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ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོའི་མདོ།

The King of Samādhis Sūtra
Supuṣpacandra

Samādhi­rāja­sūtra
འཕགས་པ་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་མཉམ་པ་ཉིད་རྣམ་པར་སྤྲོས་པ་ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam par spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The King of Samādhis, the Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena”
Ārya­sarva­dharma­svabhāva­samatāvipañcita­samādhi­rāja­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra

Toh 127

Degé Kangyur, vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.b–170.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
  • Śrīlendrabodhi
  • Lotsawa Bandé Dharmatāśīla

Imprint

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Translated by Peter Alan Roberts
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2018

Current version v 1.45.35 (2025)

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
+ 4 sections- 4 sections
· History of the Sūtra
· The Contents
· The Translation
· Outline
tr. The Translation
+ 40 chapters- 40 chapters
1. The Introduction
2. Śālendrarāja
3. Praise of the Buddha’s Qualities
4. Samādhi
5. Ghoṣadatta
6. Cultivating the Samādhi
7. The Attainment of Patience
8. Buddha Abhāva­samudgata
9. The Patience of the Profound Dharma
10. The Entry into the City
11. Becoming a Keeper of the Sūtra
12. The Training According to the Samādhi
13. The Teaching of the Samādhi
14. The Buddha’s Smile
15. The Elucidation of the Buddha’s Smile
16. The Past
17. The Entranceway to the Samādhi That Is Taught by Many Buddhas
18. The Entrustment of the Samādhi
19. The Teaching of the Inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha
20. Indra­ketu­dhvaja­rāja
21. The Past
22. The Teaching on the Body
23. The Teaching on the Tathāgata’s Body
24. The Inconceivable Tathāgata
25. Engaging in Discernment
26. Rejoicing
27. The Benefits of Generosity
28. The Teaching on Correct Conduct
29. Ten Benefits
30. Tejaguṇarāja
31. Benefits
32. The Teaching on the Nature of All Phenomena
33. The Benefits of Possessing the Sūtra
34. Kṣemadatta
35. Jñānāvatī
36. Supuṣpacandra
37. Teaching the Aggregate of Correct Conduct
38. Yaśaḥprabha
39. Restraint of the Body, Speech, and Mind
40. [Untitled]
c. Colophon
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 5 sections- 5 sections
· Tibetan Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra
· Sanskrit Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra
· Other canonical references
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Kangyur
· Tengyur
· Non-Canonical Tibetan Sources
· Western Publications
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

This sūtra, much quoted in later Buddhist writings for its profound statements especially on the nature of emptiness, relates a long teaching given by the Buddha mainly in response to questions put by a young layman, Candraprabha. The samādhi that is the subject of the sūtra, in spite of its name, primarily consists of various aspects of conduct, motivation, and the understanding of emptiness; it is also a way of referring to the sūtra itself. The teaching given in the sūtra is the instruction to be dedicated to the possession and promulgation of the samādhi, and to the necessary conduct of a bodhisattva, which is exemplified by a number of accounts from the Buddha’s previous lives. Most of the teaching takes place on Vulture Peak Mountain, with an interlude recounting the Buddha’s invitation and visit to Candraprabha’s home in Rājagṛha, where he continues to teach Candraprabha before returning to Vulture Peak Mountain. In one subsequent chapter the Buddha responds to a request by Ānanda, and the text concludes with a commitment by Ānanda to maintain this teaching in the future.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

Translated from the Tibetan, with reference to Sanskrit editions, by Peter Alan Roberts. The Chinese consultant was Ling-Lung Chen. Edited by Emily Bower and Ben Gleason.

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


ac.­2

The generous donation of an anonymous donor, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Samādhi­rāja­sūtra, or King of Samādhis Sūtra, is one of the earlier Mahāyāna sūtras to appear in India. It contains teachings on emptiness, bodhisattva conduct, and mendicancy, as well as tales of previous lifetimes and prophecies for the future. Its teaching on emptiness is much quoted by such Mādhyamaka masters as Candrakīrti and Śāntideva, as well as in later Buddhist literature.

History of the Sūtra

The Contents

The Translation

Outline


Text Body

The Translation
The Mahāyāna Sūtra
The King of Samādhis, the Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena

1.
Chapter 1

The Introduction

[F.1.b] [B1]


1.­1

I pay homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.8


1.­2

Thus did I hear at one time: The Bhagavān was residing at Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha together with a great bhikṣu saṅgha of a full hundred thousand bhikṣus, and together with eighty quintillion9 bodhisattvas,10 all of whom had one rebirth remaining, were renowned for their higher cognitions,11 and had gathered there from the worlds in the ten directions; they had complete mastery12 of the dhāraṇīs13 and sūtras; they satisfied all beings with the gift of the Dharma; they were skilled in speaking of the wisdom of the higher cognitions; they had attained the highest perfection of all the highest perfections; [F.2.a] they were skilled in the knowledge of remaining in all bodhisattva samādhis and samāpattis; they had been praised, extolled, and lauded by all the buddhas;14 they were skilled in miraculously going to all buddha realms; they were skilled in the knowledge of terrifying all māras;15 they were skilled in the correct knowledge of the nature of all phenomena; they were skilled in the knowledge of the higher and lower capabilities of all beings; they were skilled in the knowledge of accomplishing the activity of offering to all the buddhas; they were unstained by any of the worldly concerns; they had perfectly adorned bodies, speech, and minds;16 they wore the armor of great love and great compassion; they had great undiminishing diligence throughout countless eons; they roared the great lion’s roar; they could not be defeated by any opponent;17 they were sealed with nonregression; and they had received the consecration of the Dharma from all buddhas.18 They were the bodhisattva mahāsattvas Meru, Sumeru, Mahāmeru,19 Meru­śikhara­dhara,20 Meru­pradīpa­rāja, Merukūṭa, Merudhvaja, Merurāja,21 Meru­śikhara­saṁghaṭṭana­rāja,22 Merusvara, Megharāja, Dundubhisvara, Ratnapāṇi,23 Ratnākara, Ratnaketu, Ratnaśikhara, Ratnasaṁbhava, Ratnaprabhāsa, Ratnayaṣṭi, Ratna­mudrā­hasta, Ratnavyūha, Ratnajāli, Ratnaprabha, Ratnadvīpa, [F.2.b] Ratiṁkara, Dharmavyūha, Vyūharāja, Lakṣaṇa­samalaṁkṛta, Svaravyūha, Svara­viśuddhi­prabha, Ratnakūṭa, Ratnacūḍa,24 Daśa­śata­raśmihutārci,25 Jyotirasa, Candrabhānu, Saha­cittotpāda­dharma­cakra­pravartin, and Śubha­kanaka­viśuddhi­prabha, the bodhisatta mahāsattva Satatam­abhayaṁdad,26 and all the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the Good Eon, such as the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ajita,27 and the sixty with incomparable minds,28 such as Mañjuśrī, and the sixteen good beings,29 such as Bhadrapāla,30 and the Four Mahārājas and the other Cāturmahā­rāja­kāyika devas, and so on31 up until Brahmā and the other Brahmakāyika devas. In addition there were also devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, who were all illustrious32 and renowned as being very powerful.33


2.
Chapter 2

Śālendrarāja

2.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, I remember that in the past, when I was practicing the conduct of a bodhisattva, I became a cakravartin. I desired this samādhi and I desired to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. For many hundred thousand quintillions172 of eons on this Vulture Peak Mountain I served, venerated, revered, honored, worshiped, and made offerings to many countless, innumerable tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas with the presentation of many hundred thousand quintillions of every kind of jewel, and various kinds of beautiful flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, powders, parasols, banners, flags, music, musical instruments, flags of victory, and precious monasteries.173


3.
Chapter 3

Praise of the Buddha’s Qualities

3.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, therefore, if bodhisattva mahāsattvas wish to teach the buddha qualities as described by the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, without any loss of meaning or words, and for all their words to come forth as those of the Buddha, then those bodhisattva mahāsattvas, young man, [F.10.a] should, for the sake of all beings, obtain197 this samādhi, understand198 it, preserve it,199 recite it to others,200 promote it,201 proclaim it,202 chant it,203 meditate on it with unadulterated204 meditation, promulgate it,205 and make it widely known to others.206


4.
Chapter 4

Samādhi

4.­1

Then the youth Candraprabha [F.12.b] rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee with palms placed together, he bowed toward the Bhagavān and made this request: “If the Bhagavān will give me an opportunity to seek answers to them, I have a few questions for the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha.”


5.
Chapter 5

Ghoṣadatta

5.­1

Then the Bhagavān again addressed the youth Candraprabha, saying, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should think that they are like someone whose hair and clothes are on fire, and they should cast off father, mother, [F.14.b] son, daughter, family, kinsmen, relatives, kindred, wife, and so on, as if they were fire, throw away all the pleasures of a kingdom as if they were a lump of phlegm, turn toward solitude, and depart from home.


6.
Chapter 6

Cultivating the Samādhi

6.­1

The Bhagavān now said to the youth Candraprabha,300 “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should cultivate this samādhi.

6.­2

“Young man, what is the cultivation of this samādhi? [F.18.b] Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a compassionate mind are dedicated to making offerings to the tathāgatas, whether living or passed into nirvāṇa, of Dharma robes, alms, seat and bedding, medicines for when ill, and of monastic utensils, and of flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, aromatic powders, clothing, parasols, banners, and flags, and of music and musical instruments. They dedicate that root of merit to the attainment of samādhi. They do not make offerings to a tathāgata with the hope for anything at all‍—not with the hope for anything they desire, nor with the hope for any enjoyment, nor with the hope for a higher existence, nor with the hope for followers‍—but do so with the Dharma in mind. They do not even, with that wish, perceive the Tathāgata as the dharmakāya, let alone perceiving him as the rūpakāya.


7.
Chapter 7

The Attainment of Patience

7.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should become skilled in the wisdoms of the three kinds of patience. They should know the first patience. They should know the second patience. They should know the third patience. They should become skilled in the differences between the three kinds of patience and skilled in the differences between the wisdoms of the three kinds of patience.


8.
Chapter 8

Buddha Abhāva­samudgata

8.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should become skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena.

8.­2

“Young man, what is being skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena? Bodhisattva mahāsattvas know that all phenomena have no existence, have no essence, have no attributes, have no characteristics, have no origin, have no cessation, have no words, are empty, are primordial peace, and are pure by nature.


9.
Chapter 9

The Patience of the Profound Dharma

9.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, [F.24.b] “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood and liberate all beings from the ocean of existence should hear this king of samādhis, in which the equality of the nature of all phenomena is revealed, which is praised by all the buddhas and is the mother of the tathāgatas. They should obtain it, preserve it, understand it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.


10.
Chapter 10

The Entry into the City

10.­1

The Bhagavān then said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should be someone who makes practice essential, and always trains in that way. Why is that? Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who make practice essential will not even find it difficult to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, not to mention attaining this samādhi.”


11.
Chapter 11

Becoming a Keeper of the Sūtra

11.­1

The Bhagavān came to the street on which was the home of the youth Candraprabha, and soon arrived at the home of the youth Candraprabha. Once he had arrived, he sat on the seat prepared for him. The saṅgha of bodhisattvas and the saṅgha of bhikṣus also sat on the appropriate seats that had been arranged for each of them.

11.­2

Then the youth Candraprabha, knowing that the Bhagavān, the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, and the saṅgha of bhikṣus were seated, [F.39.b] himself presented and served a series of great offerings: numerous excellent foods, with hundreds of flavors to savor as they chewed, licked, sucked, and drank.


12.
Chapter 12

The Training According to the Samādhi

12.­1

“Young man, those are the qualities and benefits that bodhisattvas who know the nature of all phenomena will have. They will describe the true, excellent qualities of the tathāgatas. They will not falsely say that which is untrue about the tathāgatas. Why is that? It is because they know perfectly that nature, which is the nature through which a tathāgata comes to be.531 They know the infinite qualities of a buddha. Why is that? Young man, the qualities of a buddha are infinite, inconceivable, beyond thought. They cannot be conceived or measured. Why is that? The mind, young man, is taught to be without a nature of its own,532 to be without form.533 Young man, that nature of the mind is also the nature of the qualities of a buddha. That nature of the qualities of a buddha is also the nature of the tathāgatas, and that is the nature of all phenomena.


13.
Chapter 13

The Teaching of the Samādhi

13.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should be skilled in teaching this samādhi.

13.­2

“Young man, what is the teaching of this samādhi? It is the true nature of all phenomena; it is equality; it is the absence of inequality; it is devoid of notions; it is devoid of concepts; it is devoid of creation; it is devoid of arising; it is devoid of production; it is devoid of cessation; it is the termination of notions, concepts, and assumptions; it is devoid of an object for the mind; it is devoid of a focus of the mind;547 it is the termination of designations; it is the termination of concepts from analysis; it is the termination of desire, anger, and ignorance; it is without a limited or limitless focus of the mind; it is the termination of any focus of the mind; it is the knowledge of the nature of the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas; it is the state of accomplishing the field of activity that is the performance of the conduct of mindfulness, understanding, comprehension, conscience, and stability; it is the level of freedom from corruptions;548 it is the level of peace; it is the termination of all conceptual elaboration; it is the training of all bodhisattvas; it is the field of activity of all tathāgatas; [F.45.a] and it is the perfection of all good qualities.


14.
Chapter 14

The Buddha’s Smile

14.­1

Then the youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, [F.46.b] with palms placed together he bowed toward the Bhagavān and said to him,569 “Bhagavān, it is marvelous that the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha has taught the equality that is the nature of all phenomena, which is the samādhi that all bodhisattvas train in.


15.
Chapter 15

The Elucidation of the Buddha’s Smile

15.­1

At that time the Bhagavān spoke these appropriate verses to Bodhisattva Maitreya:

15.­2
“This youth, Candraprabha,
Has praised the Buddha with unequaled joy.
He described the unique superior qualities of the buddhas.
All the time he is reciting their praises.613 {1}
15.­3
“In this very city of Rājagṛha in the past
He has seen ten thousand million buddhas.
In the presence of all those jinas
He asked about this supreme samādhi of peace. {2}

16.
Chapter 16

The Past

16.­1

The Bhagavān then said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas thus wish to liberate all beings from all the suffering of existence. They wish to establish beings in the noble, unsurpassable bliss and joy of samādhi. Therefore they should hear this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, obtain it, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.


17.
Chapter 17

The Entranceway to the Samādhi That Is Taught by Many Buddhas

17.­1

When the Bhagavān had finished speaking, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, who was seated there, in his mind recited this verse to the Bhagavān.637

17.­2
“I am going, Tathāgata,638 to the king of mountains,
Gṛdhrakūṭa, which is always the residence of the buddhas.
When I have gone there, lamp of the world,639
I will make inconceivable offerings to you.” {i}

18.
Chapter 18

The Entrustment of the Samādhi

18.­1

The Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, in that way know that there are four beneficial qualities possessed by bodhisattva mahāsattvas who obtain this samādhi, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, and make it widely known to others.

18.­2

“What are those four beneficial qualities? They will be unsurpassable in merit, they will be undefeatable by opponents, they will have unlimited wisdom, and they will have unending confidence of speech.


19.
Chapter 19

The Teaching of the Inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha

19.­1

The Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas, having heard the inconceivable and measureless benefits of the qualities that come from the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, through wishing not to be fearful, wishing not to be terrified, and not to be gripped by terror, will become learned in the teaching of the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Aspire to the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Be wise in asking questions about the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Be wise in seeking the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Do not be fearful, do not be terrified, and do not be gripped by terror on hearing the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha.” [F.67.b]


20.
Chapter 20

Indra­ketu­dhvaja­rāja

20.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this Dharma teaching of entering great compassion and wish to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood quickly should rely upon all roots of merit, training, qualities, and completely pure conduct.

20.­2

“Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have few involvements, avoid bad companions, rely on kalyāṇamitras, have an inquiring nature, unrelentingly seek the Dharma, have the Dharma as their goal, desire the Dharma, delight in the Dharma, obtain the Dharma, and practice the Dharma in accord with the Dharma will, young man, develop great compassion for beings and will develop the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment.


21.
Chapter 21

The Past

21.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should entertain no misgivings about all the teachings on the root of merits, the training, and the qualities.759 They should have few involvements, avoid bad companions, rely on kalyāṇamitras, have an inquiring nature, unrelentingly seek the Dharma, have the Dharma as their goal, desire the Dharma, delight in the Dharma, obtain the Dharma, and practice the Dharma in accord with the Dharma. They should perceive every buddha and bodhisattva as the teacher. They should with joy and veneration perceive as the teacher the person from whom they hear this Dharma teaching.


22.
Chapter 22

The Teaching on the Body

22.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should have no attachment to their life or body. Why is that? Because, young man, beings accomplish bad actions due to attachment to their lives and bodies.783


23.
Chapter 23

The Teaching on the Tathāgata’s Body

23.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should not know the Tathāgata to be the rūpakāya.785 Why is that? It is because the Buddha Bhagavān manifests because of the dharmakāya and does not manifest because of the rūpakāya. [F.74.a]


24.
Chapter 24

The Inconceivable Tathāgata

24.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, [F.76.b] “Young man, aspiring bodhisattva mahāsattvas think, ‘How can I make manifest the four discernments? What are these four? They are the discernment of meaning, the discernment of phenomena, the discernment of definitions, and the discernment of eloquence. I shall manifest these four!’ On having this thought, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should obtain this samādhi, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, and make it widely known to others.


25.
Chapter 25

Engaging in Discernment

25.­1

“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas who practice that discernment of phenomena, who view phenomena as phenomena, attain the highest, complete enlightenment?

“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who practice that discernment of phenomena, who view phenomena as phenomena, do not perceive enlightenment as other than form. They do not approach enlightenment as other than form. They do not seek enlightenment as other than form. They do not attain enlightenment as other than form. They do not inspire beings to an enlightenment that is other than form. They do not see a tathāgata as other than form. They see a tathāgata in this way: ‘The Tathāgata is the fearlessness that is the nature of form.’ They do not see the tathāgata as other than form, as other than the nature of form. They do not see the nature of form as other than the tathāgata. The nature of that which is called form and that of the tathāgata are nondual. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who see in that way are engaging in the discernment of phenomena.


26.
Chapter 26

Rejoicing

26.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should be skillful in methods. [F.87.a]882

26.­2

“Young man, in what way should bodhisattva mahāsattvas be skillful in methods? For that, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas focus their minds upon all beings. Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas rejoice in whatever roots of merit and accumulations of merit all beings have. Three times every day and three times every night they rejoice in whatever roots of merit and accumulations of merit all beings have, and the roots of merit and accumulation of merit that come from their taking omniscience as the focus of their aspiration they donate to all beings.


27.
Chapter 27

The Benefits of Generosity

27.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, as it has been said, ‘Be careful,’ you, young man, should consequently train in that way. Why is that? Because, young man, for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are careful, the highest, complete enlightenment is not difficult to attain, let alone this samādhi.

27.­2

“Young man, in what way should bodhisattva mahāsattvas be careful? For that, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should have perfectly pure conduct. Young man, in what way should bodhisattva mahāsattvas have perfectly pure conduct? For that, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have perfectly pure conduct, never separating from an all-knowing mind, should practice the six perfections. Listen, for I shall teach you their benefits.


28.
Chapter 28

The Teaching on Correct Conduct

28.­1

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from perfectly pure, correct conduct. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they devote890 themselves to wisdom and perfect it; [2] they follow the example of the buddhas; [3] they do not criticize the wise; [4] they do not waver from their vows; [5] they maintain their practice; [6] they turn away891 from saṃsāra; [7] they are led to attain nirvāṇa;892 [8] they live without faults arising; [F.89.a] [9] they attain samādhi; and [10] they will never be poor.893


29.
Chapter 29

Ten Benefits

29.­1

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from maintaining patience and being kind. [F.89.b] What are these ten? They are: [1] they are not burned by fire; [2] they are not slain by weapons; [3] they are not affected by poison; [4] they do not drown in water; [5] the devas protect them; [6] they attain a body adorned by the primary signs of a great being; [7] all the doorways to their rebirth in lower existences are closed; [8] it is not difficult for them to be reborn in the paradise of Brahmā; [9] they are happy day and night; and [10] their physical sensations of comfort and pleasure are never lost.


30.
Chapter 30

Tejaguṇarāja

30.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should train in this way, thinking, ‘I will abandon even the pleasures of the kingship of a divine cakravartin and enter homelessness.’

30.­2

“Young man, having entered homelessness you should maintain the disciplines of mendicancy, live in solitude, and develop perfect mildness and patience.


31.
Chapter 31

Benefits

31.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who think, ‘I shall understand the languages of all beings and, knowing their higher or lesser capabilities, I will teach them the Dharma,’ those bodhisattva mahāsattvas should listen to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.”


32.
Chapter 32

The Teaching on the Nature of All Phenomena

32.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wonder, ‘How can I know the nature of all phenomena?’ should listen to this samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.”


33.
Chapter 33

The Benefits of Possessing the Sūtra

33.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to train in purifying1056 the great higher cognition of all phenomena should listen to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.1057


34.
Chapter 34

Kṣemadatta

34.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha,1161 “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should abide in the absence of attributes and be dedicated to making vast offerings to a present tathāgata or to the stūpa of a tathāgata who has passed into nirvāṇa.


35.
Chapter 35

Jñānāvatī

35.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should plant roots of merit and apply themselves to practicing generosity through the Dharma or generosity through material things.

35.­2

“Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas should dedicate that generosity through four prayers of dedication.


36.
Chapter 36

Supuṣpacandra

36.­1

Then at that time Brother Ānanda rose from his seat, [F.125.b] removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together he bowed toward the Bhagavān and made this request: “If the Bhagavān will give me an opportunity to seek answers to them, I have a few questions for the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha.”

36.­2

The Bhagavān addressed Brother Ānanda, saying, “That is why, Ānanda, I am seated upon this seat. Ask whatever question you wish to the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, and I shall gratify you with answers to each and every question you have asked.”

36.­3

Brother Ānanda then said to the Bhagavān: “Bhagavān, I have been given the opportunity. Sugata, I have been given the opportunity to receive answers to my questions.”

36.­4

So Brother Ānanda, having received the Bhagavān’s permission, sat upon a seat before the Bhagavān and asked him, “Bhagavān, what is the cause and what are the factors whereby when bodhisattva mahāsattvas are practicing infinite bodhisattva conduct, they do not regress from enlightenment even if their hands are cut off, their feet are cut off, their ears are cut off, their noses are cut off, their eyes are gouged out, their heads are cut off, their bodies are cut up, and their limbs are cut off, or they experience various other kinds of suffering? What is the cause and what are the factors for that?”

The Bhagavān replied to Brother Ānanda, “Ānanda, in order to truly accomplish the highest, complete enlightenment, I experienced every kind of suffering. You know and remember this, so what made you decide to ask the Tathāgata this question? [F.126.a]

36.­5

“Ānanda, as an analogy, if there were a person who was on fire from his feet to the crown of his head, burning so that he was a single flame, and someone else were to come up to him and say, ‘Oh, you sir, while you are still burning, should encounter, be provided with, delight in, enjoy, and indulge in the five sensory pleasures!’ what would he think? Would that person, while he was still burning, encounter, be provided with, delight in, enjoy, and indulge in the five sensory pleasures?”

“No, Bhagavān, he would not,” replied Ānanda.

36.­6

The Bhagavān continued, “Ānanda, consider whether that person, while still burning, could encounter, be provided with, delight in, enjoy, and indulge in the five sensory pleasures. The tathāgata, while practicing bodhisattva conduct in the past, was not happy or joyful on seeing beings suffering and in poverty in the three lower existences.

36.­7

“Ānanda, when bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past were practicing bodhisattva conduct, they had perfect correct conduct, faultless correct conduct, pure correct conduct, unalloyed correct conduct, immaculate correct conduct, unwavering correct conduct, unshakable correct conduct, imperturbable correct conduct, resolute correct conduct, sincere correct conduct, trustworthy correct conduct, honest correct conduct, correct conduct that was faithful to the vows they had taken, and correct conduct that benefits beings. That is the kind of correct conduct they had.

36.­8

“Ānanda, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past who were practicing infinite bodhisattva conduct did not regress if their hands were cut off, did not regress if their feet were cut off, [F.126.b] did not regress if their ears were cut off, did not regress if their noses were cut off, did not regress if their eyes were gouged out or their heads were cut off, and did not regress if their body or limbs were severed. Even if they experienced various kinds of suffering, they quickly attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. [B12]

36.­9

“Ānanda, you should understand this through the following teaching:

“Ānanda, in the past, countless, vast, immeasurable, inconceivable, innumerable countless eons ago, at that time and in those days, there appeared in the world the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ratna­padma­candra­viśuddhābhyud­gata­rāja, who was perfect in wisdom and conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world, an unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, a teacher of devas and humans, a buddha, and a bhagavān.

36.­10

“At that time and in those days, the lifespan of the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ratna­padma­candra­viśuddhābhyud­gata­rāja was ninety-nine quintillion eons. Each day, every day, he established ninety-nine hundred thousand quintillion beings irreversibly in the Dharma. Having established them in the Dharma, he passed into nirvāṇa. He established countless, innumerable beings in the state of arhathood without outflows, and having done so passed into nirvāṇa. He established countless, innumerable beings in irreversible progress toward the highest, complete enlightenment and then he passed into nirvāṇa.1197

36.­11

“Ānanda, at that time, after the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ratna­padma­candra­viśuddhābhyud­gata­rāja [F.127.a] had passed into nirvāṇa, during the last five hundred years when the supreme Dharma was vanishing, at the time when the supreme Dharma was being destroyed, there was, Ānanda, a king named Śūradatta. King Śūradatta had eighty-four thousand women in his harem. He had a thousand sons, and five hundred daughters.

36.­12

“At that time and in those days, King Śūradatta had a capital city named Ratnāvatī, which was vast and immense, and had four gateways. It was adorned and beautified by balconies,1198 porticoes,1199 entranceway arches,1200 windows,1201 upper pavilions,1202 towers,1203 and gardens. It was beautiful, and appeared like the abode of a deity. It was the residence of countless, innumerable beings.1204

36.­13

“Ānanda, at that time and in those days, many people detested sūtras like this. Many people rejected them. Many people were hostile to them. Many people dismissed them. It was a time of great terrors. It was a time of great calamites, of excessive rains, and of droughts. It was a time of many snakes. It was a time of disasters caused by lightning. It was a time of famines. It was a time of false views. It was a time of wrong views. It was a time of seeking out the mantras of the tīrthikas. It was the time when the enlightenment of buddhahood was vanishing.

36.­14

“Seven thousand bodhisattvas were expelled from the villages, the towns, the market towns, the regions, the capital, and the kingdom. They, along with the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra, resorted to the forest called Samantabhadra and dwelt there. Supuṣpacandra taught those bhikṣus there the Dharma teaching of retention.

36.­15

“Ānanda, in that forest a variety of flowers, blossoms, vines, and fruits were always displayed, and the forest was filled with a variety of trees that were like wish-fulfilling trees. [F.127.b] The ground was covered with the adornment of many different forms and colors of seeds and seedlings; beautified by a variety of rocks and stones, and stainless water;1205 and adorned by beautiful, vast, high, golden mountains. Siddhas, vidyādharas,1206 gandharvas, yakṣas,1207 kiṃpuruṣas,1208 sages, and kinnaras dwelt there. It was inhabited by flocks of birds1209 of various colors and shapes. Many buddhas had dwelt there. It was like a delightful garden. It was completely good. It was in that excellent forest called Samantabhadra, perfect for practice,1210 that those bodhisattvas dedicated to practice dwelt.

36.­16

“Ānanda, the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra went to stay alone in a secluded place. With his pure divine sight, which transcended that of humans, he saw that many trillions of bodhisattvas who had developed roots of goodness in various buddha realms had been reborn in this world. If they were able to hear this Dharma teaching of retention they would proceed irreversibly to the highest, complete enlightenment. However, if they did not hear this Dharma teaching of retention they would regress from the highest, complete enlightenment.

36.­17

“Then the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra mindfully and knowingly arose from that samādhi and went to the great assembly of bodhisattvas. When he had reached it, he announced to that great assembly of bodhisattvas, ‘Noble sons, I am going to the villages, the towns, the market towns, the kingdom, the regions, and the capital, where I will teach the Dharma to beings.’

