The King of Samādhis Sūtra
[Untitled]
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 1.45.32 (2024)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.25.1
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.
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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
[Untitled]
“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.
“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.
“What is the elimination of the āyatanas? It is renouncing the āyatanas as being like hallucinations.
“What is the renunciation of craving?1397 It is not fixating on any phenomena. That is the renunciation of craving.
“What is the direct realization of birthlessness? It is not having the perception of any phenomena.
“What is engagement in activity? It is not giving up because of suffering arising from diligence.
“What is the non-dissipation of the results of karma? It is knowing that the results of karma do not dissipate like a dream.
“What is insight into phenomena? It is not seeing phenomena.
“What is the meditation of the path? [F.162.a] It is meditation on the nonperception of all phenomena.
“What is meeting the tathāgatas? It is practicing the training of all the buddhas.
“What is sharp wisdom? It is the patience of the birthlessness of phenomena.
“What is knowledge of phenomena? It is the nonperception of phenomena.
“What is the knowledge of engaging in discernment? It is engaging in the true nature of phenomena.
“What is the knowledge of the different kinds of letters and words? It is the knowledge of engaging with the three mantras,1399 and knowing what is the form and what is not the form of words.
“What is the transcendence of matter? It is the understanding of immateriality.
“What is the understanding of sounds? It is knowing them to be like echoes. Young man, that is the understanding of sounds.
“What is the attainment of joy? It is the nonperception of all phenomena, the ending of the suffering that arises from saṃsāra, and putting down one’s burden.
“What is experiencing the joy of the Dharma? It is never abandoning teaching, pleasing, and seeing the excellence of one’s yāna.1400
“What is abiding? It is the realization of the truths of the noble ones.1401
“What is sincerity? It is uncontrived conduct.
“What is no longer having frowns? It is being without anger.
“What is being pleasant?1402 It is being good company.
“What is being courteous? It is being welcoming and standing up quickly.1405
“What is having veneration1406 for the guru? It is being fearful1407 of the guru and perceiving the guru as the kalyāṇamitra.
“What is respect for the guru? It is honoring and serving the guru.
“What is being content with occurences? [F.162.b] It is having no attachment to anything that occurs.
“What is never being satisfied with the good actions one has done? It is pursuing every kind of good action and seeking for any good action.
“What is having a pure livelihood? It is being satisfied with anything, using no trickery,1408 no flattery, not being covetous, and not having the desire to acquire.
“What is not forsaking the solitary life? It is not abandoning dedication to good actions and delighting in residing in a remote place; delighting in dense forests, inaccessible mountain sites, and the interior of caves;1409 experiencing the joy of the Dharma; not mixing laypeople and renunciants; not having attachment to gain, honors, or praise; rejecting craving; and experiencing the joy of dhyāna. That is not forsaking the solitary life.
“What is the knowledge of successive levels? It is the knowledge of the distinctive result of the śrāvaka, knowledge of the distinctive level of the pratyekabuddha, and knowledge of the distinctive level of the bodhisattva.
“What is always maintaining mindfulness? It is being attentive to impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and the absence of self.
“What is being wise concerning the skandhas, wise concerning the dhātus, and wise concerning the āyatanas? It is having the knowledge of the categories of the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas, but having no perception of them.
“What is making one’s higher cognitions manifest to others? It is attaining the four bases of miraculous powers and manifesting miracles.
“What is ceasing engagement with propensities? It is reviling previous foolish conduct and not wishing for the level of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas.
“What is having specific attainments? It is accomplishing a buddha’s strengths, [F.163.a] fearlessnesses, and discernments.1410
“What is the natural result of meditation? It is the elimination of attachment and aversion.1411
“What is skillfulness in eliminating transgressions? It is the restraint of the prātimokṣa and the vinaya.
“What is the prevention of the arising of bad actions? It is confessing bad actions and the virtue of restraining from them in the future.
“What is the elimination of attachment? It is destroying all the creepers of craving for the three existences, developing the good qualities that have not yet been developed,1412 and not losing the good qualities that have been developed.
“What is transcending the existences? It is not focusing the mind upon or engaging the mind with the three realms.
“What is the memory of previous rebirths? It is the knowledge of previous lifetimes.
