The White Lotus of the Good Dharma
Glossary

The highest of the three paradises that are the second dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

A shorter form of the name of Buddha Mahābhijñā­jñānābhi­bhū.

A short form of Sāgara­vara­dhara­buddhi­vikrīḍitābhijña, the name that Ānanda will have when he is a buddha.

The realm of Buddha Akṣobhya in the east.

An eon in the future.

The absence of any conceptual goal that one is focused upon achieving, knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering. One of the three doorways to liberation.

The absence of the conceptual identification of perceptions. Knowing that the true nature has no attributes, such as color, shape, etc. One of the three doorways to liberation.

A rākṣasī known only from this sūtra.

A spiritual teacher, meaning one who knows the conduct or practice (caryā) to be performed. It can also be a title for a scholar, though that is not the context in this sūtra.

One of the nine aspects of the Dharma according to this sūtra. More commonly there are said to be twelve that include these nine.

A Mahābrahmā in the southeast.

The name of the eon in which Śāriputra will become a buddha.

The resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria and Gyirnops evergreen trees in India and southeast Asia.

Vimāna, translated here as “airborne palace,” can mean a divine chariot or palace, or a combination of the two, as in this translation. These flying palaces of the deities are well known in Indian mythology. Burnouf translates as “chariots”; Kern has “aerial cars.”

A king of Magadha, the son of King Bimbisāra and Queen Vaidehī. He reigned during the last ten years of the Buddha’s life and about twenty years after. He overthrew his father and through invasion expanded the kingdom of Magadha. According to the Buddhist tradition he was murdered by his own son Udayabhadra.

The other name of Maitreya, the bodhisattva who became Śākyamuni’s regent and is prophesied to be the next buddha, the fifth buddha in the fortunate eon. In early Buddhism he appears as the human disciple Maitreya Tiṣya, sent to pay his respects by his teacher. The Buddha gives him the gift of a robe and prophesies he will be the next buddha, while his companion Ajita will be the next cakravartin. As a bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna he has both these names.

See “Kauṇḍinya.”

The highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm. Within the form realm is the highest of the eight paradises of the fourth dhyāna. Within the fourth dhyāna is the highest of the five Śuddhāvāsika (“pure abode”) paradises.

A buddha in the southern direction.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Lit. “Not Disturbed” or “Immovable One.” The buddha in the eastern realm of Abhirati. A well-known buddha in Mahāyāna, regarded in the higher tantras as the head of one of the five buddha families, the vajra family in the east.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.

Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

The Buddha in the western realm of Sukhāvatī. Later and presently better known by his alternative name Amitābha. Not to be confused with the buddha of long life, Aparimitāyus, whose name has been incorrectly back-translated into Sanskrit as Amitāyus also.

One of “the sixteen excellent men.”

The divine nectar that prevents death, often used metaphorically for the Dharma.

Short form of Mahābhijñā­jñānābhi­bhū.

Buddha Sākyamuni’s cousin, who was his attendant for the last twenty years of his life. He was the subject of criticism and opposition from the monastic community after the Buddha’s passing, but eventually succeeded to the position of the patriarch of Buddhism in India after the passing of the first patriarch, Mahākāśyapa.

One of the four principal bodhisattvas who emerged from the ground at the time of the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra.

A prince in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

The realm of Ānanda when he becomes a buddha as given in the prose. (An­avana­tā Dhvaja­vaijayantī in the verse.)

The realm of Ānanda when he becomes a buddha, as given in the verse. (An­avanāmita­vaijayantī in the prose.)

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A nāga king whose domain is Lake Anavatapta. According to Buddhist cosmology, this lake is located near Mount Sumeru and is the source of the four great rivers of Jambudvīpa. It is often identified with Lake Manasarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

The Buddha’s cousin, and one of his ten principal pupils. Renowned for his clairvoyance.

One of “the sixteen excellent men.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings believed to cause epilepsy, fits, and loss of memory. As their name suggests‍—the Skt. apasmāra literally means “without memory” and the Tib. brjed byed means “causing forgetfulness”‍—they are defined by the condition they cause in affected humans, and the term can refer to any nonhuman being that causes such conditions, whether a bhūta, a piśāca, or other.

Popular figures in Indian culture, they are said to be goddesses of the clouds and water.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Generally has the common meaning of a noble person, one of a higher class or caste. In Dharma terms it means one who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason.

The designation of a measure of time on the scale of eons, literally meaning “incalculable.” The number of years in such an eon differs in various sūtras that give a number. Also, twenty intermediate eons are said to be one incalculable eon, and four incalculable eons are one great eon. In that case those four incalculable eons represent the eons of the creation, presence, destruction, and absence of a world. Buddhas are often described as appearing in a second incalculable eon.

Fourth-century Indian founder of the Yogācāra tradition.

The seven aspects of enlightenment are: mindfulness, analysis of phenomena, diligence, joy, tranquility, samādhi, and equanimity.