36.­18

“The great assembly of bodhisattvas said to the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra, ‘We do not wish you to go from this forest to the villages, the towns, the market towns, the kingdom, the regions, and the capital. [F.128.a] Why? Because the time has come when there are many bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas and upāsikās who are extremely arrogant and have rejected the good Dharma. Brother, it will not be good if they kill you.

36.­19

“ ‘Brother, you are very handsome, attractive, and good looking, in the flush of youth, a young adult, with a complexion that is like excellent polished gold. On your forehead there is the adornment of an ūrṇā hair that is like a conch, the moon, or a jasmine flower. Your hair and uṣṇīṣa are blue-black, and the locks of your hair curl. Therefore the princes,1211 the king’s ministers,1212 and such others will be envious, hostile, and aggressive, and if they kill you that would not be good.’1213

36.­20

“Then the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra said to the great assembly of bodhisattvas, ‘If I protect myself I cannot protect the teaching of the past, future, and present buddha bhagavāns.’ Thereupon he recited these verses:

36.­21
“ ‘I cannot protect this teaching
While maintaining the concept of a self.
In these dreadful latter times there is the great presentation
Of the Sugata’s teaching of enlightenment. {1}
36.­22
“ ‘The one who completely abandons the concept of self
And the doctrine of an individual that these beings follow,
The one who abandons form, sound, smell,
Taste, and touch, is one who protects the teaching. {2}
36.­23
“ ‘Compared to someone who, with a pure mind,
Has honored for millions of eons, as numerous as the Ganges sands,
Quintillions of buddhas with food, drink,
Parasols, flags, and rows of lights, {3}
36.­24
“ ‘Another who practices a single teaching day and night
When the good Dharma is being destroyed,
When the Sugata’s teaching is coming to an end,
Will have merits that are far greater than the first {4}
36.­25
“ ‘Someone who cultivates indifference
While the good Dharma of the leader of beings is being destroyed
Is not showing respect for the Jina
And is not honoring the guides. {5}
36.­26
“ ‘You should remain happy
And preserve your own welfare. [F.128.b]
Always be kind and take care
Of those who are to be guided.
Sincerely maintain
Unalloyed, pure, pristine, stainless conduct.
Those who keep their conduct stainless
Are praised by the buddhas.1214 {6}
36.­27
“ ‘Those who have honored
The buddhas in the past
Are protectors who lead all beings
To enlightenment.
Those who keep the stainless conduct
That has been praised by the past buddhas
Become those who save many beings
From the hells and from bad karma. {7}
36.­28
“ ‘Give the precious gift of the supreme Dharma
And always maintain patience.
Remain in solitude, be skilled in samādhi,
Meditate, and be gentle.
Never engage in quarrels
And maintain supreme, peaceful conduct.
I am going to the capital,
To the city, in order to protect beings.’ {8}
36.­29
“When that sage, the supreme, sublime being
Who had great realization, was leaving,
Some held him by his feet,
Weeping with compassion and shedding tears.
‘Wise one with great realization, do not leave!
Look at how beautiful are this charming forest’s trees,
With their sweet and fragrant aromas.1215
Protect yourself, and do not leave. {9}
36.­30
“ ‘The guides of the past, who had the ten strengths,
Who had pacified senses, and kindness,
Went to forests, cliffs, and mountain summits
And there reached the highest enlightenment.
They practiced the highest conduct, enlightenment’s cause.
They possessed supreme merit and wisdom.
Follow their example and remain in the forest.
You, who have perfect discipline, do not leave. {10}
36.­31
“ ‘Your beautiful body is adorned by the signs.
Your hair is blue-black in color,
You shine with the color of gold
And you illuminate this earth.
An ūrṇā hair is between your eyebrows, [F.129.a]
As beautiful and bright as a conch.
The king and his followers1216 will thus
Become envious and destroy your body.’ {11}
36.­32

“Then the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra recited the following verses to that great assembly of bodhisattvas:

36.­33
“ ‘The sugatas who lived in the past
Were omniscient and without outflows.
They all benefited the world
And reached supreme enlightenment within the three existences.
They practiced the highest conduct, enlightenment’s cause.
They possessed supreme merit and wisdom.
Follow their example, bodhisattvas,
In order to protect millions of beings.’ {12}
36.­34
“They all circumambulated the wise sage
And they bowed down to his feet.
Overwhelmed with compassion, they cried out,
Distressed, unhappy, wailing, and collapsing.
Some lost consciousness and fainted,
Falling to the ground like sal trees that had been cut down.
But the sage, determined to benefit beings
Through his accumulation of merit, did not turn back. {13}
36.­35
“The sage took up his robes and bowl
And was prepared, like the maned lion.
He remained in the nature of the Dharma
And was unaffected by good or bad qualities.
If in this world I remain in this forest,
Beings will fall into lower realms, which would not be good.
Therefore in order to protect beings
I am going to the city and the supreme palace.’ {14}
36.­36

“So the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra went to the villages, the towns, the market towns, the kingdom, the regions, and the capital, where he taught the Dharma to beings. In the morning as he was going there, he established nine hundred and ninety million beings in irreversible progress toward the highest enlightenment, and that was before he had reached the capital city of Ratnāvatī. Once he had reached the capital city of Ratnāvatī, and was at the side of the capital city of Ratnāvatī, he sat at the feet of a wavy-leaf fig tree and a sal tree. [F.129.b]

36.­37

“When that night had passed he went into the capital city of Ratnāvatī. After entering inside he established three hundred and sixty million1217 beings irreversibly in the Dharma. However, he had not had his meal and therefore, fasting that day, he emerged from the capital city of Ratnāvatī and went to the stūpa that contained the fingernail of the Bhagavān; there he stood all day and night.

36.­38

“When that night was over, on the second morning, he went back into the capital city of Ratnāvatī. After entering inside he established two hundred and thirty million beings irreversibly in the Dharma. However, he had not had his meal and therefore, fasting for a second day, he emerged from the capital city of Ratnāvatī and went to the stūpa that contained the fingernail of the Bhagavān; there he stood all day and night.

36.­39

“When that night was over, on the third morning, he went back into the capital city of Ratnāvatī. After entering inside he established nine hundred and ninety million beings irreversibly in the Dharma. However, he had not had his meal and therefore, fasting for a third day, he emerged from the capital city of Ratnāvatī and went to the stūpa that contained the fingernail of the Bhagavān; there he stood all day and night.

36.­40

“When that night was over, on the fourth morning, he went back into the capital city of Ratnāvatī. After entering inside he established nine million, nine hundred thousand beings in irreversible progress toward the highest enlightenment. However, he had not had his meal and therefore, fasting for a fourth day, he emerged from the capital city of Ratnāvatī and went to the stūpa that contained the fingernail of the Bhagavān; there he stood all day and night.

36.­41

“When that night was over, on the fifth morning, he went back into the capital city of Ratnāvatī and entered the harem. After entering inside he established eighty thousand women in irreversible progress toward the highest enlightenment. He also established countless, innumerable townspeople in irreversible progress toward the highest enlightenment. [F.130.a] However, he had not had his meal and therefore, fasting for a fifth day, he emerged from the capital city of Ratnāvatī and went to the stūpa that contained the fingernail of the Bhagavān; there he stood all day and night.

36.­42

“When that night was over, on the sixth morning, he went back into the capital city of Ratnāvatī. He established the thousand sons of the king in irreversible progress toward the highest enlightenment. However, he had not had his meal and therefore, fasting for a sixth day, he emerged from the capital city of Ratnāvatī and went to the stūpa that contained the fingernail of the Bhagavān; there he stood all day and night.

36.­43

“When that night was over, on the seventh morning, he went back into the capital city of Ratnāvatī. After entering inside he saw King Śūradatta riding toward the park in a chariot of made of gold with side panels of silver, shafts of uragasāra sandalwood, wheels of beryl, and adorned by a parasol, banners, and flags. The chariot’s shafts were bound with silk and tied with cotton ribbons. Eight hundred maidens were pulling the chariot with precious cords. They were beautiful, pretty, and attractive, with perfect, lovely complexions. They brought delight and satisfaction to the foolish but not to the wise.

36.­44

“Eighty-four thousand kṣatriyas, who were like great sal trees, followed in the rear.1218 Eighty-four thousand brahmins, who were also like great sal trees, followed in their rear. Eighty-four thousand prominent citizens, they, too, like great sal trees, followed in their rear.

36.­45

“The king’s five hundred daughters were being carried in precious palanquins in front, and when they saw the bhikṣu they were instantly established in irreversible progress toward the highest enlightenment. [F.130.b] When the retinue of sixty-eight hundred thousand queens, too, saw the bhikṣu, they also were instantly established in irreversible progress toward the highest enlightenment.

36.­46

“That whole great gathering of people took off their jewels and rings, took off their shoes, removed their robes from one shoulder, and, kneeling on their right knees, with palms placed together bowed toward the bhikṣu.

36.­47

“Then the princesses, too, inspired by their previous roots of goodness, alighted from their palanquins, took off their jewels and rings, took off their shoes, removed their robes from one shoulder, and, kneeling on their right knees, with palms placed together recited these verses to the bhikṣu:

36.­48
“ ‘The arrival of this bhikṣu
Has been like the sun,
Illuminating everywhere
And inspiring the people. {15}
36.­49
“ ‘The faults1219 of desire have gone,
Ignorance also has been cleared away,
And the faults1220 of anger and envy
Have also instantly departed. {16}
36.­50
“ ‘The sons of King Śūradatta,
His retinue, and so on‍—
None of these followers
Are looking at the king. {17}
36.­51
“ ‘The beauty of this bhikṣu
Being honored by the princes
Is like the full moon
Encircled by the stars. {18}
36.­52
“ ‘The beauty of this bhikṣu
Is like a painting in gold
Created by an expert artist,
And like a blossoming king of the sal trees. {19}
36.­53
“ ‘The beauty of this bhikṣu’s arrival
Is like powerful Śakra, the lord of devas,
The lord with a thousand eyes, the destroyer of strongholds,
And lord of the thirty-three devas on the summit of Sumeru. {20}
36.­54
“ ‘The beauty of this bhikṣu’s arrival
Is like Brahmā residing in Brahmā’s world,
Like the deva lord Sunirmita,
And like deva Suyāma in the desire realm. {21}
36.­55
“ ‘The beauty of this bhikṣu’s arrival
Is like the sun shining in the sky,
Dispelling darkness with a thousand light rays,
Illuminating completely every direction. {22} [F.131.a]
36.­56
“ ‘He is beautiful with the physical signs
Of endless eons of vast generosity,
The constant maintenance of unsullied conduct,
And unequaled patience within in all worlds. {23}
36.­57
“ ‘This bhikṣu has appeared in the world
Having developed the diligence praised by the noble beings,
Having confidently practiced the four dhyānas,
And having developed wisdom and destroyed the net of the kleśas. {24}
36.­58
“ ‘The unequaled teaching of the buddhas, which is dedicated to beings,
That supreme Dharma has been taught by the heroes of the past.
The same will occur in future times and in the present.
They are the sons who obtain the power of a Dharma king.1221 {25}
36.­59
“ ‘Bhikṣu, may you never be impermanent!
May your body in this way shine throughout the world
With your great majesty and beautiful voice.
Even the majesty of the king does not shine so brightly. {26}
36.­60
“ ‘Just as you have realized the Dharma
And practiced the Buddha’s instructions in the world,
May we abandon the condition of womanhood
And all become bhikṣus like you.’ {27}
36.­61
“They placed their fingers together in homage,
Recited these verses, and cast toward him
Clothing, gold chains, strings of jewels,1222
And their necklaces and earrings. {28}
36.­62
“ ‘Just as the cakravartin kings,
Who had great power, surveyed the entire earth,
Traveled through the four continents,
And perceived all as being their children,
Likewise he does not have stronger affection
For the kṣatriyas, head merchants, and brahmins,
Or heads of households, local governors, and relations,
But instead has love for everyone equally.1223 {29}
36.­63
“ ‘It is the same for this kind bhikṣu,
Who is trained and has the power of retention,
And who elucidates the aspects of enlightenment,
The strengths, the powers, and the eightfold path. [F.131.b]
He is majestic and illuminating
Like the moon at night,
Shining in the midst of the stars,
Or the disk of the rising sun. {30}
36.­64
“ ‘He pays homage to all the kind buddhas
Who have the ten strengths and pacified senses.
If someone were to recite their praises
They could not finish even in a hundred eons.
One could not conclude describing their qualities
Even after many thousands of millions of eons.
One could not even conclude the praises
Of just one body hair of the most excellent in the world. {31}
36.­65
“ ‘The omniscient buddhas have turned the Dharma wheel
And taught the unequaled level of wisdom;
They have taught the detailed, stainless Dharma
That is not to be found anywhere else.
The renunciants, brahmins, devas, and nāgas,
The asuras, māras, Brahmakāyika devas, and so on,
Are not able to describe the ocean of qualities
That the omniscient buddhas have. {32}
36.­66
“ ‘We praise the unequaled Jina, the king of healing,
And this bhikṣu who is his heart son.’
The young daughters of the king joyfully
Recited those verses and at that time
They cast gold and gold dust
And spread out clothing
And top-knot jewels and necklaces
Worth a hundred million.1224
They presented these to the bhikṣu
And were joyfully established on the path to enlightenment.1225 {33}
36.­67

“Then King Śūradatta thought, ‘Alas! My harem has gone astray, and so has the populace. These people have cast off their jewels and rings, taken off their shoes, bared one shoulder, knelt on their right knees, and with palms placed together they have paid homage to that bhikṣu.’

36.­68

“King Śūradatta was not as handsome and not as attractive as that good-looking bhikṣu. Fearing for his royal status he became furious. [F.132.a] When he saw the perfection of the bhikṣu’s body, he became extremely enraged. As the bhikṣu had been walking upon the king’s road, some dust had blown into one of his eyes. The king thought, ‘This bhikṣu is looking at my queens with lust in his mind and he is winking at them! Now, who will slay this bhikṣu?’

36.­69

“King Śūradatta summoned his thousand sons who were following behind, and commanded them, ‘Princes, you must slay this bhikṣu!’

But the princes refused to obey King Śūradatta and he thought, ‘Because of this bhikṣu even my own sons refuse to obey me! I will be left alone and friendless, so who will slay this bhikṣu?’

36.­70

“King Śūradatta had an executioner named Nandika, who was cruel, merciless, and ferocious, and he was not far from King Śūradatta upon the king’s road. When King Śūradatta saw him, he rejoiced and was happy, joyful, hopeful, and comforted, thinking, ‘Nandika will slay this bhikṣu.’

36.­71

“Then the executioner Nandika approached King Śūradatta. King Śūradatta inquired of Nandika, ‘If you wish to greatly please me, are you able to slay this bhikṣu?’

“Nandika answered, ‘Your Majesty, I am very able! I will fulfill your command and I will slay this bhikṣu.’

36.­72

“The king said, ‘Therefore, Nandika, know the time has come. Take a sharp sword and cut off the bhikṣu’s hands and feet, and cut off his ears and nose, and, because he has looked upon my harem with desire, gouge out his eyes!’

“So Nandika the executioner thereupon took a sharp sword and severed the bhikṣu’s hands and feet, cut off his ears and nose, and gouged out both his eyes. [F.132.b]

36.­73

“From the places where the bhikṣu’s head, ears, feet, hands, and eyes had been cut, many quintillions of light rays shone forth, and many streams of milk, that circled the ten directions and then returned into the bhikṣu’s body. Śrīvatsas, svastikas, wheels,1226 and so on, also emerged from and reentered1227 his severed body, and the thirty-two signs of a great being became visible.1228

36.­74

“After the king had proceeded on from the crowd of people, that crowd of people came1229 and saw that the bhikṣu had been cut and chopped up on the road.1230 They were distressed, unhappy, and shocked. Weeping, crying out, and wailing, they went back into the capital city of Ratnāvatī.1231

36.­75

“King Śūradatta spent seven days in the park, but he was not happy, did not take part in amusements, and did not go for walks. After seven days had passed he left the park and went into the capital city of Ratnāvatī. He saw the bhikṣu’s body, which had been left on the king’s road, and although seven days had passed since he had died, the color of his body was unchanged.

36.­76

“He thought, ‘The color of this bhikṣu’s body has not changed, which means that without any doubt this bhikṣu was irreversibly progressing to the highest, complete buddhahood. I have accumulated the bad karma that will cause me to be reborn in a great hell. I will soon fall into a great hell.’

36.­77

“In the sky above him eighty thousand1232 devas proclaimed in one voice, ‘It is as you have said, great king. This bhikṣu was irreversibly progressing to the highest, complete enlightenment.’

36.­78

“When King Śūradatta heard the words of the devas in the sky, he became frightened, paralyzed with fear, with the hairs on his body standing on end, and was filled with remorse. In suffering, distressed, and filled with remorse, he wailed1233 and recited these verses:

36.­79
“ ‘Forsaking the kingdom and the royal capital,
Jewels, gems, pearls, gold, and wealth,
I myself took up a weapon and myself killed. [F.133.a]
Foolishly I have created bad karma. {34}
36.­80
“ ‘The bhikṣu Supuṣpacandra was here,
Armored in the thirty-two characteristics.
Shining, he entered the royal capital
Like the full moon, the king of the stars. {35}
36.­81
“ ‘Agitated by the evil of sensory pleasures,
I set forth in the pleasurable company of my wives,
Riding in chariots accompanied by a retinue of kṣatriyas,
When this fragrant, beautiful-eyed bhikṣu arrived. {36}
36.­82
“ ‘When my company of wives saw him they were overjoyed.
With adoration they cast off their gold necklaces.
They all placed their ten fingers together in homage
And praised that monk by singing verses. {37}
36.­83
“ ‘They were riding in chariots, accompanied by kṣatriyas,
But they stopped singing to their king1234
When this powerful, supreme son of the sugata,
This fragrant, beautiful-eyed bhikṣu arrived. {38}
36.­84
“ ‘When this bhikṣu came into the capital
My mind became extremely wicked.
Ignorant, I was furious and jealous
On seeing the joy of that great gathering of my wives. {39}
36.­85
“ ‘He illuminated completely the four directions
Like the beautiful moon freed from an eclipse.
My assembly of wives was overjoyed and cried out
When they saw the bhikṣu come into the capital.1235 {39}
36.­86
“ ‘At that moment I spoke with wrathful words,
Saying to my thousand sons,
“Chop to pieces that bhikṣu
Who is my dreadful, worst enemy.” {40}
36.­87
“ ‘All the princes, whose conduct was gentle,
Wished to benefit themselves and bowed down1236 to the bhikṣu.1237
They bowed down and said, “Majesty, that command should not be obeyed,”
And I became at that time overcome by sadness. {41}
36.­88
“ ‘When I saw this bhikṣu who had perfect conduct,
And who had kindness like that of a father,
With an evil1238 intention I had the opportunity to kill him,1239
And in the future I will burn in the Avīci hell. {42}
36.­89
“ ‘Nandika, who was upon the king’s road,
With extremely cruel actions makes people suffer; [F.133.b]
He was someone who would carry out my command,
And he cut up the bhikṣu like cutting up a garland of flowers. {43}
36.­90
“ ‘In the pleasant, supreme forest Samantabhadra,
Filled with birds and the aroma of flowers,
The vast community of bhikṣus
Are like only sons who have lost their mothers. {44}
36.­91
“ ‘Arise, bhikṣu, who dwelt in that forest!1240
You came to the king’s capital
To accomplish vast benefit for beings.
Weeping, they long for the greatly compassionate bhikṣu. {45}
36.­92
“ ‘I have had the road swept and covered with cloth.
Banners of flowers have been arranged on the right
And other beautiful images on the left.
Arise, bhikṣu, and teach the supreme Dharma! {46}
36.­93
“ ‘You have been long absent from the king’s capital.
Weeping, they long for the greatly compassionate bhikṣu.
May there be no obstacle to our life
In this time of the destruction of the supreme Jina’s teaching. {47}
36.­94
“ ‘Just as some beings who have great power‍—
Ever renowned throughout the ten directions
And outshining all in these three existences‍—
Leap down from a great height on to the earth, {48}
36.­95
“ ‘In the same way, this bhikṣu has fallen to the earth
With a body beautified by the supreme signs.
With an evil intention, I have reduced to pieces
Supuṣpacandra, who was faultless and blameless.1241 {49}
36.­96
“ ‘All the bhikṣus will be stricken by suffering,
Will be dismayed and similarly grief-stricken
As soon as they see this dharmabhāṇaka,
Supuṣpacandra, slain and fallen to the ground.1242 {50}
36.­97
“ ‘Supuṣpacandra, who was like the king of mountains,
Adorned by the thirty-two signs,
Has in an instant been broken into pieces
Like a flower garland held by a woman.1243 {51}
36.­98
“ ‘I have created the worst bad karma.
I shall helplessly go to Avīci, to Yama’s realm.
Having reduced the bhikṣu to pieces,
I am at the furthest distance from buddhahood. {52}
36.­99
“ ‘My sons will not save me, nor my family,
Nor my ministers, nor the slaves at my feet.
They will not save me from going to hell
For I have myself created the worst bad karma. {53} [F.134.a]
36.­100
“ ‘I go for refuge to the buddhas of the past, of the future,
And those now present in the ten directions,
Those leaders who have the ten strengths,
Have no kleśas, and have bodies as invincible as vajras!’ {54}
36.­101
“The devas there wailed pitifully
When they saw the bhikṣu in pieces.
They went to inform the saṅgha
That Supuṣpacandra had been slain in the capital. {55}
36.­102
“ ‘The wise and learned dharmabhāṇaka,
Powerful and renowned in all directions,
The bodhisattva who was established in retention,
Supuṣpacandra, has been slain in the capital. {56}
36.­103
“ ‘He who for countless eons practiced generosity,
Maintained faultless, unwavering conduct,
And had unequaled patience within all worlds,
Supuṣpacandra, has been slain in the capital. {57}
36.­104
“ ‘He who for countless eons was always diligent,
Confidently meditated on the four dhyānas,
And had the wisdom that eliminated the kleśas,
Supuṣpacandra, has been slain in the capital. {58}
36.­105
“ ‘He who gave up all attachment to his body,
Who had no regard for his own life,
And departed from Samantabhadra Forest,
Supuṣpacandra, has been slain in the capital.’ {59}
36.­106
“Having heard the pitiful wailing of the devas,
All the bhikṣus experienced great suffering.
They all went to the city in order to see
The slain, innocent Supuṣpacandra.1244 {i}
36.­107
“Those compassionate ones came to the capital
And when they saw the bhikṣu cut into pieces
They all wailed terribly in distress
And they fainted and fell to the ground. {60}
36.­108
“The saṅgha of bhikṣus asked the king,
‘Why did you commit this offence against a bhikṣu
Who maintained correct conduct without a fault,
And could remember countless previous lives? {61}
36.­109
“ ‘He had attained the power of wisdom and retention,
He knew that everything composite was empty,
He taught the absence of attributes to beings,
And had abandoned all concepts of aspiration. {62}
36.­110
“ ‘He had pleasant and delightful speech, [F.134.b]
He had pacified senses and was amiable,1245
He had complete knowledge of others’ previous lives,
And he had transcended the world.
He was the portrait of a supreme leader
With the wisdom of self-arisen buddhahood;
He saw with pure and unobscured eyes
And had extremely great love and compassion.1246 {63}
36.­111
“ ‘Killing through evil desires and causing suffering
Destroys rebirth in the upper realms.
People who are dedicated to their desires
Become deaf and devoid of wisdom.
People who are dedicated to their desires
Become blind and murder their fathers and mothers.
People who are dedicated to their desires slay those with correct conduct,
And therefore people should forsake desires. {64}
36.­112
“ ‘The kings who are dedicated to their desires,
Those rulers of the world throw away their prosperity
And go to the dreadful, terrible hells
That cause suffering and endless fear.
This kind of bad karma is always created
By the slaying of a wise bhikṣu.
Therefore one who wishes for the peace of enlightenment
Should abandon every kind of bad action. {65}
36.­113
“ ‘A jina, without dismay, gives away the best forms,
Sounds, tastes,1247 smells, tangibles, and phenomena.
He knows the body is like an illusion and chaff,
As are the ears, eyes, nose, and tongue. {66}
36.­114
“ ‘He trains in unequaled generosity,
correct conduct, patience, and diligence.
He is dedicated to dhyāna, attains perfect wisdom,
And accomplishes the benefit of beings.
The entire world with its devas and humans
Together look with love upon a jina.
Thereby, with eyes that have been freed from blindness,
They become enlightened, attaining the peace of buddhahood.1248 {67}
36.­115
“ ‘The jinas joyfully give away horses,
Elephants, litters, palanquins,
Couches, bulls, and carriages,
Wagons, villages, and regions.
They give away towns and kingdoms,
Gold, silver, crystal, and coral.
They give away wives,1249 sons, daughters,
And their own heads, and are established in enlightenment. {68}
36.­116
“ ‘They joyfully make unequaled
Offerings of flowers and incense,
Holding parasols, banners, divine flags, [F.135.a]
And musical instruments of various kinds.
They know existence to be empty
And do not rejoice in rebirth in existence.
They have the ten strengths, are adorned by the signs,
And they illuminate all ten directions. {69}
36.­117
“ ‘The bodhisattvas established in retention
Have no attachment to the phenomena of the three realms.
They have no attachment to the realm of desire,
To the form realm, or to the formless realm. {70}
36.­118
“ ‘The bodhisattvas established in retention
Have no concept of a self, no concept of being,
No concept of a soul, and no concept of an individual,
And always practice unsullied celibacy. {71}
36.­119
“ ‘The bodhisattvas established in retention
Have no concept of things and no concept of nothing,
No concept of happiness and no concept of unhappiness,
And no concept of number and no concept of numberlessness.1250 {72}
36.­120
“ ‘They have no concept of existence and no concept of nonexistence,1251
No concept of woman and no concept of man,
No concept of villages and no concept of towns,
And no concept of regions and no concept of market towns.1252 {73}
36.­121
“ ‘The bodhisattvas established in retention
Have no concept of desire and no concept of no desire,
No concept of stupidity and no concept of no stupidity,
And no concept of ignorance and no concept of no ignorance.1253 {74}
36.­122
“ ‘The bodhisattvas established in retention
Have no concept of pride and no concept of no pride,
No concept of ignorance and no concept of no ignorance,
And no concept of view and no concept of no view.1254 {i}
36.­123
“ ‘The bodhisattvas established in retention
Have no attachment to the powers and the strengths,
No attachment to the dhyānas and the aspects of enlightenment,
And have abandoned all the evils in the three realms. {75}
36.­124
“ ‘They have no desire or passion, no anger or rage;
They have no ignorance or dullness, and are always honest.
When they see the buddhas with their ten strengths, they honor them.
And they do not gain knowledge for the sake of rebirth in the higher realms. {76}
36.­125
“ ‘When they hear the unique Dharma from another,
They never have any doubt in it.
They know if there is deficiency or not in others’ minds, [F.135.b]
Like looking into a clear, pure bowl of sesame oil. {77}
36.­126
“ ‘If attachment develops,
That friendliness is a great kleśa.
If anger develops then that aggression
Brings evil, enmity, and fear.
Completely rejecting both of those,
The wise ones are established in enlightenment.
They become here the great leaders of humans,
Endowed with the ten strengths, appearing in the world.1255 {78}
36.­127
“ ‘They abandon the internal and the external
And remain in the nature of phenomena.
They have correct conduct that is pure,
Without defect, unsullied, and faultless.
Their conduct is never sullied
And it is never corrupted.
The wise ones avoid attachment and anger1256
And attain the peace of enlightenment.’ {79}
36.­128

“After King Śūradatta had heard from the saṅgha what vast, extensive, and special qualities the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra had, he was in suffering and unhappy, and therupon he recited these lines of verse to that great assembly of bodhisattvas:1257

36.­129
“ ‘The dense forest of Samantabhadra,
Filled with great trees and beautified by fruit,
Adorned by beautiful flowers that appear in all seasons
And where various birds sing their songs, {i}
36.­130
“ ‘And adorned by tall, stately, golden mountains
And by the tuneful song of kinnaras,
By skillfully created, pleasant music,
And the constant dancing of adept maidens‍— {ii}
36.­131
“ ‘That forest is like a deva’s park,
With trees that have beautiful, shining forms,
With a carpet of various kinds of flowers,
And with rivers adorned by blue and red lotuses. {iii}
36.­132
“ ‘Sages constantly live in harmony
Within such a delightful forest.
He departed from it wishing to benefit beings
And came to my city, which is a mass of sin. {iv}
36.­133
“ ‘That dharmabhāṇaka with excellent qualities,
Supuṣpacandra, came here to this city.
When he came I committed the evil action of having him slain,
And because of his death I am going to fall down into hell. {v} [F.136.a]
36.­134
“ ‘May the bodhisattvas who have the power of compassion,
The heroes who act in this world to benefit beings,
Give their protection to me, who have done such evil things:
I go to those bodhisattvas for refuge. {vi}
36.­135
“ ‘Secondly, those who are pratyekabuddhas,1258
And also śrāvakas with miraculous powers,
Whose outflows have ceased and are in their last body,
Save me from the suffering of being reborn in the Avīci hell!’ ” {vii}
36.­136

Then at that time the Bhagavān said to Ānanda, “In that way, Ānanda, the bodhisattva mahāsattva has no attachment to life or body. Why is that? Because, Ānanda, beings who have attachment to life and body create bad karma.

