The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī
Toh 115
Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 195.b–200.b
- Dānaśīla
- Yeshé Dé (ye shes sde)
Imprint
Translated by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group (International Buddhist Academy Division)
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2011
Current version v 2.20.17 (2025)
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Table of Contents
Summary
In Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, the Buddha Śākyamuni, surrounded by a large audience, presents to his disciple Śāriputra a detailed description of the realm of Sukhāvatī, a delightful, enlightened abode, free of suffering. Its inhabitants are described as mature beings in an environment where everything enhances their spiritual inclinations. The principal buddha of Sukhāvatī is addressed as Amitāyus (Limitless Life) as well as Amitābha (Limitless Light).
The Buddha Śākyamuni further explains how virtuous people who focus single-mindedly on the Buddha Amitābha will obtain a rebirth in Sukhāvatī in their next life, and he urges all to develop faith in this teaching. In support, he cites the similar way in which the various buddhas of the six directions exhort their followers to develop confidence in this teaching on Sukhāvatī.
The sūtra ends with a short dialogue between Śāriputra and the Buddha Śākyamuni that highlights the difficulty of enlightened activity in a degenerate age.
Acknowledgments
Translation by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group, International Buddhist Academy Division, Kathmandu, under the supervision of Khenpo Ngawang Jorden. This sūtra was translated into English by the monk Ngawang Rinchen Gyaltsen, Julia Stenzel, and Tsewang Gyaltsen.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Introduction
Origin and History
The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī is the shortest of three sūtras that expound the Land of Delight, the pure realm of Amitābha, called Sukhāvatī. The Kangyur includes Tibetan translations of two of these texts: this one, often called the “shorter” Sukhāvatī, and the “longer” sūtra, with the formal title The Array of Amitābha (Toh 49 in the Heap of Jewels section).1 The third, The Amitāyus Meditation Sūtra,2 is only extant in Chinese.
The shorter sūtra, according to the Sanskrit scholar Luis Gomez, first appeared in its written form during the first century ᴄᴇ, possibly in what was then Northwest India and is now Pakistan.3
Source Text and Various Versions
A Sanskrit version of the smaller Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī is extant today, as well as Tibetan and Chinese translations. All the translations show some variation from the Sanskrit source in content and style, which can be attributed in part to cultural and geographic conditions in Tibet and China.4 The translations have become more influential than the original itself, for which we presently lack any contextual information.
There are several Chinese translations of this sūtra, dating from between 240 and 400 ᴄᴇ, but only one Tibetan version, translated in the eighth or ninth century. The Chinese versions of the sūtra spread through China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and played an important role in the formation of the Pure Land schools in these countries. These versions appear to embellish the description of the wonders of the realm of Sukhāvatī,5 whereas the Tibetan version is more subdued and shows its main variations from the Sanskrit original in the names and the number of buddhas presiding over the different buddha realms. The various editions in the Tibetan canon, i.e., the Degé, Narthang, Peking, and Lhasa editions, show no major differences that would alter any meaning.
For the present translation, we have followed the Tibetan text, while comparing it with the Sanskrit original. Concerning the enumeration of names of the buddhas presiding over the various buddha realms, we have retained their original Sanskrit names, unless the Tibetan text had names without a known Sanskrit equivalent, in which case we chose to translate those names into English. The differences are further commented on in notes.
The Tibetan version of the smaller Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī was translated by the Indian preceptor Dānaśīla and the chief editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, as indicated in the colophon.