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).

The son of one of the seven brahmins who predicted that Śākyamuni would become a great king. He was one of the five companions with Śākyamuni in the beginning of his spiritual path, abandoning him when he gave up asceticism, but then becoming one of his first five pupils after his buddhahood. He was the last of the five to attain the realization of a “stream entrant” and became an arhat on hearing the Sūtra on the Characteristics of Selflessness (An­ātma­lakṣaṇa­sūtra), which was not translated into Tibetan. Aśvajit was the one who converted Śariputra and Maudgalyāyana into becoming followers of the Buddha.

A deity in the retinue of Śakra.

“Attainment of Light,” the world in which Kāśyapa will become a buddha.

Also called red avadavats, strawberry finches, and kalaviṅka sparrows. Dictionaries have erroneously identified them as cuckoos, and kalaviṅka birds outside India have evolved into a mythical half human bird. The avadavat is a significant bird in the Ganges plain and renowned for its beautiful song.

First appeared as a bodhisattva beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvati Sūtra. The name has been variously interpreted. In “The lord of Avalokita,” Avalokita has been interpreted as “seeing,” although, as a past passive participle, it is literally “lord of what has been seen.” One of the principal sūtras in the Mahāsāṃghika tradition was the Avalokita Sūtra, which has not been translated into Tibetan, in which the word is a synonym for enlightenment, as it is “that which has been seen” by the buddhas. In the early tantras, he was one of the lords of the three families, as the embodiment of the compassion of the buddhas. The Potalaka Mountain in southern India became important in southern Indian Buddhism as his residence in this world, but Potalaka does not yet feature in the Kāraṇḍa­vyūha Sūtra, which emphasized the premeninence of Avalokiteśvara above all buddhas and bodhisattvas and introduced the mantra oṁ maṇi­padme hūṁ.

The lowest hell, the eighth of the eight hot hells.

The twelve bases of sensory perception: the six sensory faculties (eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body, and mind), which form in the womb and eventually have contact with the six external bases of sensory perception: form, smell, sound, taste, touch, and mental phenomena.

From a wealthy brahmin family, Bakkula is said to have become a monk at the age of eighty and lived to be a hundred and sixty! He is also said to have had two families, because as a baby he was swallowed by a large fish and the family who discovered him alive in the fish’s stomach also claimed him as their child. The Buddha’s foremost pupil in terms of health and longevity. It is also said he could remember many previous lifetimes and was a pupil of the previous buddhas Padmottara, Vipaśyin, and Kāśyapa.

A cakravartin is a king who rules over at least one continent, and gains his territory by the rolling of his magic wheel over the land. Therefore he is called a “king with the revolving wheel.” This is as the result of the merit he has accumulated in previous lifetimes. A bala­cakra­vartin king is a lesser kind of cakravartin who has attained his dominion through his great might and his powerful army.

Bali wrested control of the world from the devas, establishing a period of peace and prosperity with no caste distinction. Indra requested Viṣṇu to use his wiles so that the devas could gain the world back from him. He appeared as a dwarf asking for two steps of ground, was offered three and then traversed the world in two steps. Bali, keeping faithful to his promise, accepted the banishment of the asuras into the underworld. A great Bali festival in his honor is held annually in southern India. In The Basket Display (Kāraṇḍa­vyūha Sūtra, Toh 116), he is described as abusing his power by imprisoning the kṣatriyas, so that Viṣṇu has just cause to banish him to the underworld.

A Middle Indic word derived from the Sanskrit bhadanta. Meaning “venerable one” it is a term of respectful title for Buddhist monks.

Ocimum basilicum. Commonly known in India as tulsi. A sacred plant in the Hindu tradition.

Cinnamomum tamala, which is specifically the Indian bay leaf. Called tamalpatra in Marathi, and tejpatta in Hindi. The Sanskrit and Marathi means “dark-tree leaves.” Also called Malabar leaves, after the name of the northern area of present-day Kerala in southwest India.

Also called gum benzoin and gum benjamin. Not to be confused with the unrelated chemical called benzoin. It is the resin of styrax trees.

Although this has often been translated as lapis lazuli, the descriptions and references in the literature, both Sanskrit and Tibetan, match beryl. The Pāli form is veḷuriya. The Prākrit form verulia is the source for the English beryl. This normally refers to the blue or aquamarine beryl, but there are also white, yellow, and green beryls, though green beryl is called “emerald.”

The world realm where Yaśodharā will become a buddha.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

One of the five companions of Śākyamuni in asceticism, who abandoned him when he renounced asceticism. Later they became the Buddha’s first five pupils, with Bhadrika the second of them to become his follower.

“One who has bhaga,” which has many diverse meanings, including good fortune, happiness, and majesty. In the Buddhist context, it means one who has the good fortune of attaining enlightenment.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

One of the principal śrāvaka pupils of Śākyamuni. It is said that his previous lives had been in hells and then as a human he had only stones to eat because of his mistreatment of his mother in one lifetime.