On this topic it was said:

36.­137
“Beings who have attachment
To this body, which is constantly rotting,
And to this life, unstable and powerless,
Which is like a dream or an illusion, {viii}
36.­138
“They fall under the power of ignorance
And create extremely dreadful karma.
Devoid of wisdom, following Māra,1259
They are reborn in the terrible hells. {ix}
36.­139
“Those humans who are indifferent
To their bodies, which are like lumps of foam,
And their lives, which are like water bubbles,
Will become supreme beings.” {x}
36.­140

Then the Bhagavān said to Brother Ānanda, “Ānanda, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should train in this samādhi, and should have no regard for their bodies or lives. They should be as diligently dedicated as they would if their hair or clothes were on fire, and have great compassion for all beings. For example, they should give up living happily in solitude, solitary places, and forests, and enter the villages, the towns, the market towns, the regions, the kingdom, the capital, and district capitals,1260 and there teach the Dharma to beings so that beings can attain irreversible progress toward the enlightenment of the śrāvaka, irreversible progress toward the enlightenment of the pratyekabuddha, or irreversible progress toward the highest, complete enlightenment.”1261 [F.136.b]

36.­141

Thereupon the Bhagavān gave a detailed teaching on this episode from the past by chanting the following verses to Brother Ānanda:1262

36.­142
“At that past time, when I was practicing bodhisattva conduct,
I was King Śūradatta.
I left my capital city Ratnāvatī
On the way to a place that was a park. {80}
36.­143
“While riding in the chariot I saw a bhikṣu
Who was perfectly handsome and attractive,
Wearing the armor of the thirty-two signs,
And he illuminated all directions. {81}
36.­144
“He was renowned as Supuṣpacandra,
And was compassionate, beneficial, and kind.
He was beautiful with his splendor and majesty,
And through his love for beings he had come to town. {82}
36.­145
“I could not be his equal in appearance,
And a malevolent envy arose within me.
I was attached to desires and clung to my kingdom,
And thought he would deprive me of my kingdom. {83}
36.­146
“I had sons that numbered a full thousand,
Who were following behind me riding in chariots,
And who wore various kinds of diadems and jewelry,
As if the devas who were lords of Trāyastriṃśa had come. {84}
36.­147
“I also had there five hundred daughters,
Who were very beautiful and wore bejeweled shoes,
Beautified by ribbons, diadems, and jewelry,
Who pulled my chariot with cords of gold.1263 {85}
36.­148
“I had my eighty thousand wives,
Who were all alluring and very beautiful.
From within their chariots they saw the bhikṣu,
Whose body had the shining splendor of Mount Meru. {86}
36.­149
“When they saw him they conceived of him as like a father,
And they developed the aspiration to attain supreme enlightenment.
Then they adopted the practice of celibacy
And they cast off their delightful jewelry. {87}
36.­150
“At that time there arose within me envy
And intractable, pitiless malice and anger.
Proud of my power, I said to my sons,
‘Slay that bhikṣu who is before me!’ {88}
36.­151
“The princes, on hearing my words,
Became distressed and unhappy. [F.137.a]
They said, ‘Father, do not speak such words!
We will not slay such a bhikṣu! {89}
36.­152
“ ‘Even if our bodies and limbs were to be cut up
For as many eons as there are sand grains in the Ganges,
Nevertheless we would never slay this bhikṣu,
As we have developed the aspiration for enlightenment.’1264 {90}
36.­153
“When the king had heard the words of his sons
He furiously ordered his serving executioner,
‘Quickly bring to me this bhikṣu slain,
Who is standing in front of my harem!’ {91}
36.­154
“Then the executioner named Nandika,
Cruel and malevolent, followed him.
He took a sword oiled with sesame oil,
And with it he cut the bhikṣu into eight pieces. {92}
36.­155
“When he cut into the body and limbs,
Instead of blood a thousand light rays were emitted,
And where it was cut open, inside the body
Were symbols, such as śrīvatsas and wheels.1265 {i}
36.­156
“Having committed such a dreadful act,
The king instantly departed for the park.
Thinking of the bhikṣu Puṣpacandra,1266
He could not join in amusements or be happy. {93}
36.­157
“He very quickly and in a hasty manner
Departed from the park to return to his palace.
His chariot on the way came to the place
Where the bhikṣu lay in eight pieces. {94}
36.­158
“There he heard the sound of the wailing
Of many millions of devas in the sky.
They cried, ‘King, you have created so much bad karma
That when you die you will go to the miseries of the Avīci hell!’ {95}
36.­159
“When the king had heard those words
He became distressed, sorrowful, and afraid.
He thought, ‘I have created so much bad karma
Through my having Puṣpacandra killed! {96}
36.­160
“ ‘He was the son of the buddhas, of the leaders of men,
Of the tathāgatas who have infinite wisdom.
He controlled his senses, was caring, had a peaceful mind,
But because of my desires I had him slain. {97}
36.­161
“ ‘He possessed the Dharma of the tathāgatas.
In the age of destruction he was a treasure of the Dharma.
He was a lamp of wisdom for the entire world,
But because of my desires I had him slain. {98}
36.­162
“ ‘He was a king of physicians for this entire world
And he was always healing beings. [F.137.b]
He gave them the shining elixir of amrita,
But because of my desires I had him slain.1267 {i}
36.­163
“ ‘He explained to beings the Dharma
That is profound, peaceful, and difficult to see.
He was a teacher of the supreme essence of enlightenment,
But because of my desires I had him slain. {99}
36.­164
“ ‘He possessed the Dharma treasure of the guides,
And he was a lamp for a world in darkness.
He possessed the retention of the king of sūtras,
But because of my desires I had him slain. {100}
36.­165
“ ‘He was free of the kleśas and possessed pure wisdom,
And he constantly rested in a state of peace, perfect peace.
I had him killed today because of my desires,
Which was extremely evil, and I will go to hell. {101}
36.­166
“ ‘The buddhas of the past and of the future,
And the jinas, the supreme men, of the present,
Who are endlessly praised and have an ocean of qualities,
With my hands together in homage I go to them for refuge.’ {102} [B13]
36.­167

“When King Śūradatta saw that the body of the slain dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra that lay on the ground had not altered in color he was distressed, sorrowful, and remorseful. He became crazed and wailed loudly.

36.­168

“He recited these mournful verses that praised the qualities of the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra:1268

36.­169
“ ‘The noble saṅgha in Samantabhadra Forest
Requested you in many different ways
Not to go to Ratnāvatī, the capital city,
Because there would be a danger to your life. {i}
36.­170
“ ‘You did not listen to that saṅgha of bhikṣus.
Why, venerable one, did you come to the town?
Whatever the reason might be that you came,
You should accomplish it, O lamp for the world! {ii}
36.­171
“ ‘The ground is adorned by a variety of divine plants.
There is a dense multitude of shining, beautiful trees.
It is protected by supreme siddhas and vidyādharas,1269
It is frequented by devas, and the lords of birds sing there.1270 {iii}
36.­172
“ ‘You departed from the perfect, delightful
Samantabhadra Forest, where the buddhas always dwell. [F.138.a]
Gentle one, explain to me today
The reason why you came here. {iv}
36.­173
“ ‘When I have heard your words, I will fulfill your command.
Son of the Buddha, arise and give me your instruction.
Alas, what shall I do, god of gods,
I am helpless and go to you for refuge! {v}
36.­174
“ ‘Alone like a lion, the king of animals,
You left your pride,1271 a supreme saṅgha of bhikṣus,
And with compassion for endless beings,
With no regard for your own life, you came here. {vi}
36.­175
“ ‘I was overcome with desire and envy
And had this hero cut into pieces.
Now your entire saṅgha of bhikṣus
Has come to the capital in order to see you. {vii}
36.­176
“ ‘That which I, terrified, request of you,
It is a request that is worthy to be fulfilled.1272
Puṣpacandra, I pray you free me from fear
And that you rise like the moon when it is full. {viii}
36.­177
“ ‘Dharmabhāṇaka who is liberated from anger,
Lord of beings, bestow this favor on me.
Today, bestow this one favor on me:
I pray that you arise, shining like the sun. {ix}
36.­178
“ ‘I have committed an evil, sinful act.
I have slain the supreme dharmabhāṇaka.
When I die I will be reborn in a terrible hell,
And I have no one who can save me from that. {103}
36.­179
“ ‘Shame upon this sinful mind that creates calamity!
Shame upon this kingship of pride and arrogance!
I will have to go alone, leaving all behind,
Without taking any possessions1273 with me.1274 {104}
36.­180
“ ‘You have the pure Dharma, and have defeated desire and anger.
You speak pleasant words, are self-controlled, and compassionate.
You do no wrong, and are the sole friend of beings.
Supreme Puṣpacandra, why did I slay you? {105}
36.­181
“ ‘Ah!1275 You who are wealthy in discipline, patience, and austerity!
Ah! You who possess the qualities of a handsome form and kindness!
Ah! You who are honest, glorious, and trustworthy‍—
Where have you gone, leaving us behind? {106}
36.­182
“ ‘Noble one, when your body and limbs were cut,
Milk flowed out and thousands of light rays shone forth.
The entire world was astonished.
My wondrous1276 guide, I pray that you arise!1277 {i} [F.138.b]
36.­183
“ ‘Ah! Puṣpacandra, you are self-controlled and compassionate!
Ah! Come here, you mountain of love and compassion!
Ah! You are a supreme teacher of the profound Dharma‍—
Divine one, I pray that you be compassionate to me and arise. {ii}
36.­184
“ ‘Ah! Come here, you who have the face of a full moon!
Ah! Come here, you who are upon the ten bhūmis!
Ah! You are a hero who has power over the ten bhūmis‍—
You, who have power over life, where you have gone? {iii}
36.­185
“ ‘Ah! Come here and speak to me!
Ah! You who are so diligent and compassionate, where have you gone?
Ah! You have meditated for a long time on patience‍—
You who have great love, arise and speak to me! {iv}
36.­186
“ ‘Ah! God of gods, you who are worthy of offerings,
Dharmabhāṇaka, why do you continue to remain silent?
Arise, wise one, come into my home
And teach the Dharma to the city’s women. {v}
36.­187
“ ‘Divine one, it is not possible to cut up your body.
Even the devas, asuras, yakṣas,1278 and rākṣasas
Are unable to destroy this body of yours.
Wise one, do not perform this illusion today. {vi}
36.­188
“ ‘Divine one why do you continue with this illusion?
This is not a beautiful bodhisattva illusion.
Abandon all illusions and arise,
And teach the Dharma in the city of Ratnāvatī. {vii}
36.­189
“ ‘Ah! Come here, noble Puṣpacandra!
Ah! Come here, you who are without desire for the three realms!
Ah! Come here, guide who is like a father and mother‍—
And close the door through which I will go to hell. {viii}
36.­190
“ ‘You are the refuge for those beings reborn in the lower realms,
And for beings who are falling into the great Avīci hell.
Come here, Protector Supuṣpacandra,
And open the door through which I can go to the higher realms! {ix}
36.­191
“ ‘Lord, for seven days you did not eat.
Arise and eat a meal in my home.
Having eaten a meal, then in Ratnāvatī
Establish many beings in the Dharma. {x}
36.­192
“ ‘Ah! My father who is wise in the supreme Dharma!
Ah! You who have no enmity toward any being!
Ah! Come here before me and teach me the Dharma!
Ah! Come here and quickly fulfill my prayers! {xi}
36.­193
“ ‘Ah! The saṅgha of bhikṣus do not have their lord! [F.139.a]
Ah! They are blinded, distressed,1279 and in sorrow!
Ah! Arise quickly, you who are the most precious being‍—
And having arisen bring relief to this saṅgha of bhikṣus. {xii}
36.­194
“ ‘Ah! Come here, you who are a light for the three realms!
Ah! Come and enter the Samantabhadra Forest!
Enter the supreme forest, Samantabhadra,
And teach so as to benefit the bhikṣus.1280 {xiii}
36.­195
“ ‘Oh! Oh!1281 You possess the Dharma and have marvelous qualities.
You are as rare as a flower on the sacred fig tree.
Oh! Oh! Look upon the saṅgha of bhikṣus
With your stainless eyes of wisdom and compassion.
Oh! Oh! Teach to the bhikṣus
The retention1282 that is beyond words.
Oh! Oh! Puṣpacandra, arise here today
Like the rising moon.1283 {xiv}
36.­196
“ ‘Oh! Oh! Son of the jinas, who has compassion for me,
Unsurpassable teacher, bring me relief.
Oh! Oh! You who when struck by swords and sticks
Have the power of great patience and kindness.
Oh! Oh! Compassionate Supuṣpacandra,
Generous guide, I pray that you arise.
Oh! Oh! Arise and teach to me
The retention that is difficult to see. {xv}
36.­197
“ ‘Oh! Oh! You are the supreme lamp of wisdom
That illuminates the entire world.
Oh! Oh! You are dedicated to the benefit of beings;
You are the guide with the strength of compassion.1284
Oh! Oh! Arise, Puṣpacandra, the hero1285
Who accomplishes the benefit of beings.
Oh! Oh! Arise and bring trillions
Of beings to the city of peace. {xvi}
36.­198
“ ‘Oh! Oh! You who have the wealth of correct conduct,
You have understanding, the wealth of training, and are wise.
Oh! Oh! You remain in the discipline of correct conduct
And rejoice in the seedlings of the trees of Dharma.
Oh! Oh! You wear the orange dyed dharma robes,
And are always satisfied by renunciation.
Oh! Oh! Arise, glorious Puṣpacandra,
Who has perfect discipline, generosity, and austerity. {xvii}
36.­199
“ ‘Oh! Oh! Tamed one who tames untamed beings,
Who always has the state of being tamed. [F.139.b]
Oh! Oh! Tamed one who follows those who are tamed,
Who is peaceful, and who has pacified senses.
Oh! Oh! You continually with the sound of the Dharma
Awaken beings who are asleep, deeply asleep.
Oh! Oh! You awaken millions of beings
And establish them in the highest yāna. {xviii}
36.­200
“ ‘Oh! Oh! With the planks of generosity
You have made a ship and tied it with the ropes of diligence.
Oh! Oh! You rescue the beings who
By craving1286 have fallen into the great ocean.
Oh! Oh! Arise, Supuṣpa,1287 with the ten strengths,
You who are the wise pilot of the ship.
Oh! Oh! Sail that stable ship
And come and rescue me too. {xix}
36.­201
“ ‘Oh! Oh! You are the supreme doctor, practiced in discipline;
You are the unsurpassable doctor, learned in healing.
Oh! Oh! You have attained the perfection of liberation through wisdom
And you bestow the medicine that is the good Dharma.
Oh! Oh! When you see beings who are sick,
Afflicted with all kinds of illnesses,
Oh! Oh! arise quickly and give them
The medicine of the Dharma.1288 {xx}
36.­202
“ ‘Oh! Oh! King of the medicine of wisdom, unequaled,
You have reached the perfection of superior wisdom.
Oh! Oh! You completely cure all illnesses.
With compassion you accomplish the benefit of beings.
Oh! Oh! Everyone in the realm of sick beings
Is afflicted by the illness of desire.
Oh! Oh! You make all those beings
Happy, healthy, and reach nirvāṇa. {xxi}
36.­203
“ ‘Oh! Oh! Wise one, who has a vast training in wisdom,
Beat loudly the drum of the Dharma!
Oh! Oh! With your ocean of wisdom cut through
All the world’s creepers of doubt.
Oh! Oh! You who are excellently learned,
Stainless, a holder of the Dharma, a supreme human,
Oh! Oh! be seated in the midst of your assembly
And, wise one, recite thousands of millions of stainless sūtras. {xxii}
36.­204
“ ‘Ah! Puṣpacandra, you are adorned by the supreme primary signs.
Ah! Your body has all the eighty excellent secondary signs complete.1289
Ah! Come here, honest one, who has crossed the ocean of existence.
Ah! Arise, you who have escaped from the prison of existence. [F.140.a]
Ah! You have sacred, supreme wisdom and knowledge.
Ah! Puṣpacandra, you have great compassion.
Ah! Have love and compassion and arise!
Ah! Puṣpacandra,1290 I pray to you. {xxiii}
36.­205
“ ‘Ah! Puṣpacandra, give your instruction!1291
Ah! Do not forsake your saṅgha of bhikṣus!
Ah! Come here and lead your saṅgha!
Ah! Arise and go to that forest!
Ah! Puṣpacandra, you enjoy the four1292 dhyānas.
Ah! You have love equally for friends and enemies.
Ah! Arise, you who maintain unequaled retention.
Ah! Come here, arise, you who are a tree of pure wisdom. {xxiv}
36.­206
“ ‘Ah! You are as unshakable as Meru.
Ah! You for whom buddhas and beings are equal1293‍—
Ah! Puṣpacandra, who has perfect discipline‍—
Ah! Arise and attain buddhahood at the foot of the Bodhi tree.1294
Ah! You have divine hearing and possess the supreme Dharma.
Ah! You have divine vision, and are wise and adept in wisdom.
Ah! Arise, compassionate one, and look at me!
Ah! Endlessly famous one, listen to my words! {xxv}
36.­207
“ ‘Ah! You help and benefit the entire world.
Ah! Puṣpacandra, you delight in great generosity.
Ah! Arise and quickly1295 fulfill my prayer.
Ah! Do not remain here in pieces.
When the men and the women of this city
Saw you lying dead,1296
Their hearts were withered by sorrow.
Look upon them with your compassionate eyes! {xxvi}
36.­208
“ ‘Arise, Supuṣpa, so that you may fulfill
The reason for cultivating the strength
Of love, wisdom, and method,
And your vast rejoicing in compassion and equanimity.
Devas, nāgas, and asuras with great miraculous powers,
Yakṣas, rākṣasas, humans, and kinnaras
Bring flowers and incense in their cupped hands;
They have all come to delight in seeing you. {xxvii}
36.­209
“ ‘Today I have understood the words of the Sage:
The desires of beings are harmful1297 murderers.1298
This fever1299 of the mind is the cause of the lower realms.1300
Therefore I shall forsake acting out of desire. {107}
36.­210
“ ‘I have committed the sin of slaying the bhikṣu,
Which was extremely wicked and will destroy my happiness.
I am going to go to the terrible Avīci hell [F.140.b]
And I have no protector who can save me from that.
I shall forsake the kingdom and practice celibacy.
I shall make excellent offerings
With incense, flowers, and perfumes,
And I shall build a beautiful stūpa.1301 {108}1302
36.­211
“ ‘I give a command to all my sons,
Daughters, wives, prominent citizens,
Ministers, head merchants,
Heads of guilds, and many kṣatriyas:
Quickly make a bier with a casket
Of agarwood, sandalwood, cherry wood,
And whatever is splendid, aromatic, and beautiful,
For the cremation of this bhikṣu.’1303 {109}
36.­212
“Having heard the king, all the townspeople
Brought the very best incense,
Fashioned a bier, and placed
The bhikṣu inside the casket.
With agarwood, sandalwood, and magnolia,1304
Valerian, fenugreek, and begonia,
With flowers and perfumed garlands,
And with sesame oil he was cremated. {110}
36.­213
“The bhikṣus collected
A droṇa of his burned bones.1305
The king created for them a stūpa
And said, ‘I wish to make an offering to it.’
Holding flowers, garlands, and perfumes,
The king had others hold parasols, flags, and banners,
And play the music of a thousand
Quintillion musical instruments. {111}
36.­214
“The king came to the stūpa of the bhikṣu
During each of the three periods1306 of every day,1307
And confessed absolutely whatever bad actions, however small,
He may have committed in this life or throughout the three times.1308
For nine hundred and fifty billion years
He repented all his misdeeds,1309
And from then on perfectly maintained correct conduct
That was unimpaired, pure, unsullied, and stainless. {112}
36.­215
“For nine hundred and fifty billion years1310
He kept the poṣadha vows.
Then when my body1311 was destroyed
I fell into the terrible Avīci Hell.
I had committed cruel actions out of desire
And therefore I experienced many sufferings.
I had displeased nine hundred
And fifty billion buddhas. {113} [F.141.a]
36.­216
“For nine hundred and fifty billion years
I was blind throughout that time.
For sixty-two quintillion eons
In the past my eyes were destroyed.
For many thousand quintillions
Of eons, my eyes were gouged out.
For countless millions of eons,
My head, ears, feet, and hands were cut off. {114}
36.­217
“For another quintillion eons
I was born into human lives
In which I experienced suffering,
Tormented for a long time by saṃsāra’s suffering.
For a long time in saṃsāra I experienced
The suffering created by my bad actions.
Therefore those who wish for the peace of enlightenment
Should commit no bad actions within the three realms. {115}
36.­218
“Although the supreme king confessed his past action,1312
He was not freed from the evil that he had done.
Because he had created such terrible karma,
When he passed away he fell to the terrible Avīci hell. {116}
36.­219
“While I was practicing bodhisattva conduct,
For many endless eons my hands, feet, ears, and nose
Were cut off and my eyes were forcefully gouged out
While I was being hit with sticks and weapons. {117}
36.­220
“For the sake of enlightenment I gave away my body, head, and hands,
My sons, my wives, my eyes, and my flesh.
I joyfully gave away my feet and my hands,
But even that did not exhaust my previous bad karma. {118}
36.­221
“Ānanda,1313 that is how I practiced for endless eons.
I saw countless buddhas endowed with glory.
Those are the sufferings I experienced in the past
While practicing this supreme bodhisattva conduct.1314 {121}
36.­222
“The bodhisattva who maintains retention
Remains loving, always unwavering and unshakable,
Makes offerings to the buddhas, the purified gods of gods,
And will never go to the lower realms. {122}
36.­223
“The one who wishes to become a buddha, a lord of the Dharma
Who is adorned by the thirty-two signs,
Should maintain unsullied, uninterrupted correct conduct,
And be established in the retention of the Dharma that has been taught. {123}
36.­224
“I was at that time King Śūradatta.
My sons were subsequently protectors of the Dharma.
Padmottara was Supuṣpacandra,
And Vasunandi was Śāntirāja1315 with the ten strengths. {119} [F.141.b]
36.­225
“The Tathāgata was the principal human,
A hero for the three worlds, the sole friend of beings.
He accomplished a vast benefit for beings.
He passed into nirvāṇa and was a guide like a lamp.1316 {i}
36.­226
“The host of women and the multitude of kṣatriyas,
The leading citizens, the generals, and the ministers,
The heads of guilds, head merchants, and regional commanders
All gained the ten strengths and freedom from the kleśas.”1317 {120}
36.­227

Conclusion of the thirty-sixth chapter, “Supuṣpacandra.”


37.
Chapter 37

Teaching the Aggregate of Correct Conduct

37.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood should hear the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, should obtain it, study it, keep it, recite it, disseminate it, transmit it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, and in other ways make it widely known. They should also maintain the aggregate of correct conduct.”


38.
Chapter 38

Yaśaḥprabha

38.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for these and countless other wonderful1336 and marvelous bodhisattva qualities, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should hear this revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena samādhi and obtain it, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it,1337 and make it widely known to others. [F.146.a]


39.
Chapter 39

Restraint of the Body, Speech, and Mind

39.­1

Then the Bhagavān [F.151.a] said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should train by thinking, ‘I shall have self-control through physical restraint.’

39.­2

“Young man, what is meant by physical restraint? That which is called ‘physical restraint’ is the physical restraint through which bodhisattva mahāsattvas are free of attachment to all phenomena.


40.
Chapter 40

[Untitled]

40.­1

“Young man, what is purity of action? Seeing the three existences as being like a dream and becoming free of desire. Young man, that is purity of action.

40.­2

“Young man, what is the transcendence of the mind’s fixation on perceptions? It is knowing that the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas are like illusions, and renouncing them. That is the transcendence of the mind’s fixation on perceptions.


c.

Colophon

c.­1

The Indian preceptor Śrīlendrabodhi, and the chief editor Lotsawa Bandé Dharmatāśīla, translated and revised this work. It was later modified and finalized in terms of the new translation.


ab.

Abbreviations

BHS Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit.
Chinese Sixth century Chinese translation by Narendrayaśas (see introduction, i.­7).
Commentary Mañjuśrīkīrti (see bibliography).
Gilgit Sixth to seventh century Sanskrit manuscript (see introduction i.­9 and bibliography under Dutt).
Hodgson Later Nepalese Sanskrit manuscript (see introduction i.­9 and bibliography under Dutt).
Matsunami Matsunami’s Sanskrit edition (see bibliography).
Shastri Later Nepalese Sanskrit manuscript (see introduction i.­9 and bibliography under Dutt).
Vaidya Vaidya’s Sanskrit edition (see bibliography).

n.