Main Points of the Subject Matter
The sūtra’s overall subject is revealed in the title. The Sanskrit term sukhāvatī, in Tibetan Dewachen (bde ba can), designates a realm of delight, a place where no suffering is experienced. The inhabitants of this realm are spiritually advanced beings who enjoy the presence of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats, and engage exclusively in wholesome activities. The principal buddha of this realm has two names, Amitāyus (Limitless Life) and Amitābha (Limitless Light). Even though it is not explicitly stated in this particular sūtra, Amitāyus is, in Vajrayāna contexts, sometimes considered a sambhogakāya form of Buddha Amitābha.6
The term vyūha (Tib. bkod pa) means “display,” indicating that the sūtra is to a large extent a description of this buddha realm and its characteristics. It is a land with lakes and forests full of jewels, with magical birds, and with little bells producing lovely sounds. Its ideal environment enhances the spiritual practice of Sukhāvatī’s inhabitants.
Four Main Topics
The Setting
The narrative of the sūtra takes place in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, where the Buddha Śākyamuni, in the presence of a large audience consisting of arhats and bodhisattvas, addresses his disciple Śāriputra and tells him about the realm of Sukhāvatī. The sūtra is in large part a discourse spoken by the Buddha. Even though the Buddha regularly asks the question, “Śāriputra, what do you think about this?” Śāriputra speaks only at the very end of the sūtra and praises the Buddha.
The sūtra ends with a short dialogue between Śāriputra and the Buddha Śākyamuni that highlights the difficulty of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s attaining enlightenment and preaching in a degenerate age.
The Significance of Buddha Realms
The notion of innumerable buddha realms coexisting with our reality became popular with the emergence of Mahāyāna Buddhism around the first century ᴄᴇ. They have been interchangeably translated as buddhafields, buddha realms, or pure lands.
In The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, the Land of Delight is described as a realm beyond space and time. The two larger sūtras elaborate on the history of its emergence. According to those sūtras, the Land of Delight is the result of the powerful vows of the Buddha Amitābha, who out of great compassion created a safe environment for fortunate beings to progress toward spiritual maturity. The smaller sūtra, however, refers only to the existence of such a realm and its characteristics.
In this sūtra, the Buddha Śākyamuni explains the manner in which beings take birth in this realm: fortunate sons and daughters are told to accumulate a significant amount of merit and direct their faith single-mindedly toward the Buddha Amitābha.
Śākyamuni’s discourse mentions an alternative title for this sūtra. He explains that there are countless buddha realms with tathāgatas who praise Sukhāvatī with a Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by All Buddhas.”
References to the Sūtra in the Tibetan Canon
The various sūtras of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī have inspired Tibetan masters to write prayers and practice rituals that allow adepts to enter Amitābha’s realm. There are numerous Sukhāvatī-related compositions available in the Tengyur and in different collected works (gsung ’bum).
The Collection of Prayers for Sukhāvatī (bde smon phyogs bsgrigs) is a collection of prayers, practice rituals, and commentaries concerning the pure land of Amitābha. An edition was published in Chengdu in 2007 by Sichuan Minorities Publishing House (Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang).
One of the Tibetan masters who made Sukhāvatī a particular focus of attention was Chagmé Rinpoché (’chags med, 1610–78). He composed The Long Prayer of Sukhāvatī (mkhas grub rā ga a syas mdzad pa’i rnam dag bde chen zhing gi smon lam), among others.
Furthermore, the well-known Noble King of Prayers for Good Conduct (’phags pa bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po), recited by adherents of all Tibetan schools, concludes with the aspiration for rebirth in the pure realm of Sukhāvatī. Praying to be born in the pure realm of Amitābha has become a major practice in Mahāyāna Buddhism.
Academic Research
There appears to have been no translation of the Tibetan Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī prior to the one published here. However, the Sanskrit version of the sūtra was translated into English and edited by Max Müller and Bunyiu Nanjio in Müller and Nanjio (1883).
Luis O. Gomez has published a nonliteral, poetic translation of the Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the smaller and larger sūtras and gives an introduction to the main topics (Gomez 1996). His literal translation of the same sūtras is forthcoming. Hisao Inagaki has translated the three Pure Land sūtras on the basis of their Chinese versions; this translation appears in the BDK English Tripiṭaka Vol. 12, Berkeley, 1995. An earlier translation from the Chinese was published in Utsuki (1924).
