སྙིང་རྗེ་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ།
The White Lotus of Compassion
Notes
Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka
སྙིང་རྗེ་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The White Lotus of Compassion”
Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra
Toh 112
Degé Kangyur, vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 129.a–297.a
ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
- Jinamitra
- Surendrabodhi
- Prajñāvarman
- Bendé Yeshé Dé
Imprint
Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2023
Current version v 1.2.20 (2024)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Buddha Śākyamuni recounts one of his most significant previous lives, when he was a court priest to a king and made a detailed prayer to become a buddha, also causing the king and his princes, his own sons and disciples, and others to make their own prayers to become buddhas too. This is revealed to be not only the major event that is the origin of buddhas and bodhisattvas such as Amitābha, Akṣobhya, Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, and the thousand buddhas of our eon, but also the source and reason for Śākyamuni’s unsurpassed activity as a buddha.
The “white lotus of compassion” in the title of this sūtra refers to Śākyamuni himself, emphasizing his superiority over all other buddhas, like a fragrant, healing white lotus among a bed of ordinary flowers. Śākyamuni chose to be reborn in an impure realm during a degenerate age, and therefore his compassion was greater than that of other buddhas.
Acknowledgements
The sūtra was translated from the Tibetan with reference to the Sanskrit by Peter Alan Roberts. Tulku Yeshi Gyatso of the Sakya Monastery, Seattle, was the consulting lama who reviewed the translation. Guilaine Mala was the consultant for the Chinese versions. Emily Bower was the project manager, editor, and proofreader.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of an anonymous donor.
Text Body
The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The White Lotus of Compassion
The White Lotus of Compassion
Colophon
This was translated and revised by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, Prajñāvarman, and the chief editor Lotsawa Bendé Yeshé Dé and others.
Notes
The origin story in this sūtra for the 1,004 buddhas of our eon is one among several others. The sūtra The Good Eon (Bhadrakalpika, Toh 94) itself contains two origin stories for them (see Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2022, 2.1 ff, and 2.C.1019 ff.), The Secrets of the Realized Ones (Tathāgatācintyaguhyanirdeśa, Toh 47, Degé Kangyur vol. 39, F.117.b–125.b) another, and The Teaching of Vimalakīrti (Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, Toh 176) yet another (see Thurman 2017, 12.6 ff.)
See Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, Toh 113 (2018).
Consequently, although the notion of multiple buddhas arising over time, as well as over space, is most fully developed in the Mahāyāna tradition, it is also a theme present in the texts of Nikāya Buddhism, including several in the Pali Canon and the Mahāvastu of the Lokottaravāda-Mahāsāṅghika. For a general survey of accounts of multiple buddhas, see The Good Eon i.10–i.18. See also Salomon 2018, pp. 265–293.
In essence the process begins with a period in which an individual accumulates merit independently, followed by the first vow to attain awakening, made in the presence of a buddha; the subsequent prophecy of awakening, made by the same or another, later buddha; a long period of maturation during which the six (or more) perfections are practiced and the successive bodhisattva levels are traversed; the attainment of a stage of irreversible progress leading to inevitable awakening; being anointed as the next buddha to come by the preceding buddha; taking birth in the Heaven of Joy; and being reborn in the lifetime during which awakening as a tathāgata will occur. The stages of a bodhisattva’s practice are the topic of numerous scriptures, treatises, and commentaries, some in vast detail such as the Buddhavataṃsakasūtra (Toh 44) and the Yogācārabhūmi (Toh 4035–4037). Perhaps the most succinct summary comes in the opening lines of the Mahāvastu, where four stages are described: (1) prakṛticaryā (“natural career”), (2) pranidhānacaryā (“resolving stage”), (3) anulomacaryā (“conforming stage”), and (4) anivartanacaryā (“preserving career”). See Mahāvastu, vol. I, 1.2; the four stages are explained in more detail in vol. 1, ch. 5 and are a feature of other works including the Bahubuddhaka sūtras of Gandhāra. See also Jaini 2001, p. 453, and Salomon 2018, pp. 276–279.
Taishō 158: 大乘悲分陀利經 (Dasheng beifen tuoli jing); Taishō 157: 悲華經 (Bei hua jing). A Chinese bibliography written in 730 by Zhi Seng claims that the sūtra was first translated by Dharmarakṣa (ca. 230–317), and that there was also another lost translation by Dao Gong made between 401 and 412. However, Yamada’s research shows the first attribution to have been a misunderstanding of the earlier Seng Min bibliography, which also records that the Dharmakṣema translation had been mistakenly ascribed to Dao Gong. See Yamada 1967, vol. 1, pp. 15–20.
The opening section that features the Buddha Padmottara seems to have only a tenuous connection to the main body of the text. There are also some internal inconsistencies, such as an unexplained name change for King Araṇemin.
Yamada 1967, 1:167–71.
Denkarma, F.296.b.7. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 44, no. 78.
Sakya Pandita Translation Group, trans., The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021).
Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, Toh 113 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).
The buddhas are said to teach beings who have faith in Maheśvara by appearing to them in the form of Maheśvara. The sūtra seems to take a sympathetic view of Vaiṣṇavism in particular. For example, when Samudrareṇu makes his buddhahood contingent on a variety of good things occurring, he says, “If beings who have faith in Nārāyaṇa fall into the lower existences when they die, then may I be unable to accomplish all the deeds of a buddha.” Nārāyaṇa is also used as a positive example for power, as when King Araṇemin prays, “May those beings have the power of Nārāyaṇa.” The names of several samādhis and buddhas that are given also incorporate the name Nārāyaṇa, such as Nārāyaṇavijitagarbha.
Mañjuśrīkīrti (Toh 3534), folio 217.a. Atiśa writes that he is quoting from it in one of his works (Toh 3930), but the actual text of his quotation resembles nothing in the sūtra and is nowhere to be found in the Kangyur. Cf. Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna, folio 99.b.
Mipham’s text has the title The White Lotus: Supporting Material for “A Treasury of Blessings, a Liturgy of the Muni” (thub chog byin rlabs gter mdzod kyi rgyab chos pad+ma dkar po); see bibliography.
There are two ways to interpret this traditional beginning of a sūtra, with such Indian masters as Kamalaśīla claiming that both are equally correct: the version used in this translation, and the alternative interpretation “Thus did I hear: At one time, the Bhagavat…” The various traditional and modern arguments for both sides are given in Galloway (1991).
Skt. ājāneya; Tib. cang shes. The term ājāneya was primarily used for thoroughbred horses but was also applied to people in a laudatory sense.