Notes

n.­1
According to the BHS vipañcita. The Tibetan translates as rnam par spros pa.
n.­2
See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light, Toh 55 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).
n.­3
Toh 129, see bibliography.
n.­4
Brian Houghton Hodgson (1801–1894) was a linguist, ethnologist, naturalist, and diplomat who lived in Nepal from 1824 to 1844, becoming British Resident; among his many other activities, he studied and collected Sanskrit Buddhist texts. Haraprasad Shastri (1853–1931) was an Indian Sanskrit scholar and historian who visited Nepal several times, also collecting and publishing manuscripts. Both scholars were associated with the Asiatic Society in Kolkata. The Sanskrit edition of the sūtra published by Dutt (as one of a series centered on the Gilgit manuscripts; see bibliography) is not only based on the Gilgit manuscript, but also represents the Hodgson and Shastri manuscripts, which Dutt refers to, respectively, as manuscripts A and B.
n.­5
Vibhuticandra; dpal bde mchog gi dkyil ’khor kyi cho ga; Śrī-samvara-maṇḍala-vidhi. Toh 1511, Degé Tengyur, Vol. 22, (rgyud, zha), 322b. 308b–334a.
n.­6
The Yogacāra tradition of Asaṅga and his followers has philosophical viewpoints quite distinct from those of the Mādhyamika tradition, of which Candrakīrti was perhaps the most uncompromising proponent.
n.­7
The Tibetan of the quote is: nga ’das lo ni nyis stong na / gdong dmar yul du bstan pa ’byung / spyan ras gzigs kyi gdul byar ’gyur / de yi bstan pa’i snyigs ma la / byang chub sems dpa’ seng ge’i sgra / karma pa zhes ba ba ’byung / ting ’dzin dbang thob ’gro ba ’dul / mthong thos dran regs bde la bkod (Rinchen Palzang, p. 650).
n.­8
This line of homage, as is customary for Kangyur texts, was added by the Tibetan translators, and therefore does not appear in the Sanskrit or Chinese. The Gilgit Sanskrit manuscript has 12 initial verses, Hodgson 14 verses, and Shastri 43 verses, none of which are in the Tibetan.
n.­9
This number depends on whether niyuta is taken to mean “one million,” as in Classical Sanskrit, or “a hundred thousand million,” as is found in BHS. The Tibetan has chosen the latter meaning, translating it as khrag khrig. Therefore the resulting number in Tibetan is “ten million [times] a hundred thousand million times eighty,” i.e., eighty million million million (eighty quintillion in the American or short scale system) (bye ba khrag khrig phrag brgyad bcu, apparently translating koṭiniyutena aśityā). The translation of the commentary by Mañjuśrīkīrti, however, has khrag khrig phrag brgyad bcu: “a hundred thousand million times eighty,” which would be eight million million, i.e., eight trillion. The Vaidya Sanskrit edition has niyuta­śata­sahasrena aśītyā which would be literally “a hundred thousand million [times] a hundred [times] a thousand times eighty,” which comes to eight hundred thousand million million, i.e., eight hundred thousand trillion. However if niyuta is taken as only one million, this would be eight million million, i.e., eight trillion, which would agree with the resulting number in Mañjuśrīkīrti’s commentary. The Dutt edition of the Gilgit manuscript has aśityā ca bodhisattva-niyutaiḥ and accordingly the translation of Gómez et al. is “eighty million,” where niyuta has presumably been given the value of one million. The Chinese simply transliterates as na-yo-ta. The Chinese tradition gives numerous, widely differing explanations of what this number means.
n.­10
In the Chinese the description of the bodhisattvas and the list of names do not appear. The Chinese continues at this point with Ajita.
n.­11
According to the BHS abhi­jñābhijñātair. The Tibetan, translating both abhijña and abhijñāta as mngon par shes pa, has mngon par shes pas mngon par shes pa. However, the translation of the commentary has a preferable translation of the second abhijñāta: rab tu grags pa.
n.­12
According to the BHS gatiṃgata. The Tibetan translates as rtogs par khong du chud pa.
n.­13
According to the commentary these are not only the dhāraṇī in recited form, but comprise the four kinds of retention (dhāraṇī): the recited dhāraṇī sentences and phrases themselves, the retention of the memory of the words of all teachings given, the retention of the memory of the meaning of these teachings, and the retention of the realization gained through meditation on that meaning.
n.­14
According to the Tibetan, though the Sanskrit compound could also be interpreted to mean “who had praised, extolled, and lauded all the buddhas.”
n.­15
According to the Tibetan and the commentary. The Sanskrit could also be interpreted, as in Gómez et al., as “knowing all the terrors [that come from] the māras.”
n.­16
According to the commentary, this means “adorned by the ten good actions: three of body, four of speech, and three of mind,” or, among the primary and secondary signs of a great being: “the voice of Brahmā, and the mind’s realization of the nature of beings so that they may be guided.”
n.­17
According to most Kangyurs, the commentary, and the Sanskrit. The Degé has kyi instead of kyis.
n.­18
According to the commentary, this means the bodhisattvas are on the tenth bhūmi, as taught in the Sūtra of the Ten Bhūmis. The ten-bhūmi system does not appear in the Gilgit version or the Chinese but does in the later Sanskrit versions and the Tibetan.
n.­19
According to the Sanskrit. Absent from the Tibetan.
n.­20
According to the Tibetan lhun po’i rtse mo ’dzin and Matsunami. Vaidya: Meruśikhariṁdhara. Dutt: Meruśikharindhara.
n.­21
According to the Tibetan lhun po’i rgyal po and Matsunami. Dutt: Merugāja. Does not appear in Hodgson.
n.­22
According to the Tibetan and Matsunami. Dutt: Meruśikhare saṁghaṭṭanarājena. Hodgson: Meruśikhare saṃghaḍanagajena. Shastri: Meruśikhare saṃghaṭanagajena.
n.­23
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
n.­24
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
n.­25
According to the Tibetan (nyi ma me’i ’od ’phro can) and the Hodgson. The Tibetan takes daśaśataraśmi, “a hundred thousand rays,” as an epithet of the sun and translates it simply as nyi ma (“sun”). Gilgit and Shastri: Daśaśataraśmikṛtārci with huta (“fire,” equivalent to the Tibetan me) replaced by kṛta (“made,” “created”).
n.­26
According to the Tibetan and Hodgson. Vaidya: Satatam­abhayaṁdadāna. Dutt has both versions.
n.­27
Another name for Maitreya, the bodhisattva who will be the fifth buddha of the Good Eon.
n.­28
According to the Sanskrit anupamacitta. The Tibetan has dpe med sems dpa’, whereas one would expect dpe med sems pa. The Sūtra of the Samādhi of the Seal of the Wisdom of the Tathāgatas (see bibliography) refers to this group as sems dpa’ dpe med pa, naming two of them: Pramodyarāja (mchog tu dga’ ba’i rgyal po) and Mañjuśrī (Degé Kangyur, vol. 55, F.248.a). The Sūtra of Possessing the Roots of Goodness (see bibliography) refers to byang chub sems dpa’ dpe med pa sems pa (“bodhisattvas with incomparable minds”), with Bhadrapāla being the one that is named (Degé Kangyur, vol. 48, F.48.a). Bhadrapāla is also listed as one of a group of five hundred bodhisattvas in that sūtra (F.22.b).
n.­29
This is referencing a group of beings that is listed in the White Lotus of the Good Dharma Sūtra (Degé Kangyur, vol. 67, 2.b). In that sūtra Bhadrapāla is also listed as one of a group of fifty bodhisattvas (F.142.b).
n.­30
A bodhisattva who appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas, and perhaps also the merchant of that name who is the principal interlocutor in the Sūtra of the Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (see bibliography).
n.­31
This refers to the standard list of god realms beginning with the lowest, that of the Four Mahārājas.
n.­32
According to the Sanskrit udārodārair, which repeats udāra. The Tibetan translates as “vast and illustrious.”
n.­33
According to the Sanskrit, which uses repetition to state that each one of them has that quality, maheśākhya­maheśākhyair. The Tibetan translates as “very powerful and renowned to be very powerful.”
n.­172
Literally, “ten million times a hundred thousand times a hundred thousand million.”
n.­173
According to the Sanskrit vihāra. Tibetan: gtsug lag khang. These are equivalents in the Mahāvyutpatti, but gtsug lag khang can also mean “temple” in Tibetan.
n.­197
From the Sanskrit udgrahītavya. Tibetan: gzung.
n.­198
From the BHS paryavāptavya. Tibetan: kun chub pa.
n.­199
From the Sanskrit dhārayitavya. Tibetan: bcang.
n.­200
From the Sanskrit vācayitavya. Tibetan: klog.
n.­201
From the Sanskrit pravartayitavya. Tibetan: rab tu gdon pa.
n.­202
From the Sanskrit uddeṣṭavya. Tibetan: lung mnod par bya.
n.­203
From the Sanskrit svādhyātavya. Tibetan: kha ton du bya.
n.­204
From the Sanskrit araṇa, which also means “passionless, sinless, without impurity.” This is regularly translated into Tibetan as nyon mongs, which is also used to translate kleśa. Gómez et al. have interpreted it as “being in solitude,” presumably from an edition with araṇya (“solitude”).
n.­205
From the Sanskrit bahulīkartavya. Tibetan: mang du bya.
n.­206
From the Sanskrit parebhyaśca vistarena saṃprakāśayitavya. Tibetan: gshan dag la yang rgya cher rab tu bstan par bya. This entire list is simplified in the Chinese to three elements: “should recite, uphold / retain, and explain it to others widely.”
n.­300
Not in the Gilgit or Chinese.
n.­531
From the Sanskrit prabhāvyate. The Tibetan appears to have translated from a manuscript with something like pravbhidyate or prabhedyate (“divide,” “categorize”).
n.­532
According to the Sanskrit, the commentary, and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as “the nature of the mind is without form,” presumably translating from svabhāvam arūpyam as a corruption of niḥsvabhāvam arūpyam.
n.­533
The Chinese adds “and cannot be seen.”
n.­547
The Sanskrit manasikāra and the Tibetan yid la byed pa can mean, according to context, “fixed attention,” “concentration,” “focused reflection,” etc. The commentary states that the samādhi being devoid of such factors is in relation to mind and thoughts, subject and object, action and object, and so on. The negative of the term (amanasikāra, yid la mi byed pa) was later adapted into the mahāmudrā tradition.
n.­548
The BHS term raṇā is synonymous with kleśa, and both are translated into Tibetan as nyon mongs.
n.­569
Chinese: “Then the youth Candraprabha said these words to the Bhagavān.”
n.­613
The Chinese has 47 consecutive verses: the first 16 verses are in chapter 15 of the Tibetan-Sanskrit version and the remaining 31 verses are in chapter 16.
n.­637
This entire opening section about Maitreya and his miraculous activities does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript and therefore not in the Vaidya either. The Tibetan follows the version in the Hodgson manuscript.
n.­638
According to the Sanskrit, where tathāgata is clearly in the vocative and the verb “to go” is in the first-person singular.
n.­639
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “Lamp of the three worlds.”
n.­759
According to the Tibetan, in which the verb here is gdon mi za bar bya’o. The Sanskrit of the Hodgson and Shastri manuscripts has “…should depend upon the duties and qualities of the training that is the root of all merit” (śikṣāguṇa­dharmaniśrita). They also have at this point “…should have pure conduct through depending on roots of merit…” and so on. The Gilgit manuscript chapter is composed only of the verses.
n.­783
The Chinese adds: “Therefore, bodhisattvas should know about the dharmakāya and the rūpakāya.” The rest of this chapter does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­785
This paragraph does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­882
Beginning of fascicle 6 of the Taisho ed., and fascicle 7 of the Song, Yuan, Ming, Gong, and Sheng eds.
n.­890
From the BHS anuparivārayati and according to the definition in the commentary. The Tibetan translates with the alternative meaning of “encircling” or “surrounding.” The Gilgit version has pariśodhayati (“purifies”). The Chinese translates this sentence as “They will perfect wisdom of all kinds.” 滿足一切智 (man zu yi qie zhi).
n.­891
According to the Sanskrit, the commentary, and most Kangyurs, except for the Degé which has ’byor pa in error for ’byol ba. Chinese: “They abandon all concern about life and death.” 棄捨生死 (qi she sheng si).
n.­892
Tibetan: thob par byed pa (“cause to obtain”). Sanskrit: arpayati (see Mahāvyutpatti 7428). Chinese: “They long for the joy of nirvāṇa,” 慕樂涅槃 (mu le nie pan).
n.­893
Chinese: “They will not lack faith or wealth,” 不乏信財 (bu fa xin cai).
n.­1056
According to the Tibetan byi dor bya ba yongs su sbyang ba. The Sanskrit pari­karma­dhāraya could be translated as “maintaining or gaining the preparation for.”
n.­1057
This paragraph is in a simpler form in the Gilgit and Chinese.
n.­1161
In the Gilgit manuscript, the prose is absent from this point until “Young man, in the past…” (34.­7).
n.­1197
These last three sentences are absent in the Gilgit manuscript and the Chinese.
n.­1198
The Sanskrit has the obscure vitardda, while the Mahāvyutpatti gives vitardi and vedika as the corollary of the Tibetan stegs bu. A vedika is a raised platform, usually with a railing, around a building or stūpa.
n.­1199
The Sanskrit niryūha, which the Mahāvyutpatti defines as sgo khang or ba gam according to context, is translated here as sgo khang.
n.­1200
Sanskrit: toraṇa. Tibetan: rta babs. The name of the outer gateways for entering a courtyard, it was also an ornamental form above the doorways of a building.
n.­1201
Sanskrit: gavakṣa. Tibetan: skar khung. Literally, “ox-eye.” This does not refer to the modern glass windows, but rather apertures, usually round, for the breeze or wind to pass through.
n.­1202
Sanskrit: harmya. Tibetan: pu shu. The Tibetan has various meanings, such as “rainwater spouts,” but here probably means “the pavilion or upper room in a palace, open to cool breezes.”
n.­1203
Sanskrit: kūṭāgāra. Tibetan: khang pa brtsegs pa. Here this means, not a building that has a tower, but the tower itself. Here the Tibetan has khang pa, “twice,” without an equivalent in Sanskrit, therefore probably a scribal error. Otherwise, according to the Mahāvyutpatti, khang pa could be a translation of kuṭikā, which could mean “a belvedere.”
n.­1204
The description of the king and his palace does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript or the Chinese.
n.­1205
According to the commentary. The sūtra translation omits “water.”
n.­1206
According to the Sanskrit siddha-vidyādhara… and the commentary (grub pa dang rig pa ’dzin pa dang). The Tibetan of the sūtra has grub pa’i rig sngags ’chang.
n.­1207
According to the Sanskrit. Omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­1208
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits translating kiṃ, or has lost the word in ci in skyes bu’am ci (literally, “person or what?”) in a scribal omission, leaving only skyes bu’am (“person and”).
n.­1209
According to the Sankrit. The Tibetan omits “It was inhabited by flocks of birds.” The commentary mentions them.
n.­1210
The entire description of the forest does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript or the Chinese.
n.­1211
According to the Sanskrit rājaputrāḥ. Literally, “king-sons.” The Tibetan translates as just “king,” omitting “sons.” The translation of the commentary also has just “king.”
n.­1212
According to the Tibetan. Not present in the Sanskrit or the commentary.
n.­1213
This paragraph is absent in the Chinese.
n.­1214
Verses 6 to 14 in the Sanskrit have longer lines than the others, and each four-line verse in Sanskrit was therefore translated into eight lines of Tibetan. This English translation maintains the Tibetan verse structure, although the numbering (as elsewhere) is from the Sanskrit.
n.­1215
According to the Sanskrit gandha and the Chinese. However, the Tibetan has sgra (“sound”) instead, which does not fit the context.
n.­1216
According to the Sanskrit. Chinese: “ministers,” 大臣 (da chen).
n.­1217
According to the Sanskrit and the commentary. The Tibetan numbering in the sūtra translation appears to be in disarray. Chinese: “36 yi,” 三十六億 (xan shi liu yi), which can be 360,000, or 36 million, or 360 million.
n.­1218
According to the Sanskrit pṛṣṭhaḥ samanubaddhāni, and the Chinese.
n.­1219
According to the Sanskrit doṣa and the Chinese. The Tibetan translation has dveṣa (“anger”), which seems to be an obvious error for this sentence.
n.­1220
See the preceding note. The Chinese switches to “bondage,” 結縛 (jie fu).
n.­1221
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit could be translated as: “The unequaled buddha heroes, dedicated to beings, / The heroes of the past, disseminated the supreme Dharma. / They will also appear in that way in future times. / Thereby, the son has gained the power of a king of the Dharma.”
n.­1222
Gilgit: “strings of pearls.” Chinese: “jewels strung as long necklaces.” Includes the word 珠 (zhu), which can mean “pearls” or “pearl-shaped jewels.”
n.­1223
Verses 29 to 33 in the Sanskrit have longer lines than the others, and each four-line verse in Sanskrit was therefore translated into eight lines of Tibetan. This English translation maintains the Tibetan verse structure, although the numbering (as elsewhere) is from the Sanskrit.
n.­1224
The original assumes that the reader will know this refers to silver coins, the raupya‍—the origin of the present day rupee, which was itself tied to the value of silver until the end of the nineteenth century.
n.­1225
This verse has an extra line in the Sanskrit (two extra lines in the Tibetan format) and here both the Hodgson and Shastri have an additional verse of offerings that is not present in the Tibetan, Gilgit manuscript, or the Chinese.
n.­1226
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “vajras.”
n.­1227
The Tibetan has nang las byung ba (“emerged from”) and the Sanskrit has antargata (“entered”), though in both cases the other verb is implied.
n.­1228
This paragraph does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­1229
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
n.­1230
This paragraph does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript.
n.­1231
The Chinese does not mention what the crowd saw.
n.­1232
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “eighty-four thousand.”
n.­1233
According to the Tibetan. Not present in the Sanskrit or Chinese.
n.­1234
The first two lines are divided into four in the Tibetan. This line does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­1235
This verse does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript, but is present in the Chinese.
n.­1236
According to the Tibetan, “Made joyous by the bhikṣu …”
n.­1237
Chinese: “They all loved and sympathized with the bhikṣu.”
n.­1238
From the Sanskrit suduṣṭa. The Vaidya online edition has sudṛṣṭa.
n.­1239
Chinese: “At that time, driven by anger, I ordered someone to kill him.” 我時瞋心遣令殺 (wo shi chen xin qian ling sha).
n.­1240
The commentary explains that as the bhikṣu’s body parts are not decomposing, the king believes him to still be alive and able to return to his former condition.
n.­1241
According to the Sanskrit adoṣaduṣṭa, and in accordance with the commentary. The Tibetan has zhe sdang gtum med pa (“neither anger nor wrath”), translating in accordance with the BHS meaning of the phrase, which does not seem to fit the context here. There is a different verse here in the Chinese.
n.­1242
This verse does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­1243
This verse does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­1244
This verse is in the Tibetan, the commentary and the Hodgson manuscript. It is absent in the Gilgit, Chinese, and Shastri.
n.­1245
According to the Sanskrit sūrata and the Chinese 善調柔 (shan tiao rou); the Tibetan has nges in error for des.
n.­1246
The Tibetan divides the Sanskrit four-line verses into eight-line verses from verses 63 to 65.
n.­1247
According to the Sanskrit and Chinese; “tastes” has been omitted in Tibetan.
n.­1248
The Tibetan and Chinese again divide the Sanskrit four-line verses into eight-line verses from verses 67 to 69.
n.­1249
According to the commentary and the Sanskrit. The Kangyur has gnas (“places”), probably being translated from a scribal corruption of bhārya.
n.­1250
This fourth line is according to the Tibetan, Chinese, Hodgson, and Shastri.
n.­1251
This is according to the Gilgit manuscript. The addition of the line, “The bodhisattvas established in retention,” in the later versions creates an unequal number of lines in the verses. The extra line is in the Chinese, while retaining a four-line format.
n.­1252
According to the Gilgit manuscript. Following later versions, this line would be in the next verse, where it clearly does not belong. Does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­1253
The Chinese makes this a verse on the “three poisons” by speaking of anger in the third line instead of stupidity: 非非貪想非貪想 (fei fei tan xiang), 非非瞋想非瞋想 (fei fei chen xiang fei chen xiang), 非非癡想非癡想 (fei fei chi xiang fei chi xiang). In Chinese Buddhist literature, the word 癡 (chi) can mean either “stupidity” (as in 愚痴, yu chi) or “ignorance” (無明, wu ming, literally “not clear,” “not knowing”) or both. However, when refering to the “three poisons” 三毒 (san du), the word 癡 (chi) is used.
n.­1254
This verse does not appear in the Gilgit or Chinese.
n.­1255
The Tibetan and Chinese divide the Sanskrit four-line verses 78 and 79 into eight-line verses. This verse marks the end of fascicle 8 of the Taisho editon and fascicle 9 of the Song, Yuan, Ming, Gong, and Sheng editions.
n.­1256
The verse literally says, “avoid both of those,” referring back to the verse on attachment and anger.
n.­1257
This paragraph and the following ten verses, along with the prose paragraph they include, do not appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.
n.­1258
The Sanskrit is literally, pratyekajina.
n.­1259
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has mṛtyu (“death”) instead of māra. Probably a scribal corruption in the Sanskrit, or perhaps a free translation, since Mṛtyu can also mean Yama, the lord of death, and by extension Māra.
n.­1260
According to the BHS karvaṭaka, which is equivalent to the Sanskrit karvaṭa. They are defined as being the central administrative town for two to four hundred villages. It is also said to mean “a mountain village,” though that is not the meaning here. However, the Tibetan translation ri khrod means just “mountains,” which does not fit the context.
n.­1261
This paragraph does not appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.
n.­1262
This sentence is simpler in the Gilgit and Chinese. Fascicle 9 in the Taisho edition, and fascicle 10 in the Song, Yuan, Ming, Gong and Sheng editions, begin here.
n.­1263
This does not quite match the description of the princesses in palanquins, and simply “maidens” pulling the chariot, as given in the prose, perhaps indicative of different origins for these passages. Chinese: “Their chariots are completely covered in nets of gold,” 金網彌覆於車上 (jin wang mi fu yu che / ju shang).
n.­1264
This verse is followed by an additional verse in the Chinese in which the sons elaborate on their reasons for refusal.
n.­1265
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “glorious svastikas and wheels.” This verse not in the Gilgit manuscript, but is present in the Chinese.
n.­1266
From this point on in the verses, Supuṣpacandra is frequently referred to as Puṣpacandra, and once as Supuṣpa, presumably because of the verse meter. The Tibetan translates all as if they were Supuṣpacandra (me tog zla mdzes, “beautiful flower moon”), although, literally, Puṣpacandra would be me tog zla ba (“flower moon”) and Supuṣpa would be me tog mdzes pa (“beautiful flower”). The Chinese consistently translates the name as 善花月 (shan hua yue), the equivalent of Supuṣpacandra, except for three instances of Puṣpacandra 花月 (hua yue, flower moon). Rather than “beautiful,” it uses the word 善 (shan, “excellent,” “virtuous”) which in the Chinese perception is more befitting and dignified for a dharmabhāṇaka.
n.­1267
This verse is not in the Gilgit manuscript, but is in the Chinese.
n.­1268
This paragraph of prose and the subsequent nine verses are not in the Gilgit manuscript or the Chinese.
n.­1269
According to the Sanskrit siddha-vidyādhara, and to the commentary (grub pa dang rig pa ’dzin pa dang). The sūtra translation has grub pa’i rig sngags ’chang.
n.­1270
“Lord of birds” (Sanskrit, khagādhipa; Tibetan, bya rgyal) is usually a synonym for garuḍa.
n.­1271
A group of lions is called a “pride.”
n.­1272
The Degé here has bde in error for de, as in the Yongle and Peking Kangyurs.
n.­1273
According to one of the meanings of the Sanskrit sāra, and the commentary. The Tibetan translation of the sūtra has snying po (“essence”).
n.­1274
This sentence does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­1275
Sanskrit: hā. Translated into Tibetan in the commentary as ha ha, and in the sūtra as kye ma.
n.­1276
According to the Tibetan, which presumably translated from a manuscript with āścarya. The Shastri and Hodgson have ācārya (“master,” “spiritual teacher”).
n.­1277
This and the twenty-six verses that follow are not in the Gilgit manuscript or the Chinese.
n.­1278
The Sanskrit has also kinnaras .
n.­1279
According to the Sanskrit vihvala. The Tibetan translation has mi dran (“without memory”).
n.­1280
According to the Tibetan and the commentary. Sanskrit: “In a pure body come and teach beings.”
n.­1281
According to the Sanskrit bho bho. The Tibetan translates as kye ma and kye kye. The commentary explains that this is an exclamation to keep someone’s attention.
n.­1282
According to the Sanskrit and the commentary. The sūtra in Tibetan has a scribal corruption of gzungs to gzugs.
n.­1283
The four-line verses from 14 to 27 in the Sanskrit are each made into eight-line verses in the Tibetan.
n.­1284
The Degé has bcu (“ten”) in error for dang, which is in most Kangyurs. The Tibetan appears to have translated from a manuscript with bala (“strength”), while present manuscripts have vara (“supreme”).
n.­1285
According to the Tibetan, which may have translated from a text that had vīrāya (“heroism”), or vīrayā (“heroically”), or less likely vīrya (“heroism”), or vira (“hero”). The Sanskrit has virajā (“stainless one”).
n.­1286
According to the Sanskrit tṛṣṇāya and the Yongle and Peking sred pas. Other Kangyurs have srid pas (“by existence”).
n.­1287
According to the Sanskrit. Another variation of the shorter form of Supuṣpacandra.
n.­1288
These lines are actually from verse xxi, but in the Tibetan and in this translation have been moved forward to make the passage more readable in these languages.
n.­1289
In the Tibetan, this line is erroneously repeated in a slightly different translation. That repetition has been avoided here.
n.­1290
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has instead sattvān nātha (“lord of humans”).
n.­1291
According to the Sanskrit. This line is absent in the Tibetan.
n.­1292
According to the Sanskrit and the commentary. “Four” is omitted in the translation of the sūtra.
n.­1293
According to the commentary’s sangs rgyas dang sangs rgyas ma yin pa’i sems can (“buddhas and beings who are not buddhas”). The sūtra translation has the obscure sangs rgyas sangs rgyas sems can (“buddhas, buddhas, beings”). The Sanskrit has buddhaputra-sattva (“bodhisattvas and beings”).
n.­1294
According to the Sanskrit and the commentary. The Tibetan translation of the sūtra has just “tree.”
n.­1295
According to the Tibetan; “quickly” is absent in the Sanskrit.
n.­1296
According to the Sanskrit patitaṃ mṛttikaṃ. The Tibetan has shing bzhin ’gyel (“fallen like a tree”), presumably from a corruption in a Sanskrit manuscript of mṛttikaṃ (“dead”) to vṛkṣaṃ (“tree”).
n.­1297
According to the Tibetan gnod byed. The Sanskrit has anitya (“transient,” “impermanent”).
n.­1298
Chinese: “The world is destroyed by desires.”
n.­1299
According to the Tibetan, which unusually here is in accord with the Gilgit jvara (“fever”) while the Shastri and Hodgson have jala (“net”).
n.­1300
Chinese: “This fever and anxiety of the body and mind.”
n.­1301
This is followed by an additional verse in the Chinese.
n.­1302
The four-line verses from 108 to 115 in Sanskrit are each rendered as eight-line verses in the Tibetan and Chinese.
n.­1303
This is followed by two additional verses in the Chinese.
n.­1304
The Gilgit has padmaka (“cherry wood”).
n.­1305
These two lines translated according to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has de yi rus pa sgrom ni byas par gyur / dge slong dag gis de yang der bsregs te, interpreting droṇa according to one of its other Sanskrit meanings of “bucket,” as sgrom (“box”) and seeming to mean that the bhikṣus then burned the relics, which is surely not the intended meaning; the verb here in the Sanskrit, māpita, meant “measure” or “amount,” as in the Pali equivalent doṇamāpaka. One droṇa is said to be roughly equivalent to 5 liters or 9.5 kilograms, and therefore this is a substantial amount of relics.
n.­1306
Morning, noon, and evening.
n.­1307
Chinese: “made offerings three times a day.” This is followed by two additional lines describing the offerings in the Chinese.
n.­1308
Past, present, and future. Chinese: “To correct all the wrongdoings resulting from stupidity, he confessed in front of the stūpa.”
n.­1309
The Chinese adds “tirelessly.”
n.­1310
This line does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­1311
The text suddenly switches to first-person narrator, the reason for this‍—that the Buddha was King Śūradatta in one of his previous lives‍—having been explained in verse 80 (36.­142) and to be repeated some verses later in verse 119 (36.­224).
n.­1312
The text reverts briefly to the third-person narration at this point.
n.­1313
The Gilgit and Chinese have “young man!” (kumāra; 童子, tong zi) instead of “Ānanda.”
n.­1314
As throughout this translation, the bracketed verse numbers are those of the Sanskrit text; here, the order of the verses in the Tibetan differs and verses 119-120 appear below. In the Chinese, this verse is followed by an additional verse.
n.­1315
According to the Sanskrit, the Tibetan of the commentary zhi ba’i rgyal po, and the Chinese 寂王佛 (ji wang fo). The Tibetan translation of the sūtra has zhi ba’i rgyal ba, which appears to have been a scribal corruption. A buddha of this name is briefly mentioned elsewhere in the Kangyur.
n.­1316
This verse does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript or the Chinese.
n.­1317
This is followed by an additional verse in the Chinese.
n.­1336
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “immeasurable.”
n.­1337
According to the Sanskrit bahulīkartavya. The Tibetan mang du bya, a regular element in this list elsewhere, is missing here.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo (Sarva­dharma­svabhāva­samatāvipañcita­samādhirāja­sūtra). Toh 127, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.a–175.b.

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal 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), 2006–2009, vol. 55, pp. 3–411.

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo. Lhasa Kangyur (lha sa bka’ ’gyur) vol. 55 (mdo sde, ta), folios 1.b–269.b.

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo. Narthang Kangyur (snar thang bka’ ’gyur) vol. 55 (mdo sde, ta), folios 1.b–273.b.

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo. Shelkar Drima Kangyur (shel mkhar bris ma bka’ ’gyur) vol. 54 (mdo sde, ja), folios 157.a–436.a.

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo. Stok Palace Kangyur (stog pho brang bris ma bka’ ’gyur) vol. 58 (mdo sde, ja), folios 145.a–405.a.