Nakamura (1987) presents an historical introduction to the beginnings of Pure Land Buddhism and its textual sources in Indian Buddhism.
Text Body
The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī
The Translation
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, along with a large monastic saṅgha of 1,250 bhikṣus,7 all of them great elders, śrāvakas, and arhats, such as the elder Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Mahākātyāyana,8 Mahākapphiṇa, Mahākauṣṭhila, Revata, Śuddhipaṃthaka, Nanda, Ānanda, Rāhula, Gavāṃpati, Bharadvāja, Kālodāyin, Vakula, and Aniruddha. He dwelt with these and other great śrāvakas and with many bodhisattva mahāsattvas, such as the youthful Mañjuśrī, [F.196.a] the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ajita, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gandhahastin, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Nityodyukta, and the bodhisattva mahāsattva Anikṣiptadhura, along with many other bodhisattva mahāsattvas. He was also accompanied by Śakra, the lord of gods, and Brahmā, the ruler of the Sahā world, along with many myriads9 of gods.
On that occasion, the Bhagavān said to the venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, if you go from this buddha realm past one hundred thousand myriad buddha realms toward the western direction, there is a world known as Sukhāvatī. In that place the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly and fully enlightened buddha known as Amitāyus, dwells, lives, and abides, teaching the Dharma.
“Śāriputra, in the Sukhāvatī world, sentient beings experience neither physical pain nor mental suffering and the causes for their happiness are limitless. For this reason, this world is called Sukhāvatī. Furthermore, Śāriputra, the Sukhāvatī world is surrounded on all sides by seven layers of terraces, seven rows of palm trees, and filigrees of chimes. It is radiantly beautiful. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned with displays of the excellences of buddha realms, such as the four kinds of jewels, namely, gold, silver, beryl, and crystal. Furthermore, Śāriputra, the Sukhāvatī world has ponds adorned with seven kinds of jewels. The ponds are full of water possessing the eight qualities. They are covered by jeweled lotuses, [F.196.b] are filled to the top to enable crows to drink, and are lined with golden sand. All around, on the four sides of the ponds are four radiantly elegant staircases, each made of one of the four precious substances: gold, silver, beryl, and crystal. By the banks of the ponds grow jeweled trees of the seven radiantly beautiful jewels: gold, silver, beryl, crystal, rosy pearls, emerald, and coral. From all those ponds grow lotuses that bloom as large as chariot wheels.
“The golden lotuses have a golden hue, a golden sheen, and manifest as gold. The blue ones have a blue hue, a blue sheen, and manifest as blue. The yellow ones have a yellow hue, a yellow sheen, and manifest as yellow. The red ones have a red hue, a red sheen, and manifest as red. The white ones have a white hue, a white sheen, and manifest as white. The iridescent ones have an iridescent hue, an iridescent sheen, and manifest as iridescence. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms. Furthermore, Śāriputra, in the Sukhāvatī world, the sound of divine cymbals is always heard. The vast ground is magnificent, as if golden in color. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.
“Furthermore, Śāriputra, in that buddha realm a shower of divine flowers, divine mandārava flowers, descends three times every day and three times every night. In a single morning, the sentient beings that are born there proceed from one buddha realm to the next, paying homage to hundreds of thousands of buddhas. They also toss hundreds of thousands of bouquets of flowers toward each tathāgata. After making offerings, they return to that same world for their daily rest. [F.197.a] Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.
“Furthermore, Śāriputra, in the Sukhāvatī world there are swans, cranes, and peacocks that assemble three times during the day and three times at night and perform a concert, each singing its own melody. When they sing, the sounds of the powers, strengths, and branches of enlightenment emerge. Upon hearing those sounds, the sentient beings born there are moved to contemplate the Buddha, to contemplate the Dharma, and to contemplate the Saṅgha. Now what do you think about this, Śāriputra? Have those sentient beings taken birth as animals? You should not think so. Why is that? Śāriputra, in this buddha realm there are not even words for birth as a hell being, birth as an animal, or birth in the world of the Lord of Death. Those flocks of birds were manifested by the Tathāgata Amitāyus himself to voice the sound of Dharma. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.
