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དགེ་བའི་རྩ་བ་ཡོངས་སུ་འཛིན་པ།

Upholding the Roots of Virtue
Epilogue

Kuśalamūlasaṃparigraha

འཕགས་པ་དགེ་བའི་རྩ་བ་ཡོངས་སུ་འཛིན་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

’phags pa dge ba’i rtsa ba yongs su ’dzin pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “Upholding the Roots of Virtue”

Āryakuśalamūlasamparigrahanāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 101

Degé Kangyur vol. 48 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1.a–227.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

Leki Dé
Prajñāvarman
Jñānagarbha
Yeshé Dé

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2020

Current version v 1.2.27 (2024)

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co.

Summary

s.1

This sūtra, one of the longest scriptures in the General Sūtra section of the Kangyur, outlines the path of the Great Vehicle as it is journeyed by bodhisattvas in pursuit of awakening. The teaching, which is delivered by the Buddha Śākyamuni to a host of bodhisattvas from faraway worlds as well as a selection of his closest hearer students, such as Śāradvatīputra and Ānanda, elucidates in particular the practice of engendering and strengthening the mind of awakening, as well as the practice of bodhisattva conduct for the sake of all other beings.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.1

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Thomas Doctor and James Gentry produced the translation and Andreas Doctor compared the draft translation with the Tibetan and edited the text.

This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

ac.2

The generosity of the sponsors who made work on this text possible is gratefully acknowledged. Their dedication is as follows: For Huang Yi-Hsong, Huang Tsai Shun-Ching, and all sentient beings.

Introduction

i.1

Upholding the Roots of Virtue is one of the most extensive sūtras in the Tibetan Kangyur, spanning no fewer than 452 Tibetan pages. Apart from a brief summary of the text by Csoma de Körös in 1836,1 the sūtra has never, to our knowledge, received sustained scholarly attention. While the Sanskrit source text appears to have disappeared, we do have translations of this sūtra into Chinese and Tibetan. The Chinese translation, Fo shuo hua shou jing 佛說華手經 (Taishō 657), was produced by the renowned translator Kumārajīva (344–413 ᴄᴇ), who completed the translation toward the end of his life in 406, while residing in the former Chinese capital of Chang’an. The Tibetan translation was produced approximately four centuries later. This might suggest that the sūtra enjoyed some popularity in Indian Buddhist circles during the heyday of Great Vehicle thought and practice. Unfortunately, however, we have not been able to locate any citations from this sūtra in the commentarial works of Indian scholars. Complicating matters further, although the Chinese translation generally corresponds fairly closely with the Tibetan, the Chinese is divided into thirty-five chapters, but the Tibetan into only fifteen. Much remains to be explored, therefore, concerning the history of this sūtra’s formation and transmission.

Chapter 1: The Setting

Chapter 2: Praising the Magnificent Display of Miracles

Chapter 3: Praising the Merits of Engendering the Mind of Awakening and Pursuing the Sacred Dharma

Chapter 4: Praising the Engendering of the Mind of Awakening

Chapter 5: The Gathering of Bodhisattvas

Chapter 6: Perseverance in the Bodhisattva’s Conduct, Exalted Intention, and Pursuit of the Sublime Dharma

Chapter 7: The Perfect Teaching on the Exalted Intention

Chapter 8: Inspiring to Uphold, Expressing, and Training in Engendering the Mind of Awakening

Chapter 9: Engaging in Means, Abandoning the Sublime Dharma, and Encouraging the Bodhisattva to Uphold It

Chapter 10: Bodhisattva Conduct

Chapter 11: The Perfect Declaration of Going Forth

Chapter 12: The Pure Retinue

Chapter 13: Accomplishing the Gates of the Teachings

Chapter 14: The Action of Absorption

Chapter 15: The Benefit of Entrustment

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
Upholding the Roots of Virtue

Chapter 1

The Setting

[B1] [F.1.b]

1.1

Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!

1.2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, near Rājagṛha‍—an abode for those who practice concentration, an abode for those who do not abide, an abode for those who dwell in emptiness, an abode for those who dwell in signlessness, and an abode for those who dwell in wishlessness. The Blessed One was there together with a great saṅgha of one hundred thousand monks, all of whom talked only little, remained in solitude, and diligently practiced meditative seclusion.