The name of a long enduring family in the distant past in which twenty thousand buddhas appeared.

A conical or bowl-shaped kettledrum, with an upper surface that is beaten with sticks.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term bhikṣuṇī, often translated as “nun,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term bhikṣu (to which the female grammatical ending ṇī is added) literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist nuns and monks‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a bhikṣuṇī follows 364 rules and a bhikṣu follows 253 rules as part of their moral discipline.

For the first few years of the Buddha’s teachings in India, there was no ordination for women. It started at the persistent request and display of determination of Mahāprajāpatī, the Buddha’s stepmother and aunt, together with five hundred former wives of men of Kapilavastu, who had themselves become monks. Mahāprajāpatī is thus considered to be the founder of the nun’s order.

The names of millions of buddhas within one eon in the distant past, and also the name of a particular buddha in chapter 19.

A ghost in the Indian tradition, sometimes haunting houses where they were killed. They can appear in human or animal form. They cast no shadow and their feet are always backward. In Hindi they are called bhoot.

Bignonia suaveolens. The Indian species of bignonia. They have trumpet-shaped flowers and the small trees are common throughout India.

Momordica monadelpha. A perennial climbing plant, the fruit of which is a bright red gourd. Because of its color it is frequently used in poetry as a simile for lips.

Nymphaea caerulea. The “blue lotus” is actually a lily, so it is also known as the blue water lily.

The exact place where every buddha in this world will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. The spot beneath the Bodhi tree in the village presently known as Bodhgaya. Literally “the essence of enlightenment.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

The way or vehicle of the bodhisattvas.

The personification of the universal force of Brahman, the deity in the form realm, who was during the Buddha’s time considered the supreme deity and creator of the universe. In the cosmogony of many universes, each with a thousand million worlds, there are many Brahmās.

A buddha in the southwestern direction.

The devas who live in the paradise of Brahmā.

Brahmā’s paradise. The lowest of the three paradises that form the paradises of the first dhyāna in the form realm. Also refers to the devas who live there.

The four qualities that are said to result in rebirth in the paradise of Brahmā and were a practice already prevalent before Śākyamuni’s teaching: limitless love, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity.

A member of the priestly class or caste from the four social divisions of India.

Literally “long-lived.” A title referring to an ordained monk.

Literally “Awakened One” in Sanskrit, the Tibetan translation interprets this as one who is “purified and perfected.”

According to the Lotus Sūtra the one true way to buddhahood, equivalent to the Mahāyāna, which is the only teaching given by buddhas who do not live in a degenerate eon.

A shrine. The word is often used interchangably with stūpa but can be used more widely for various kinds of simple shrines such as those for sacred trees.

In Buddhist cosmology this mountain range forms an outer ring at the edge of the flat disk that is the world. These mountains prevent the ocean from overflowing. In other contexts this name can refer to the entire disk of the world, the paradises above it, or, as in the Kṣiti­garbha Sūtra, to a mountain that contains the hells, also known as the Vaḍaba submarine mountain of fire.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.

Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

The lowest of the untouchables in the social system of ancient India.

The god of the moon; the moon personified.

The famed seventh-century Indian Buddhist master known most for his Madhyamaka treatises commenting on the works of the second- to third-century master Nāgārjuna. In Tibet, where Candrakīrti’s exegetical writings form the foundation for the study of Indian Madhyamaka thought, he is celebrated as a proponent of the Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka approach in particular.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

This stone is not a type of beryl in spite of its name. The Tibetan has adopted the Prakrit form of its name: ke ke ru. It is the third hardest gemstone. It comes in three main varieties: the eponymous yellow or green chrysoberyl; cat’s eye (cymophane), which is light green or yellow with a band of light, resembling a cat’s eye; and the third form, alexandrite, which can change color from red to green to yellow according to the light. All three kinds have been mined since ancient times, in Sri Lanka in particular.

Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegate. Mandarava, flame tree, tiger’s claw. In the summer it is covered in large crimson flowers, which are believed to also grow in Indra’s paradise. The coral tree is the most widespread species of Erythrina or māndārava, taller than the others, and all are collectively known as coral trees.

A Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit term.

A pupil of the Buddha who had miraculous powers. Also said to be the younger brother of Śāriputra. There were at least three pupils of the Buddha who had the name Cunda, but in this sūtra it is Mahācunda, “Great Cunda.” Not to be confused with the layperson Cunda, who gave the Buddha his last meal.

A small two-headed drum played with one hand.

A term of Jain origin, meaning “inflows.” It refers to uncontrolled thoughts as a result of being influenced by sensory objects and thus being sullied or defiled. It is also defined as “outflows,” hence the Tibetan zag pa (“leaks”) as the mind is “flowing out” toward the sensory objects.