“Furthermore, Śāriputra, when the wind blows in that buddha realm it sways the rows of palm trees and the filigree net of chimes, creating sweet, enchanting, and delightful sounds, like the myriad subtleties of divine cymbals when played by a skilled musician. The people there, upon hearing those sounds, settle into the recollection of the Buddha, the recollection of the Dharma, and the recollection of the Saṅgha. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.
“Now what do you think, Śāriputra, [F.197.b] why is that tathāgata called ‘Amitāyus’ (Immeasurable Life)? Śāriputra, the lifespan of the Tathāgata Amitāyus is immeasurable. For this reason, he is called ‘Tathāgata Amitāyus.’ Furthermore, Śāriputra, why is that tathāgata called ‘Amitābha’ (Immeasurable Light)? Śāriputra, the light of the Tathāgata Amitābha shines unimpeded throughout all buddha realms. For this reason, he is called ‘Tathāgata Amitābha.’ The Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitābha fully awakened to unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment ten eons ago.
“Furthermore, Śāriputra, this bhagavān has an immeasurable saṅgha of śrāvakas, who are all pure arhats; their number cannot be easily expressed. Furthermore, Śāriputra, the sentient beings born in this buddha realm are all pure bodhisattvas who will not regress and are bound by only one more birth.10 Śāriputra, one cannot express the total number of bodhisattvas except to say that they are immeasurable or countless. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.
“Therefore Śāriputra, sons and daughters of good family should completely dedicate all roots of virtue in a respectful manner to be born in that buddha realm. Why? Because by doing so, they will be able to meet holy beings similar to themselves. Śāriputra, one cannot take birth in the realm of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitāyus merely with minimal roots of virtue.
“Śāriputra, if those sons and daughters of good family hear the name of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitāyus and keep it in mind unwaveringly for one, two, three, four, five, [F.198.a] six, or seven nights, when the hour of their death arrives, they will depart in an undeluded state. After they have passed away, the Tathāgata Amitābha will stand before them, entirely surrounded by a śrāvaka assembly and honored by a congregation of bodhisattvas. These sons and daughters of good family will be born in the Sukhāvatī world, the buddha realm of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitābha. Therefore, Śāriputra, having seen its real point, sons and daughters of good family, I declare, ought to respectfully make prayers to reach that buddha realm.
“O Śāriputra, I, the Tathāgata, at present praise [this Sukhāvatī].11 So, likewise, Śāriputra, in the east, the Tathāgata Akṣobhya, the Tathāgata Merudhvaja, the Tathāgata Meru,12 the Tathāgata Mahāmeru, the Tathāgata Mahāmeruprabhāsa,13 the Tathāgata Harmonious Speech, the Tathāgata Harmonious Voice,14 and the other bhagavān buddhas of the east, who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech15 and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,”16 which praises inconceivable qualities.’