“What is being free of doubt concerning the ripening of karma? It is rejecting eternalism and nihilism.
“What is the contemplation of phenomena? It is correct contemplation.
“What is seeking to hear the Dharma? It is possessing and meditating upon the piṭaka of the śrāvakas, the piṭaka of the pratyekabuddhas, and the piṭaka of the bodhisattvas.
“What is having sharp knowledge? It is knowing the nonorigination of phenomena to be like a dream.
“What is craving for wisdom? It is seeking wisdom.
“What is the realization of wisdom? It is the attainment of the highest, complete enlightenment.
“What is the level of a noble being? It is the state of bodhisattva training.
“What is having a mind like a mountain? It is not abandoning the aspiration to enlightenment.
“What is being unshakable? It is not being led astray by the kleśas.
“What is being immovable? It is the mind not being engaged with any attribute.
“What is irreversibility?1413 It is the unimpaired six perfections, and the continuous vision of the buddhas who reside in other worlds. [F.163.b]
“What is the natural result of good qualities?1414 It is being near to the highest, complete enlightenment.
“What is the abhorrence of bad qualities? It is restraint and not performing bad actions in the first place.
“What is being free of behavior caused by the kleśas? It is being free of that which is caused by ignorance, craving for existence, and anger.
“What is never abandoning the training? It is conviction in the ripening of karma, and having veneration for the buddhas.
“What is being established in samādhi? It is a one-pointed mind that is skilled in the nonproduction and nonperishing of the phenomena of the mind and mental events.1415
“What is the knowledge of the thoughts of beings? It is the wisdom that knows the superior and inferior faculties of beings.
“What is the knowledge of the various rebirths of beings? It is the knowledge of the different states of the five kinds of existence.
“What is knowledge of the infinite? It is the effortless knowledge of mundane and supramundane skills.
“What is the knowledge of the intended meaning of words? It is the knowledge of the intended meaning of the Tathāgata’s words.
“What is the rejection of living in a home? It is leaving home for physical and mental solitude.
“What is finding no joy in the three realms? It is seeing the realms for what they truly are.
“What is having a motivation that is not discouraged? It is not giving up the motivation and not giving up meditation.
“What is having no attachment to phenomena? It is the renunciation of all that one has affection for.
“What is having possession of the sacred Dharma? It is preserving the Buddha’s enlightenment, and possessing sūtras such as this.
“What is protecting the Dharma? It is subjugating, in a way that is in accord with the Dharma, those who malign the Buddha’s Dharma.
“What is conviction in the ripening of karma? [F.164.a] It is forsaking bad actions through a sense of shame, and dedicating oneself to seeking good qualities.
“What is skill in the vinaya? It is the knowledge of what are natural transgressions and what are not natural transgressions, and the knowledge of what are proscribed transgressions and what are not proscribed transgressions.
“What is the pacification of disputes? It is the avoidance of gatherings.
“What is the absence of discord and the absence of quarrels? It is the absence of desire for worldly conversation.
“What is maintaining patience? It is maintaining equanimity and not losing one’s patience when others speak badly, saying unpleasant words.1416
“What is skill in examining phenomena? It is distinguishing the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas, distinguishing the aspects of kleśas and purification, and not objectifying them.
“What is skill in gaining certainty concerning phenomena? It is the inexpressibility of all phenomena.
“What is the knowledge of distinguishing between the words for phenomena?1417 It is the accomplishment of the differentiation of all phenomena.
“What is skill in the presentation of the words for phenomena?1418 It is teaching phenomena exactly as they are.
“What is the knowledge of the skill of presenting the distinction between words that have meaning and words that do not have meaning?1419 It is that the nature of phenomena cannot be taken away from or added to.
“What is knowledge of the past? It is the knowledge of causes.
“What is knowledge of the future? It is the knowledge of contributing factors.
“What is the knowledge of the equality of the three times? It is the true nature of the way of things, which is that there is no differentiation to be made between all phenomena.1420
“What is the knowledge of the purity of the three aspects of actions? It is not objectifying and having no mental engagement with phenomena of the past, future, or present.
“What is the knowledge of the body’s condition? It is mindfulness of the body. [F.164.b]
“What is the knowledge of the mind’s condition? It is not objectifying the mind.