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo. Urga Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), 1.b–170.a.

Sanskrit Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra

Dutt, Nalinaksha. Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. II, part I. Calcutta: J. C. Sarkhel, 1941. [This Sanskrit edition in three volumes is based on the Gilgit manuscript but also includes and represents the two Nepalese manuscripts of Hodgson and Shastri, see Introduction i.­9 and n.­4.

Dutt, Nalinaksha. Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. II, part II. Calcutta: J. C. Sarkhel, 1953.

Dutt, Nalinaksha. Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. II, part III. Calcutta: J. C. Sarkhel, 1954.

Matsunami, Seiren (ed.). “Bonbun Gattō Zanma kyō.”.in TDKK [Memoirs of Taisho University, Department of Buddhism and Literature] vol. 60 (1975), pp. 188–244.

Matsunami, Seiren (ed.). “Bonbun Gattō Zanma kyō.” in TDKK [Memoirs of Taisho University, Department of Buddhism and Literature] vol. 61 (1975), 761–796.

Vaidya, P. L., ed. Samādhirājsūtra. Darbhanga, India: The Mithila Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1961.

Other canonical references

Kangyur

da ltar gyi sangs rgyas mngon sum du bzhugs pa’i ting nge ’dzin gyi mdo (Pratyutpanna-buddha-samukhāsthita-samādhi-sūtra) [The Sūtra, The Samādhi of Being in the Presence of the Buddhas of the Present]. Toh 133, Degé Kangyur vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 1.a–70.b.

dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po’i mdo (Saddharma­puṇḍarīka-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the White Lotus of the Good Dharma]. Toh 113, Degé Kangyur vol. 67 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1.a–180.b. English translation in Roberts 2018.

de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin gyi mdo (Tathāgata-jñāna-mudrā-samādhi-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Samādhi of the Seal of the Wisdom of the Tathāgatas]. Toh 131, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 230.b–253.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020b.

dge ba’i rtsa ba yongs su ’dzin pa’i mdo (Kuśala-mūla-saparigraha-sūtra) [The Sūtra of Possessing the Roots of Goodness]. Toh 101, Degé Kangyur vol. 48 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1.a–227.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020c.

de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi sku gsung thugs kyi gsang chen gsang ba ’dus pa zhe bya ba brtag pa’i rgyal po chen po (Sarva-tathāgata-kāyavākcitta-rahasyo guhyasamāja-nāma-mahā-kalparāja) [The Great King Entitled the Union of the Great Secrets: the Secret of the Body, Speech, and Mind of all the Tathāgatas]. Also known as the Tathāgata­guhyaka Sūtra [The Sūtra of the Secret of the Tathāgatas] and the Guhysamaja-tantra. Toh 442, Degé Kangyur vol. 81 (rgyud, ca), folios 90.a–157.b.

gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po’i mdo (Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtrendrarāja-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the King Who Is the Lord of Sūtras: The Supreme Golden Light]. Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud, pa), folios 151.b–273.a.

lang kar gshegs pa’i mdo (Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra) [Entry into Laṅka Sūtra]. Toh 107, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, ca), folios 56.a–191.b.

sangs rgyas rjes su dran pa (Buddhānusmṛti) [Being Mindful of the Buddha]. Toh 279, Degé Kangyur vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), folios 55.a-55.b.

rab tu zhi ba rnam par nges pa’i cho ’phrul gyi ting nge ’dzin gyi mdo (Praśanta-viniścaya-prāthihārya-samādhi-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Absorption of the Miraculous Ascertainment of Peace]. Toh 129, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 174.b–210.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020.

rgya cher rol pa’i mdo (Lalitavistara-sūtra) [The Play in Full]. Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2013.

sa bcu pa’i mdo (Daśabhūmika-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Ten Bhūmis]. Chapter 31 of the Avataṃsaka, Toh 44. Degé Kangyur vol. 36 (phal chen, kha), folios 166.a–283.a. English translation in Roberts 2021b.

sdong po bkod pa (Gaṇḍavyūha) [The Stem Array]. Chapter 45 of the Avataṃsaka, Toh 44-45. Degé Kangyur vols. 37 and 38 (phal chen, ga-a), folios ga 274.b–363.a. English Translation in Roberts 2021a.

shes rab pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭa-sāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra) [The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines]. Toh 12, Degé Kangyur vol. 33 (brgyad stong pa, ka), folios 1.b–286.a.

’od dpag med kyi bkod pa’i mdo (Amitābha­vyūha­sūtra) [The Array of Amitābha]. Also known as The Longer Sukhāvatīsūtra. Toh 49, Degé Kangyur vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ka), folios 237.b-270.a.

’od zer kun du bkye pa’i bstan pa’i mdo (Raśmi­samantamukta­nirdeśa­sūtra) [The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light]. Toh 55, Degé Kangur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, kha), folios 195.a–255.b.

tshong dpon bzang skyong gyis zhus pa’i mdo (Bhadrapāla-śreṣṭhi-paripṛccha-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant]. Toh 83, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 71.a–94.b.

yang dag par spyod pa’i tshul nam mkha’i mdog gis ’dul ba’i bzod pa’i mdo (Saṃyagacārya-vṛtta-gagana-varṇa-vinaya-kṣānti-sūtra) [The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct]. Toh 263, Degé Kangyur vol. 67 (mdo sde ’a), folios 90.a–209.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2024.

Tengyur

Candrakīrti. dbu ma la ’jug pa (Madhyamakāvatāra) [Entering the Middle Way]. Toh 3861, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma ’a), folios 201.b–219.a.

Candrakīrti. dbu ma rtsa ba’i ’grel pa tshig gsal ba (Mūla­madhyamaka­vṛtti­prasanna­padā) [Clear Words: A Commentary on the Root Middle Way]. Toh 3860, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma, ’a), folios 1.a–200.a.

Dārika. ’khor lo sdom pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga de kho na nyid la ’jug pa (Cakra­saṁvara­maṇḍala­vidhi­tattvāvatāra) [Entering the Truth: A Maṇḍala Rite of Cakrasamvara]. Toh 1430, Degé Tengyur vol. 20 (rgyud ’grel, wa), folios 203.b–219.b.

Kamalaśīla. sgom pa’i rim pa (Bhāvanākrama) [Stages of Meditation]. Toh 3915, 3916, and 3917, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 22.a–41.b, 41.a–55.b, and 55.b–68.b.

Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’phags pa chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa grags pa’i phreng ba zhes bya ba (Ārya-sarva-dharma-svabhāva-samatā-vipañcita-samādhi-rāja-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra-ṭika-kīrti-mālā-nāma) [The Garland of Fame: A Commentary on The Mahāyāna Sūtra Entitled The King of Samādhis: The Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena]. Toh 4010, Degé Tengyur vol. 117 (mdo ’grel, nyi), folios 1.b–163.b.

Mañjuśrīkīrti. Idem, in bstan ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Tengyur], 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). 120 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 1994–2008, vol. 117 (mdo ’grel, nyi), 752–1181.

Prajñākaramati. byang chub kyi spyod pa la ’jug pa’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhi­sattva­caryāvatāra­pañjikā) [Commentary on Difficult Points in Entering the Conduct of the Bodhisattvas]. Toh 3872, Degé Tengyur vol. 105 (dbu ma, la), folios 41.b–288.a.

Śāntideva. byang chub sems dpa’i spyod pa la ’jug pa (Bodhi­sattva­caryāvatāra) [Entering the Conduct of the Bodhisattvas]. Toh 3871, Degé Tengyur vol. 105 (dbu ma, la), folios 1.a–40.a.

Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣasamuccaya) [Compendium of Training]. Toh 3939, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.

Non-Canonical Tibetan Sources

Gampopa (sgam po pa bsod nams rin chen). dam chos yid bzhin nor bu thar pa rin po che’i rgyan. Kathmandu: Gam-po-pa Library, 2003.

Pekar Sangpo (pad dkar bzang po). bstan pa spyi’i rgyas byed las mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag bka’ bsdu ba bzhi pa zhes bya ba’i bstan bcos. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2006.

Rinchen Palzang (rin chen dpal bzang). mtshur phu dgon gyi dkar chag kun gsal me long. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1995.

Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa). lam rim chen mo. In rje tsong kha pa chen po’i gsung ’bum vol. 8, Zi ling: mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1999.

Western Publications

Bailey, D. R. Shackleton. The Śatapañcāśatka of Mātṛceta. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1951.

Cüppers, Cristoph. The IXth Chapter of the Samādhirājasūtra: A Text-Critical Contribution to the Study of Mahāyāna Sūtras. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1990.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2013). The Play in Full (Lalita­vistara, Toh 95). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2020a). The Absorption of the Miraculous Ascertainment of Peace (Praśānta­viniścaya­prātihārya­samādhi, Toh 129). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2020b). The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal (Tathāgata­jñāna­mudrā­samādhi, Toh 131). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2020c). Upholding the Roots of Virtue (Kuśala­mūla­saṃparigraha, Toh 101). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2022). The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light (Raśmisamanta­mukta­nirdeśa, Toh 55). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2024). The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct (Samyagācāra­vṛtta­gaganavarṇavina­yakṣānti, Toh 263). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dimitrov, Dragomir. “Two Female Bodhisattvas in Flesh and Blood,” in Aspects of the Female in Indian Culture. Marburg: Indica et Tibetica, 2004, pp. 3–30.

Gómez, Luis O. and Silk, Jonathan A. Studies in the Literature of the Great Vehicle: Three Mahāyāna Buddhist Texts. Ann Arbor: Collegiate Institute for the Study of Buddhist Literature and Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, The University of Michigan, 1989.

Leslie, Julia. “A Bird Bereaved: The Identity and Significance of Valmiki’s Krauñcha,” in Journal of Indian Philosophy 26.5 (1998): 455–87.

Régamey, Konstanty. Philosophy in the Samādhirājasūtra. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1990.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. (2018). The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Saddharma­puṇḍarīka, Toh 113). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. (2021a) The Stem Array (Gaṇḍavyūha, Toh 44-45). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. (2021b). The Ten Bhūmis (Daśabhūmika, Toh 44-31). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Rockwell, John Jr. Samādhi and Patient Acceptance: Four Chapters of the Samādhirāja-sūtra, Translated from the Sanskrit and Tibetan. M.A. thesis, Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado, 1980.

Skilton, Andrew. “Dating the Samādhirāja Sūtra,” In Journal of Indian Philosophy 27: 635–52. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.

Tatz, Mark. “Revelation in Mādhyamika Buddhism: Chapter Eleven of the Samādhirāja-sūtra (On Mastering the Sūtra).” Translated from the Tibetan with commentary. University of Washington, 1972.

Thrangu Rinpoche. King of Samadhi: Commentaries on the Samadhi Raja Sutra and the Song of Lodrö Thaye. Hong Kong, Boudhnath & Århus: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1994.


g.

Glossary

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

AS

Attested in source text

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

AO

Attested in other text

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

AD

Attested in dictionary

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

AA

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.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

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

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

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

SU

Source unspecified

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

g.­1

Ābhāsvara

Wylie:
  • —
Tibetan:
  • —
Sanskrit:
  • ābhāsvara

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 10.­121
g.­2

Abhāva

Wylie:
  • dngos po med pa las byung
  • dngos po med pa las byung ba
Tibetan:
  • དངོས་པོ་མེད་པ་ལས་བྱུང་།
  • དངོས་པོ་མེད་པ་ལས་བྱུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • abhāva
  • abhāva­samudgata
  • abhāva­samudgata

A buddha countless eons in the past.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 8.­22
g.­3

Abhirati

Wylie:
  • mngon par dga’ ba
Tibetan:
  • མངོན་པར་དགའ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • abhirati

The realm of Buddha Akṣobhya, beyond countless buddha realms in the eastern direction.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­74
  • 37.­2
  • n.­529
  • n.­1430
  • g.­14
g.­4

absence of aspiration

Wylie:
  • smon pa med pa
Tibetan:
  • སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • apraṇihita

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.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­45
  • 33.­20
  • 33.­269
  • 34.­5
  • 39.­6
  • 39.­96
  • 39.­128
  • 39.­144
  • 40.­103
  • g.­132
  • g.­146
g.­5

absence of attributes

Wylie:
  • mtshan ma ma mchis pa
  • mtshan ma med pa
Tibetan:
  • མཚན་མ་མ་མཆིས་པ།
  • མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • animitta

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.

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­45
  • 4.­23
  • 14.­86
  • 23.­3
  • 30.­23
  • 33.­20
  • 33.­269
  • 34.­1-2
  • 34.­5
  • 36.­109
  • 39.­6
  • 39.­25-26
  • 39.­96
  • 39.­128
  • 39.­144
  • g.­132
  • g.­146
g.­6

ācārya

Wylie:
  • slob dpon
Tibetan:
  • སློབ་དཔོན།
Sanskrit:
  • ācārya

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

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 35.­16
  • 35.­24
  • n.­1189
  • n.­1276
g.­8

affliction

Wylie:
  • nyon mongs
Tibetan:
  • ཉོན་མོངས།
Sanskrit:
  • kleśa

See “kleśa.”

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 33.­182
  • g.­233
  • g.­272
g.­9

aggregate of correct conduct

Wylie:
  • tshul khrims kyi phung po
Tibetan:
  • ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

One of the five undefiled aggregates (zag med kyi phung po lnga), the others being the aggregates of concentration (samādhi), discriminative awareness (prajñā), liberation (vimukti), and insight of the primordial wisdom of liberation (vimukti­jñāna­darśana).

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­74
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­17
  • 33.­2
  • 33.­295
  • 37.­1-2
  • n.­1060
g.­12

Ajita

Wylie:
  • mi pham pa
Tibetan:
  • མི་ཕམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ajita

The other name of Maitreya (or Maitraka), the bodhisattva who will be the fifth buddha of the Good Eon.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­58
  • 15.­5
  • 17.­4
  • 17.­13
  • 34.­63
  • n.­10
  • n.­640
  • g.­260
g.­21

Ānanda

Wylie:
  • kun dga’ bo
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ānanda

Buddha Śākyamuni’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, Mahākaśyapa.

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­73
  • i.­78
  • 2.­20
  • 10.­64
  • 36.­1-9
  • 36.­11
  • 36.­13
  • 36.­15-16
  • 36.­136
  • 36.­140-141
  • 36.­221
  • 40.­156-158
  • n.­1313
g.­33

arhat

Wylie:
  • dgra bcom pa
Tibetan:
  • དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • arhat

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­6
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­5
  • 4.­1-2
  • 5.­4-6
  • 5.­8-13
  • 5.­17
  • 5.­29
  • 5.­31-32
  • 5.­34
  • 5.­36
  • 5.­40
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­15-17
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­7
  • 14.­1
  • 17.­18-19
  • 18.­33
  • 18.­35
  • 19.­9
  • 34.­7-8
  • 35.­9
  • 36.­1-2
  • 36.­9-11
  • 39.­12-13
  • 39.­15
  • 39.­20
  • 40.­152
  • g.­55
  • g.­73
  • g.­226
  • g.­496
g.­37

aspects of enlightenment

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi phyogs
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhipakṣa
  • bodhi­pakṣa­dharma

The qualities necessary as a method to attain the enlightenment of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or buddha. There are thirty-seven of these: (1–4) the four kinds of mindfulness: mindfulness of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena; (5–8) the four correct exertions: 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 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: an even stronger form of faith, diligence, mindfulness, samādhi, and wisdom; (23–29) seven limbs of enlightenment: correct mindfulness, correct wisdom of the analysis of phenomena, correct diligence, correct joy, correct serenity, correct samādhi, and correct equanimity; and (30–37) the eightfold noble path: right view, examination, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and samādhi.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­26
  • 26.­15
  • 29.­58
  • 33.­256
  • 36.­63
  • 36.­123
  • 37.­37
  • 37.­59
  • 39.­9
  • 39.­99
  • 39.­131
  • 40.­105
  • n.­145
g.­40

asura

Wylie:
  • lha ma yin
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
Sanskrit:
  • asura

The asuras, sometimes called the demi-gods or titans, are the enemies of the devas, fighting with them for supremacy. They are powerful beings who live around Mount Sumeru, and are usually classified as belonging to the higher realms.

Located in 34 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 2.­32
  • 7.­21
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­68
  • 10.­104
  • 10.­107
  • 10.­130
  • 10.­160-161
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­64
  • 14.­36
  • 14.­41
  • 17.­16
  • 31.­9
  • 34.­14
  • 34.­22
  • 36.­65
  • 36.­187
  • 36.­208
  • 38.­17
  • 40.­158
  • n.­452
  • g.­50
  • g.­304
  • g.­350
  • g.­394
  • g.­512
  • g.­519
g.­43

austerity

Wylie:
  • yo byad bsnyungs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཡོ་བྱད་བསྙུངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃlekha

The Tibetan means literally “the lessening of requisites.”

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­7
  • 18.­25
  • 25.­49-50
  • 25.­53
  • 29.­94-95
  • 30.­7
  • 36.­181
  • 36.­198
  • n.­1177
g.­46

Avīci

Wylie:
  • mnar med
Tibetan:
  • མནར་མེད།
Sanskrit:
  • avīci

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

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­62
  • 21.­28
  • 25.­35
  • 33.­82
  • 36.­88
  • 36.­98
  • 36.­135
  • 36.­158
  • 36.­190
  • 36.­210
  • 36.­215
  • 36.­218
g.­48

āyatana

Wylie:
  • skye mched
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
Sanskrit:
  • āyatana

Sometimes translated “sense-fields” or “bases of cognition,” the term usually refers to the six sense faculties and their corresponding objects, i.e. the first twelve of the eighteen dhātu. Along with skandha and dhātu, one of the three major categories in the taxonomy of phenomena in the sūtra literature.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­27
  • 1.­29
  • 3.­4
  • 4.­5
  • 13.­2
  • 17.­89
  • 17.­94-95
  • 40.­2
  • 40.­5
  • 40.­22
  • 40.­44
  • n.­262
  • g.­124
  • g.­418
g.­50

Bala

Wylie:
  • stobs ldan
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • bala

A leader of the asuras.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­130
  • n.­1284
  • g.­486
g.­51

Bandé

Wylie:
  • ban de
Tibetan:
  • བན་དེ།
Sanskrit:
  • (vanda)

A term of respect for Buddhist monks: bandé in Tibet and Nepal, bhante in the Pali tradition. A middle-Indic word, it is said to be derived from vande, the BHS vocative form of the Sanskrit vanda, meaning praiseworthy or venerable, although bhante is said to be a contraction of the vocative bhadante, derived from a respectful salutation.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­1
g.­54

Bhadrapāla

Wylie:
  • bzang skyong
Tibetan:
  • བཟང་སྐྱོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • bhadrapāla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • n.­28-29
g.­57

bhikṣu

Wylie:
  • dge slong
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་སློང་།
Sanskrit:
  • bhikṣu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Located in 203 passages in the translation:

  • i.­23-24
  • i.­36
  • i.­40
  • i.­43-44
  • i.­51-53
  • i.­56
  • i.­60
  • i.­65
  • i.­73-76
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­62
  • 3.­27
  • 5.­9-13
  • 9.­7
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 11.­1-3
  • 16.­5
  • 16.­8
  • 16.­10
  • 16.­12
  • 16.­35
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­165
  • 17.­168
  • 18.­31
  • 18.­45
  • 18.­51
  • 20.­18-19
  • 21.­14
  • 21.­16
  • 21.­24
  • 21.­26
  • 21.­29
  • 21.­37
  • 25.­30
  • 30.­7
  • 30.­40
  • 30.­119
  • 34.­44
  • 34.­52
  • 34.­55-56
  • 34.­62
  • 34.­64
  • 35.­8
  • 35.­12
  • 35.­14-19
  • 35.­21-25
  • 35.­30
  • 35.­33-34
  • 35.­36
  • 35.­39
  • 35.­41
  • 35.­43
  • 35.­53
  • 35.­59-60
  • 35.­68
  • 35.­72
  • 35.­78
  • 36.­14
  • 36.­18
  • 36.­45-48
  • 36.­51-55
  • 36.­57
  • 36.­59-60
  • 36.­63
  • 36.­66-77
  • 36.­80-81
  • 36.­83-93
  • 36.­95-96
  • 36.­98
  • 36.­101
  • 36.­106-108
  • 36.­112
  • 36.­143
  • 36.­148
  • 36.­150-154
  • 36.­156-157
  • 36.­170
  • 36.­174-175
  • 36.­193-195
  • 36.­205
  • 36.­210-214
  • 37.­4
  • 37.­32-33
  • 37.­43
  • 38.­17
  • 38.­50-51
  • 38.­53-61
  • 38.­63-67
  • 38.­69
  • 38.­71-72
  • 38.­75
  • 38.­79-81
  • 39.­58
  • 40.­158
  • n.­171
  • n.­237-239
  • n.­241
  • n.­475
  • n.­492
  • n.­774
  • n.­1165
  • n.­1189
  • n.­1236-1237
  • n.­1240
  • n.­1305
  • n.­1350
  • g.­171
  • g.­320
g.­58

bhikṣuṇī

Wylie:
  • dge slong ma
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་སློང་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhikṣuṇī

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.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­65
  • 1.­62
  • 18.­51
  • 30.­40
  • 34.­55
  • 36.­18
  • 38.­55
  • 38.­79
  • 40.­158
g.­67

bhūmi

Wylie:
  • sa
Tibetan:
  • ས།
Sanskrit:
  • bhūmi

Literally “grounds” in which qualities grow, and also it means “levels.” Bhūmi refers specifically to levels of enlightenment, especially the ten levels of the enlightened bodhisattvas. Also translated here as “level.”

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • i.­29
  • 30.­122
  • 31.­12
  • 32.­27
  • 36.­184
  • n.­18
  • n.­549
  • n.­1091
  • n.­1450
  • g.­90
  • g.­102
  • g.­127
  • g.­176
  • g.­242
  • g.­264
  • g.­331
  • g.­332
  • g.­413
  • g.­425
  • g.­499
g.­71

Bodhi tree

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi shing
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཤིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhivṛkṣa

The tree beneath which every buddha in this world will manifest the attainment of buddhahood.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 22.­4
  • 32.­28
  • 36.­206
g.­73

bodhisattva

Wylie:
  • byang chub sems dpa’
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhisattva
  • buddhaputra

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.

Located in 562 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­4
  • i.­19
  • i.­24
  • i.­28-30
  • i.­36
  • i.­41-43
  • i.­45
  • i.­47-48
  • i.­52-53
  • i.­59
  • i.­61-62
  • i.­64
  • i.­67
  • i.­69-75
  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­20-22
  • 1.­25-26
  • 1.­49-50
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­54-55
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­27
  • 3.­1-2
  • 3.­4-5
  • 3.­38
  • 4.­19
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­31
  • 5.­1-2
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­9-12
  • 5.­37
  • 5.­42
  • 6.­1-2
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­18-19
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­1-3
  • 7.­13
  • 7.­21-24
  • 7.­27
  • 7.­30-31
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­1-4
  • 8.­18
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­5-7
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­38
  • 10.­41-42
  • 10.­51
  • 11.­1-3
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­19
  • 11.­22
  • 11.­24-25
  • 11.­27
  • 11.­35
  • 11.­41-43
  • 11.­48
  • 11.­51
  • 11.­75
  • 12.­1-2
  • 12.­4
  • 13.­1-3
  • 13.­16
  • 13.­18
  • 13.­24-25
  • 13.­30-31
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­55
  • 14.­71-73
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­4
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­3
  • 16.­10
  • 16.­21
  • 16.­25
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3
  • 17.­5
  • 17.­10
  • 17.­16-17
  • 17.­20-25
  • 17.­61
  • 17.­64
  • 17.­86
  • 17.­136
  • 17.­142
  • 17.­150
  • 17.­157
  • 17.­189
  • 17.­196
  • 17.­200
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­3
  • 18.­5
  • 18.­8
  • 18.­40
  • 18.­52
  • 19.­1-3
  • 19.­5
  • 19.­7
  • 20.­1-7
  • 20.­15
  • 21.­1-2
  • 22.­1-2
  • 23.­1-2
  • 24.­1
  • 24.­5-63
  • 24.­74
  • 24.­77
  • 25.­1-2
  • 25.­38
  • 26.­1-3
  • 26.­5
  • 26.­8
  • 27.­1-4
  • 28.­1-2
  • 29.­1-2
  • 29.­9-10
  • 29.­14-15
  • 29.­20-22
  • 29.­26
  • 29.­30-31
  • 29.­41-42
  • 29.­50-51
  • 29.­61-62
  • 29.­69
  • 29.­73-74
  • 29.­84-86
  • 29.­94-95
  • 29.­102-107
  • 30.­47-48
  • 31.­1-2
  • 32.­1
  • 33.­1
  • 33.­3
  • 33.­19
  • 33.­23
  • 33.­48
  • 33.­51-52
  • 33.­83
  • 33.­86
  • 33.­96
  • 33.­120
  • 33.­123
  • 33.­160
  • 33.­166
  • 33.­168
  • 33.­178
  • 33.­190
  • 33.­195
  • 33.­208-209
  • 33.­211
  • 33.­215
  • 33.­217-218
  • 33.­220
  • 33.­222
  • 33.­224
  • 33.­231
  • 33.­236
  • 33.­245
  • 33.­247
  • 33.­258
  • 33.­261
  • 33.­278
  • 33.­280-283
  • 33.­287
  • 33.­295-296
  • 34.­1-2
  • 34.­4-5
  • 34.­10-17
  • 34.­20-21
  • 34.­23-24
  • 34.­63
  • 35.­1-2
  • 35.­7-8
  • 35.­63
  • 35.­67
  • 35.­70
  • 36.­4
  • 36.­6-8
  • 36.­14-18
  • 36.­20
  • 36.­32-33
  • 36.­102
  • 36.­117-119
  • 36.­121-123
  • 36.­128
  • 36.­134
  • 36.­136
  • 36.­140
  • 36.­142
  • 36.­188
  • 36.­219
  • 36.­221-222
  • 37.­1-2
  • 37.­6-7
  • 37.­9-10
  • 37.­15
  • 37.­17
  • 37.­31
  • 37.­43
  • 37.­46-47
  • 37.­49-50
  • 38.­1
  • 38.­65
  • 39.­2-11
  • 39.­13
  • 39.­45
  • 39.­60
  • 39.­62-65
  • 39.­68-69
  • 39.­71-73
  • 39.­75
  • 39.­79
  • 39.­82-83
  • 39.­85
  • 39.­91-103
  • 39.­116-117
  • 39.­120-134
  • 39.­136
  • 40.­21
  • 40.­28
  • 40.­30
  • 40.­63
  • 40.­106
  • 40.­110
  • 40.­114
  • 40.­122
  • 40.­126
  • n.­9-10
  • n.­18
  • n.­27-30
  • n.­81
  • n.­159-160
  • n.­162
  • n.­182
  • n.­193
  • n.­231
  • n.­304
  • n.­313
  • n.­324
  • n.­330
  • n.­339-343
  • n.­430
  • n.­600
  • n.­783
  • n.­871
  • n.­889
  • n.­915
  • n.­1017-1026
  • n.­1098
  • n.­1118
  • n.­1193
  • n.­1251
  • n.­1293
  • n.­1319
  • n.­1422
  • n.­1450
  • g.­12
  • g.­19
  • g.­45
  • g.­67
  • g.­90
  • g.­102
  • g.­127
  • g.­138
  • g.­139
  • g.­159
  • g.­176
  • g.­183
  • g.­199
  • g.­238
  • g.­253
  • g.­257
  • g.­260
  • g.­264
  • g.­266
  • g.­267
  • g.­283
  • g.­286
  • g.­322
  • g.­331
  • g.­332
  • g.­335
  • g.­357
  • g.­360
  • g.­413
  • g.­420
  • g.­425
  • g.­429
  • g.­450
  • g.­486
  • g.­499
  • g.­532
g.­74

Brahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmā

The personification of the universal force of Brahman, the deity in the form realm, who was, during the Buddha’s time, considered in India to be the supreme deity and creator of the universe.