From this point on, the Sanskrit version of the introduction is more elaborate.
This paradise is not to be confused with the subterranean realm of Yama, the lord of death, which is inhabited by pretas.
The four errors are mistaking the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, nonself as self, and suffering as happiness.
The syntax of the Tibetan is awkward in this passage, for which there is no surviving Sanskrit equivalent. In the Sanskrit at this point there is a long passage where light rays from the Buddha reveal to the assembly other buddha realms and their buddhas and inhabitants.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has parvata (“filled with precious mountains”) instead of padma (“filled with precious lotuses”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has sahasra (“one thousand”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “one hundred and a quarter (i.e., 125) yojanas.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “filled with lotuses made of the seven jewels.”
A period or watch of three hours: the eighth part of a day.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “pleasant” (yid di ’ong ba).
One would expect this to be describing the lotus’s distinctive pericarp, or seed pod, which forms a flat circular seat ringed by the stamens, but it is clearly in the plural.
According to the Tibetan. The word kulaputra (“noble son”) is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has ṣaṣtiraśmi koṭinayutaśatasahasrāṇi, which comes to six thousand million trillion.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit does not have the description “who have transcended the levels of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has, “Then the bodhisattvas who are in meditation arise from their samādhi and that entire assembly applies itself to making offerings to the Tathāgata,” which seems to be the better version.
According to the Chinese. The Sanskrit has kṣetrābhayā, which is probably a scribal corruption. The Tibetan therefore translates this as zhing gi snang ba (“radiance of the realm”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “for the benefit, welfare, and happiness.”
According to the Tibetan. “The bodhisattvas arise from their samādhis” is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan ’od dpag tshad brgya pa. The Sanskrit has yojanaprabhā (“[one] yojana[-wide] light”). The Tibetan brgya pa could be a corruption of rgya pa (“wide”).
According to the Sanskrit snigdhacittā. The Tibetan translated this with its alternative meaning of snum pa’i sems (lit. “oily mind”). It also means “sticky” and “adhering,” but the essential meaning is “friendly and affectionate.”
According to the Sanskrit pratyaya, which could be translated as “condition,” “circumstances,” “factor,” or “cause.” The Tibetan has rkyen.
According to the Tibetan. “The power of courage” is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. “Mahāsattvas” is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. “Mahāsattvas” is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit gandhāhārās. Translated into Tibetan as dri za, which would normally be understood to be the translation of gandharva, a specific class of deities, but this is not what is meant here.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has priyāpriya (“pleasant and unpleasant”).
According to the Tibetan de bzhin du sbyar and the BHS usage of peyālaṃ.
According to the Sanskrit durgandha and the Tibetan thog dri nga ba yang. The Narthang and Lhasa versions have the corruption dri ma’ang; the Urga and Degé have dri ma yang (“stain”).
According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit “gentle” and “pleasing” are adjectives for the birds and not their songs.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has the height as 68,000 yojanas, aṣṭaṣaṣṭhiyojanasahasrāṇi.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates caraṇa as “feet.”
The Sanskrit has “said” instead of “thought.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “in the first period of the night.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “we wish to remain.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “past and future.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “will teach this entranceway into the dhāraṇī that is the form of omniscience to the bodhisattvas whom they have consecrated to be their regents.”
Tadyathā (“it is thus”) is taken in the Tibetan to be the beginning of the dharāṇī. Nearly every word has variations in the various editions of the Kangyur. Here we follow the critical edition of the Sanskrit by Yamada.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit here adds “came to this Sahā world realm.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “by a great assembly of bodhisattvas.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “8,400,000.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has, “Solely to obtain this samādhi, a bodhisattva mahāsattva has to realize the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment and attain the knowledge of an omniscient one.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has gāḍhakarmāni (“strong karma”). The Tibetan has dang po’i las (“initial karma”).
According to the Sanskrit paṭṭaṃ bandhati. The Tibetan translates this as “binding silk,” but toward the end of the sūtra translates it as thod bcings (“turban”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit adds “by passing on their diadem turban.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits dharmabhāṇaka (“Dharma reciter”).
The Sanskrit bhakṣyānna just means “food” and does not specify “cooked rice.”
The Tibetan gtams (“filled”) seems to be an early scribal corruption from gdams. The Sanskrit has avādata (“to be addressed,” “to be spoken to”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit āmantrayate could also mean “greeted.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits Candrottama.
According to the Sanskrit avakrāmanti. The Tibetan translates here as las ’das (“passing beyond,” “transcending”), although when this same phrase occurs later in the sūtra, the verb is translated as gnon par byed (“ascend to”).
“Tenth” is not specified in this passage but is said to be the result of listening to the dhāraṇī further on.
According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit, “bodhisattvas” is in the genitive case, so that the passage reads: “and he planted good roots for those bodhisattva mahāsattvas for ten intermediate eons.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “established many hundred thousand million trillion hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Ratnacandravairocana.
This line is abridged in the Tibetan, but has been rendered in full here.
Dravidian is the term used for the people, language, and culture of South India, and here the mantra is identified as being linguistically Dravidian.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “all his other karmic obscurations.”
According to the Sanskrit syntax.
According to the Sanskrit avaropya. The Tibetan has bsrungs (“protected,” “guarded”).
The Sanskrit has atulya (“unequaled”).
The Sanskrit repeats aprameyāṇi, while Tibetan has first tshad ma mchis pa and second dpag tu ma mchis pa, which means the Sanskrit must have had aparimāṇa, as later in the sūtra.
According to the Sanskrit. As a result of the ambiguity of the Sanskrit here, the Tibetan associates these qualities with the buddhas to whom the bodhisattvas made offerings.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has gzhol (“enter into”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “pretas and piśācas.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has translated the Sanskrit eta as “come here!”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “…‘and you will always have this kind of bliss.’ Then those pretas placed their palms together and recited, ‘Homage to the Buddha! Homage to the Dharma! Homage to the Saṅgha.’ ”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “a buddha realm with the five degeneracies.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “inferior buddha realm with the five degeneracies.”
The length from the fingertips of one arm outstretched sideways to the other.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “touched his feet and bowed with palms together toward the Tathāgata Ratnagarbha.”
The Sanskrit reads “alms bowls” instead of “food.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “mightiest soldiers.”
The precious householder is one of the seven precious possessions, or treasures, of the cakravartin, which, in the more widespread version of the seven treasures, is replaced by the precious minister.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “doors in the four directions.”
Four legs, two tusks, and the trunk.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit singular. The Tibetan has the plural “those parklands.”
