The King of Samādhis Sūtra
Supuṣpacandra
Toh 127
Degé Kangyur, vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.b–170.b
- Śrīlendrabodhi
- Lotsawa Bandé Dharmatāśīla
Imprint
Translated by Peter Alan Roberts
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2018
Current version v 1.45.34 (2024)
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Table of Contents
Summary
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.
Acknowledgements
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.
The generous donation of an anonymous donor, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
The King of Samādhis, the Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena
Supuṣpacandra
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.”
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.”
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.”
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]
“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.
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.
“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.
“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]
“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.
“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
“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.
“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
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.’
“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.
“ ‘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
“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:
“Then the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra recited the following verses to that great assembly of bodhisattvas:
“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]
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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:
“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.’
“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?’
“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?’
“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.’
“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.’
“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]
“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
“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
“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.
“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.’
“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.’
“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:
“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
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:
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]
Thereupon the Bhagavān gave a detailed teaching on this episode from the past by chanting the following verses to Brother Ānanda:1262
“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.
“He recited these mournful verses that praised the qualities of the dharmabhāṇaka Supuṣpacandra:1268
Conclusion of the thirty-sixth chapter, “Supuṣpacandra.”
Colophon
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.
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). |
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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.
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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.
———. Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. II, part II. Calcutta: J. C. Sarkhel, 1953.
———. 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.
———. “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.
———. 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.
———. 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.
———. 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.
———, trans. (2020a). The Absorption of the Miraculous Ascertainment of Peace (Praśāntaviniścayaprātihāryasamādhi, Toh 129). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
———, trans. (2020b). The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal (Tathāgatajñānamudrāsamādhi, Toh 131). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
———, trans. (2020c). Upholding the Roots of Virtue (Kuśalamūlasaṃparigraha, Toh 101). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
———, trans. (2022). The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light (Raśmisamantamuktanirdeśa, Toh 55). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
———, 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.
———, trans. (2021a) The Stem Array (Gaṇḍavyūha, Toh 44-45). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
———, 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.