Cedrus deodara; devadār in Hindi. A cedar tree whose inner wood is aromatic and used for incense. The Sanskrit literally means “divine tree.”

A being in the paradises from the base of Mount Meru upward. Also can refer to a deity in the human world, or can be used as an honorific form of address for kings and other important personages.

A cousin of Śākyamuni, who broke with him and established his own community. His tradition was still continuing during the first millennium ᴄᴇ. He is portrayed as engendering evil schemes against the Buddha and even succeeding in wounding him. He is usually identified with wicked beings in accounts of previous lifetimes, but not in The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, where he is a teacher of the Buddha in a previous lifetime, and the Buddha prophesies his future buddhahood.

The name of Devadatta when he becomes a buddha in the future.

The realm where Devadatta will attain buddhahood.

See “retention.”

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

One of “the sixteen excellent men,” present at the teaching of the sūtra.

A term that predates Buddhism, Dharma/dharmas has a wide range of meanings and usages in Buddhist texts depending on context:

As Dharma, it is the teaching of Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas, preached by their followers, and transmitted in the form of scripture; or, alternatively, it means ultimate reality itself, the referent of the teaching and what is realized through it.

As dharmas, it is variously the different teachings given by Buddha Śākyamuni, other buddhas, and their followers; the trainings enjoined in those teachings; the positive qualities acquired through applying those trainings; mental phenomena in general; or phenomena in general or their characteristics. Often in Buddhist literature there is a play on the multiple interlinked senses of this term.

The upper robe of a Buddhist monk.

Someone who recites the Dharma teachings, either from a text or from memory. In early Buddhism, in particular before the teachings were written down and were transmitted solely orally, a section of the saṅgha would be bhāṇakas, who were the key factor in the preservation of the teachings. Various groups of bhāṇakas specialized in memorizing and reciting a certain set of sūtras or vinaya. Even when the teachings existed in writing, a reciter of Dharma teachings was of great importance within a society that was predominantly illiterate.

One of the four kings of the kinnaras. He is present at the teaching of the sūtra.

A buddha of the distant past.

In distinction to the rūpakāya, or form body of a buddha, this is the eternal, imperceivable realization of a buddha. In origin it was a term for the presence of the Dharma, and has become synonymous with the true nature.

One of the eight sons of Candra­sūrya­pradīpa. Also one of the translators of the Lotus Sūtra into Chinese.

Ninth-century Indian author.

Pūrna Maitrāyaṇī­putra’s name when he becomes a buddha in the distant future.

The six sensory objects, six sensory faculties, and six consciousnesses.

One of the four mahārājas, he is the guardian deity for the east and lord of the gandharvas.

A bodhisattva in the distant future.

Generally one of the synonyms for meditation, referring to a state of mental stability. The specific four dhyānas are four successively subtler states of meditation that are said to lead to rebirth into the corresponding four levels of the form realm, which are composed of seventeen paradises.

A previous buddha who gave Śākyamuni the prophecy of his buddhahood.

One of the four kings of the kinnaras. He is present at the teaching of the sūtra.

The Tibetan word literally means “confidence” or “courage” but it refers to confident speech, to being perfectly eloquent, especially in expressing the Dharma.

One of the nine aspects of the Dharma according to this sūtra. More commonly there are said to be twelve that include these nine. It means “the explanation of details in the teachings” and is synonymous with abhidharma.

The Sanskrit can mean knowledge, realization, waking, blossoming, etc., according to context. The Tibetan translates as “purified and accomplished.”

The Indian concept of an eon of millions of years, sometimes equivalent to the time when a world appears, exists, and disappears. There are also the intermediate eons during the existence of a world, and the longest, which is called asamkhyeya (literally, “incalculable,” even though the number of its years is calculated).

Defined as the ultimate nature of phenomena, and also as the essence of the Dharma. Literally “the element of phenomena, or the Dharma.” This term is also used to mean “the realm of phenomena,” meaning all phenomena.

As an adjective for a sūtra it refers to one of the twelve classes of sūtra teaching, and refers to sūtras of great length.

One of the qualities necessary as a method to attain the enlightenment of a śrāvaka, pratyeka­buddha, or buddha. There are thirty-seven of these: (1–4) mindfulness of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena; (5–8) the intention to not do bad actions that are not done, to give up bad actions that are being done, to do good actions that have not been done, and to increase the good actions that are being done; (9–12) the foundations for miraculous powers: intention, diligence, mind, and analysis; (13–17) five powers: faith, diligence, mindfulness, samādhi, and wisdom; (18–22) five strengths: faith, diligence, mindfulness, samādhi, and wisdom; (23–29) seven aspects of enlightenment: correct mindfulness, correct analysis of phenomena, correct diligence, correct attentiveness, correct samādhi, and correct equanimity; and (30–37) the eightfold noble path: right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and samādhi.