According to the Sanskrit puruṣamātrapramāṇam. The Tibetan could be interpreted as meaning “floating at the height of a man.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “uragasāra.”
Infantry, chariots, cavalry, and elephants.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “eaten.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “400,000.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Devī.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan uses two words for “incense” and one for “incense smoke.”
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is obscure and varies between manuscripts, and there is repetition of the sentence later in the text.
According to the Sanskrit.
Skt. bherī; Tib. rnga bo che. There are many kinds of kettledrums. The bherī is described as a conical or bowl-shaped kettledrum, with an upper surface that is beaten with sticks.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has, “Then the chief prince, Animiṣa, honored the Bhagavat and his saṅgha of bhikṣus for three months in the same way that King Araṇemin had. King Araṇemin also came on some days to see the bhagavat and his saṅgha of bhikṣus and to listen to his teaching.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit instead reads “and completely golden and divine cities.”
According to the Sanskrit.
The paṭaha is a cylindrical drum hung from the body and usually played standing up by beating the upper surface with drumsticks.
According to the Sanskrit. Most Kangyur editions, such as the Lithang, Narthang, and Choné, have yang dag skyes (“truly born”). The Comparative Edition has yan lag skyes, which could be a translation of aṅgaja.
In most Sanskrit manuscripts and in Chinese it is “Middha,” but some Sanskrit manuscripts have the corruption “Siddha,” which the Tibetan follows.
According to Sanskrit and most Tibetan editions, but not the Comparative Edition.
According to Sanskrit and most Tibetan editions, but not the Comparative Edition.
According to the Tibetan.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit and Chinese have more aspirations: “Some of them prayed to be a deva, some to become Śakra, some to become Māra, some to become Brahmā, some to become a cakravartin, some to have great wealth, some to be in the Śrāvakayāna, and some to be in the Pratyekabuddhayāna.”
According to the Sanskrit.
The Sanskrit repeats “robes, food, beds, seats, medicines, and necessities.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “to be a deva, or to be Śakra, or to be Māra, or to have great wealth, or for the way of the śrāvaka.”
According to the Sanskrit.
This time the Tibetan transliterates rather than translates eraṇḍa.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has, “I have seen a great sight in my dream. I have seen the buddhas, the bhagavats, in the ten directions.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is more elaborate in this passage.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “and carried it to.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates the compound as three nouns: “fame and sound and verse.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit adds “not even Brahmā and the other deities.”
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit kṣaṇasaṃpat, which is translated into Tibetan as an alternative, meaning dal ba (“leisure”).
The Sanskrit is udumbara. The fig tree never flowers. It also became the name for a legendary lotus in Tibet, as there are no fig trees there.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan yang dag par sbyor pa. The Sanskrit has sumṛdu (“very gentle”).
According to the Sanskrit śītala, which can also mean “cold” or “cool,” as in the Tibetan translation bsil ba.
According to the Sanskrit. This line is missing in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit sadānandita. The Tibetan translates as “the attainment of perfect joy.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has akliṣṭa (“the path is unafflicted”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits “great.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “in the care of all the tathāgatas.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “dust,” one of the meanings of rajas.
Sanskrit: gamanīya. The Tibetan has mchi ba la sman pa (“medicine for going”) likely in error for mchi ba la phan pa (“benefit for going”).
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “bodhisattvas.”
According to the Tibetan sku, presumably translating from a manuscript that had kāya. The Sanskrit has āśraya (“shelter,” “refuge,” “location”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit also has, “Through what karma do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain a pure buddha realm? Through what karma will it be completely an impure one? Through what karma will there be superior beings? And so on, until through what karma will beings have long lifespans?”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit also has, “Through what karma do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain a pure buddha realm? Through what karma do they obtain an impure one? Through what karma will there be superior beings?…Through what karma will beings have long lifespans?”
According to the Sanskrit upanimantrita. The Tibetan has translated it with its alternative but more frequent meaning of spyan drangs (“invite”), which is not as appropriate here.
According to the Sanskrit upakaraṇa, which the Tibetan has translated with an alternative meaning of yo byad (“commodities”).
The Sanskrit has, “I will make offerings to the Bhagavat, so you also should be eager to make offerings.”
According to the Sanskrit pratiśrutya, translated into Tibetan with the meaning mnyan (“listened”).
According to the Sanskrit. Missing in the Tibetan.
According to the Tibetan.
According to the Chinese. The Tibetan and Sanskrit make the last two names into one.
Although all Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese versions have these beings as hell beings, at this point one would expect reference to pretas, the beings in Yama’s realm, who are freed of hunger and thirst.
This prince does not appear in the earlier list, even though he is second in importance. At this point the Sanskrit has his name as Nimu, but in all later instances it is Nimi.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has nirhārapati (“lord of accumulation”).
According to the Tibetan. “Silver” is absent in the Sanskrit.
A conical or bowl kettledrum, also called a nagada. The upper surface is beaten with sticks; often in pairs one larger than the other.
A variety of kettledrum. The mṛḍaṅga is wider in the middle with skin at both ends played horizontally using one’s hands. One drumhead is smaller than the other. The mṛḍaṅga is a South Indian drum and is often used to maintain the rhythm in Carnatic music.
A large cylindrical drum, its upper surface played with sticks, and played standing, hung from the body.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has kathayati ca (“and he recited”).
According to the Tibetan. Literally “as fast and wavering as the strength of the wind.” The Sanskrit has drutavāyuvegacapalām (“wavering like a swift gust of wind”).
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to take the bhagavad in the compound bhagavadgandha as a vocative.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit pratibhāna covers the qualities of being quick-witted, eloquent, and confident.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to have a scribal corruption of sgra (“word”) to sgrib (“obscuration”).
The last clause is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit.
Sanskrit: “all buddha realms.”
According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has “bodhisattvas” instead of “beings” (sattva).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits “karmic.”
There are several enumerations of patience. The list of two kinds of patience usually includes the worldly patience of forbearance and the supramundane patience of the realization of the illusory nature of phenomena. The list of three kinds is usually patience in response to harm caused by others, patience in response to suffering, and patience in relation to the profound meaning of the Dharma, in that one is not frightened by it.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “supreme joy, delight, and happiness.”
According to the Tibetan. The Chinese has “for thirty-five intermediate eons,” whereas the Sanskrit has “for the same number of intermediate eons.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan could be read to mean “as many incalculable eons as there are grains of sand,” and “incalculable” could be taken as a general adjective rather than the name of the specific eon that is a quarter of a great eon. The Sanskrit, however, has the eon in the singular.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “who have first come.”