Chapter 2

Praising the Magnificent Display of Miracles

2.1

Present within the gathering was a youth by the name of Padmaśrīgarbha. He now rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One. As he faced the Blessed One, the following thoughts arose in his mind: “I wish to request the gateways of the Dharma from the Thus-Gone One. I wish to receive the vajra words. I wish to request the words for practice that are without interruption. I wish to request the words that overcome all other statements, the words of progressive discernment,12 the words wherein all teachings of the Dharma are contained. If the noble sons and daughters practice such a gateway seal, they will attain the stainless eye that sees all phenomena and they will gain expertise regarding the mind. Ah, Blessed One, in the past I have borne my armor through the accumulation of intentions and practical deeds. Thus, you will be aware of my roots of virtue from the past, arisen through the accumulation of intentions and applications.”

Chapter 3

Praising the Merits of Engendering the Mind of Awakening and Pursuing the Sacred Dharma

3.1

Present in the gathering was a certain Dṛḍhamatikumārabhūta, who now rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, with this gateway of the Dharma I have discovered something very precious. Blessed One, I shall henceforth practice this gateway of the Dharma in order to accomplish the Dharma. How so? From today on, Blessed One, I shall don a suitable armor to pursue and accomplish these Dharma teachings. In the future, in times to come, I shall never let my diligence wane until I have listened to the Dharma treasure of the Thus-Gone One’s domain.”

Chapter 4

Praising the Engendering of the Mind of Awakening

4.1

At that time there was in the east‍—beyond countless and limitless universes‍—a world known as Sound of Renown. Within that universe resided a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a perfect buddha known as Majestic Mountain. Abiding and remaining present there, he taught the Dharma. The blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Majestic Mountain had just prophesied that following himself the bodhisattva Luminous Sphere of Great Splendor, who was present in the gathering there, would awaken to unsurpassable and perfect buddhahood.

Chapter 5

The Gathering of Bodhisattvas

5.1

At that time there was in the east, beyond sixty-eight thousand innumerable universes, a universe known as Susthitamati, and within that universe resided a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a perfect buddha known as Sky Family. Abiding and remaining present there, he taught the Dharma. This blessed one had prophesied that a bodhisattva great being by the name of Candra would awaken to unsurpassable and perfect buddhahood. Also this bodhisattva great being, Candra, had noticed the light and heard the sound of the clear voice. [F.57.b] Now he approached the perfect buddha Sky Family and asked, “Blessed One, whose is this clear voice that we hear, and to whom does this radiance belong?”

Chapter 6

Perseverance in the Bodhisattva’s Conduct, Exalted Intention, and Pursuit of the Sublime Dharma

6.1

Aware of the great gathering of bodhisattvas, the blessed Śākyamuni now, while remaining on his seat, entered the absorption known as valiant progress. Emerging from that absorption, he entered the one known as the vajra essence. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as remaining within the abode without descriptions. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the single array. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the lion parasol. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as limitless accomplishment. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the yawning lion. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the king of light rays. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the essence of the earth. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as no observation. When he had emerged from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the manifestation of the lion. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the king of the sphere of the moon. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the single array. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as numerous light rays. Emerging from that absorption, [F.114.a] he next entered the one known as the ocean. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as practicing all seals and ascertaining the sphere of reality. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the display of infinite aspirations and focal points. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the limitless accomplishment that is primary with respect to all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as accomplishing the single focal point. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as remaining within the abode of all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the practice of the limitless light rays of noble lotus buddha. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the stainless seal of mastery with regard to all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the royal seal of all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as buddha emanations revealing the infinite leader. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the armor of all sentient beings going beyond suffering. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as all phenomena as the sphere of the thus-gone ones’ engagement. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as buddha emanations revealing the infinite leader. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as bringing all objects into buddhahood. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as ascertainment of all phenomena unhindered with regard to past, future, or present. [F.114.b] Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the buddha-leader’s mastery of all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as truly compiling all dharmas. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the stable one. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as greatly increasing. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the immutable. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as unperturbed. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as viewing and regarding all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as universal illumination. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as seeing as the same. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as viewing and regarding. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as not viewing. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as unhinderedness and non-appropriation with respect to all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as possessing the faculties. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as ascertaining the inexhaustible as inexhaustible. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the inexhaustible focal point. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the single focal point. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the great array. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the infinite array. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the undaunted. [F.115.a] Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as invoking the roots of virtue of all sentient beings. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as actualizing the roots of virtue of all sentient beings. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as pursuing all dharmas. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as illuminating. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the pure experience of all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as showing all phenomena. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the pure light of all bodhisattvas. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as purifying the unobscured eyes of all the hearers. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as producing pure roots of virtue in the entire retinue without obscuration. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as stopping the sufferings of the animal realm and the world of the Lord of Death. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as producing roots of virtue by means of great love throughout all buddha realms. Emerging from that absorption, he next entered the one known as the immovable. Then, while the Blessed One was dwelling in the immovable absorption, the gods of the pure realms praised him in these verses:

Chapter 7

The Perfect Teaching on the Exalted Intention

7.1

The Blessed One then said to the venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, there are three things that bodhisattvas should do, in terms of which to consider correctly everything there is to do and not to do. What are these three things? Śāradvatīputra, they are as follows.

7.2

“Because of the very things not to be done, the first thing to do is to pursue the sublime Dharma fully. Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas should furthermore pursue the teachings of the buddhas without measuring them, so that even when they hear the profound teachings of the buddhas, they will be unafraid, enthusiastically try to penetrate to their depths, and not abandon them.

Chapter 8

Inspiring to Uphold, Expressing, and Training in Engendering the Mind of Awakening

8.1

“Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas endowed with such an exalted intention should persevere in the correct view of sameness. Correct view means freedom from partiality. Alternatively, Śāradvatīputra, correct view is so called because it sees correctly. Śāradvatīputra, correct view is also so called because of sameness. [F.156.b] This is because, Śāradvatīputra, the eyes are nirvāṇa and there is no nirvāṇa other than the eyes. The eyes and nirvāṇa are thus nondual, meaning indivisible into two. They are alike. How are they alike? They are alike in that the eyes and nirvāṇa are identical. The eyes are devoid of eyes. Nirvāṇa is devoid of nirvāṇa. The eyes are devoid of nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa is devoid of eyes. The eyes and nirvāṇa are thus identical since neither ever existed. The same logic should also be applied to the ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Thus, the mind and nirvāṇa are alike. How are they alike? They are alike because mind and nirvāṇa are identical. Mind is devoid of mind. Nirvāṇa is devoid of nirvāṇa. Mind is devoid of nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa is devoid of mind. Mind and nirvāṇa are nondual, meaning indivisible into two. They are devoid of thought since they are nothing that can be examined. Being empty by way of emptiness‍—this, Śāradvatīputra, is what is called the ‘correct view.’ Since that view makes them the same, it is called the ‘correct view.’ Since all these have come to be the same, it is called the ‘correct view.’

Chapter 9

Engaging in Means, Abandoning the Sublime Dharma, and Encouraging the Bodhisattva to Uphold It

9.1

Then, a beggar called Vijayarakṣa came into the assembly and sat down. Having risen from his seat, he draped his robe over one shoulder, bowed to the Blessed One with palms joined, and said, “Blessed One, I do not want to fall off such a cliff, nor argue with the Thus-Gone One, but I do want to awaken to unexcelled and perfect awakening. So I am wondering, Blessed One, how can I, a poor and destitute person, fully awaken to buddhahood when I live off the wealth of others, gaining the luxury of a home through negative conduct and hardship? Perfectly accomplishing awakening is for great, sāla tree-like warriors, brahmins, and householders.”

10.

Chapter 10

Bodhisattva Conduct

10.1

“Śāradvatīputra, there are four qualities that bodhisattva great beings can possess to make them expert in resolving the nature of things as they are. They also give them an eloquence that is unobstructed, acute, limitless, and profound with respect to all dharmas. At that point the thus-gone ones comprehend their expertise in resolving things exactly as they are, as well as their acute and felicitous eloquence, and thus authorize them to guard the city of the Dharma for posterity.

11.

Chapter 11

The Perfect Declaration of Going Forth

11.1

Then, seven years after a child called Vijayarakṣa was born, he joined that very same assembly and took his seat. The boy Vijayarakṣa now rose from his seat, bowed with palms joined to the Blessed One, and requested in verse:

11.2

“I have heard the Dharma of the buddhas,

So I wish to request the armor.

The inspiration thus born in me

Compels me to think, may I too become like him!