This refers to the four confidences or fearlessnesses of the Buddha: confidence in having attained realization, confidence in having attained elimination, confidence in teaching the Dharma, and confidence in teaching the path of aspiration to liberation.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The eighty secondary physical characteristics of a buddha and of other great beings (mahāpuruṣa), which include such details as the redness of the fingernails and the blackness of the hair. They are considered “minor” in terms of being secondary to the thirty-two major marks or signs of a great being.

Butea monosperma, Butea frondosa, and Erythrina monosperma. A tree that grows up to 15 meters tall and has bright red flowers. Other names include parrot tree, bastard teak, dhak (Hindi), palas (Hindi), porasum (Tamil); and khakda (Gujarati).

The meaning of this term varies according to context; as one of the skandhas, it means “various mental activities.” In terms of the twelve phases of dependent origination it is the second, “formation” or “creation”: activities with karmic results.

Male and female monastics and males and females holding lay vows.

Also called olibanum, this is a resin from trees of the genus Boswellia, in this case Boswellia serrata, “Indian frankincense.” It is also known as salai and śallakī.

A bodhisattva in a distant realm.

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.”

Gardenia gummifera. A white fragrant flower that blooms in the rainy season.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

Bos gaurus, a massive wild ox, also called the Indian bison. The largest extant bovine.

One of the group of five friends who were the second group to become students of the Buddha, and he was one of the ten students of the Buddha who were the first to become arhats.

One of the sacred towns of ancient India, south of the Ganges in present-day Bihar. In the Buddha’s lifetime, this was in the kingdom of Magadha. Uruvilvā, the area including Bodhgaya where the Buddha attained enlightenment, is nearby to the south, upriver from Gayā.

The brother of Nadīkāśyapa and Uru­vilvā­kāśyapa. A practitioner of fire offering at Uruvilvā (Bodhgaya), he and his two hundred pupils were converted to becoming bhikṣus of the Buddha. He and his brothers and their pupils were the third group to become followers of the Buddha after his enlightenment.

A prince in the distant past.

One of “the sixteen excellent men.”

Attendants of Kubera, the god of wealth, and the guardians of his treasures. They live in the Himalayas at the source of the Ganges on the mountain that has been identified with Kailash.

A rākṣasī with hundreds of children that the Buddha converted into a protector of children. There is a temple specifically for her in Kathmandu.

An epithet for Avalokiteśvara.

There are six kinds of higher knowledge: divine sight, divine hearing, knowing how to manifest miracles, remembering previous lives, knowing what is in the minds of others, and knowing that all defects have been eliminated. Sometimes listed as five, without the sixth.

Literally “the lesser way” or “lesser vehicle.” It is a collective term for the śrāvakayāna and pratyeka­buddha­yāna, which have nirvāṇa instead of buddhahood as their goal.

Accounts of the lives of past buddhas and bodhisattvas. Literally “thus it has happened.” One of the nine aspects of the Dharma according to this sūtra. More commonly there are said to be twelve that include these nine.

One of “the sixteen excellent men.”

A buddha in the southwestern direction.

One of the most frequently used names for Śiva. A deity of the jungles, named Rudra in the Vedas, he rose to prominence in the Purāṇic literature at the beginning of the first millennium. Often synonymous with Maheśvara, though sometimes presented as separate deities.

A buddha in the distant past. Also the name of a prince in the distant past.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

See “Jāmbūnada­prabhāsa.”

Mahākātyāyana’s name when he becomes a buddha in the distant future. Also rendered in Sanskrit in a shorter form as “Jāmbūnadābhāsa,” (Tibetan remains the same).

An Indian master, whose precise dates are unknown, and who wrote a commentary on the Entry into Laṅka Sūtra.

Jasminum sambac. Erroneously called “Arabian jasmine.”

One of the synonyms for buddha. Literally, “victor” but only used for founders of religious traditions.

The eldest son of Buddha Mahābhijñā­jñānābhi­bhū.

A deva in Brahmā’s paradise.

The son of Anāthapiṇḍada (Pali: Anāthapindika), the merchant who donated to the Buddha the land for the Jetavana Monastery.

The Kāla Mountains of Bhāratvarṣa (i.e., India) are listed in the Mahābhārata as the mountain ranges Vindhya (separating the Deccan from north India), Mahendra (the eastern Ghats), Malaya (southern half of the Western Ghats), Sahya (the northern half of the Western Ghats), Rakṣavat (northeast extension of the Vindhya), Pāripātra, and the Sūktimat (or Śuktimat), which is presumably another name for the one remaining significant mountain range, the Arbuda in the northwest.

The pupil of the Buddha who is said to be foremost in inspiring faith among laypeople.

The Sanskrit can mean “good friend” or “beneficial friend.” The Tibetan can mean “virtuous friend” or “friend of virtue.” A title for a teacher of the spiritual path.

A buddha in a realm far away in the eastern direction.

See “Kapilavastu.”