According to the Sanskrit adhikāra, translated literally into Tibetan as lhag par bya ba.
The Sanskrit for “seen” is avalokita, which here refers to the first part of Animiṣa’s bodhisattva name, Avalokiteśvara.
According to the Sanskrit dṛṣṭigrāhagrasta. The Tibetan has “held by a makara view.”
The Sanskrit svareṇa (“by voice”) here refers to the second half of Animiṣa’s bodhisattva name, Avalokiteśvara.
Based on the language of this passage, avalokiteśvara can be understood to mean “Lord of That Which Has Been Viewed.”
Literally “ninety-six times ten million (Skt. koṭi; Tib. bye ba) times a hundred thousand million (Skt. niyuta; Tib. khrag khrig) times a hundred thousand (Skt. śatasahasra; Tib. ’bum).” This meaning of niyuta is only found in Buddhist Sanskrit. Niyuta is translated in other texts into Tibetan as sa ya according to its classical meaning of “one million.”
According to the Tibetan, literally “three times a hundred million, plus three times ten million,” or in other words, 330,000,000. The Sanskrit has 630,000,000.
According to the Tibetan. “Treetops” is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit mahāsthāma. The Tibetan translates this as gnas chen (“great state”) and therefore may be translating from mahāsthāna. It may be translating sthāma from its alternative meaning of “place” or “station,” but that contradicts the Tibetan translation of sthāma in the name Mahāsthāmaprāpta as mthus chen thob (“One Who Has Attained Great Power”).
This is assuming that sthāna in the Sanskrit is a scribal corruption of sthāma, as this passage is giving the reason for the name Mahāsthāmaprapta.
Literally “One Who Has Attained Great Power” (mthu chen thob), although, as the preceding translations of Mahāsthāma were interpreted as gnas chen or were from texts in which sthāma was corrupted as sthāna, the reason for the name is not evident in Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan “filled.” The Sanskrit has “purified.”
The Sanskrit reads “pure bodhisattvas.”
The Sanskrit reads “right hand.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has, literally, “unhappiness,” though this could be translated as “physical discomfort.”
According to the Tibetan. The Chinese was also translated from a version that had tuṣita. The Sanskrit has so ’nyatra lokadhātāv uṣitvā (“after living in another world”).
According to the Sanskrit mama and the Tibetan gi found in the Yongle and Kangxi versions.
According to the Sanskrit, as the Tibetan syntax appears disordered: “May that buddha realm be filled with various divine, wonderful trees, with divine mandārava and mahāmandarava flowers, without any trees made of wood. May there be no evil smells there.”
Literally “The Lovely Appearance of a Variety of the Seven Jewels.”
Literally, “A Congregation of the Aromas of Variegated Wisdom and Tranquil Patience.”
Literally, “when they think of the Buddha…”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has gsal (“clear”).
According to the Sanskrit. Here the Tibetan has translated mati as blo gros (“intelligence”).
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “as many incalculable eons as the grains of sand in two Ganges Rivers.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “those beings who hear your name, Mañjuśrī, will have their karmic obscurations destroyed.”
Literally, “The Glorious Light of the Wisdom That Cuts Like a Vajra.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates caraṇa as “feet.”
The Sanskrit lacks “valerian.” The Tibetan has rgya spod, which can refer specifically to Valeriana wallichii, known in India as tagar.
Following the Sanskrit pratiprasrabdham, which is absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa editions. The Comparative Edition has “conquer with a vajra.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has the plural “we”.
The statement “the sky (gagana) was sealed (mudrita) with the lotuses” references the bodhisattva's name, Gaganamudra.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “buddha realms.”
Literally “Swift Illumination,” according to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
The word order reflects the Sanskrit.
He is not mentioned in the earlier list.
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “intent to injure.”
This sentence is not present in the Sanskrit.
Skt. ārya; Tib. ’phags pa.
Tib. chos kyi bzod pa; Skt. dharmakṣānti. The state of acceptance or patience that follows understanding the nature of phenomena, namely, that in fact they do not arise or cease.
Literally “Lion Scent.”
The Sanskrit reads “the zenith.”
According to the word order of the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “for as long as there are ten thousand afflicted buddha realms, I shall purify them so that they will be like the buddha realm Nīlagandhaprabhāsaviraja…”
The Tibetan translates as “who has no location” and takes it with “I” and not as the name of the samādhi.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translated vibhāvanā as rnam par ’jig pa, “destroying,” hence “the destroying all bodies samādhi,” which seems less appropriate here.
According to the Sanskrit. The negation is not present in the Tibetan, which appears to be a corruption.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit differs considerably: “May I engage in the conduct of a bodhisattva until I purify the continuums of the minds of all beings in ten thousand buddha realms, so that, without exception, they will not produce their former karma and kleśas. I will establish the ten thousand buddha realms in purity so that the four māras will not arise in the path of their mental continuums.”
According to the Sanskrit and the Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok Palace versions. The Degé omits “realms.”
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. Otherwise, the numbers do not add up to ten thousand.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Jñānaghoṣa, which has already appeared in this list.
This follows the Tibetan yon tan bdud rtsi gzi brjid rgyal po. The Sanskrit has amṛtaguṇatejarājakalpinami, which seems corrupt.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has this and the preceding name joined as one.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates nāga as klu, thus referring to the class of nonhuman, snake-like beings. It seems from context that the meaning “elephant” is more appropriate here.
According to the Tibetan sdig med, which is attested as the name of the bodhisattva Anagha in other sources. The eighth prince is given as Amigha in all the Sanskrit manuscripts, but this is the same name as the preceding prince.
According to the Tibetan. “Speak meaninglessly” occurs later in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit. Here the Tibetan repeats “have doubt.”
This means that he will not lie down, even to sleep.
These first six qualities are from the traditional list of twelve or thirteen optional monastic asceticisms (dhūtaguṇa).
The Sanskrit has dantavidarśanaṃ (“show the teeth”), whereas the Tibetan reads chos ston par bgyid par gyur cig (“teach the Dharma”).
The Sanskrit has “with the speed of a buddha.”
The Tibetan mdog is literally “color.” The Sanskrit varṇa can mean “color,” “physical form,” or “class/caste.” The next quality in the Sanskrit, vaimātra, is absent in the Tibetan, which might translate as “inequality.”
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “May those beings who have planted good roots be born in lotuses; may those beings who have not planted good roots be born from wombs.”
According to the Sanskrit: “When that karma has come to an end, may females or wombs not be known in my buddha realm, and may those beings be bestowed with happiness only.”