“Likewise, in the south, the bhagavān buddhas of the south, such as the Tathāgata Candrasūryapradīpa, the Tathāgata Renown,17 the Tathāgata Yaśaḥprabha, the Tathāgata Mahārciskandha, [F.198.b] the Tathāgata Merupradīpa, the Tathāgata Anaṃtavīrya, and others, who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’
“Likewise, in the west, the bhagavān buddhas of the west, such as the Tathāgata Amitāyus, the Tathāgata Amitaskandha, the Tathāgata Amitadhvaja, the Tathāgata Mahāprabha, the Tathāgata Illuminating Light Rays,18 the Tathāgata Ratnaketu,19 the Tathāgata Śuddharaśmiprabha, and others, who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’
“Likewise, in the north, the bhagavān buddhas of the north, such as the Tathāgata Mahārciskandha, the Tathāgata Vaiśvānaranirghoṣa, the Tathāgata Duṣpradharṣa, the Tathāgata Ādityasaṃbhava, the Tathāgata Jālinīprabha, the Tathāgata Prabhākara, and others,20 who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, [F.199.a] ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’
“Likewise, in the nadir, the bhagavān buddhas of the nadir, such as the Tathāgata Siṃha, the Tathāgata Yaśas, the Tathāgata Yaśaḥprabhāsa, the Tathāgata Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharmadhara, the Tathāgata Dharmadhvaja, and others, who are numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’
“Likewise, in the zenith, the bhagavān buddhas of the zenith, such as the Tathāgata Brahmaghoṣa, the Tathāgata Nakṣatrarāja, the Tathāgata Gandhottama, the Tathāgata Gandhaprabhāsa, the Tathāgata Heap of Incense,21 the Tathāgata Ratnakusumasaṃpuṣpitagotra, the Tathāgata Sālendrarāja, the Tathāgata Ratnotpalaśrī, the Tathāgata Sarvārthadarśa, the Tathāgata Sumerukalpa, and others22 who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust [F.199.b] in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises Sukhāvatī’s inconceivable qualities.’
“What do you think about this, Śāriputra, why is this Dharma discourse called ‘Complete Embrace by All Buddhas’? Śāriputra, those sons and daughters of good family who have heard, now hear, or will hear this Dharma discourse and the names of those bhagavān buddhas will all be embraced completely by the bhagavān buddhas.23 Śāriputra, of all those sentient beings who aspire—who have made, are making, or will make aspirations—to the Sukhāvatī world, the buddha realm of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitābha, none has turned away, is turning away, or will ever turn away from the pursuit of unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment. Śāriputra, just as I now praise the inconceivable qualities of those bhagavān buddhas, likewise, Śāriputra, those bhagavān buddhas also praise my inconceivable qualities.”
Śāriputra declared,24 “Bhagavān Śākyamuni, king of the Śākyas, you have fully awakened to unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment in this Sahā world. You have taught the Dharma that the whole world was reluctant to accept at the time of the degeneration of the eon, the degeneration of afflictions, the degeneration of beings, the degeneration of views, and the degeneration of lifespan.25 How marvelous indeed!”
The Bhagavān replied, “Śāriputra, having fully awakened to unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment in this world, the Sahā world, at the time of the five degenerations, I have taught the Dharma that the whole world was reluctant to accept. This is the supreme feat I have accomplished.”
After the Bhagavān [F.200.a] had thus spoken, the whole world, including the venerable Śāriputra, the great śrāvakas, bodhisattvas, gods, humans, demigods, and gandharvas, were delighted and praised highly the words spoken by the Bhagavān.
This completes The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Display of Sukhāvatī.”
Colophon
This sūtra was translated and finalized by the Indian preceptor Dānaśīla and the principal revisor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, along with others.
Notes
Bibliography
Tibetan Texts
’phags pa bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 115, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 195.b–200.b.
’phags pa bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 51, pp. 532–42.
Ha’o wun zhon and To’u tshun chi, eds. bod rgya shan sbyar gyi shes bya’i rnam grangs kun btus tshig mdzod. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang (Minorities Publishing House), 1987.
bde smon phyogs bsgrigs [The Collection of Prayers for Sukhāvatī]. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang (Sichuan Minorities Publishing House), 2007.
mkhas grub rā ga a syas mdzad pa’i rnam dag bde chen zhing gi smon lam [Long Prayer for Sukhāvatī]. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang (Sichuan Minorities Publishing House), 2007.
’phags pa bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po [The Noble King of Prayers of Good Conduct]. Toh 1095, Degé Kangyur, vol. 101 (gzungs ’dus, waM), folios 262.a–266.b.