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­50
  • 8.­13
  • 10.­54
  • 10.­68
  • 10.­103
  • 10.­122
  • 14.­41-42
  • 14.­82
  • 14.­96
  • 17.­137
  • 23.­32
  • 29.­1
  • 29.­5
  • 29.­7
  • 30.­114
  • 31.­10
  • 36.­54
  • 39.­65
  • 39.­69
  • 40.­112
  • n.­16
  • n.­149
  • n.­480
  • n.­662
  • g.­79
  • g.­86
g.­79

Brahmakāyika

Wylie:
  • tshangs ris
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་རིས།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmakāyika

The lowest of the three paradises that are the paradises of the first dhyāna in the form realm. The class of devas who live in the paradise of Brahmā.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­122
  • 36.­65
g.­91

Brother

Wylie:
  • tshe dang ldan pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚེ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ayuśman

A respectful form of address between monks and also lay companions of equal standing. Literally: one who has a [long] life.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • i.­56
  • 21.­23-24
  • 21.­26-28
  • 21.­37
  • 25.­47
  • 36.­1-4
  • 36.­18-19
  • 36.­140-141
  • 40.­156-158
  • n.­778
  • g.­305
  • g.­375
g.­92

buddha qualities

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas kyi chos
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • buddhadharmāḥ

The specific qualities of a buddha; may sometimes be used as a general term, and sometimes referring to sets such as the ten strengths, the four fearlessnesses, the four discernments, the eighteen distinct qualities of a buddha, and so forth; or, more specifically, to another set of eighteen: the ten strengths; the four fearlessnesses; mindfulness of body, speech, and mind; and great compassion.

Alternatively, in the context of this sūtra, see 3.­2-3.­4.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­1-2
  • 3.­4-5
  • 3.­26
  • 4.­13
  • 12.­1
  • 17.­69
  • 29.­40
  • 31.­12
  • 38.­95
  • 38.­100
  • 39.­47
  • 39.­54
  • n.­131
g.­95

cakravartin

Wylie:
  • ’khor los sgyur ba
Tibetan:
  • འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • cakravartin

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.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­37
  • 2.­1
  • 10.­145
  • 17.­198
  • 18.­16
  • 30.­1
  • 33.­169
  • 33.­210
  • 36.­62
  • g.­200
  • g.­260
g.­96

Candrabhānu

Wylie:
  • zla ba’i ’od zer
Tibetan:
  • ཟླ་བའི་འོད་ཟེར།
Sanskrit:
  • candrabhānu

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­97

Candrakīrti

Wylie:
  • zla ba grags pa
Tibetan:
  • ཟླ་བ་གྲགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • candrakīrti

A prominent seventh-century master of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) tradition.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • i.­12-13
  • i.­19
  • n.­6
  • n.­966
g.­99

Candraprabha

Wylie:
  • zla ’od
Tibetan:
  • ཟླ་འོད།
Sanskrit:
  • candraprabha

The young man of Rājagrha who is the principal interlocutor for the Samādhirājasūtra. He is frequently addressed as “youth” or “young man,” (Skt. kumāra; Tib. gzhon nu); see “the youth Candraprabha.”

Located in 72 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­4-6
  • i.­15
  • i.­21
  • i.­36-47
  • i.­49-62
  • i.­65
  • i.­72-76
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­8
  • 4.­3
  • 10.­6-7
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­30
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­35
  • 10.­38
  • 10.­50
  • 10.­62
  • 14.­3
  • 15.­2
  • 15.­7
  • 15.­11
  • 16.­4
  • 17.­20
  • 18.­41
  • 39.­62
  • 39.­73
  • 39.­90
  • 39.­102
  • 39.­119
  • 39.­136
  • n.­231
  • n.­383
  • n.­403
  • n.­412
  • n.­530
  • g.­528
g.­100

Cāturmahā­rāja­kāyika

Wylie:
  • rgyal po chen po bzhi’i ris
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞིའི་རིས།
Sanskrit:
  • cāturmahā­rāja­kāyika

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­101

cherry wood

Wylie:
  • shug pa
Tibetan:
  • ཤུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • padmaka

Also known as Wild Himalayan Cherry, Sour Cherry, and Costus Speciosus.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­211
  • n.­1304
g.­106

correct exertion

Wylie:
  • yang dag par spong ba
Tibetan:
  • ཡང་དག་པར་སྤོང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • samyakprahāṇa

There are four kinds: the intention to not do bad actions that have not been 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. Exertion is in accordance with the meaning in Buddhist Sanskrit. The Tibetan is translated as “abandonment” as in classical Sanskrit, which does not fit the context.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 39.­9
  • 39.­53
  • 39.­99
  • 39.­108
  • 39.­131
  • g.­37
g.­110

Daśa­śata­raśmihutārci

Wylie:
  • nyi ma me’i ’od ’phro can
Tibetan:
  • ཉི་མ་མེའི་འོད་འཕྲོ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • daśa­śata­raśmihutārci

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­111

deva

Wylie:
  • lha
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • deva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 177 passages in the translation:

  • i.­54
  • i.­65
  • i.­78
  • 1.­2-3
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­62
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­32-33
  • 3.­3
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­44
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­36
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­13
  • 8.­22
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­25
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­54
  • 10.­68
  • 10.­77
  • 10.­79
  • 10.­94
  • 10.­99-101
  • 10.­103-104
  • 10.­107
  • 10.­119-124
  • 10.­127
  • 10.­157-161
  • 10.­166
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­55
  • 11.­64
  • 12.­2-3
  • 12.­20
  • 14.­29
  • 14.­33
  • 14.­36
  • 14.­39
  • 14.­41-42
  • 14.­46
  • 14.­79
  • 14.­82
  • 14.­85
  • 14.­90
  • 14.­92
  • 15.­9
  • 15.­18
  • 17.­6
  • 17.­8
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­58
  • 17.­64
  • 17.­74-75
  • 17.­137
  • 17.­186
  • 17.­195
  • 18.­44
  • 18.­49
  • 19.­6
  • 19.­9
  • 19.­14
  • 19.­18
  • 19.­34
  • 20.­15
  • 21.­2
  • 23.­15
  • 23.­32-33
  • 24.­13
  • 29.­1
  • 29.­4
  • 29.­6
  • 29.­9
  • 29.­11
  • 29.­16
  • 30.­6
  • 30.­40
  • 30.­93
  • 30.­95
  • 30.­113
  • 31.­3
  • 31.­9
  • 33.­130
  • 33.­170
  • 33.­274
  • 34.­7
  • 34.­13-14
  • 34.­19-20
  • 34.­22
  • 34.­35
  • 34.­42-43
  • 34.­49-50
  • 34.­52
  • 34.­61
  • 35.­9
  • 35.­51
  • 36.­9
  • 36.­53-54
  • 36.­65
  • 36.­77-78
  • 36.­101
  • 36.­106
  • 36.­114
  • 36.­131
  • 36.­146
  • 36.­158
  • 36.­171
  • 36.­187
  • 36.­208
  • 38.­10
  • 38.­17
  • 38.­51
  • 38.­85
  • 39.­12
  • 39.­56
  • 39.­71
  • 40.­111
  • 40.­115
  • 40.­153
  • 40.­158
  • n.­242
  • n.­310
  • n.­394
  • n.­466
  • n.­477
  • n.­479-480
  • n.­485
  • n.­575
  • n.­581
  • n.­584
  • n.­662
  • n.­747
  • n.­773
  • n.­1002-1003
  • g.­32
  • g.­40
  • g.­79
  • g.­89
  • g.­181
  • g.­384
  • g.­445
g.­114

dhāraṇī

Wylie:
  • gzungs
Tibetan:
  • གཟུངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhāraṇī

See “retention.”

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­7
  • 13.­26
  • 17.­98
  • 17.­154
  • 26.­17
  • 32.­4
  • n.­13
  • n.­311
  • n.­540
  • n.­1042
  • n.­1052
  • g.­374
g.­116

dharmabhāṇaka

Wylie:
  • chos smra ba
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་སྨྲ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmabhāṇaka

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

Located in 64 passages in the translation:

  • 14.­55
  • 16.­5-6
  • 16.­10
  • 17.­124
  • 17.­180
  • 18.­43
  • 20.­18-19
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­9
  • 21.­17
  • 21.­19
  • 21.­21
  • 21.­28
  • 21.­30
  • 21.­35
  • 21.­37
  • 30.­127
  • 33.­162
  • 34.­11
  • 34.­25
  • 35.­8
  • 35.­14-15
  • 35.­17
  • 35.­23
  • 35.­26
  • 35.­42
  • 35.­50-53
  • 35.­55-56
  • 35.­62-63
  • 35.­68-69
  • 35.­71
  • 35.­78
  • 36.­14
  • 36.­16-18
  • 36.­20
  • 36.­32
  • 36.­36
  • 36.­96
  • 36.­102
  • 36.­128
  • 36.­133
  • 36.­167-168
  • 36.­177-178
  • 36.­186
  • 37.­29
  • 37.­32
  • 39.­58
  • n.­777
  • n.­781
  • n.­1266
g.­118

dharmakāya

Wylie:
  • chos kyi sku
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmakāya

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 come to be synonymous with the true nature.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • i.­27
  • i.­58
  • i.­60
  • i.­68
  • 4.­24
  • 6.­2
  • 10.­11
  • 12.­8
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­3
  • 23.­28
  • 23.­40-41
  • 25.­11-12
  • 30.­124
  • 33.­36
  • n.­159
  • n.­783
  • n.­1071
  • g.­378
  • g.­477
g.­121

Dharmatāśīla

Wylie:
  • chos nyid tshul khrims
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་ཉིད་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmatāśīla

The 9th century Tibetan translator of this text.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­8
  • c.­1
g.­122

Dharmavyūha

Wylie:
  • chos bkod pa
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་བཀོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmavyūha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­124

dhātu

Wylie:
  • khams
Tibetan:
  • ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhātu

Often translated “element,” commonly in the context of the eighteen elements of sensory experience (the six sense faculties, their six respective objects, and the six sensory consciousnesses), although the term has a wide range of other meanings. Along with skandha and āyatana, one of the three major categories in the taxonomy of phenomena in the sūtra literature.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­27
  • 1.­29
  • 3.­4
  • 13.­2
  • 17.­89
  • 17.­94
  • 40.­2
  • 40.­4
  • 40.­22
  • 40.­44
  • 40.­69
  • g.­48
  • g.­418
g.­125

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Wylie:
  • yul ’khor srung
  • ngang skya
Tibetan:
  • ཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང་།
  • ངང་སྐྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • dhṛtarāṣṭra

One of the four mahārājas, he is the guardian deity for the east and traditionally lord of the gandharvas, though in this sūtra he appears to be king of the nāgas. It is also the name of a goose king that was one of the Buddha’s previous lives, and in that instance it is translated into Tibetan as ngang skya.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­125
  • 30.­12
  • n.­960
  • g.­256
  • g.­534
g.­126

dhyāna

Wylie:
  • bsam gtan
Tibetan:
  • བསམ་གཏན།
Sanskrit:
  • dhyāna

Sometimes translated as “absorption” or “meditative absorption,” this is one of several similar but specific terms for particular states of mind to be cultivated. Dhyāna is the term often used in the context of eight successive stages, four of form and four formless.

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­16
  • 1.­40
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­37
  • 9.­53
  • 11.­7
  • 12.­17
  • 17.­65
  • 18.­32-33
  • 19.­32
  • 21.­5
  • 23.­10
  • 29.­30
  • 29.­64
  • 29.­70
  • 30.­100
  • 30.­107
  • 31.­3
  • 33.­137
  • 33.­218
  • 33.­256
  • 33.­294
  • 35.­80
  • 36.­57
  • 36.­104
  • 36.­114
  • 36.­123
  • 36.­205
  • 38.­7
  • 38.­88
  • 39.­51
  • 40.­20
  • 40.­64-65
  • 40.­93
  • n.­100
  • n.­370
  • n.­480
  • n.­942
  • n.­1028
  • n.­1444
  • g.­1
  • g.­13
  • g.­30
  • g.­31
  • g.­79
  • g.­82
  • g.­183
  • g.­326
  • g.­327
  • g.­431
  • g.­487
g.­130

discernment

Wylie:
  • so so yang dag par rig pa
Tibetan:
  • སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pratisaṃvida

There are four: the discernments of meaning, phenomena, definitions, and eloquence.

Located in 31 passages in the translation:

  • i.­59-60
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­39
  • 17.­90
  • 24.­1-2
  • 24.­64-65
  • 24.­74
  • 25.­1-2
  • 25.­70
  • 29.­73
  • 29.­78
  • 29.­82
  • 30.­7
  • 37.­37
  • 37.­39
  • 39.­8
  • 39.­50
  • 39.­98
  • 39.­107
  • 39.­130
  • 39.­142
  • 40.­12
  • 40.­24
  • 40.­58
  • n.­851
  • n.­904
  • g.­92
g.­131

disciplines of mendicancy

Wylie:
  • sbyangs pa’i yon tan
  • sbyangs dag
  • sbyangs tshul
Tibetan:
  • སྦྱངས་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན།
  • སྦྱངས་དག
  • སྦྱངས་ཚུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • dhūtaguṇa
  • dhūta

Ascetic practices that are optional for monks and nuns or undertaken only for a defined time period. They are traditionally listed as being twelve in number: (1) wearing rags (pāṃśukūlika, phyag dar khrod pa), (2) (in the form of only) three religious robes (traicīvarika, chos gos gsum), (3) (coarse in texture as) garments of felt (nāma[n]tika, ’phyings pa pa), (4) eating by alms (paiṇḍapātika, bsod snyoms pa), (5) having a single mat to sit on (aikāsanika, stan gcig pa), (6) not eating after noon (khalu paścād bhaktika, zas phyis mi len pa), (7) living alone in the forest (āraṇyaka, dgon pa pa), (8) living at the base of a tree (vṛkṣamūlika, shing drungs pa), (9) living in the open (ābhyavakāśika, bla gab med pa), (10) frequenting cemeteries (śmāśānika, dur khrod pa), (11) sleeping sitting up (naiṣadika, cog bu pa), and (12) accepting whatever seating position is offered (yāthāsaṃstarika, gzhi ji bzhin pa); this last of the twelve is sometimes interpreted as not omitting any house on the almsround, i.e. regardless of any reception expected. Mahāvyutpatti, 1127-39.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­7
  • 17.­94
  • 29.­94-96
  • 30.­2
  • 30.­7
  • 30.­50
  • 34.­66
g.­132

doorways to liberation

Wylie:
  • rnam par thar pa’i sgo
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པའི་སྒོ།
Sanskrit:
  • vimokṣamukha

Emptiness, absence of attributes, and absence of aspiration.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­56
  • 33.­20
  • 34.­5
  • 39.­6
  • 39.­51
  • 39.­96
  • 39.­128
  • 40.­134
  • g.­4
  • g.­5
  • g.­146
g.­133

Dṛḍhabala

Wylie:
  • stobs brtan
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་བརྟན།
Sanskrit:
  • dṛḍhabala

A king in the time of Buddha Ghoṣadatta. Also the father of the rebirth of King Śirībala in the time of Buddha Narendraghoṣa.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­52
  • 5.­7
  • 5.­43
  • 17.­84
  • 17.­161
  • 17.­190
  • 17.­198
  • g.­320
g.­136

droṇa

Wylie:
  • sgrom
Tibetan:
  • སྒྲོམ།
Sanskrit:
  • droṇa

A measure of capacity or volume, and sometimes of weight, roughly equivalent to 5 liters or 9.5 kilograms. It can also be used to denote a vessel or container of that capacity, hence the Tibetan translation here sgrom, “box” or “chest,” which is a little misleading in the passage in this text.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­213
  • n.­1305
g.­138

Dundubhisvara

Wylie:
  • rnga dbyangs
Tibetan:
  • རྔ་དབྱངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dundubhisvara

A bodhisattva who only appears in Mahāyāna sūtras. It is also a name for various buddhas, including an alternative name for Buddha Amoghasiddhi. Incorrectly translated as mngon par ’byung dka’

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­38
g.­142

eighteen distinct qualities of a buddha

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa bco brgyad
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅོ་བརྒྱད།
Sanskrit:
  • aṣṭā­daśāveṇika­buddha­dharma

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­55
  • 2.­28
  • 17.­147
  • 39.­5
  • 39.­49
  • 39.­95
  • 39.­105
  • 39.­127
  • 40.­130
  • g.­92
g.­145

eloquence

Wylie:
  • spobs pa
Tibetan:
  • སྤོབས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pratibhāna

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

Located in 29 passages in the translation:

  • i.­53
  • 1.­50
  • 2.­34
  • 3.­4
  • 11.­13
  • 17.­62
  • 17.­66
  • 17.­131
  • 17.­140
  • 17.­147
  • 24.­1
  • 24.­38
  • 24.­46
  • 24.­65
  • 25.­65
  • 26.­17
  • 30.­120
  • 32.­13
  • 32.­15
  • 33.­146
  • 34.­11
  • 35.­15
  • 37.­70
  • 39.­8
  • 39.­98
  • 39.­130
  • 40.­117
  • n.­509
  • g.­130
g.­146

emptiness

Wylie:
  • stong pa nyid
Tibetan:
  • སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།
Sanskrit:
  • śūnyatā

In the Mahāyāna this is the term for how phenomena are devoid of any nature of their own. One of the three doorways to liberation along with the absence of aspiration and the absence of attributes.

Located in 101 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­14
  • i.­42
  • i.­55
  • i.­60
  • i.­64
  • i.­67-68
  • i.­71
  • i.­75
  • 1.­45
  • 4.­8
  • 4.­16
  • 4.­23
  • 6.­26
  • 7.­9
  • 7.­32
  • 9.­48-49
  • 9.­54
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­110
  • 11.­7
  • 11.­35
  • 11.­41-42
  • 11.­48
  • 12.­6
  • 14.­10
  • 14.­13
  • 14.­63
  • 14.­81
  • 14.­86
  • 16.­29
  • 17.­62
  • 17.­72
  • 17.­129
  • 19.­27
  • 23.­4
  • 25.­15-17
  • 26.­17
  • 29.­61-62
  • 29.­67
  • 30.­34
  • 30.­87
  • 30.­127
  • 32.­8
  • 33.­20
  • 33.­23
  • 33.­51
  • 33.­87
  • 33.­223
  • 33.­225
  • 33.­235
  • 33.­269
  • 33.­294
  • 34.­5
  • 34.­48
  • 37.­33-34
  • 37.­36
  • 37.­43
  • 38.­59-61
  • 38.­64
  • 38.­66
  • 38.­78
  • 38.­80
  • 38.­82
  • 38.­99
  • 38.­103
  • 39.­6
  • 39.­25
  • 39.­30
  • 39.­96
  • 39.­128
  • 39.­144
  • 40.­21
  • 40.­102
  • 40.­119
  • 40.­134
  • n.­267
  • n.­315
  • n.­391
  • n.­700
  • n.­883
  • n.­931
  • n.­936-937
  • n.­943
  • n.­1061
  • n.­1063
  • n.­1418
  • g.­38
  • g.­132
  • g.­243
g.­150

fearlessness

Wylie:
  • mi ’jigs pa
Tibetan:
  • མི་འཇིགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vaiśaradya

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

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­55
  • 2.­28
  • 17.­61
  • 25.­1-2
  • 34.­48
  • 39.­5
  • 39.­95
  • 39.­109
  • 39.­127
  • 39.­142
  • 40.­24
  • 40.­93
  • 40.­129
  • n.­77
  • n.­1410
  • n.­1460
  • g.­92
g.­151

fenugreek

Wylie:
  • spri ka
Tibetan:
  • སྤྲི་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • spṛkka
  • spṛka
  • sprkṣya

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­212
g.­153

five strengths

Wylie:
  • stobs lnga
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcabala

The five strengths are a stronger form of the five powers: faith, mindfulness, diligence, samādhi, and wisdom.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 39.­9
  • 39.­53
  • 39.­99
  • 39.­131
  • g.­37
g.­161

gandharva

Wylie:
  • dri za
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་ཟ།
Sanskrit:
  • gandharva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • i.­54
  • 1.­2
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 11.­46
  • 17.­16
  • 19.­8-11
  • 19.­34
  • 34.­22
  • 36.­15
  • 40.­158
  • n.­733
  • n.­738
  • g.­32
  • g.­125
  • g.­149
  • g.­322
g.­170

garuḍa

Wylie:
  • khyung
Tibetan:
  • ཁྱུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • garuḍa

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.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­156
  • 10.­160
  • 11.­46
  • 14.­83
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­138
  • 34.­22
  • n.­1270
g.­171

Gautama

Wylie:
  • gau ta ma
Tibetan:
  • གཽ་ཏ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • gautama

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India. Author of some of the vedas. His Dharmasūtra specified renunciation as yellow robes, shaved head, and being called a bhikṣu. Buddha Śākyamuni was his descendant.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­151
  • g.­187
  • g.­385
g.­172

Ghoṣadatta

Wylie:
  • dbyangs byin
Tibetan:
  • དབྱངས་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • ghoṣadatta

A buddha in the distant past.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • i.­40
  • i.­71
  • 5.­4-6
  • 5.­8-13
  • 5.­16-17
  • 5.­29
  • 5.­31
  • 5.­35
  • 5.­39
  • 5.­56
  • 34.­7-8
  • g.­133
  • g.­249
g.­177

good beings

Wylie:
  • skyes bu dam pa
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེས་བུ་དམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • satpuruṣa

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 17.­134
g.­178

Good Eon

Wylie:
  • skal pa bzang po
Tibetan:
  • སྐལ་པ་བཟང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhadrakalpa
  • bhadraka

Our present eon in which over a thousand buddhas will appear. The meaning is “good” because of the number of buddhas that will appear. In the sūtra, it is usually called bhadraka.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­60
  • n.­27
  • g.­12
  • g.­260
g.­180

Gṛdhrakūṭa

Wylie:
  • rgod kyi phung po
Tibetan:
  • རྒོད་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • gṛdhrakūṭa

See “Vulture Peak.”

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­29
  • 17.­2
  • 17.­5
  • 17.­10
  • 17.­15
  • 17.­18
  • 19.­16
  • 33.­142
  • g.­539
g.­183

higher cognition

Wylie:
  • mngon par shes pa
Tibetan:
  • མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • abhijñā

The higher cognitions are listed as either five or six. The first five are: clairvoyance (divine sight), divine hearing, knowing how to manifest miracles, remembering previous lives, knowing what is in the minds of others. A sixth, knowing that all defects have been eliminated, is often added. The first five are attained through dhyāna, and are sometimes described as worldly, as they can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogis; while the sixth is supramundane and attained only by realization‍—by bodhisattvas, or according to some accounts only by buddhas.

Located in 38 passages in the translation:

  • i.­42
  • i.­64
  • i.­68
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­41
  • 2.­14
  • 17.­60
  • 17.­62
  • 17.­95
  • 17.­189
  • 19.­5
  • 23.­6
  • 29.­103
  • 29.­106
  • 29.­108
  • 30.­7
  • 30.­24
  • 32.­24
  • 33.­1-6
  • 33.­123-124
  • 33.­287
  • 34.­21
  • 37.­37
  • 38.­35
  • 39.­83
  • 39.­102
  • 39.­136
  • 40.­22
  • 40.­65
  • n.­1393
  • n.­1431
g.­186

identification

Wylie:
  • ’du shes
Tibetan:
  • འདུ་ཤེས།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃjña

The mental process of identifying various perceived phenomena. One of the five skandhas.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­68
  • 1.­44
  • 17.­126
  • 24.­2
  • 25.­2
  • 25.­14
  • 32.­11
  • n.­604
  • g.­5
  • g.­329
  • g.­418
g.­197

jasmine

Wylie:
  • mal li ka
  • mA li ka
Tibetan:
  • མལ་ལི་ཀ
  • མཱ་ལི་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • mālika
  • māllika

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­18
  • 10.­54
  • 36.­19
g.­198

jina

Wylie:
  • rgyal ba
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jina

The most common epithet of the buddhas, and also common among the Jains, hence their name. It means “the victorious one.”

Located in 241 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­15-16
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­33
  • 2.­37
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­20-22
  • 3.­40
  • 4.­24
  • 4.­27
  • 5.­27
  • 5.­49-50
  • 5.­52
  • 6.­11
  • 6.­29
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­42
  • 8.­9
  • 8.­22
  • 8.­25
  • 8.­27
  • 8.­29
  • 9.­38
  • 9.­54
  • 9.­73
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­29
  • 10.­33
  • 10.­50
  • 10.­57
  • 10.­61
  • 10.­72-76
  • 10.­78-82
  • 10.­92
  • 10.­100
  • 10.­104
  • 10.­106-107
  • 10.­109-112
  • 10.­116
  • 10.­129
  • 10.­141-143
  • 10.­148
  • 10.­161-163
  • 10.­167
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­20
  • 11.­68
  • 11.­72
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­12
  • 14.­37
  • 14.­42
  • 14.­47
  • 14.­55
  • 14.­78
  • 14.­84
  • 14.­87
  • 14.­91
  • 14.­95
  • 14.­98
  • 15.­3
  • 15.­10
  • 15.­12
  • 17.­4
  • 17.­29
  • 17.­31-42
  • 17.­48
  • 17.­56
  • 17.­63
  • 17.­70
  • 17.­79-80
  • 17.­86-87
  • 17.­89-99
  • 17.­101
  • 17.­106
  • 17.­110
  • 17.­112-114
  • 17.­116
  • 17.­118-140
  • 17.­145-146
  • 17.­151
  • 17.­159
  • 17.­164
  • 17.­167
  • 17.­175
  • 17.­180
  • 17.­189
  • 17.­192-193
  • 18.­37
  • 19.­13
  • 20.­13
  • 20.­17
  • 21.­23
  • 23.­28
  • 23.­48
  • 29.­16
  • 30.­6
  • 30.­18
  • 30.­23
  • 30.­26
  • 30.­31-33
  • 30.­35-37
  • 30.­39
  • 30.­53
  • 30.­56
  • 30.­80
  • 30.­91
  • 30.­102
  • 30.­118
  • 32.­30
  • 33.­106
  • 33.­142
  • 33.­160
  • 33.­213
  • 33.­289
  • 34.­62
  • 36.­25
  • 36.­66
  • 36.­93
  • 36.­113-115
  • 36.­166
  • 36.­196
  • 37.­38-39
  • 37.­41
  • 38.­6-7
  • 38.­12
  • 38.­16-17
  • 38.­28
  • 38.­38
  • 38.­42
  • 38.­46-49
  • 38.­55
  • 38.­61
  • 38.­66
  • 38.­74
  • 38.­80
  • 38.­83
  • 38.­86
  • 38.­89
  • 38.­93
  • 38.­98
  • 38.­100
  • 38.­107
  • 39.­24
  • 39.­49
  • 39.­55
  • 39.­138
  • n.­185
  • n.­382
  • n.­437
  • n.­500
  • n.­1000
  • n.­1045
  • n.­1118
  • n.­1361
  • g.­199
  • g.­342
g.­211

Jyotirasa

Wylie:
  • skar ma la dga’ ba
Tibetan:
  • སྐར་མ་ལ་དགའ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jyotirasa

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­215

kalyāṇamitra

Wylie:
  • dge ba’i bshes gnyen
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན།
Sanskrit:
  • kalyāṇamitra

A title for a teacher of the spiritual path, often translated “spiritual friend.”

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 20.­2-8
  • 21.­1
  • 27.­3
  • 27.­8
  • 27.­12
  • 35.­4
  • 35.­14
  • 40.­18
  • n.­517
g.­231

kiṃpuruṣa

Wylie:
  • skyes bu ’am ci
  • skyes bu ’am
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེས་བུ་འམ་ཅི།
  • སྐྱེས་བུ་འམ།
Sanskrit:
  • kiṃpuruṣa

A race of beings said to live in the Himalayas who have bodies of lions and human heads.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­15
g.­232

kinnara

Wylie:
  • mi’am ci
Tibetan:
  • མིའམ་ཅི།
Sanskrit:
  • kinnara

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.

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­50
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­129
  • 10.­160
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­64
  • 14.­34
  • 14.­92
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­138
  • 31.­10
  • 34.­22
  • 34.­61
  • 36.­15
  • 36.­130
  • 36.­208
  • 40.­113
  • n.­582
  • n.­1036
  • n.­1174
  • n.­1278
  • g.­137
g.­233

kleśa

Wylie:
  • nyon mongs
Tibetan:
  • ཉོན་མོངས།
Sanskrit:
  • kleśa

Literally “pain,” “torment,” or “affliction.” In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit it means literally “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. Also rendered here as “affliction.”

