’ or rather ‘not necessarily destined’?”

78.3

1 reference to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

“the śrāvaka group or the pratyekabuddha group”

83.1

2 references to this passage can be found in the commentary Toh 3808, The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines.

Maitreya asked… “Lord, how do bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom who want to train in a bodhisattva’s training train in form?”

“the buddhadharmas.”

The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines Chapter 68: Growing and Flourishing

Toh 10

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The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines
Chapter 68: Growing and Flourishing