Sanskrit Texts
Āryasukhāvatīvyūhanāmamahāyānasūtra. http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de. Accessed August 25, 2010.
Secondary Literature
Epstein, Ronald, trans. The Amitābha Sūtra. Hsüan Hua, A General Explanation of the Buddha Speaks of Amitābha Sūtra. San Francisco: Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1974. online.sfsu.ed.
Fujita, Kōtatsu. “Textual Origins of the Kuan Wu-liang-shou ching.” In Chinese Buddhist Apocrypha, edited by Robert E. Buswell, Jr., 149–173. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1990.
Gomez, Luis O. Land of Bliss: The Paradise of the Buddha of Measureless Light; Sanskrit and Chinese Versions of the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtras. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1996.
Hapatsch, Hischam A., trans. and ed. Die Heiligen Schriften des Amitābha-Buddhismus: Das große Sukhāvatī-vyūha-Sūtra, Das kleine Sukhāvatī-vyūha-Sūtra, Das Meditationssūtra. Berlin, 2007. www.littera.de. Accessed 2010.
Müller, Max, and Bunyiu Nanjio, trans. “Āryasukhāvatīvyūhasūtra.” Anecdota Oxoniensia: Aryan Series. Vol. I, part II. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1883.
Nakamura, Hajime. Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Bibliographical Notes. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publications, 1987.
Roberts, Peter Alan and Emily Bower, trans. The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (Toh 674). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016.
Utsuki, Nishu. The Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra or The Sūtra on the Buddha Amitāyus: Translated from the Chinese Version of Kumārajīva. Kyoto: Educational Department of the West Hongwanji, 1924. web.mit.edu.
Glossary
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Attested in other text
This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.
Attested in dictionary
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Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.
Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.
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Ādityasaṃbhava
- nyi ma’i ’byung
- ཉི་མའི་འབྱུང་།
- ādityasaṃbhava
Ajita
- mi pham
- མི་ཕམ།
- ajita
Akṣobhya
- mi ’khrugs pa
- མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།
- akṣobhya
Amitābha
- ’od dpag med
- འོད་དཔག་མེད།
- amitābha
Amitadhvaja
- rgyal msthan dpag med
- རྒྱལ་མསཐན་དཔག་མེད།
- amitadhvaja
Amitaskandha
- phung po dpag med
- ཕུང་པོ་དཔག་མེད།
- amitaskandha
Amitāyus
- tshe dpag med
- ཚེ་དཔག་མེད།
- amitāyus
Anaṃtavīrya
- brtson ’grus mtha’ yas
- བརྩོན་འགྲུས་མཐའ་ཡས།
- anaṃtavīrya
Ānanda
- kun dga’ bo
- ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།
- ānanda
Anikṣiptadhura
- brtson pa’i mi ’dor
- བརྩོན་པའི་མི་འདོར།
- anikṣiptadhura
Aniruddha
- ma ’gag pa
- ’gags pa med pa
- མ་འགག་པ།
- འགགས་པ་མེད་པ།
- aniruddha
arhat
- dgra bcom pa
- དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
- arhat
Bandé Yeshé Dé
- ban de ye shes sde
- བན་དེ་ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།
- —
beryl