Located in 143 passages in the translation:

  • i.­39
  • i.­59
  • i.­75
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­57
  • 5.­25
  • 5.­41
  • 6.­10
  • 6.­16
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­37
  • 9.­43
  • 9.­47-48
  • 10.­91
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­13
  • 13.­30-32
  • 14.­92
  • 17.­67
  • 17.­95
  • 17.­99
  • 24.­4-63
  • 27.­3
  • 29.­29
  • 29.­41
  • 29.­44
  • 29.­47
  • 29.­50
  • 29.­55
  • 29.­59
  • 32.­2
  • 33.­60
  • 33.­124
  • 33.­133
  • 33.­174
  • 33.­191
  • 33.­206-207
  • 33.­289
  • 36.­57
  • 36.­100
  • 36.­104
  • 36.­126
  • 36.­165
  • 36.­226
  • 38.­3
  • 38.­7
  • 38.­10
  • 39.­39
  • 39.­74
  • 40.­23
  • 40.­31
  • 40.­34
  • 40.­44
  • 40.­116
  • 40.­126
  • 40.­134
  • n.­204
  • n.­255
  • n.­311
  • n.­336
  • n.­340
  • n.­345
  • n.­348-350
  • n.­353
  • n.­393
  • n.­548
  • n.­701
  • n.­806
  • n.­901
  • n.­924
  • n.­936
  • n.­949
  • n.­1043
  • n.­1138
  • n.­1373
  • g.­8
  • g.­374
g.­237

kṣatriya

Wylie:
  • rgyal rigs
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • kṣatriya

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

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 21.­9
  • 21.­21
  • 21.­29
  • 36.­44
  • 36.­62
  • 36.­81
  • 36.­83
  • 36.­211
  • 36.­226
  • n.­764
g.­239

kumbhāṇḍa

Wylie:
  • grul bum
Tibetan:
  • གྲུལ་བུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • kumbhāṇḍa
  • kubhāṇḍa

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

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­38
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­77
  • 10.­101
  • 14.­70
  • 14.­83
  • n.­417
  • g.­533
g.­241

Lakṣaṇa­samalaṁkṛta

Wylie:
  • mtshan gyis kun tu brgyan pa
Tibetan:
  • མཚན་གྱིས་ཀུན་ཏུ་བརྒྱན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • lakṣaṇa­samalaṁkṛta

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­242

level

Wylie:
  • sa
Tibetan:
  • ས།
Sanskrit:
  • bhūmi

See “bhūmi.”

Located in 80 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­25
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­48-50
  • 1.­56-57
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­39
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­17
  • 5.­42
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­6
  • 11.­41-42
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­13-14
  • 13.­2
  • 13.­4
  • 13.­13
  • 14.­15
  • 14.­47
  • 16.­23
  • 17.­21
  • 17.­95
  • 17.­104
  • 17.­107
  • 17.­134-136
  • 17.­143
  • 17.­147
  • 17.­152
  • 18.­17
  • 23.­4
  • 29.­9
  • 29.­11
  • 29.­30
  • 29.­69
  • 29.­73
  • 29.­77
  • 29.­82
  • 29.­107
  • 30.­26
  • 33.­16
  • 33.­29
  • 33.­84
  • 33.­104
  • 33.­167
  • 36.­65
  • 37.­47
  • 37.­61
  • 38.­100
  • 39.­83
  • 40.­21
  • 40.­23
  • 40.­30
  • 40.­43
  • 40.­103-105
  • 40.­108
  • 40.­110
  • 40.­132
  • 40.­135
  • n.­143
  • n.­245
  • n.­549
  • n.­556
  • n.­696
  • n.­909
  • n.­1091
  • n.­1413
  • n.­1449-1450
  • g.­487
g.­244

limbs of enlightenment

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi yan lag
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག
Sanskrit:
  • bodhyaṅga

There are seven limbs of enlightenment: correct mindfulness, correct wisdom of the analysis of phenomena, correct diligence, correct joy, correct serenity, correct samādhi, and correct equanimity.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 39.­50
  • 39.­146
  • g.­37
g.­245

lotsawa

Wylie:
  • lo tsA ba
Tibetan:
  • ལོ་ཙཱ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • locāva

Honorific term for a Tibetan translator.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­1
g.­246

lotus

Wylie:
  • pad ma
Tibetan:
  • པད་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • padma

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • i.­70
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­66
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­54
  • 10.­95
  • 10.­117
  • 13.­25
  • 14.­54
  • 17.­68
  • 29.­9
  • 30.­14-15
  • 33.­78
  • 33.­263
  • 33.­265
  • 36.­131
  • 38.­19
  • n.­379
  • n.­600
  • n.­1082
  • n.­1146-1147
  • n.­1360
  • g.­312
g.­248

magnolia

Wylie:
  • tsam pa ka
Tibetan:
  • ཙམ་པ་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • campaka

Magnolia campaca.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­18
  • 10.­54
  • 10.­115
  • 30.­10
  • 36.­212
g.­253

Mahāmeru

Wylie:
  • lhun po chen po
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāmeru

A bodhisattva in the audience.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­256

mahārāja

Wylie:
  • rgyal po chen po
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahārāja

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.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • n.­31
  • g.­125
  • g.­222
  • g.­261
  • g.­380
  • g.­509
  • g.­533
  • g.­534
g.­258

mahoraga

Wylie:
  • lto ’phye chen po
Tibetan:
  • ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahoraga

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.

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­50
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­68
  • 10.­160
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­64
  • 14.­41
  • 14.­83
  • 17.­16
  • 34.­22
  • 34.­61
  • 40.­114
  • n.­1174
g.­259

Maitraka

Wylie:
  • byams pa
Tibetan:
  • བྱམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • maitraka
  • maitreya

A synonym for Maitreya.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­58
  • 10.­61
  • n.­528
  • n.­1000
  • n.­1358
  • g.­12
g.­260

Maitreya

Wylie:
  • byams pa
Tibetan:
  • བྱམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • maitreya
  • ajita
  • maitraka

The bodhisattva who became Śākyamuni’s regent and is prophesied to be the next buddha, the fifth buddha in the Good Eon. In early Buddhism he appears as the human disciple sent to pay his respects by his teacher, and the Buddha gives him the gift of a robe and prophesies that he will be the next buddha, and that his companion Ajita will be the next cakravartin. As a bodhisattva, he has both these names. In the White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra, Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that Vimalavaiśayana, the fourth of the thousand young Vedapāṭhaka pupils of Samudrareṇu, will be Buddha Maitreya.

Located in 33 passages in the translation:

  • i.­49-50
  • i.­52
  • i.­56
  • i.­69
  • i.­71-72
  • i.­75
  • 10.­38
  • 10.­41
  • 11.­73
  • 14.­45
  • 15.­1
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3
  • 17.­5
  • 17.­10
  • 17.­14-15
  • 18.­54
  • 21.­36
  • 33.­143
  • 35.­69
  • 38.­72
  • n.­27
  • n.­435
  • n.­637
  • n.­640
  • n.­1000
  • n.­1350
  • n.­1358
  • g.­12
  • g.­259
g.­262

Malaya

Wylie:
  • ma la ya
Tibetan:
  • མ་ལ་ཡ།
Sanskrit:
  • malaya

The range of mountains in West India, also called the Western ghats, known for its sandalwood forests.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­52
  • g.­521
g.­265

Mañjughoṣa

Wylie:
  • ’jam dbyangs
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་དབྱངས།
Sanskrit:
  • mañjughoṣa

An alternative name for Mañjuśrī, meaning, “gentle or beautiful voice.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 14.­75
  • n.­607
  • g.­266
  • g.­322
g.­266

Mañjuśrī

Wylie:
  • ’jam dpal
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་དཔལ།
Sanskrit:
  • mañjuśrī

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 known here as Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Mañjughoṣa or Pañcaśikha.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • 1.­2
  • 10.­62
  • n.­28
  • n.­441
  • g.­265
  • g.­322
g.­267

Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta

Wylie:
  • ’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུར་གྱུར་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • mañjuśrī kumārabhūta

See “Mañjuśrī.”

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­38
  • g.­266
g.­268

Mañjuśrīkīrti

Wylie:
  • ’jam dpal grags pa
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་དཔལ་གྲགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • mañjuśrīkīrti

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­19
  • i.­33
  • n.­9
g.­270

Māra

Wylie:
  • bdud
Tibetan:
  • བདུད།
Sanskrit:
  • māra

Said to be the principal deity in Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin, the highest paradise in the desire realm. He is also portrayed as attempting to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment, as 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. The name Māra is also used as a generic name for the deities in his realm, and also as an impersonal term for the factors that keep beings in saṃsāra.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • 17.­176-177
  • 22.­4
  • 23.­29
  • 25.­25
  • 29.­20
  • 29.­24
  • 29.­29
  • 29.­38
  • 33.­65
  • 33.­73
  • 33.­227-228
  • 36.­138
  • 37.­62
  • 37.­68
  • 38.­78
  • n.­752
  • n.­1120
  • n.­1259
g.­272

māras

Wylie:
  • bdud
Tibetan:
  • བདུད།
Sanskrit:
  • mārāḥ

The deities ruled over by Māra who attempted to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment, and who do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra. Also, 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.

Located in 46 passages in the translation:

  • i.­41
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­54
  • 5.­19
  • 5.­25
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­15
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­48
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­16-17
  • 14.­11
  • 17.­4
  • 17.­145
  • 25.­16
  • 29.­30
  • 29.­34
  • 31.­12
  • 32.­27
  • 33.­59-60
  • 33.­73
  • 33.­76
  • 33.­90
  • 33.­92
  • 36.­65
  • 37.­68
  • 38.­107
  • 39.­32
  • 39.­44-45
  • 40.­126
  • n.­15
  • n.­158
  • n.­213
  • n.­305
  • n.­345
  • n.­355-356
  • n.­393
  • n.­640
  • n.­857
  • n.­1053
  • n.­1120
  • n.­1457
g.­280

Megharāja

Wylie:
  • sprin gyi rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • སྤྲིན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • megharāja

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­282

Meru

Wylie:
  • lhun po
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • meru

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 that while sacred is not situated at the world’s center.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­163
  • 19.­16
  • 35.­56
  • 36.­148
  • 36.­206
  • 38.­92
  • n.­1049
  • g.­111
  • g.­256
  • g.­261
  • g.­380
  • g.­516
g.­283

Meru

Wylie:
  • lhun po
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • meru

A bodhisattva.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­284

Merudhvaja

Wylie:
  • lhun po’i rgyal mtshan
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོའི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
Sanskrit:
  • merudhvaja

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­285

Merukūṭa

Wylie:
  • lhun po brtsegs pa
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོ་བརྩེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • merukūṭa

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­286

Meru­pradīpa­rāja

Wylie:
  • lhun po mar me’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོ་མར་མེའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • meru­pradīpa­rāja

A bodhisattva.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­287

Merurāja

Wylie:
  • lhun po’i rgyal po
  • lhun po’i glan chen
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • ལྷུན་པོའི་གླན་ཆེན།
Sanskrit:
  • merurāja
  • merugāja

(The rendering Merugāja is according to Dutt.)

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­288

Meru­śikhara­dhara

Wylie:
  • lhun po’i rtse mo ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོའི་རྩེ་མོ་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • meru­śikhara­dhara

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­289

Meru­śikhara­saṁghaṭṭana­rāja

Wylie:
  • lhun po’i rtse mo kun g.yo bar byed pa’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོའི་རྩེ་མོ་ཀུན་གཡོ་བར་བྱེད་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • meru­śikhara­saṁghaṭṭana­rāja

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­290

Merusvara

Wylie:
  • lhun po’i dbyangs
Tibetan:
  • ལྷུན་པོའི་དབྱངས།
Sanskrit:
  • merusvara

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­291

Mindfulness

Wylie:
  • dran pa nye bar gzhag pa
Tibetan:
  • དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • smṛtyupasthāna

There are four kinds of mindfulness: those of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena.

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­29
  • 1.­58
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­36
  • 11.­7
  • 13.­2
  • 17.­94
  • 38.­11
  • 39.­9
  • 39.­53
  • 39.­99
  • 39.­108
  • 39.­131
  • 39.­143
  • 40.­21
  • 40.­48
  • 40.­74
  • 40.­140
  • n.­249
  • n.­284
  • n.­369
  • n.­554
  • g.­37
  • g.­92
  • g.­142
  • g.­153
  • g.­244
g.­299

nāga

Wylie:
  • klu
Tibetan:
  • ཀླུ།
Sanskrit:
  • nāga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 77 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­50
  • 2.­33
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­125
  • 10.­132-135
  • 10.­137-142
  • 10.­145
  • 10.­160-161
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­64
  • 14.­29
  • 14.­41
  • 14.­46
  • 14.­83
  • 14.­92
  • 15.­9
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­74
  • 17.­138
  • 17.­186
  • 18.­44
  • 21.­27
  • 29.­6
  • 30.­6
  • 30.­113
  • 31.­9
  • 34.­22
  • 34.­35
  • 34.­59
  • 34.­61
  • 36.­65
  • 36.­208
  • 40.­112
  • n.­338
  • n.­484
  • n.­490-492
  • n.­524
  • g.­22
  • g.­26
  • g.­29
  • g.­125
  • g.­143
  • g.­175
  • g.­214
  • g.­236
  • g.­254
  • g.­255
  • g.­263
  • g.­294
  • g.­295
  • g.­301
  • g.­305
  • g.­319
  • g.­333
  • g.­381
  • g.­465
  • g.­474
  • g.­502
  • g.­514
  • g.­516
  • g.­534
g.­306

Nandika

Wylie:
  • dga’ byed
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • nandika
  • vasunandi

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­70-72
  • 36.­89
  • 36.­154
g.­308

Narendraghoṣa

Wylie:
  • mi dbang dbyangs
Tibetan:
  • མི་དབང་དབྱངས།
Sanskrit:
  • narendraghoṣa

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­52
  • 17.­58-59
  • 17.­74
  • g.­133
g.­314

nirvāṇa

Wylie:
  • mya ngan las ’das pa
Tibetan:
  • མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • nirvāṇa

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

Located in 69 passages in the translation:

  • i.­22
  • i.­60
  • i.­73
  • i.­75
  • 2.­36-37
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­42
  • 4.­10
  • 5.­29
  • 5.­34
  • 5.­36
  • 5.­53-54
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­16
  • 7.­38
  • 8.­17
  • 8.­30
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­31
  • 9.­33
  • 9.­44
  • 9.­53
  • 11.­8
  • 14.­84
  • 17.­197
  • 21.­17
  • 21.­32
  • 23.­4
  • 24.­3
  • 24.­70
  • 25.­5-8
  • 25.­17
  • 28.­1
  • 28.­4
  • 28.­7
  • 33.­31-32
  • 33.­141
  • 34.­1-2
  • 34.­4
  • 34.­8-9
  • 35.­10-11
  • 35.­67
  • 36.­10-11
  • 36.­202
  • 36.­225
  • 38.­49
  • 38.­75
  • 39.­117
  • 39.­158
  • 40.­119
  • 40.­140
  • 40.­142
  • n.­800-801
  • n.­860
  • n.­892
  • n.­984
  • n.­1028
g.­315

noble one

Wylie:
  • ’phags pa
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ārya

The Sanskrit ārya 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.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­30-31
  • 9.­73
  • 10.­7
  • 36.­182
  • 39.­53
  • 39.­80
  • 40.­15
  • n.­314
  • n.­944
  • n.­1189
g.­318

outflows

Wylie:
  • zag pa
Tibetan:
  • ཟག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • āśrava

A term of Jain origin. It refers to uncontrolled thoughts, being distracted by objects, and hence its meaning of “leaks.”

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 17.­60
  • 35.­10
  • 36.­10
  • 36.­33
  • 36.­135
g.­320

Padmottara

Wylie:
  • pad ma bla ma
Tibetan:
  • པད་མ་བླ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • padmottara

A buddha who appears in other sūtras as a contemporary of Śākyamuni in another universe. In this sūtra, King Dṛḍhabala, the bhikṣu Supuṣpacandra, and King Varapuṣpasa are said to be his previous lives.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­52
  • i.­73
  • i.­75
  • 17.­192
  • 36.­224
  • 38.­73
g.­322

Pañcaśikha

Wylie:
  • gtsug phu lnga pa
Tibetan:
  • གཙུག་ཕུ་ལྔ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcaśikha

A gandharva who was very prominent in early Buddhism and is featured on early stupa reliefs playing a lute and singing. He would come to Buddha Śākyamuni, who was not portrayed as omniscient, to inform him of what was occuring in the paradises. He also accompanies Indra on a visit to the Buddha and plays music to bring the Buddha out of his meditation. He performs the same role in the Mahāyāna sūtra The White Lotus of Compassion (Toh 112). He was portrayed as living on a five-peaked mountain, and appears to be the basis for Mañjuśrī, first known as Mañjughoṣa (Beautiful Voice) with Pañcaśikha still being one of Mañjuśrī’s alternate names. In this sūtra he is clearly distinct from Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­54
  • 19.­8-11
  • 19.­34
  • n.­733
  • g.­266
g.­324

Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin

Wylie:
  • gzhan ’phrul dbang byed
Tibetan:
  • གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin

The highest paradise in the desire realm.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­123
  • g.­270
g.­330

perfect in wisdom and conduct

Wylie:
  • rig pa dang zhabs su ldan pa
Tibetan:
  • རིག་པ་དང་ཞབས་སུ་ལྡན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vidyācaraṇasaṃpanna

A common description of buddhas. According to some explanations, “wisdom” refers to awakening, and “conduct” to the three trainings (bslab pa gsum) by means of which a buddha attains that awakening; according to others, “wisdom” refers to right view, and “conduct” to the other seven elements of the eightfold path.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­4
  • 8.­11
  • 34.­7
  • 35.­9
  • 36.­9
  • 39.­12
g.­336

poṣadha

Wylie:
  • gso sbyong
Tibetan:
  • གསོ་སྦྱོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • poṣadha
  • upoṣadha

The fortnightly ceremony during which ordained monks and nuns gather to recite the Prātimokṣa vows and confess faults and breaches. The term is also sometimes used in reference to the taking of eight vows by a layperson for just one day, a full-moon or new-moon day.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­13
  • 17.­78
  • 17.­173
  • 33.­71
  • 34.­20
  • 36.­215
  • 38.­81
g.­341

prātimokṣa

Wylie:
  • so sor thar pa
Tibetan:
  • སོ་སོར་ཐར་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • prātimokṣa

“Prātimokṣa” is the name given to the code of conduct binding on monks and nuns. The term can be used to refer both to the disciplinary rules themselves and to the texts from the Vinaya that contain them. There are multiple recensions of the Prātimokṣa, each transmitted by a different monastic fraternity in ancient and medieval India. Three remain living traditions, one of them the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya of Tibetan Buddhism. Though the numbers of rules vary across the different recensions, they are all organized according to the same principles and with the same disciplinary categories. It is customary for monastics to recite the Prātimokṣa Sūtra fortnightly.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 40.­25
  • 40.­94
  • g.­336
g.­342

pratyekabuddha

Wylie:
  • rang rgyal
  • rang sangs rgyas
Tibetan:
  • རང་རྒྱལ།
  • རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • pratyekabuddha
  • pratyayajina
  • pratyekajina

“Solitary buddha.” Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation, hence their alternate epithet, pratyayajina, which means one who has become a jina, or buddha, through dependence [on external factors that were contemplated upon]. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary accumulated merit nor the motivation to teach others.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­50
  • 1.­56
  • 6.­27
  • 9.­2
  • 10.­3
  • 29.­30
  • 29.­36
  • 29.­40
  • 29.­107
  • 36.­135
  • 36.­140
  • 40.­21
  • 40.­23
  • 40.­28
  • 40.­63
  • 40.­109
  • 40.­132
  • n.­62
  • n.­801
  • g.­37
g.­344

primary signs

Wylie:
  • mtshan
Tibetan:
  • མཚན།
Sanskrit:
  • lakṣaṇa

The thirty-two primary physical characteristics of a “great being,” a mahāpuruṣa, which every buddha possesses.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­4
  • 10.­105
  • 11.­5
  • 29.­1
  • 29.­4
  • 29.­7
  • 30.­111
  • 32.­24
  • 33.­153
  • 33.­163
  • 33.­258
  • 33.­287
  • 34.­51
  • 36.­204
  • 39.­3
  • 39.­46
  • 39.­93
  • 39.­105
  • 39.­125
  • 39.­141
  • 40.­130
g.­348

Puṣpacandra

Wylie:
  • me tog zla mdzes
Tibetan:
  • མེ་ཏོག་ཟླ་མཛེས།
Sanskrit:
  • puṣpacandra
  • supuṣpacandra
  • supuṣpa

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­156
  • 36.­159
  • 36.­176
  • 36.­180
  • 36.­183
  • 36.­189
  • 36.­195
  • 36.­197-198
  • 36.­204-207
  • n.­1266
g.­352

Rājagṛha

Wylie:
  • rgyal po’i khab
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Sanskrit:
  • rājagṛha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­36
  • i.­50
  • 1.­2
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­30-31
  • 10.­38-39
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­55
  • 10.­61
  • 10.­107
  • 10.­146
  • 15.­3
  • 17.­15
  • 17.­18
  • n.­411
g.­353

rākṣasa

Wylie:
  • srin po
Tibetan:
  • སྲིན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • rākṣasa

A race of ugly, evil-natured supernatural beings with a yearning for human flesh.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­38
  • 10.­77
  • 10.­101
  • 10.­131
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­64-65
  • 14.­70
  • 14.­83
  • 36.­187
  • 36.­208
  • n.­518
g.­355

Ratiṁkara

Wylie:
  • dga’ bar byed pa
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བར་བྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratiṁkara

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­357

Ratnacūḍa

Wylie:
  • —
Tibetan:
  • —
Sanskrit:
  • ratnacūḍa

A bodhisattva.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­358

Ratnadvīpa

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i gling
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་གླིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnadvīpa

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­359

Ratnajāli

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i dra ba
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་དྲ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnajāli

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­360

Ratnākara

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i ’byung gnas
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་འབྱུང་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnākara

A bodhisattva.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­361

Ratnaketu

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i tog
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་ཏོག
Sanskrit:
  • ratnaketu

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­38
  • 10.­57
g.­363

Ratnakūṭa

Wylie:
  • rin po che brtsegs pa
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེ་བརྩེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnakūṭa

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • 1.­2
g.­364

Ratna­mudrā­hasta

Wylie:
  • lag na phyag rgya rin po che
Tibetan:
  • ལག་ན་ཕྱག་རྒྱ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratna­mudrā­hasta

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­365

Ratna­padma­candra­viśuddhābhyud­gata­rāja

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i pad ma’i zla ba rnam par dag pa mngon par ’phags pa’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་པད་མའི་ཟླ་བ་རྣམ་པར་དག་པ་མངོན་པར་འཕགས་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratna­padma­candra­viśuddhābhyud­gata­rāja

A buddha countless eons in the past.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­73
  • 36.­9-11
g.­366

Ratnapāṇi

Wylie:
  • —
Tibetan:
  • —
Sanskrit:
  • ratnapāṇi

Absent in Tibetan (phyag na rin po che).

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • n.­430
  • g.­362
g.­367

Ratnaprabha

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i ’od
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་འོད།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnaprabha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­368

Ratnaprabhāsa

Wylie:
  • rin po che snang ba
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnaprabhāsa

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­369

Ratnasaṁbhava

Wylie:
  • rin po che ’byung ba
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འབྱུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnasaṁbhava

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­370

Ratnaśikhara

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i rtse mo
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་རྩེ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnaśikhara

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­371

Ratnāvatī

Wylie:
  • rin chen ldan pa
Tibetan:
  • རིན་ཆེན་ལྡན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnāvatī

A palace in a past eon.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­12
  • 36.­36-43
  • 36.­74-75
  • 36.­142
  • 36.­169
  • 36.­188
  • 36.­191
g.­372

Ratnavyūha

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i bkod pa
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་བཀོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnavyūha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­373

Ratnayaṣṭi

Wylie:
  • rin po che’i mkhar ba
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་མཁར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnayaṣṭi

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­374

retention

Wylie:
  • gzungs
Tibetan:
  • གཟུངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhāraṇī

The ability to remember all Dharma teachings that are heard. In other contexts, a dhāraṇi is a powerful recitation that is a precursor of mantras and is usually in the form of intelligible sentences or phrases that preserve or retain the essence of a teaching. There are two sets of “four retentions” in relation to this text. (A) As explained in the sūtra itself in chapter 24 (24.­63): the retention, respectively, of teachings on composites, on sounds, on kleśas, and on purifications. (B) As explained in the commentary to the opening of the sūtra (1.2, see n.­13 ): the recited dhāraṇī sentences and phrases themselves, the retention of the memory of the words of all teachings given, the retention of the memory of the meaning of these teachings, and the retention of the realization gained through meditation on that meaning.

Located in 42 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­47
  • 7.­11
  • 12.­3
  • 17.­131
  • 18.­9
  • 20.­14
  • 24.­63
  • 25.­54
  • 30.­23-24
  • 30.­118
  • 30.­120
  • 32.­22
  • 33.­219-220
  • 33.­287
  • 34.­11
  • 34.­13
  • 36.­14
  • 36.­16
  • 36.­63
  • 36.­102
  • 36.­109
  • 36.­117-119
  • 36.­121-123
  • 36.­164
  • 36.­195-196
  • 36.­205
  • 36.­222-223
  • 40.­97
  • n.­13
  • n.­311
  • n.­540
  • n.­1052
  • n.­1251
  • g.­114
g.­376

rishi

Wylie:
  • drang srong
Tibetan:
  • དྲང་སྲོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛṣi

Sage. An ancient Indian spiritual title especially for divinely inspired individuals credited with creating the foundations for all Indian culture.

Located in 32 passages in the translation:

  • i.­26
  • 8.­20
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­44
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­66
  • 10.­120
  • 10.­151-155
  • 17.­16
  • g.­27
  • g.­66
  • g.­107
  • g.­169
  • g.­171
  • g.­187
  • g.­191
  • g.­192
  • g.­193
  • g.­225
  • g.­227
  • g.­274
  • g.­307
  • g.­508
  • g.­511
  • g.­515
  • g.­518
  • g.­537
  • g.­540
g.­378

rūpakāya

Wylie:
  • gzugs kyi sku
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
Sanskrit:
  • rūpakāya

“Form body.” The visible form of a buddha that is perceived by other beings, in contrast to his “Dharma body,” the dharmakāya, which is his enlightenment.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • i.­27
  • i.­58
  • i.­60
  • 4.­24
  • 6.­2
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­28
  • 23.­33
  • 25.­9
  • n.­783
  • n.­1069
  • g.­118
g.­379

sacred fig tree

Wylie:
  • a shwad
Tibetan:
  • ཨ་ཤྭད།
Sanskrit:
  • aśvattha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­195
g.­382

sage

Wylie:
  • thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • muni

A title that, like buddha, is given to someone who has attained the realization of a truth through his own contemplation and not by divine revelation.

Located in 42 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­26
  • 5.­39
  • 8.­23
  • 8.­26
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­59
  • 10.­124
  • 10.­137
  • 10.­142
  • 10.­154
  • 14.­50
  • 14.­53
  • 14.­94
  • 17.­107
  • 30.­53-54
  • 30.­96
  • 33.­29
  • 33.­167
  • 33.­171
  • 36.­15
  • 36.­29
  • 36.­34-35
  • 36.­132
  • 36.­209
  • 37.­56
  • 38.­32
  • 38.­35
  • 38.­62
  • 38.­64
  • 38.­94
  • 39.­48
  • 39.­50
  • 39.­53
  • n.­475
  • g.­140
  • g.­325
  • g.­376
  • g.­385
  • g.­386
g.­383

Saha­cittotpāda­dharma­cakra­pravartin

Wylie:
  • sems bskyed ma thag tu chos kyi ’khor lo skor ba
Tibetan:
  • སེམས་བསྐྱེད་མ་ཐག་ཏུ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་སྐོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • saha­cittotpāda­dharma­cakra­pravartin

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­384

Śakra

Wylie:
  • brgya byin
Tibetan:
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • śakra

More commonly known in the West as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the devas” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. The highest vedic sacrifice was the horse sacrifice, and there is a tradition that he became the lord of the gods through performing them. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra; therefore this sutra mentions them in the plural.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­50
  • 10.­54
  • 10.­103
  • 10.­124
  • 19.­9
  • 29.­5
  • 30.­114
  • 36.­53
  • n.­149
  • n.­592
  • g.­113
  • g.­445
g.­385

Śākyamuni

Wylie:
  • shAkya thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śākyamuni

The name of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama; he was a muni (sage) from the Śākya clan.