According to the Tibetan sgron ma dang ldan pa. The Sanskrit reads ulkavatī, which would mean “endowed with meteor” or “like a meteor.”
According to the Sanskrit.
The Sanskrit here adds, “May those following the Pratyekabuddhayāna achieve enlightenment individually.”
Akṣobhya is the same name that this prince had been given as his bodhisattva name. The Tibetan translates the names differently: the bodhisattva name as mi skyod pa and the buddha name as mi ’khrugs pa.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “[you with an] unshakable mind.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “those who have great thirst.”
Himaṇi is not mentioned in the earlier introductory list of Araṇemin’s sons. One Sanskrit manuscript names him Himadhi, while the Tibetan names him gangs kyi nor bu, “Snow Jewel.”
Gandhahasti is the BHS form of Gandhahastin. This name means “Elephant Scent,” and refers to the potent smell of a male elephant in musth.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetans translators appear to have read pravaragaṇa, “supreme assembly,” where the extant Sanskrit reads pravaraguṇa.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “mind.”
Literally “Jewel Top Ornament.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “thirty million.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “be first.”
According to the Sanskrit, which means “Most Powerful.” The Tibetan has simply mchog (“Supreme”).
The Tibetan divides this name into two (Vikasita and Ujjaya), but the Sanskrit and Chinese texts give them as one name.
According to the Sanskrit and the Tibetan. The Chinese has Brahmasunda as one name.
According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. Some Sanskrit manuscripts and the Tibetan have the name split into two as Yaśas and Nandin.
The name Sunetra has already occurred in the list. The Tibetan uses two variant translations of Sunetra: spyan bzang (“good eyes”) for the first, and spyan mdzes (“beautiful eyes”) for the second.
According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has legs mthong lha, which in Sanskrit would be Sudarśanadeva.
According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese long chi, most likely meaning “Elephant Tusk.” The Tibetan has klus byin, presumably having read the Sanskrit nāgadatta.
The Sanskrit has Gandhasvara, “Scent-Sound.” The fifth-century Chinese translation by Dharmaksẹma has yin wang, “King of Sound,” presumably having read Ghoṣeśvara, a name that occurs earlier in the list. The other Chinese translation agrees with the Tibetan spos kyi dbang phyug in rendering the Sanskrit Gandheśvara.
According to the Tibetan (sred med kyi bu’i snying po) and the Chinese. The Sanskrit has nārāyaṇagata.
According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan omits the final rāja. Yamada (1967) has viagata, presumably a typographical error for vigata.
This follows the Tibetan skar ma'i khyu mchog, suggesting that it was a translation of jyoti-ṛṣabha or a similar term. The Sanskrit reads jyotikṣabhaka.
The Sanskrit differs: “And, young brahmin, the Tathāgata has taught the Dharma entranceway for transcending saṃsāra, which is called gathering the pure accumulations: the accumulation of generosity is when bodhisattvas engage in giving, and it leads to the ripening of guidable beings.” The Dharma entranceway in Tibetan is conjoined with the practice of generosity.
The Sanskrit ājāneya means “high-born” or “noble,” and “thoroughbred” when it is related to animals.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “knowledge without doubt.”
The seven limbs of an elephant are its four legs, two tusks, and trunk.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan adds chung zad tsam, which could mean “a little way up,” which is absent in the Sanskrit and the Chinese.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “indolence.”
Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhu are the first three buddhas in the traditional list of seven buddhas, Śākyamuni being the seventh. They lived in the eon prior to the current Bhadraka eon in which Śākyamuni is the fourth buddha after Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa.
The sūtra uses the name Bhadraka in most instances, but the shorter form Bhadra has become established in English. The name means “good.”
The Sanskrit has the form Krakutsanda, reflecting the Mithila and Newari pronunciation of ca and cha, which became standard in Tibet.
This sentence is absent in the Sanskrit. Note that it recurs at the end of this passage, where it makes more sense.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has the negative: “When I will not receive that prophecy…”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit differs: “There are the four purities of a bodhisattva. What are those four? They are the purity of correct conduct because there is no self; the purity of samādhi because there is no being; the purity of wisdom because there is no soul; and the purity of liberation because there is no individual and because of the vision of the knowledge of liberation.”
According to the Sanskrit acintya and the Kangxi. The Comparative Edition has mi rtag pa (“impermanent”) instead of mi rtog pa.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit dvirūṇaṃ sahasraṃ (“a thousand less two”) and the Chinese have 998. With the addition of the youngest of these brahmins to be the last buddha of the Bhadraka eon, this would result in only 999 young brahmins instead of a thousand. Mahābalavegadhārin is prophesied to be the last of the Bhadraka eon buddhas, and he is specifically stated to follow the 1,004th buddha but this is because he is preceded by buddhas who had been the five attendants of Samudrareṇu, who therefore would be the 1,000th to the 1,004th buddhas, preceded by the other 999 buddhas. The problem with 999 is that it leaves no room for Samudrareṇu to be Śākyamuni, the fourth buddha of the Bhadraka eon. One solution may be that when Ratnagarbha states that there will be 1,004 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon, Mahābalavegadhārin is added as the 1,005th on making his prayer. Therefore, when Samudrareṇu adds his aspiration and is prophesied to be Śākyamuni, this would bring the number of buddhas up to 1,006 with Mahābalavegadhārin as the last.
This follows the Sanskrit.
The Tibetan here reads gces spyod for the attested sārabhuja. Previously, the term snying po spyod had been used. These two terms are synonymous, and are almost surely intended to refer to the same person.
These qualities are mentioned again at 232.b and 256.b. These appear be the six ways of gathering disciples: appropriate emblems, appropriate action, appropriate correct conduct, appropriate view, appropriate livelihood, and appropriate appearance.
The Sanskrit adds “and not go and honor them,” which is also not present in the Chinese.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
Following the Tibetan yang dag rtog, which translates as saṃtīraṇa. The Sanskrit here has saṃtaraṇa.
According to the Sanskrit vikrīḍasi. The Tibetan, including the Stok Palace version, has rnam grol (“liberated”), which may be a scribal error for rnam rol.
The Sanskrit reads samudravāri, “the waters of the sea”.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is śatru (“enemy”).
The Sanskrit is naditāru and the Tibetan zam pa'i shing. Both terms suggest a tree that is used as a bridge.
The Sanskrit reads, “the grass of knowing.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan may mean, “I am in the great battle with the kleśas of beings.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit lacks these vocatives.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit adds viparītatattvabodhino (“understanding reality the wrong way around”).
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan bldag.
According to Tibetan ’gron bu. The Sanskrit hiraṇya means “coins.” The meaning is apparently forms of money, as cowrie shells were used as units of currency.