- bai dU rya
- བཻ་དཱུ་རྱ།
- vaiḍūrya
bhagavān
- bcom ldan ’das
- བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
- bhagavān
- bhagavat
Bharadvāja
- bha ra dh+va dza
- བྷ་ར་དྷབ༹་ཛ།
- bharadvāja
bodhisattva
- byang chub sems dpa’
- བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།
- bodhisattva
Brahmā
- tshangs pa
- ཚངས་པ།
- brahmā
Brahmaghoṣa
- tshangs pa’i dbyangs
- ཚངས་པའི་དབྱངས།
- brahmaghoṣa
branches of enlightenment
- byang chub kyi yan lag
- བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག
- bodhyaṅgāni
Candrasūryapradīpa
- nyi zla sgron ma
- ཉི་ཟླ་སྒྲོན་མ།
- candrasūryapradīpa
coral
- spug gi shing
- སྤུག་གི་ཤིང་།
- musāragalva
Cūḍapanthaka
- lam phran bstan
- ལམ་ཕྲན་བསྟན།
- cūḍapanthaka
Dānaśīla
- dA na shI la
- དཱ་ན་ཤཱི་ལ།
- dānaśīla
Dharmadhara
- chos ’dzin
- ཆོས་འཛིན།
- dharmadhara
Dharmadhvaja
- chos kyi rgyal mtshan
- ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
- dharmadhvaja
Duṃdubhisvaranirghoṣa
- —
- —
- duṃdubhisvaranirghoṣa
Duṣpradharṣa
- rab tu thul dka’
- རབ་ཏུ་ཐུལ་དཀའ།
- duṣpradharṣa
elder
- gnas brtan
- གནས་བརྟན།
- sthavira
emerald
- rdo’i snying po
- རྡོའི་སྙིང་པོ།
- aśmagarbha
five degenerations
- snyigs ma lnga
- སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།
- pañcakaṣāya
fully awakened
- mngon par rdzogs par sangs rgyas
- མངོན་པར་རྫོགས་པར་སངས་རྒྱས།
- abhisaṃbuddha
Gandhahastin
- spos kyi glang po
- སྤོས་ཀྱི་གླང་པོ།
- gandhahastin
Gandhaprabhāsa
- spos ’od
- སྤོས་འོད།
- gandhaprabhāsa
gandharva
- dri za
- དྲི་ཟ།
- gandharva
Gandhottama
- spos mchog
- སྤོས་མཆོག
- gandhottama
Gavāṃpati
- ba lang bdag
- བ་ལང་བདག
- gavāṃpati
Jālinīprabha
- dra ba can gyi ’od
- དྲ་བ་ཅན་གྱི་འོད།
- jālenīprabha
Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park
- rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal mgon med zas sbyin gyi kun dga’ ra ba
- རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ་མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན་གྱི་ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
- jetavanam anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ AO
Kālodāyin
- ’char byed nag po
- འཆར་བྱེད་ནག་པོ།
- kālodāyin
Lord of Death
- gshin rje
- གཤིན་རྗེ།
- yama
Mahākapphiṇa
- ka pi na chen po
- ཀ་པི་ན་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahākapphiṇa
Mahākāśyapa
- ’od srung chen po
- འོད་སྲུང་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahākāśyapa
Mahākātyāyana
- kA tyA’i bu chen po
- ཀཱ་ཏྱཱའི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahākātyāyana
Mahākauṣṭhila
- gsus po che
- གསུས་པོ་ཆེ།
- mahākauṣṭhila
Mahāmaudgalyāyana
- maud gal gyi bu chen po
- མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahāmaudgalyāyana
Mahāmeru
- lhun po chen po
- ལྷུན་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahāmeru
Mahāmeruprabhāsa
- lhun po chen po snang ba
- ལྷུན་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་སྣང་བ།
- mahāmeruprabhāsa
Mahāprabha
- ’od chen
- འོད་ཆེན།
- mahāprabha
Mahārciskandha
- ’od ’phro’i phung po chen po
- འོད་འཕྲོའི་ཕུང་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahārciskandha
mandārava