11.3

“Seer, through the gift of Dharma

I will invite all beings as guests.

I will speak in the words of the best of men.

I will do just that and nothing else.

12.

Chapter 12

The Pure Retinue

12.1

“Ānanda, there are four qualities that bodhisattvas may have that will equip them with mindfulness, realization, intelligence, propriety, experience, and comportment. What are those four qualities? Ānanda, bodhisattvas apply effort to pursue such qualities. Once they have found them, they also become accomplished in those qualities. Adhering to them themselves, they also lead many other beings to uphold the same qualities. Leading them to uphold them, they also delight them with Dharma discourses and thus encourage them.”

13.

Chapter 13

Accomplishing the Gates of the Teachings

13.1

Then, the bodhisattva Dṛḍhamati, who was seated in the assembly, rose from his seat, proffered his shawl, and said to the Blessed One, “I offer this garment to the Thus-Gone One as a Dharma covering to be offered to the awakened thus-gone ones of past, present, and future for the sake of eloquent explanations of this Dharma discourse, [F.210.b]/[F.211.b]83 and so that bodhisattva great beings who have perfectly embarked on bodhisattva conduct will become replete with buddha qualities.”

14.

Chapter 14

The Action of Absorption

14.1

“Dṛḍhamati, if you have four qualities, they will enable you to accomplish that absorption and teach it to others. What are those four qualities? Apply diligence to attain that absorption and do not discard your efforts. When seated, enthusiastically preaching day and night, manifest the thus-gone ones seated at the supreme seat of awakening, or turning the wheel of Dharma, and likewise have no stinginess with Dharma. While giving the gift of Dharma, transform yourself and the audience members for the Dharma into the bodies of thus-one ones; for while one’s own body will be destroyed, those bodies do not abide anywhere at all, and teach the Dharma while not abiding anywhere. One should sit on the cushion observing that, with that kind of experience, and effecting that kind of transformation, and while seated in this manner, one should give the gift of Dharma.

15.

Chapter 15

The Benefit of Entrustment

15.1

“Furthermore, Dṛḍhamati, in order to swiftly actualize the superknowledges, one should eagerly undertake the worship, restoration, and cleansing of stūpas. For, Dṛḍhamati, any noble son or daughter who cleans a stūpa of the thus-gone ones will acquire four pristine, excellent aspirations. What are those four aspirations? They are the pristine, excellent aspiration for one’s form; the pristine, excellent aspiration for perfect leisure; the pristine, excellent aspiration for the stability of one’s vows; and the pristine, excellent aspiration for beholding thus-gone ones.

16.

Epilogue

16.1

Ānanda then rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee and asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is the name of this Dharma discourse? How will it be upheld?”

16.2

The Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, you should uphold this Dharma discourse as Upholding the Roots of Virtue. You should also uphold it as Foundation of the Collection of Merit, or Aid to the Bodhisattvas, or The Inquiry Posed by the Bodhisattvas, or The Chapter that Resolves All Doubts.”

16.3

After the Blessed One thus spoke, the venerable Ānanda, the bodhisattva Dṛḍhamati, the other bodhisattvas, the great hearers, and the world with its gods, humans, demigods, and gandharvas were all pleased and praised what the Blessed One had said.

16.4

This concludes the noble Great Vehicle sūtra “Upholding the Roots of Virtue.”

Colophon

c.1

Translated by the Indian preceptor Prajñāvarman and the translator Bandé Leki Dé, then revised and finalized by the Indian preceptors Prajñāvarman and Jñānagarbha, and the chief editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.

Notes

n.1

Csoma de Körös 1836, p. 429. His summary of the sūtra was later published in French translation by Henri Léon Feer (1881).

n.2

The dating of the Tibetan translation to the late eight to early ninth century is also attested by the text’s inclusion in the early ninth century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) catalog, dated to c. 812 ᴄᴇ, which lists it among the “Miscellaneous Sūtras” (mdo sde sna tshogs) between eleven and twenty-six sections (bam po) long. Denkarma, F.296.b.6; see also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 43, no. 76.

n.3

Poussin 1991, p. 193.

n.4

Lamotte 2001, vol. IV, p. 1616.