The hometown of Śākyamuni Buddha. There are two sites, one on either side of the present border between Nepal and India, that have been identified as its remains. Also known as “Kapilāhvaya.”

A principal teacher of the monastic saṅgha during the Buddha’s lifetime.

An ancient Indian weight used for gold or silver, which is around 280 grains troy (about 18 grams).

See “Mahākāśyapa.”

See “Mahākātyāyana.”

The court priest in the Buddha’s father’s kingdom, who predicted the Buddha’s enlightenment. He became one of the Buddha’s five companions in asceticism. They renounced him when he abandoned asceticism but after his enlightenment they became his pupils. Kauṇḍinya was the first to convert to being his pupil and was the first of his pupils to become an arhat. Also called “Kauṇḍinyagotra” and “Ājñāta­kauṇḍinya.”

Alternate name for “Kauṇḍinya.” Literally “of the Kauṇḍinya family.”

A rākṣasī known only from this sūtra.

A king of the asuras, present at the teaching of the sūtra.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

Literally “pain,” “torment,” or “affliction.” In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit it literally means “impurity” or “depravity.” In its technical use in Buddhism it means any negative quality in the mind that causes continued existence in saṃsāra. The basic three kleśas are ignorance, attachment, and aversion.

A quarter of a yojana, sometimes called an “Indian league.” It is said to be about two miles. The Tibetan means “an earshot.”

A spirit one can request, by making offerings, to destroy others. Usually female, with this sūtra having the sole instance of a male entity. There are also references to humans who have this power.

The warrior, ruling, or royal class in the four-caste system of India.

Dwarf spirits said to have either large stomachs or huge, pot-sized testicles.

A rākṣasī known only from this sūtra.

A rākṣasī known only from this sūtra.

Distinctive Indian assembly hall or temple with one ground-floor room and a high ornamental roof, sometimes a barrel shape with apses but more usually a tapering roof, tower, or spire, containing at least one additional upper room within the structure. Kūṭāgāra literally means “upper chamber” and is short for kūṭāgāraśala, “hall with an upper chamber or chambers.” The Mahābodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an example of a kūṭāgāra.

A rākṣasī known as such only in this sūtra. She is, however, listed in the tantra The Great Peahen Incantation along with Hārītī as one of ten piśācīs who protected the Buddha while he was in the womb.

This can include any method for liberation. The most common list is of eight liberations: (1) form viewing form, the view of dependent origination and emptiness; (2) the formless viewing form, having seen internal emptiness, seeing the emptiness of external forms; (3) the view of the pleasant, seeing pleasant appearances as empty and contemplating the unpleasant; (4) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of infinite space; (5) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of infinite consciousness; (6) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of nothingness; (7) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of neither perception nor nonperception; (8) seeing the emptiness of the state of cessation.

A synonym for ultimate reality, emptiness, dharmadhātu, and so forth‍—as either an ontological reality or a state of being‍—this compound is typically parsed as the “limit” or “frontier” (koṭi) of “reality” (bhūta), which is intended metaphorically, as it is consistently described, in a play on words, as “without limit” (akoṭi) or “infinite” (atyanta). This compound might also be parsed as the “final” or “true” (bhūta) “conclusion” or “goal” (koṭi), although the majority of cases and the Indian Buddhist commentarial tradition tend to support the former interpretation.

A school of thought that rejected the Vedas and other religious texts and considered only empirical knowledge and inference to be valid. More commonly known in later literature as Cārvāka and in its Anglicized form Charvaka. It preexisted and was contemporary with the early centuries of Buddhism. Its literature no longer exists unless one takes the ninth-century text Tattvopaplava­siṃha by Jayarāśi Bhaṭṭa as associated with that school, which most scholars do not.

Honorific term for a Tibetan translator.

Nelumbo nucifera. True lotus with a central pericarp. The Indian or sacred lotus.

Gandharva king present at the teaching of the sūtra.

Gandharva king present at the teaching of the sūtra.

This ancient kingdom is in what is now southern Bihar, within which the Buddha attained enlightenment. During most of the life of the Buddha it was ruled by King Bimbisara. During the Buddha’s later years it began to expand greatly under the reign of King Ajataśatru. In the third century ᴄᴇ, during the reign of Aśoka, it become an empire that controlled most of India.

Magnolia campaca.

A buddha in the distant past. Also the name of a prince in the distant past.

The personification of the universal force of Brahman, the deity in the form realm who was, during the Buddha’s time, considered the supreme deity and creator of the universe. In the cosmology of many universes, each with a trillion worlds, there are many such Brahmās with individual names.

This appears to refer to the great circles of mountains that enclose a thousand worlds, each with its own Cakravāla.

One of the four kinnara kings.

One of the Buddha’s principal pupils, who became the Buddha’s successor on his passing. Also rendered here as “Kāśyapa.”

One of the ten principal pupils of the Buddha. He was renowned for his ability to understand the Buddha’s teachings. Also rendered as “Kātyāyana.”