According to the Sanskrit śaṅkha. Absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the obscure rdul chen.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has riktamuṣṭisadṛśa (“like an empty fist”). This is also in the Chinese translation.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit garbhāśayasmṛtipranaṣṭā could also be understood as “having lost mindfulness of their innermost disposition.”
According to the Tibetan mnar. The Sanskrit ghāta can mean “to beat” or “to kill.”
According to the Sanskrit dhānyarasa. The Tibetan has ’bru dang nor (“grain and wealth”).
According to the Sanskrit kukṣi. The Tibetan has mchan khung (“armpit”).
The order is according to the Sanskrit.
The three highest of the ten bodhisattva bhūmis, beyond which there is buddhahood.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has skad sna tshogs ston pa (“teaching languages”).
According to the Sanskrit vajradhara. The Tibetan has rdo rje ting nge ’dzin (vajrasamādhi).
From the Sanskrit pravrajyopasaṃpad bhavet. The Tibetan has taken upasaṃpad (a specific term for “ordination”) as phun sum tshogs, which usually renders the Sanskrit sampad.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit would read, “May there be many people in my order.”
According to the Sanskrit aśubha. The Tibetan has yang dag par ma lags pa (“incorrect” or invalid”).
According to the Sanskrit kṣamaprayoga. The Tibetan zad pa’i sbyor ba appears to be from a corrupted kṣayaprayoga, “application to termination.”
According to the Sanskrit paravadhe. The Tibetan has translated don dam (“ultimate”) from the Sanskrit paramarthe.
According to the Tibetan gzhan dang gzhan dag gis chog par ’dzin. The Sanskrit parasparāsaṃtuṣṭa has the negative “dissatisfied.”
One may mention that the Sanskrit apratihataraśmi is also the name of a samādhi described in the Exposition on the Universal Gateway (Toh 54, Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. 2021): “There is the unimpeded light rays samādhi. If that samādhi is attained, the bodhisattva will illuminate all buddha realms with light rays.”
The Degé has rtogs pa. The Yongle has rtog. The Kangxi has rtog pa. The Sanskrit has ketu, the Tibetan for which is rtog.
There is a samādhi of this name earlier in the sūtra as being taught to the bodhisattva Gaganamudra.
There is a samādhi with this name mentioned in other sūtras, such as The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines and The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. However, its source is probably the The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, where it says, “The victory banner’s crest ornament samādhi illuminates all the Dharma of the Buddha” (folio 290.b).
According to the Sanskrit ulkāpāta. The Tibetan has “possessing a lamp.”
There is a samādhi called bhāskarapradīpa that appears earlier in this sūtra (folio 189b). It is possibly derived from The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, which contains the line, “The lamp of the sun samādhi eliminates deep darkness” (folio 114.b).
Nārāyaṇa, another name for Viṣṇu, is referred to in sūtras as an example of power, strength, diligence, and invincibility.
snying po dang ldan pa. There is a samādhi that is mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, which contains the line, “the endowed with the essence samādhi brings the experience of all commitments” (folio 291.a).
The Sanskrit has avalokitamūrdha. The Tibetan has spyi gtsug bltar gda’ ba. Literally “whose crown of the head is looked upon,” which is both a sign of disrespect and indicative of inferiority.
There is a samādhi with this name mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, where it says, “the Mount Meru’s victory banner samādhi causes all beings to be overpowered” (folio 291.b).
There is a samādhi with this name mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, where it says, “the endowed with virtuous conduct samādhi will bring engagement in virtuous conduct” (folio 291.a).
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits the negative.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has chos kyi tshogs bsgoms pa (“meditation on the collection of Dharma”). This can also be understood as a translation of the Sanskrit dharmakāyavibhāvana.
It is mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja that “the stainless wheel samādhi will bring a pure Dharma wheel” (folio 291.a).
According to the Sanskrit subhāṣitajñānāṃ pramuṣṭacittānāṃ, which literally means “those whose minds are robbed of the wisdom that was well-taught.” The Tibetan has “those who do not meditate on knowledge and have angry minds.”
According to the Sanskrit triratnāpratilabdhaprasāda. The Tibetan omits the negative.
From the Tibetan and the BHS meaning. In classical Sanskrit utsada means “destruction.”
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits the negative.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits the negative.
According to the Tibetan. The Chinese and some Sanskrit manuscripts have the negative: “Those who don’t have conviction…”
Tib. tog gi blo gros (“wisdom of the top-ornament”).
According to the Sanskrit agninirbhāsa. Absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit anantagandhānantaprabha. The Tibetan has “infinite colors and infinite scents,” which contradicts what is given as the last description in this list further on.
According to the Sanskrit. “Six” is absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan joins this passage with the next.
According to the Sanskrit samādhyagamaṇīya, which the Tibetan has probably incorrectly translated as “not bestowed through samādhi.”
From the Sanskrit suduḥkha.
Without explanation, King Araṇemin is here given another name in Sanskrit, and the Tibetan and Chinese translations. This is presumably his bodhisattva name as all the princes are then referred to by their bodhisattva names.
According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The extant Sanskrit has bhāṣiṣyase (“you will speak”).
This follows the Sanskrit. The Tibetan reads, “For beings without fear.”
The Tibetan has only snying rje for both kṛpā and karuṇā.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has bsgom (“meditated”).
In this passage and similar subsequent passages, the verb is literally “question” or “inquire” (Skt. pṛcchatha; Tib. dri ba mdzad) though no question is asked.
From the Sanskrit upanītāni. The Tibetan has phul (“offered”).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Siṃhavijṛmbhitakāya.
From the Tibetan ngur smig and the anonymous fourth-century Chinese translation zi mo. The Sanskrit has Jambu.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has bsgom (“meditated”).
From the Sanskrit upanītāni. The Tibetan has phul (“offered”).
From the passage on the different words that were heard in the empty buddha fields up to this point, there appears to be a lacuna in the extant Sanskrit. Both the Tibetan and Chinese versions preserve the full narration here. After the phrase “the words a talk on the Mahāyāna,” the extant Sanskrit only reads, “Those empty buddha realms in the ten directions were illuminated by light. All the beings, both human and nonhuman, transformed according to whatever aspect of goodness their minds were engaged in. Some appeared to be Yama; some appeared to be water…”
From the Sanskrit kṣetra. The Tibetan has shing (“wood”), presumably in error for zhing.
The Degé block print has both page numbers on a single page.
The Degé block print has both page numbers on a single page.
The Sanskrit lacks the term bodhisattva.