n.5

Gotra means both “family” and “class” but carries also the sense of “seed” or “fundamental element.” A sentient being’s capacity for progress on the path to liberation and awakening is thus determined by the particular type of gotra that the given being belongs to or possesses. For a classic discussion of the various gotras that in this way divide sentient beings into different classes based on their individual potentials, see Maitreya-Asaṅga’s Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sūtras (Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra), chapter III (Sanskrit edition in Levi 1907).

n.6

Or Kumbhīra, as attested by Edgerton in his Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary and by the Chinese 金毘羅 (Soothill-Hodous), although both sources list this figure as a yakṣa or a nāga rather than a monk disciple of the Buddha.

n.7

The name Vasiṣṭha is based on the Chinese, 婆私 (Soothill-Hodous). The Tibetan reads thang la gnas/gnas pa.

n.8

S: lhas mchod; D: las mchod. The Chinese confirms with 天敬. The back-translation of Marutpūjita is from Chandra Das.

n.12

Tentative translation. D: rim par phye ba’i tshigs.

n.83

Most available printings of the Degé Kangur have an error in the folio numbering from this point onward; the numbering error has been corrected in the displayed eKangyur pages but folio numbers in xylograph versions are likely to need increasing by one.

Bibliography

’phags pa dge ba’i rtsa ba yongs su ’dzin pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 101, Degé Kangyur vol. 48 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1.a–227.b.

’phags pa dge ba’i rtsa ba yongs su ’dzin pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 48, pp. 3–580.

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan [/ lhan] dkar gyi chos 'gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Degé Tengyur, vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

Csoma de Körös, Alexander. “Analysis of the Mdo.” Asiatic Researches 20 (1836): 429.

Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary, vols. 1–2. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1985.

Feer, Henri Léon. “Analyse du Kandjour: recueil des livres sacrés du Tibet par Alexandre Csoma de Körös.” Annales du Musée Guimet. Lyon: Imprimerie Pitrat Ainé (1881): 234–235.

Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Kumārajīva《佛說華手經》. “Kuśalamūlasamparigraha (Fo Shuo Hua Shou Jing).” In Taishō shinshū Daizōkyō 《大正新脩大藏經》, edited by Takakusu Junjiro, vol. 16, no. 657. Tokyo: Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō Kankōkai, 1988. Accessed via CBETA: T16n0657.

Lamotte, Étienne. The Treatise on the Great Virtue of Wisdom of Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra), vol. IV. Translated from the French, Le Traité de la grande Vertu de Sagesse de Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra), by Gelongma Karma Migme Chodron. Unpublished manuscript, 2001.

Levi, S. Mahāyāna-Sūtrālaṃkāra: Expose de la Doctrine du Grande Vehicule. Paris: Librarie Hononoré Champion, 1907.

Monier-Williams, M. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Delhi: Bharatiya G.N. (Educa Books), 2005.

Poussin, Louis de la Vallée. Abhidharmakośabhāṣyam, vol. I. Translated from the French translation by Leo M. Pruden. Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1991.

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

Ābhāsvara

’od gsal

འོད་གསལ།

ābhāsvara

g.2

Abhava

srid pa med pa

སྲིད་པ་མེད་པ།

abhava

g.3

Abhaya

mi ’jigs pa

མི་འཇིགས་པ།

abhaya

g.7

abhidharma

chos mngon pa

ཆོས་མངོན་པ།

abhidharma

g.16

absorption

ting nge ’dzin

ཏིང་ངེ་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.58

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.209

buddha realm

sangs rgyas kyi zhing

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་།

buddhakṣetra

g.216

Candra

zla ba

ཟླ་བ།

candra

g.237

concentration

bsam gtan

བསམ་གཏན།

dhyāna

g.283

demigod

lha ma yin

ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།

asura

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.324

Dṛḍhamati

brtan pa’i blo gros

བརྟན་པའི་བློ་གྲོས།

dṛḍhamati

g.325

Dṛḍhamatikumārabhūta

brtan pa’i blo gros gzhon nur gyur ba

བརྟན་པའི་བློ་གྲོས་གཞོན་ནུར་གྱུར་བ།

dṛḍhamatikumārabhūta

g.339

Enduring

mi mjed pa

མི་མཇེད་པ།

sahaloka

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name for our world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which the four-continent world is located. Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. The world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni where he teaches the Dharma to beings.