Foremost among the Buddha’s pupils in analytic reasoning.

One of the garuḍa kings present at the teaching of the sūtra.

The cakravartin king who was the father of Buddha Mahābhijñā­jñānābhi­bhū.

One of the two principal pupils of the Buddha, along with Śariputra. He was renowned for miraculous powers. He was assassinated during the Buddha’s lifetime.

See Mucilinda.

One of the five companions of Śākyamuni in asceticism and later one of his first five pupils, attaining the state of a stream entrant after three days, the fourth to attain that realization. He attained the state of an arhat on hearing the Sūtra on the Characteristics of Selflessness. Not to be confused with the cousin of the Buddha, who had the same name, and was a significant lay follower and patron.

See “Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī.”

The Buddha’s mother’s sister and his step-mother. She was the mother of Nanda. She became the first bhikṣuṇī after the death of the Buddha’s father. Gautamī is the family name, the female equivalent to Gautama. The family line is said to descend from the Gautama who was one of the seven rishis that established the religion and culture of India. His sūtra specifies that a renunciant should be called a bhikṣu, have a shaved head, and wear yellow robes. Also rendered here simply as “Mahāprajāpatī.”

A bodhisattva who appears mainly in chapters 11 and 12 of this sūtra. In the Chinese version, like other bodhisattvas who appear in the second half of the sūtra, considered to be of a later date than the first half, he is not in the initial list of bodhisattvas given in the first chapter.

One of the four garuḍa kings, present at the teaching of the sūtra.

Four deities on the base of Mount Meru, each one the guardian of his direction: Vaiśravaṇa in the north, Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the east, Virūpākṣa in the west, and Virūḍhaka in the south.

One of the four garuḍa kings, present at the teaching of the sūtra.

“Great Form.” The name of a past eon.

A world realm in the distant past.

One of the early schools of Buddhism, within which views such as the transcendence of the Buddha formed the basis for the rise of Mahāyāna.

Literally “great being.” An epithet for a bodhisattva of great accomplishment.

An epithet for the Buddha’s principal students who had attained the goal of the path.

One of the two principal bodhisattvas in Sukhāvatī and prominent in Chinese Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism he is identified with Vajrapāṇi.

One of the four garuḍa kings, present at the teaching of the sūtra.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

Literally “Great Array” or “Great Display.” The name of a future eon.

One of the most frequently used names for Śiva. A deity of the jungles, named Rudra in the Vedas, he rose to prominence in the Purāṇic literature at the beginning of the first millennium. Often synonymous with Īśvara, but sometimes presented as a separate deity.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

The bodhisattva who became Śākyamuni’s regent and is prophesied to be the next buddha, the fifth buddha in the fortunate eon. In early Buddhism he appears as the human disciple Maitreya Tiṣya, sent to pay his respects by his teacher. The Buddha gives him the gift of a robe and prophesies he will be the next Buddha, while his companion Ajita will be the next cakravartin. As a bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna, he has both these names.

A fabled sea monster, the front part of which is a mammal. It is said to be the largest animal in the world, with the strongest bite. Its head is said to be a combination of the features of an elephant, a crocodile, and a boar. The name is also applied to the dugong, the crocodile (in particular the Mugger crocodile, whose name is even derived from makara), and the dolphin, particularly the Ganges dolphin, because the Ganges goddess is said to ride on a makara.

A rākṣasī known only from this sūtra.

A rākṣasī known only from this sūtra.

One of the eight great nāga kings.

See “Mañjusvara.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

In this text:

Also called here “Mañjusvara” and “Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.”

The bodhisattva who is considered the embodiment of wisdom, with the additional honorific title for a young man. Also rendered here as “Mañjusvara” and “Mañjuśrī.”

Meaning “gentle or beautiful voice,” this is an alternative name for Mañjuśrī. It is synonymous with Mañjughoṣa, which is also translated into Tibetan as ’jam dbyangs. See also “Mañjuśrī.”

The realm in which Mahā­maudgalyāyana will become a buddha in the distant future.

Gandharva king present at the teaching of the sūtra.

Literally “The Resounding of Beautiful Sounds.” It is the name of the future eon in which Ānanda will attain buddhahood.

Gandharva king present at the teaching of the sūtra. Also present at the teaching of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra (Toh 116).

Literally “an instrument of thought,” it is usually a brief verbal formula used in multiple repetitions, usually beginning with oṁ and in essence a salutation to a particular deity.

(1) A deva, sometimes said to be the principal deity in Paranirmitavaśavartin, the highest paradise in the desire realm; also one of the names of the god of desire, Kāma in the Vedic tradition. He is portrayed as attempting to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment. In early soteriological religions, the principal deity in saṃsāra, such as Indra, would attempt to prevent anyone’s realization that would lead to such a liberation.