- man dA ra ba
- མན་དཱ་ར་བ།
- mandārava
Mañjudhvaja
- —
- —
- mañjudhvaja
Mañjuśrī
- ’jam dpal gzhon nu
- འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུ།
- mañjuśrī
Meru
- lhun po
- ལྷུན་པོ།
- meru
Merudhvaja
- lhun po rgyal mtshan
- ལྷུན་པོ་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
- merudhvaja
Merupradīpa
- lhun po’i sgron ma
- ལྷུན་པོའི་སྒྲོན་མ།
- merupradīpa
Nakṣatrarāja
- skar m’i rgyal po
- སྐར་མའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- nakṣatrarāja
Nanda
- dga’ bo
- དགའ་བོ།
- nanda
Nityodyukta
- rtag tu btson
- རྟག་ཏུ་བཙོན།
- nityodyukta
not regress
- phyir mi ldog pa
- ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པ།
- —
palm tree
- shing ta la
- ཤིང་ཏ་ལ།
- tāla
perfectly and fully enlightened buddha
- yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas
- ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།
- samyaksaṃbuddha
powers
- dbang po
- དབང་པོ།
- indriya
Prabhākara
- ’od kyi byung gnas
- འོད་ཀྱི་བྱུང་གནས།
- prabhākara
Rāhula
- sgra gcan zin
- སྒྲ་གཅན་ཟིན།
- rāhula
Ratnaketu
- rin po che’i tog
- རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་ཏོག
- ratnaketu
Ratnakusumasaṃpuṣpitagotra
- rin chen me tog shin tu rgyas pa’i rigs
- རིན་ཆེན་མེ་ཏོག་ཤིན་ཏུ་རྒྱས་པའི་རིགས།
- ratnakusumasaṃpuṣpitagotra
Ratnotpalaśrī
- rin chen ud pa la’i dpal
- རིན་ཆེན་ཨུད་པ་ལའི་དཔལ།
- ratnotpalaśrī
Revata
- nam gru
- ནམ་གྲུ།
- revata
Sahā world
- mi mjed
- mi mjed kyi ’jig rten
- མི་མཇེད།
- མི་མཇེད་ཀྱི་འཇིག་རྟེན།
- sahā
- sahālokadhatu
Śakra
- brgya byin
- བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
- śakra
Sālendrarāja
- sA la’i dbang po’i rgyal po
- སཱ་ལའི་དབང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- sālendrarāja
Śāriputra
- shA ri’i bu
- ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ།
- śāriputra
Sarvārthadarśa
- mthong ba don yod
- མཐོང་བ་དོན་ཡོད།
- sarvārthadarśa
Siṃha
- seng ge
- སེང་གེ
- siṃha
śrāvaka
- nyan thos
- ཉན་ཐོས།
- śrāvaka
Śrāvastī
- mnyan yod
- མཉན་ཡོད།
- śrāvastī
strengths
- stobs
- སྟོབས།
- bala
Śuddharaśmiprabha
- ’od zer dag pa
- འོད་ཟེར་དག་པ།
- śuddharaśmiprabha
Sukhāvatī
- bde ba can
- བདེ་བ་ཅན།
- sukhāvatī
Sumerukalpa
- ri rab lta bu
- རི་རབ་ལྟ་བུ།
- sumerukalpa
tathāgata
- de bzhin gshegs pa
- དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
- tathāgata
Tathāgata Dharma
- chos
- ཆོས།
- dharma
unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment
- bla na med pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i byang chub
- བླ་ན་མེད་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ།
- anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi
Vaiśvānaranirghoṣa
- thams cad sgrol ba’i dbyangs sgrol
- ཐམས་ཅད་སྒྲོལ་བའི་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ།
- vaiśvānaranirghoṣa
Vakula
- ba ku la
- བ་ཀུ་ལ།
- bakula
water possessing the eight qualities
- yan lag brgyad dang ldan pa’i chu
- ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་དང་ལྡན་པའི་ཆུ།
- —
Yaśaḥprabha
- grags pa’i ’od
- གྲགས་པའི་འོད།
- yaśaḥprabha
Yaśaḥprabhāsa
- grags ’od
- གྲགས་འོད།
- yaśaḥprabhāsa
Yaśas
- grags pa
- གྲགས་པ།
- yaśas