The Tibetan takes it as a brahmin living in a place called Ketapuri. However, as mentioned earlier in the sūtra, this is the name of the brahmā in the realm that Buddha Ratnagarbha and the brahmin Samudrareṇu are in.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to break up the name as “a constellation goddess named Varuṇacāritra.”
There is a śakra ruling the paradise on Mount Meru in each four-world continent.
This appears to refer to Ājñāta Kauṇḍinya, the first of the group of five who attained arhathood upon the Buddha’s Śākyamuni’s first teaching at Deer Park.
According to Sanskrit auṣadhi. Absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only Bhīṣma as his name.
The Tibetan translates aprasannacitta as sems ma dad pa (“without faith”), suggesting that the translators read sems ma dang ba. A number of Kangyur readings (but not the Stok Palace) do not have the negative.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has omitted “and so on, up to and including my head.”
He is here given the title tathāgata, presumably retrospectively, even though he would still have been a bodhisattva at the time and obtained another name at buddhahood.
From the Sanskrit.
This refers to pretas.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “through which all samādhis pervade through space.”
According to the Tibetan rin chen rgyal ba, which appears to have translated from ratnajaya. There is some variation among the sources. The Sanskrit witnesses read either raṇaṃ jahena, which in BHS means “elimination of affliction,” and raṇaṃ jayena, which following classical Sanskrit would be “victory in battle.” The two Chinese versions seem to have translated from an equivalent of raṇaṃ jahena and ratna jahena. The description of the samādhi suggests that raṇaṃ jahena was the original reading.
Tibetan gnas la mi brten pa (rten pa in the Degé). The Sanskrit animiṣa means “a steadfast, unblinking gaze,” and by extension “vigilance.”
The Sanskrit is practically identical with the explanation of the previous samādhi. The Tibetan has translated jñāna as ye shes in the former and as shes pa in the latter.
According to the Tibetan mi zad, which probably translates akṣayatvaṃ. The Sanskrit has alakṣaṇatvaṃ, “characteristiclessness,” whereas the Chinese translations suggest akṣaṇatvaṃ (“momentary-lessness”).
The Sanskrit has kāravihārakriyāṃ karoti (“one performs the action of dwelling in activity”).
The Sanskrit ketu reveals the Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, Choné, and Stok Kangyurs to be correct in having rtog, while the Degé has rtogs (“realization”).
According to the Tibetan.
According to the Tibetan yi ge ma mnyam pa nyid, which appears to be a translation of asamākṣaratā. The Sanskrit reads asamārakṛtām, while the Chinese appears to have translated from andhakāra (“darkness”).
According to the Tibetan.
This follows the Tibetan, with which the Chinese agrees. The extant Sanskrit reads araṇena samadhinā (“through the samādhi that lacks affliction”).
According to the Tibetan, translating from asaṅgatā (“without attachment” or alternatively “without impediment”). The present Sanskrit has saṃgatā (“conjoined [with space]”).
According to the Tibetan yid byung. However, the Sanskrit has “lifelessness.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “limitless mind,” with which the Chinese agrees.
According to sems nyid in the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, Lhasa, and Stok Palace versions. This aligns with the attested Sanskrit ºcittatā. The Degé has mtshan nyid (“characteristics”).
According to the Tibetan.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “five hundred yojanas.”
According to the syntax of the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has kecinnara.
According to the Tibetan that separates it from the preceding sentence, which would otherwise have “except for eight worthy beings” as its conclusion, which does not appear to make sense. There are only six worthy beings described below.
The Chinese translations preserve the name of this tathāgata, which appears to have been lost from the Sanskrit manuscripts by the time of the Tibetan translation. Yamada (1967: 1:107) reconstructs it as Śataguṇa, “Having a Hundred Qualities,” from one Chinese manuscript, while another Chinese manuscript has only Śata.
The previous five buddha realms mentioned were in the east, west, south, north, and above, and therefore the implication will be that this is in the sixth direction—below.
These are the bodhisattvas Saṃrocana and Prahasitabāhu, who have not been previously mentioned in the sūtra but are now revealed to be present in this assembly.
The syntax of the verses has been translated according to the Sanskrit for clearer meaning.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has nāgānaradevayakṣā ye devatā, “you divinities–nāgas, humans, devas, and yakṣas…”.
The four oceans are the oceans in the middle of which each of the four continents are situated.
Here the ministers say deva, which literally means “deity” but was used in Sanskrit to address the king. It was translated literally into Tibetan as lha.
According to the Tibetan lo tog and the Sanskrit śasyā. Yamada (1967: 1:373) has emended this to śaṣpā, “grasses.”
According to the Sanskrit ojavatīpṛthivī. The Tibetan applies the adjective to the harvests.
This passage in both the Tibetan and Sanskrit presents interpretive problems. Though the general meaning is clear, the syntax is ambiguous in places, leaving the precise meaning elusive. Specifically, while the context and syntax suggest that the term viḍacarakamūrdhani is the name of a place, it is not entirely implausible that it refers to the title of a specific treatise. This is how Yamada (1967, p. 111) seems to interpret it. As is clearer in the following paragraph, however, it is most likely a toponym. Whether it refers to a text or a place, the setting and terminology is significant. The term caraka (spyod pa) is also the name of the compiler of the eponymous classic work on Āyurveda, the Carakasaṃhitā. Additionally, the Carakasaṃhiṭā describes its own transmission as originating among a gathering of ṛṣis and devas in the Himalaya following a request to Indra (Śakra). The Carakasaṃhitā is, like the śāstra described in this passage, a work concerned with the treatment of disease and humoral imbalance, as well as the prevention and alleviation of afflictions cause by bhūtas and other supernatural beings.
Following the Sanskrit glānapratyayopakaraṇārtham. The term glānapratyaya, “medical treatments,” refers to the fourth of the “four requisites” (pariṣkara; yo byad), the personal possessions a monastic is permitted to keep according to the rules of the early Buddhist saṅgha. The other three are: robes, alms bowl, and a bed/seat.
Following the Sanskrit devaṛṣiyakṣasaṅghāḥ. The Tibetan parses this compound to mean, “the deva ṛṣis and yakṣas.”
According to the Sanskrit pratyavarakāla. The Tibetan interprets this as “at a bad time” (dus ngan pa'i tshe).
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has vicitradoṣa here and the third time the realm is mentioned. However, the second time it agrees with the Tibetan, having Vijitaghoṣa.
According to the Sanskrit and the fourth-century Chinese. The Tibetan is dga’ ba (“Joy”). Later in the Sanskrit text it is called Rūḍhavaḍa.