(2) The devas ruled over by Māra, and assisting his attempts to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment; they do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra. More generally, they are symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent enlightenment. These four personifications are: Devaputra-māra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the Divine Māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; Mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the Māra of Death; Skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the Māra of the Aggregates, which is the body; and Kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the Māra of the Afflictions.

The deities ruled over by Māra. This can also mean the devas in his paradise, which is sometimes identified with the Paranirmitavaśavartin, the highest paradise in the “realm of desire,” which incudes all ordinary samsaric existences.

A general name for the deities in the desire realm, and in other contexts, specifically for a group of storm deities. In translation, the Tibetan does not differentiate the term from the more general deva.

A resin from the mastic tree (Pistaci lentsicus), mainly cultivated from Greece to Persia, but was used in ancient India. Sanskrit dictionaries have conflated this with frankincense.

A prince in the distant past.

“Of the family of Mudgala.” Alternative name for Maudgalyāyana (descendant of Mudgala). One of the two principal pupils of the Buddha.

A buddha in the distant past. Also the name of a prince in the distant past.

A buddha in the northern direction.

A buddha in the northern direction. Also the name of millions of buddhas in the distant past.

Early Mahāyāna sūtras identify this as separate from Sumeru, the mountain at the center of the world. This refers to a legendary mountain in such epics as the Mahābhārata, which, while sacred, is not situated in the world’s center. This is presumably identical to the Mount Meru that is the source of one of the two main tributaries of the Ganges and lies within the territory of India.

A buddha in the northwestern direction.

A buddha who resides in the eastern direction.

Generosity, pleasant speech, beneficial conduct, and conduct that accords with the wishes of disciples.

This appears to be another name for the cloak called saṃkakṣikā. It is listed as one of the extra two robes for a bhikṣuni, which covers the body, but in the Sarvāstivādavinaya, it is mentioned only twice, and both times in relation to bhikṣus. The Buddha says bhikṣus should cover their bodies with this cloak so their chest is not visible when they go on alms rounds in villages. The two Tibetan spelling variants mean either “sweat robe” or “dust robe.”

A kettledrum played horizontally, wider in the middle, with the skin at both ends played with the hands. One drumhead is smaller than the other. It is a South Indian drum, and maintains the rhythm in Karnataka music.

An unidentified mountain mentioned in a number of sūtras, not apparently connected to the well-known nāga of that name, but perhaps to the sacred mucilinda tree, known in English mainly as the bayur tree.

An ancient title, derived from the verb man (“to contemplate”), given to someone who has attained the realization of a truth through their own contemplation and not by divine revelation.

The Buddha’s accounts of his own previous lifetimes. One of the nine aspects of the Dharma according to this sūtra. More commonly there are said to be twelve that include these nine.

The brother of Gayākāśyapa and Uru­vilvā­kāśyapa. A practitioner of fire offering at Uruvilvā (Bodhgaya), he and his three hundred pupils were converted to becoming bhikṣus of the Buddha. He and his brothers and their pupils were the third group to become followers of the Buddha after his enlightenment.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching. Known only from this sūtra.

A name for the embryonic phase of an individual’s existence where there is form but the rest of the skandhas or aggregates, which are mental, are undeveloped and have only a nominal presence.

Chief editor of the Tibetan translation of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma and the translation program from the late eighth to early ninth century in Tibet. From the Nanam (sna nam) clan.

The Buddha’s half-brother, who became one of his principal pupils.

One of the eight great nāga kings. Usually paired with the nāga king Upananda.

One of “the sixteen excellent men.”

An alternate name for Viṣṇu (khyab ’jug), which is also used for Brahmā and Kṛṣṇa. The Sanskrit is variously interpreted as “the path of human beings,” and “the son of man.” The Tibetan here is “the son of Nāra,” with Nāra translated as “one without craving.”

Nymphaea pubescens. This night-blossoming water lily, which can be red, pink, or white, is not actually a lotus. It does not have the lotus’s distinctive pericarp. Nevertheless, it is commonly called the “night lotus.” It is also known as “hairy water lily,” because of the hairs on the stem and the underside of the leaves.

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. Presently in Hindi called parijat, pārijāta in Kannada, and so on. It features prominently in Indian legends and is one of the earthly trees that are are said to be in paradise. Some dictionaries equate it with the coral tree (māndārava).

Sanskrit: “extinguishment,” for the causes for saṃsāra are “extinguished”; Tibetan: “the transcendence of suffering.”

A buddha in the southern direction.

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

One who is destined to no longer return to the world; one of the fruits of the Śrāvakayāna.

One who is destined to return to the world for only one more incarnation; one of the fruits of the Śrāvakayāna.

Bauhinia variegata, Phaneria variegata.

An obscure Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit term. Sanskrit equivalent: avastāraka. Translated into Tibetan as “suppressor, one who presses down on someone.” Presumably from avastṛ (“to cover over, as with a blanket”).