Located in 42 passages in the translation:

  • i.­36
  • i.­52
  • i.­65
  • i.­75
  • 14.­44
  • 38.­71
  • n.­344
  • n.­707
  • n.­714
  • n.­716
  • n.­757
  • n.­1194
  • g.­21
  • g.­23
  • g.­65
  • g.­86
  • g.­87
  • g.­112
  • g.­128
  • g.­164
  • g.­171
  • g.­187
  • g.­207
  • g.­225
  • g.­260
  • g.­275
  • g.­278
  • g.­320
  • g.­322
  • g.­351
  • g.­386
  • g.­396
  • g.­397
  • g.­400
  • g.­403
  • g.­405
  • g.­415
  • g.­437
  • g.­438
  • g.­444
  • g.­495
  • g.­528
g.­388

sal

Wylie:
  • sA la
Tibetan:
  • སཱ་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • śāla

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­75
  • 36.­34
  • 36.­36
  • 36.­44
  • 36.­52
g.­390

Samantabhadra

Wylie:
  • kun tu bzang po
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ཏུ་བཟང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • samantabhadra

A forest in a past eon.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­73
  • 36.­14-15
  • 36.­90
  • 36.­105
  • 36.­129
  • 36.­169
  • 36.­172
  • 36.­194
g.­392

Samāpatti

Wylie:
  • snyoms par ’jug pa
Tibetan:
  • སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • samāpatti

One of the synonyms for the meditative state. The Tibetan translation interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which brings in the idea of “equal,” or “level,” whereas it may very well be like “samādhi,” sam-āpatti, with the similar meaning of concentration. Unlike samādhi, however, it also occurs with the meaning of “completion,” “attainment,” and “diligent practice.”

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­46
  • 29.­30
  • 40.­94
  • g.­487
g.­395

saṅgha

Wylie:
  • dge ’dun
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་འདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • saṅgha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

  • i.­15
  • i.­46
  • 1.­2
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­14
  • 5.­9-12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­33
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­63
  • 10.­65
  • 10.­98
  • 11.­1-3
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­60-61
  • 26.­6
  • 33.­201
  • 33.­245
  • 33.­268
  • 33.­273
  • 36.­101
  • 36.­108
  • 36.­128
  • 36.­169-170
  • 36.­174-175
  • 36.­193
  • 36.­195
  • 36.­205
  • 38.­7
  • 39.­13
  • 39.­101
  • 39.­112
  • n.­193
  • g.­219
g.­401

Śāntideva

Wylie:
  • zhi ba’i lha
Tibetan:
  • ཞི་བའི་ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • śāntideva

Eighth-century Indian master within the Madhyamaka tradition.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • i.­12-14
g.­402

Śāntirāja

Wylie:
  • zhi ba’i rgyal po
  • zhi ba’i rgyal ba
Tibetan:
  • ཞི་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • ཞི་བའི་རྒྱལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • śāntirāja

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­224
g.­408

Satatam­abhayaṁdad

Wylie:
  • rtag tu mi ’jigs sbyin
Tibetan:
  • རྟག་ཏུ་མི་འཇིགས་སྦྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • satatam­abhayaṁdad

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­409

secondary signs

Wylie:
  • dpe byed
Tibetan:
  • དཔེ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • anuvyañjana

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.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­28
  • 3.­4
  • 18.­14
  • 33.­258
  • 36.­204
  • 39.­4
  • 39.­46
  • 39.­94
  • 39.­126
  • n.­16
g.­410

sensations

Wylie:
  • tshor ba
Tibetan:
  • ཚོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • vedanā

The second of the five skandhas: nonconceptual pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral sensations as a result of sensory experiences.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 29.­1
  • 29.­8
  • g.­37
  • g.­291
  • g.­418
g.­414

siddha

Wylie:
  • grub pa
Tibetan:
  • གྲུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • siddha

Someone who has attained supernatural powers.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­15
  • 36.­171
  • n.­1206
  • n.­1269
g.­416

Śirībala

Wylie:
  • dpal gyi stobs
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་གྱི་སྟོབས།
Sanskrit:
  • śirībala
  • śīrībala

A king in the distant past.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­52
  • 17.­76
  • 17.­196
  • g.­133
g.­418

skandha

Wylie:
  • phung po
Tibetan:
  • ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • skandha

The constituents that make up a being’s existence: forms, sensations, identifications, mental activities, and consciousnesses. Often translated “aggregate,” commonly in the context of the five aggregates. Along with dhātu and āyatana, one of the three major categories in the taxonomy of phenomena in the sūtra literature.

Located in 31 passages in the translation:

  • i.­60
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­29
  • 3.­4
  • 6.­16
  • 9.­48-49
  • 13.­2
  • 17.­89
  • 21.­18
  • 25.­11
  • 33.­41-42
  • 33.­56
  • 39.­28
  • 40.­2-3
  • 40.­8
  • 40.­22
  • 40.­44
  • 40.­62
  • 40.­69
  • n.­255
  • n.­1047
  • g.­48
  • g.­53
  • g.­124
  • g.­186
  • g.­281
  • g.­303
  • g.­410
g.­420

śrāvaka

Wylie:
  • nyan thos
Tibetan:
  • ཉན་ཐོས།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvaka

The word, based on the verb “to hear,” means disciple, and is used in that general way, as well as for those who were followers of the non-Mahāyāna tradition of Buddhism, in contrast to the bodhisattvas.

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­50
  • 1.­56
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­14
  • 4.­13
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­45
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­27
  • 9.­2
  • 10.­3
  • 10.­63
  • 10.­65
  • 14.­47
  • 14.­67
  • 17.­59
  • 17.­136
  • 27.­8
  • 27.­12
  • 29.­30
  • 29.­36
  • 29.­40
  • 29.­107
  • 33.­129
  • 36.­135
  • 36.­140
  • 38.­49
  • 38.­100
  • 39.­13
  • 40.­21
  • 40.­23
  • 40.­28
  • 40.­63
  • 40.­108-109
  • 40.­132
  • n.­62
  • n.­801
  • n.­889
  • g.­37
g.­422

Śrīlendrabodhi

Wylie:
  • shI len dra bo dhi
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱི་ལེན་དྲ་བོ་དྷི།
Sanskrit:
  • śrīlendrabodhi

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­1
g.­423

śrīvatsa

Wylie:
  • dpal gyi be’u
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་གྱི་བེའུ།
Sanskrit:
  • śrīvatsa

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one,” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­73
  • 36.­155
  • g.­473
g.­430

Śubha­kanaka­viśuddhi­prabha

Wylie:
  • gser bzang po rnam par dag pa’i ’od
  • lag bzangs
Tibetan:
  • གསེར་བཟང་པོ་རྣམ་པར་དག་པའི་འོད།
  • ལག་བཟངས།
Sanskrit:
  • śubha­kanaka­viśuddhi­prabha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­449

Sumeru

Wylie:
  • rab lhun
  • ri rab
Tibetan:
  • རབ་ལྷུན།
  • རི་རབ།
Sanskrit:
  • sumeru

The mountain at the center of the disk of the world with the four continents around it.

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­163
  • 14.­21
  • 19.­16
  • 30.­75
  • 32.­14
  • 33.­230
  • 34.­32
  • 36.­53
  • 37.­32
  • 39.­31
  • g.­40
  • g.­94
  • g.­222
  • g.­282
  • g.­384
  • g.­492
g.­450

Sumeru

Wylie:
  • rab tu lhun po
Tibetan:
  • རབ་ཏུ་ལྷུན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • sumeru

A bodhisattva.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­452

Sunirmita

Wylie:
  • rab ’phrul
  • rab ’phrul dga’
Tibetan:
  • རབ་འཕྲུལ།
  • རབ་འཕྲུལ་དགའ།
Sanskrit:
  • sunirmita

The principal deity in the Nirmāṇarata paradise, the second highest paradise in the desire realm.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­54
g.­453

Supuṣpa

Wylie:
  • me tog zla mdzes
Tibetan:
  • མེ་ཏོག་ཟླ་མཛེས།
Sanskrit:
  • supuṣpa
  • supuṣpacandra
  • puṣpacandra

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­200
  • 36.­208
  • n.­1266
  • n.­1350-1351
  • n.­1359
g.­454

Supuṣpacandra

Wylie:
  • me tog zla mdzes
Tibetan:
  • མེ་ཏོག་ཟླ་མཛེས།
Sanskrit:
  • supuṣpacandra
  • puṣpacandra
  • supuṣpa

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • i.­73
  • 36.­14
  • 36.­16-18
  • 36.­20
  • 36.­32
  • 36.­36
  • 36.­80
  • 36.­95-97
  • 36.­101-106
  • 36.­128
  • 36.­133
  • 36.­144
  • 36.­167-168
  • 36.­190
  • 36.­196
  • 36.­224
  • 36.­227
  • n.­1266
  • n.­1287
  • g.­320
g.­455

Śūradatta

Wylie:
  • dpa’ bas byin
Tibetan:
  • དཔའ་བས་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • śūradatta

A king in the distant past.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • i.­73
  • 36.­11-12
  • 36.­43
  • 36.­50
  • 36.­67-71
  • 36.­75
  • 36.­78
  • 36.­128
  • 36.­142
  • 36.­167
  • 36.­224
  • n.­1311
g.­459

sūtra

Wylie:
  • mdo
Tibetan:
  • མདོ།
Sanskrit:
  • sūtra

Primarily within Buddhism it refers to the Buddha’s nontantric teachings in general. Literally it means “thread.” It is also used in other contexts for pithy statements, rules, and aphorisms, on which are strung a commentary and terms of the subdivisions of a sūtra into twelve aspects of the Dharma; in that case, sūtra then means only the prose part of a sūtra.

Located in 228 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1-3
  • i.­6-8
  • i.­10
  • i.­12
  • i.­14-17
  • i.­19-28
  • i.­30-31
  • i.­33-34
  • i.­37-38
  • i.­40
  • i.­42-44
  • i.­46
  • i.­51-53
  • i.­59-60
  • i.­65-71
  • i.­73-74
  • i.­78
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­51
  • 2.­34
  • 3.­25-26
  • 3.­42
  • 3.­45
  • 5.­55
  • 7.­7
  • 7.­9
  • 9.­4
  • 11.­27
  • 11.­58
  • 11.­62
  • 11.­76-77
  • 13.­26
  • 17.­63
  • 17.­71
  • 17.­86
  • 17.­127
  • 17.­140
  • 18.­23-26
  • 18.­28-29
  • 18.­31-32
  • 18.­34-36
  • 18.­38
  • 18.­43
  • 18.­46
  • 18.­51
  • 18.­53
  • 18.­56-57
  • 20.­14
  • 23.­31
  • 24.­21
  • 24.­39-40
  • 24.­75-77
  • 25.­65-66
  • 29.­82
  • 32.­13
  • 32.­15
  • 32.­22-23
  • 32.­26
  • 32.­28
  • 32.­31
  • 32.­33
  • 33.­9
  • 33.­123
  • 33.­132
  • 33.­138-141
  • 33.­143
  • 33.­146-149
  • 33.­162
  • 33.­164-166
  • 33.­171
  • 33.­220
  • 33.­262
  • 33.­292
  • 33.­297
  • 34.­66
  • 35.­12
  • 35.­14
  • 36.­13
  • 36.­164
  • 36.­203
  • 37.­18-23
  • 37.­25-26
  • 37.­30
  • 37.­55
  • 38.­27
  • 40.­40
  • 40.­91
  • 40.­157
  • n.­4
  • n.­28-30
  • n.­92
  • n.­170
  • n.­216
  • n.­233
  • n.­271
  • n.­311
  • n.­325
  • n.­430
  • n.­519
  • n.­530
  • n.­604
  • n.­825
  • n.­1061
  • n.­1065-1066
  • n.­1081
  • n.­1170
  • n.­1185-1186
  • n.­1194
  • n.­1205-1206
  • n.­1217
  • n.­1269
  • n.­1273
  • n.­1275
  • n.­1282
  • n.­1292-1294
  • n.­1315
  • n.­1318
  • n.­1320
  • n.­1338
  • n.­1360
  • g.­6
  • g.­11
  • g.­17
  • g.­19
  • g.­32
  • g.­34
  • g.­38
  • g.­45
  • g.­48
  • g.­55
  • g.­92
  • g.­116
  • g.­124
  • g.­125
  • g.­138
  • g.­139
  • g.­147
  • g.­159
  • g.­178
  • g.­189
  • g.­225
  • g.­254
  • g.­257
  • g.­260
  • g.­282
  • g.­294
  • g.­316
  • g.­320
  • g.­322
  • g.­335
  • g.­341
  • g.­374
  • g.­381
  • g.­418
  • g.­429
  • g.­477
  • g.­514
  • g.­532
  • g.­534
g.­463

Suyāma

Wylie:
  • rab mtshe ma
Tibetan:
  • རབ་མཚེ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • suyāma

The principal deity in the paradise called Yāma.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­54
g.­471

Svara­viśuddhi­prabha

Wylie:
  • dbyangs rnam par dag pa’i ’od
Tibetan:
  • དབྱངས་རྣམ་པར་དག་པའི་འོད།
Sanskrit:
  • svara­viśuddhi­prabha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­472

Svaravyūha

Wylie:
  • dbyangs bkod pa
Tibetan:
  • དབྱངས་བཀོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • svaravyūha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­473

svastika

Wylie:
  • bkra shis
Tibetan:
  • བཀྲ་ཤིས།
Sanskrit:
  • svastika
  • swastika

In later Tibetan translations, it is translated as g.yung-drung. In the early translations, it is bra shis and in the Mahāvyutpatti dictionary it is bkra shis ldan, while g.yung-drung translates nandyāvarta. It is an auspicious sign in Indian culture, and it is one of the auspicious marks on the chest of the Buddha, as well as the śrīvatsa.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­73
  • n.­1265
g.­476

tathāgata

Wylie:
  • de bzhin gshegs pa
Tibetan:
  • དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tathāgata

One of the Buddha’s titles. “Gata,” though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. As buddhahood is indescribable it means “one who is thus.”

Located in 152 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • i.­15
  • i.­22
  • i.­38
  • i.­58-59
  • 1.­6-8
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­50-51
  • 2.­1-6
  • 3.­1-5
  • 4.­1-2
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­18
  • 5.­4-6
  • 5.­8-13
  • 5.­16-17
  • 5.­29
  • 5.­31-36
  • 5.­45
  • 6.­2-3
  • 7.­40
  • 8.­11-13
  • 8.­15-17
  • 9.­1-3
  • 9.­12
  • 10.­3-4
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­10
  • 10.­56
  • 10.­132
  • 10.­139-140
  • 11.­7
  • 12.­1
  • 13.­2
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­35
  • 17.­2
  • 17.­18-19
  • 17.­29
  • 17.­43
  • 17.­59
  • 17.­88
  • 17.­135
  • 17.­137
  • 17.­142
  • 18.­41
  • 18.­55
  • 19.­9
  • 21.­34
  • 23.­1-3
  • 23.­32-33
  • 23.­49
  • 24.­2-4
  • 24.­79
  • 25.­1-2
  • 29.­15
  • 29.­29
  • 29.­43
  • 29.­72
  • 29.­80
  • 33.­142
  • 34.­1-2
  • 34.­4
  • 34.­7-10
  • 34.­13-15
  • 34.­37
  • 35.­9
  • 35.­68
  • 35.­75
  • 36.­1-2
  • 36.­4
  • 36.­6
  • 36.­9-11
  • 36.­160-161
  • 36.­225
  • 37.­15-16
  • 39.­12-15
  • 39.­95
  • 39.­127
  • 40.­10
  • 40.­37
  • 40.­107
  • 40.­121
  • n.­109
  • n.­390
  • n.­546
  • n.­638
  • n.­749
  • n.­1016
  • n.­1452
  • g.­78
  • g.­119
  • g.­391
  • g.­477
  • g.­487
g.­487

ten strengths

Wylie:
  • stobs bcu
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་བཅུ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśabala

One set among the different qualities of a tathāgata. The ten strengths are (1) the knowledge of what is possible and not possible; (2) the knowledge of the ripening of karma; (3) the knowledge of the variety of aspirations; (4) the knowledge of the variety of natures; (5) the knowledge of the different levels of capabilities; (6) the knowledge of the destinations of all paths; (7) the knowledge of various states of meditation (dhyāna, liberation, samādhi, samāpatti, and so on); (8) the knowledge of remembering previous lives; (9) the knowledge of deaths and rebirths; and (10) the knowledge of the cessation of defilements.

Located in 58 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­17
  • 1.­50-51
  • 2.­8
  • 10.­10
  • 10.­35
  • 10.­44
  • 10.­47
  • 10.­95
  • 10.­97
  • 10.­101
  • 10.­103
  • 10.­114
  • 10.­166
  • 11.­60
  • 11.­69
  • 11.­72
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­23
  • 14.­9
  • 14.­44-45
  • 14.­48
  • 14.­60
  • 14.­63
  • 17.­148
  • 18.­18-19
  • 21.­11
  • 30.­18
  • 30.­23
  • 30.­36
  • 30.­40
  • 30.­64
  • 36.­30
  • 36.­64
  • 36.­100
  • 36.­116
  • 36.­124
  • 36.­126
  • 36.­200
  • 36.­224
  • 36.­226
  • 37.­43
  • 39.­5
  • 39.­95
  • 39.­105
  • 39.­127
  • 39.­141
  • 40.­111
  • 40.­121
  • n.­181
  • n.­229
  • n.­464
  • n.­467
  • g.­92
  • g.­486
g.­488

The youth Candraprabha

Wylie:
  • zla ’od gzhon nu
Tibetan:
  • ཟླ་འོད་གཞོན་ནུ།
Sanskrit:
  • candraprabha kumāra

The young man of Rājagrha who is the principal interlocutor for the Samādhirājasūtra. He is frequently addressed as “youth” or “young man,” (Skt. kumāra; Tib. gzhon nu).

Located in 85 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­6
  • 1.­20
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­7
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­6
  • 3.­42
  • 4.­1-2
  • 4.­9
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­38
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­4
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­4
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­19
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­5
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­15-17
  • 10.­29
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­49
  • 10.­107
  • 11.­1-2
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­10
  • 11.­24
  • 13.­1
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­3
  • 16.­1
  • 17.­10
  • 17.­17-19
  • 17.­57
  • 18.­1
  • 19.­1-4
  • 19.­7
  • 19.­11
  • 19.­34
  • 20.­1
  • 20.­9
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­3
  • 22.­1
  • 23.­1
  • 24.­1
  • 26.­1
  • 27.­1
  • 30.­1
  • 30.­5
  • 31.­1
  • 32.­1
  • 33.­1
  • 33.­4
  • 34.­1
  • 35.­1
  • 35.­63-64
  • 37.­1
  • 38.­1
  • 38.­4
  • 39.­1
  • 39.­71
  • 40.­158
  • n.­250
  • n.­285
  • n.­324
  • n.­569
  • g.­99
g.­491

tīrthika

Wylie:
  • mu stegs pa
Tibetan:
  • མུ་སྟེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tīrthika

Any non-Buddhist tradition in pre-Muslim India, both those Veda-based and not. The term has its origins among the Jains.

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • i.­42
  • 1.­50
  • 6.­20
  • 7.­10
  • 9.­54
  • 10.­3
  • 11.­15
  • 14.­15
  • 14.­23
  • 14.­81
  • 15.­16
  • 18.­29
  • 20.­16
  • 21.­17
  • 29.­69
  • 32.­31
  • 33.­74
  • 36.­13
  • 38.­75
  • 39.­20
  • 40.­93
  • 40.­107
  • 40.­110
  • 40.­128
  • n.­158
  • n.­1083
  • n.­1457
g.­492

Trāyastriṃśa

Wylie:
  • sum cu rtsa gsum pa
Tibetan:
  • སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • trāyastriṃśa

The paradise of Indra on the summit of Sumeru, where there are thirty-three leading deities, hence the name “thirty-three.” The second (counting from the lowest) of the six paradises in the desire realm.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­124
  • 19.­9
  • 34.­19
  • 36.­146
  • n.­482
  • g.­445
g.­500

upādhyāya

Wylie:
  • mkhan po
Tibetan:
  • མཁན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • upādhyāya

A personal preceptor and teacher. In Tibet, the translation mkhan po also came to mean a learned scholar, the equivalent of a paṇḍita.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­1
g.­503

upāsaka

Wylie:
  • dge bsnyen
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་བསྙེན།
Sanskrit:
  • upāsaka

male lay practitioner

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­62
  • 18.­51
  • 34.­55
  • 36.­18
  • 38.­55
  • 40.­158
g.­504

upāsikā

Wylie:
  • dge bsnyen ma
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་བསྙེན་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • upāsikā

female lay practitioner

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­62
  • 18.­51
  • 34.­55
  • 36.­18
  • 40.­158
g.­505

uragasāra

Wylie:
  • sbrul gyi snying po
Tibetan:
  • སྦྲུལ་གྱི་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • uragasāra

A variety of sandalwood. The name means “snake essence” because snakes were said to live in the forests of those trees because they were attracted to their scent.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­52
  • 33.­263
  • 36.­43
  • n.­1144
g.­506

ūrṇā hair

Wylie:
  • mdzod spu
Tibetan:
  • མཛོད་སྤུ།
Sanskrit:
  • ūrṇā

A curled hair or ringlet between the eyebrows that is one of the thirty-two major signs of a “great being.”

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­19
  • 36.­31
g.­507

uṣṇīṣa

Wylie:
  • gtsug tor
Tibetan:
  • གཙུག་ཏོར།
Sanskrit:
  • uṣṇīṣa

One of the thirty-two signs of a great being, in its simplest form it is a pointed shape to the head (like a turban), or more elaborately a dome-shaped protuberance, or even an invisible protuberance of infinite height.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­19
g.­509

Vaiśravaṇa

Wylie:
  • rnam thos kyi bu
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་ཐོས་ཀྱི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • vaiśravaṇa

As one of the four mahārājas, he is the lord of the northern region of the world and the northern continent, though in early Buddhism he is the lord of the far north of India and beyond. He is also the lord of the yakṣas and a lord of wealth.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­125
  • g.­11
  • g.­256
  • g.­323
g.­510

valerian

Wylie:
  • rgya spos
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱ་སྤོས།
Sanskrit:
  • satagara

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­212
g.­513

Varapuṣpasa

Wylie:
  • me tog mchog
Tibetan:
  • མེ་ཏོག་མཆོག
Sanskrit:
  • varapuṣpasa

A king in the distant past.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­75
  • 38.­11
  • 38.­73
  • n.­1350-1351
  • g.­320
g.­517

Vasunandi

Wylie:
  • dga’ byed
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • vasunandi

An alternative name for Nandika.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­224
g.­521

vidyādhara

Wylie:
  • rig sngags ’chang
  • rig ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • རིག་སྔགས་འཆང་།
  • རིག་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • vidyādhara

A race of superhuman beings with magical powers who lived high in mountains, such as the Malaya range of southwest India. Also used for humans who have gained powers through their mantras.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 36.­15
  • 36.­171
  • n.­1206
  • n.­1269
g.­529

Vinaya

Wylie:
  • ’dul ba
Tibetan:
  • འདུལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • vinaya

The section of the Buddha’s teachings that focuses on conduct.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­34
  • 1.­45
  • 17.­104
  • 40.­25
  • 40.­41
  • n.­216
  • n.­492
  • g.­116
  • g.­335
  • g.­341
  • g.­496
g.­533

Virūḍhaka

Wylie:
  • ’phags skyes po
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་སྐྱེས་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • virūḍhaka
  • viruḍhaka

One of the four mahārājas. He is the guardian of the southern direction and the lord of the kumbhāṇḍas.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­125
  • g.­256
g.­534

Virūpākṣa

Wylie:
  • mig mi bzang
Tibetan:
  • མིག་མི་བཟང་།
Sanskrit:
  • virūpākṣa
  • virupākṣa

One of the four mahārājas. He is the guardian of the western direction and traditionally the lord of the nāgas, though in this sūtra that appears to be Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­125
  • n.­484
  • g.­256
g.­539

Vulture Peak

Wylie:
  • rgod kyi phung po
Tibetan:
  • རྒོད་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • gṛdhrakūṭa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

In this text:

Also rendered here as “Gṛdhrakūṭa.”

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­36-37
  • i.­45
  • i.­52
  • i.­54
  • 1.­2
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­19
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­30
  • 10.­39
  • 11.­73
  • 19.­8
  • 34.­62
  • g.­180
g.­541

Vyūharāja

Wylie:
  • bkod pa’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • བཀོད་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • vyūharāja

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­544

wavy-leaf fig tree

Wylie:
  • blag sha
Tibetan:
  • བླག་ཤ།
Sanskrit:
  • plakṣa

Ficus infectoria. Full English name: White fruited wavy-leaf fig tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 36.­36
g.­546

white lotus

Wylie:
  • pad ma dkar po
Tibetan:
  • པད་མ་དཀར་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • puṇḍarika

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­7
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­54
  • 30.­14
  • g.­260
  • g.­322
g.­547

worldly concerns

Wylie:
  • ’jig rten pa’i chos
Tibetan:
  • འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • lokadharma

These are often listed as eight in number, as in the commentary: gain and no gain, happiness and suffering, praise and criticism, fame and lack of fame.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 17.­68
  • 31.­4
g.­548

Yakṣa

Wylie:
  • gnod sbyin
Tibetan:
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • yakṣa

A class of supernatural beings, often represented as the attendants of the god of wealth, but the term is also applied to spirits. Although they are generally portrayed as benevolent, the Tibetan translation means “harm giver,” as they are also capable of causing harm.

Located in 55 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­50
  • 2.­32
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51-52
  • 10.­98
  • 10.­126
  • 10.­128
  • 10.­146-150
  • 10.­160-161
  • 11.­46
  • 14.­29
  • 14.­41
  • 14.­70
  • 14.­83
  • 15.­9
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­138
  • 18.­44
  • 21.­27
  • 29.­6
  • 30.­95
  • 30.­113
  • 31.­9
  • 34.­22
  • 34.­61
  • 36.­15
  • 36.­187
  • 36.­208
  • 38.­17
  • 40.­113
  • n.­423
  • n.­494
  • g.­15
  • g.­49
  • g.­167
  • g.­181
  • g.­188
  • g.­222
  • g.­261
  • g.­323
  • g.­380
  • g.­387
  • g.­436
  • g.­456
  • g.­509
  • g.­527
g.­549

Yāma

Wylie:
  • ’thab bral
Tibetan:
  • འཐབ་བྲལ།
Sanskrit:
  • yāma

Third (counting from the lowest) of the six paradises in the desire realm.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­123
  • g.­463
g.­550

yāna

Wylie:
  • theg pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐེག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • yāna

A “way of going,” which primarily means a path or a way. It can also mean a conveyance or carriage, which definition within commentarial literature is represented in the Tibetan “carrier,” and therefore also translated into English as “vehicle.”

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­10
  • 16.­28
  • 33.­223
  • 34.­43
  • 36.­199
  • 40.­14
  • n.­696
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    84000. The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhi­rāja­sūtra, ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo, Toh 127). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025. https://84000.co/translation/toh127/UT22084-055-001-chapter-36.Copy
    84000. The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhi­rāja­sūtra, ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo, Toh 127). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025, 84000.co/translation/toh127/UT22084-055-001-chapter-36.Copy
    84000. (2025) The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhi­rāja­sūtra, ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo, Toh 127). (Peter Alan Roberts and team, Trans.). Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. https://84000.co/translation/toh127/UT22084-055-001-chapter-36.Copy

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