The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world being able to endure the suffering they encounter. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not painful,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

g.406

gandharva

dri za

དྲི་ཟ།

gandharva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

g.414

Gautama

gau ta ma

གཽ་ཏ་མ།

gautama

g.447

go forth

rab tu ’byung ba

རབ་ཏུ་འབྱུང་བ།

pravrajati
pravrajyā

g.482

hearer

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.552

innumerable

grangs med

གྲངས་མེད།

asaṃkhyeya

g.592

Jñānabala

ye shes kyi stobs

ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་སྟོབས།

jñānabala

g.593

Jñānagarbha

dz+nyA na gar bha

ཛྙཱ་ན་གར་བྷ།

jñānagarbha

g.609

Joy

dga’ ba

དགའ་བ།

g.615

Kalandakanivāpa

bya ka lan da ka gnas

བྱ་ཀ་ལན་ད་ཀ་གནས།

kalandakanivāpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A place where the Buddha often resided, within the Bamboo Park (Veṇuvana) outside Rajagṛha that had been donated to him. The name is said to have arisen when, one day, King Bimbisāra fell asleep after a romantic liaison in the Bamboo Park. While the king rested, his consort wandered off. A snake (the reincarnation of the park’s previous owner, who still resented the king’s acquisition of the park) approached with malign intentions. Through the king’s tremendous merit, a gathering of kalandaka‍—crows or other birds according to Tibetan renderings, but some Sanskrit and Pali sources suggest flying squirrels‍—miraculously appeared and began squawking. Their clamor alerted the king’s consort to the danger, who rushed back and hacked the snake to pieces, thereby saving the king’s life. King Bimbisāra then named the spot Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’ Feeding Ground”), sometimes (though not in the Vinayavastu) given as Kalandakanivāsa (“Kalandakas’ Abode”) in their honor. The story is told in the Saṃghabhedavastu (Toh 1, ch.17, Degé Kangyur vol.4, folio 77.b et seq.). For more details and other origin stories, see the 84000 Knowledge Base article Veṇuvana and Kalandakanivāpa.

g.685

Leki Dé

legs kyi sde

ལེགས་ཀྱི་སྡེ།

g.737

Luminous Sphere of Great Splendor

’od kyi dkyil ’khor gzi brjid phung po

འོད་ཀྱི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར་གཟི་བརྗིད་ཕུང་པོ།

g.738

Magadha

ma ga dha

མ་ག་དྷ།

magadha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.

This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhrakūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

g.757

Majestic Mountain

lhun po’i phung po

ལྷུན་པོའི་ཕུང་པོ།

g.871

Padmaśrīgarbha

pad ma dpal gyi snying po

པད་མ་དཔལ་གྱི་སྙིང་པོ།

padmaśrīgarbha

g.903

Prajñāvarman

pradz+nyA war ma

པྲཛྙཱ་ཝར་མ།

prajñāvarman

g.926

pure realms

gnas gtsang ma’i ris

གནས་གཙང་མའི་རིས།

śuddhāvāsa

g.940

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.1020

Śākyamuni

shAkya thub pa

ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།

śākyamuni

g.1041

Śāradvatīputra

sha ra dwa ti’i bu

ཤ་ར་དྭ་ཏིའི་བུ།

śāradvatīputra

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.1062

Siddhārtha

don grub

དོན་གྲུབ།

siddhārtha

g.1078

Sky Family

nam mkha’i rigs

ནམ་མཁའི་རིགས།

g.1084

Sound of Renown

rnam par bsgrags pa’i sgra

རྣམ་པར་བསྒྲགས་པའི་སྒྲ།

g.1266

Susthitamati

blo gros rab gnas

བློ་གྲོས་རབ་གནས།

susthitamati

g.1267

sūtra

མདོ།

sūtra

g.1287

thus-gone one

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.

g.1384

Veṇuvana

’od ma’i tshal

འོད་མའི་ཚལ།

veṇuvana

g.1392

Vijayarakṣa

rnam par rgyal ba srung

རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བ་སྲུང་།

vijayarakṣa

g.1394

Vijayarakṣa

rnam par rgyal ba srung

རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བ་སྲུང་།

vijayarakṣa

g.1402

vinaya

’dul ba

འདུལ་བ།

vinaya

g.1442

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.

Upholding the Roots of Virtue Epilogue

Toh 101

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Upholding the Roots of Virtue
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