According to the Sanskrit hiraṇyasuvarṇa, translated into Tibetan as dbyigs dang gser.
According to the Tibetan gter ston byed pa. The early fifth-century Dharmakṣema Chinese translation also has this as a descriptive phrase. The Sanskrit has “nāga king named Nidhidarśaka” (lit. “Treasure Revealer”). Later in the Sanskrit his name is given as Nidhisaṃdarśana, which has the same meaning. The fourth-century Chinese also has this as his name, and therefore this could have been the original form.
Here the Sanskrit has Vijitaghoṣa, unlike the earlier Vicitradoṣa.
Literally, ten million times a hundred thousand million times a hundred thousand.
Literally “The One Who Gives Away Everything.” The Tibetan has thams cad sbyin pa.
The last part of the sentence, “if he does not give…,” is also in the Chinese. It was therefore in early Sanskrit manuscripts, but it is absent in the extant Sanskrit.
Skt. pratyaṅga; Tib. nying lag. This refers to the nose, fingers, toes, ears, and so on.
This means “the five clairvoyances.”
According to the Sanskrit. Earlier referred to in Tibetan as Vaḍa. The Tibetan here has shing pa ta skye ba, whereas earlier it had dga’ ba; the Sanskrit they were translated from is uncertain. The fourth-century Chinese has ti li as before. See n.431.
According to the Tibetan; “or the Buddhayāna” is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “beings.”
According to the Sanskrit.
According to the Tibetan nyi gdugs snying po. The Sanskrit has Sūryagarbha, which was already given in this list.
According to the Sanskrit and Dharmakṣema’s Chinese translation as ju ji. The Tibetan has nam mkha’.
According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The Sanskrit has Jyotiśrī.
According to the Sanskrit. “Bodhisattva” is absent in the Tibetan.
According to the Tibetan. “Mahāsattvas” is absent in the Sanskrit.
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan, in contradiction with the previous number, multiplies it by another ten million.
According to the syntax of the Sanskrit.
Skt. sughoṣavairocanaketu; Tib. dbyangs snyan rnam par snang byed.
The Tibetan has the phrase “my buddha realm.”
According to the Tibetan. This sentence is not present in the Sanskrit.
Tibetan dbang po mig.
According to the Sanskrit nirīkṣante. The Tibetan translates as nges par rtogs.
According to the Sanskrit. Not present in the Tibetan.
The Tibetan merged the first and second, resulting in only nine aspects.
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit connects these first two qualities.
According to the BHS jñapana; the Tibetan has “examine” (brtags).
This passage is based on the Sanskrit, which the Tibetan interpreted as meaning “the bodhisattvas went to those realms to learn the praises, and so on, and listened to them.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit saṃvejayiṣyati appears to mean “who will frighten or agitate.”
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “today, you must develop the aspiration for irreversibility.”
Bibliography
Selected Versions of The White Lotus of Compassion
’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). 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. 50, pp. 345–736.
’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 112, Degé Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 129a–297a.
’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Lhasa 119, Lhasa (lha sa) Kangyur vol. 52 (mdo sde, cha), folios 209b–474b.
’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Sheldrima 76, Sheldrima (shel mkhar bris ma) Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1b–243b.
’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Stok 45, Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1a–243b.
’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Urga 112, Urga Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 128a–296a.
Kangyur and Tengyur Texts
bcom ldan ’das kyi ye shes rgyas pa’i mdo sde rin po che mtha’ yas pa mthar phyin pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Niṣṭhāgatabhagavajjñānavaipulyasūtraratnānantanāmamahāyāna-sūtra). Toh 99, Degé Kangyur vol. 47 (mdo sde, ga), folios 1b–275b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee, 2019.
bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Sukhāvatīvyūhanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 115, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 195b–200a. English translation in Sakya Pandita Translation Group, 2011.
dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Saddharmapuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 113, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1b–180b. English translation in Roberts 2022.
kun nas sgo’i le’u zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Samantamukhaparivartanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 54, Degé Kangyur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, kha), folios 184a–195b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee, 2020.
nam mkha’i mdzod kyis zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Gaganagañjaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 148, Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 243a–330b.
shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭāsāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā). Toh 12, Degé Kangyur vol. 33 (sher phyin brgyad stong pa, ka), folios 1b–286b.
snying rje chen po’i pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Mahākaruṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 111, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, cha), folios 56a–128b.
za ma tog bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karaṇḍavyūhanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 116, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 200a–247b. English translation in Roberts 2013.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan [/lhan] dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 207 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294b–310a.
Secondary Literature
Davids, T.W. Rhys & William Stede. The Pali Text’s Society’s Pali–English Dictionary. London: Pali Text Society, 1921–25.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Exposition on the Universal Gateway (Toh 54). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2019.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Precious Discourse on the Blessed One’s Extensive Wisdom That Leads to Infinite Certainty (Toh 99). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2019.
Dīpaṃkarajñāna. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba (Ratnakaraṇḍodghāṭanāmamadhyamakopadeśa). Toh 3930, Degé Tengyur vol. 212 (dbu ma, ki), folios 96b1–116b7.
Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary (2 vols). New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953.
Galloway, Brian. “Thus Have I Heard: At one time…” Indo-Iranian Journal 34, no. 2 (April 1991): 87–104.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Wien: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Jaini, Padmanabh S. “Stages in the Bodhisattva Career of the Tathāgata Maitreya,” in Sponberg and Hardacre (eds.), Maitreya, the Future Buddha, pp 54-90. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Reprinted with additional material in Jaini, Padmanabh S. Collected Papers on Buddhist Studies, ch. 26. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2001.
Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgītiṭīkā). Toh 2534, Degé Tengyur vol. 63 (rgyud, khu), folios 115b–301a7.
Mipham (Ju Mipham Gyatso, ’ju mi pham rgya mtsho). thub chog byin rlabs gter mdzod kyi rgyab chos pad+ma dkar po. In gsung ’bum/ mi pham rgya mtsho. Degé: sde dge spar khang, 195?. BDRC: WA4PD506.
Roberts, Peter Alan. trans. The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Toh 113). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
Roberts, Peter Alan. and Tulku Yeshi, trans. The Basket’s Display (Toh 116). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2013.
Sakya Pandita Translation Group, trans. The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī (Toh 115). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2011.
Salomon, Richard. The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra: An Introduction with Selected Translations. Classics of Indian Buddhism series. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2018.
Yamada, Isshi. Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka (vols. 1 & 2). London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 1967.
Other Resources
Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies, Universität Wien.