“What is guarding1421 conduct? It is conduct that is unsullied.
“What is uncontrived conduct?1423 It is being free of the desire for bad actions.
“What is having attractive conduct?1424 It is the mind being focused upon engagement with the Dharma, speaking rationally, being aware of time, and teaching the Dharma correctly.
“What is knowledge of the world? It is the knowledge of going and coming.
“What is unrestrained generosity? It is not holding on to things and being without miserliness.
“What is being openhanded?1425 It is having a virtuous nature.
“What is having a mind without fixation? It is having unsullied faith.
“What is having a sense of self-respect? It is not being talkative.1426
“What is an abhorrence of negative aspirations? It is understanding what are the qualities of foolishness, and not associating with them.
“What is not forsaking the qualities of purification? It is being stable in commitments.
“What is maintaining correct conduct? It is developing disciplined conduct.
“What is joyful conduct? It is the contemplation of virtuous qualities.
“What is standing up to welcome gurus and presenting them with a seat? It is overcoming pride and not being lazy.
“What is the elimination of pride? It is not objectifying or depending upon a self.
“What is controlling the mind? It is the knowledge of how not to lose good qualities.
“What is the knowledge of generating enthusiasm? It is the knowledge of how not to lose the results of diligence.
“What is the knowledge of discernment? It is the wisdom that understands the truth exactly as it is.
“What is the realization of wisdom? It is the realization of both mundane and supramundane qualities.
“What is being without ignorance? It is not imposing embellishments on phenomena as they truly are.
“What is the knowledge of the processes of the mind? [F.165.a] It is the knowledge of the absence of creation and destruction.
“What is the knowledge of accomplishment and definite accomplishment?1428 It is sharp wisdom.
“What is the knowledge of all language? It is correctly teaching the Dharma.
“What is the knowledge of presentation?1429 It is the knowledge of correct engagement.
“What is the knowledge of attaining certainty in meaning? It is cutting through the skandha of mental activities.
“What is abandoning that which is harmful? It is transcending existence and causing others to transcend existence.
“What is relying upon excellent beings? It is not being apart from a buddha.
“What is being together with excellent beings? It is attending upon buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and śrāvakas.
“What is avoiding bad beings? It is avoiding those who are fixated on perceptions and those who are lazy.
“What is delighting1430 in dhyāna?1431 It is avoiding the thorns of desire, not forsaking dhyāna, and not abandoning joy.
“What is not clinging to dhyāna? It is wishing to transcend the three existences, wishing to ripen beings, and wishing for the light of higher wisdom.
“What is the utilization of the higher cognitions? It is teaching to others, through the five higher cognitions, the Dharma teachings of the Buddha that are difficult to understand.
“What is the knowledge of assigned names? It is the understanding that names are without reality.
“What is the use of designations? It is worldly usage.
“What is employing designations? It is the knowledge of speaking.
“What is disillusionment with saṃsāra? It is reflecting upon the harm of saṃsāra.
“What is not being motivated by material gain? It is having few desires.
“What is having no interest in gain or honors? It is being free of regret and free of the wish to commit sinful actions. [F.165.b]
“What is not being upset by criticism? It is the knowledge that comprehends the skandhas and the dhātus.
“What is not being fixated upon praise? It is not making known one’s good actions, and it is knowing gain and honor to be obstacles.
“What is indifference to respect? It is understanding the ripening of karma.
“What is not being upset by lack of respect? It is not forsaking the practice.
“What is being undisturbed by disrespect? It is being aware of worldly qualities.
“What is being indifferent to praise? It is seeking good actions and abandoning worldly life.
“What is not being disheartened when there is no gain? It is being aware of the qualities that oneself has given rise to.
“What is not associating with householders? It is avoiding any kind of worldly enjoyment.1432
“What is not associating with renunciants?1433 It is avoiding that which is inappropriate and seeking that which is appropriate.1434
“What is avoiding that which is outside the scope of correct conduct? It is abandoning the five obscurations.
“What is acting within the scope of correct conduct? It is meditation on the four mindfulnesses.
“What is the perfection of conduct? It is its perfect preservation.
“What is rejecting incorrect conduct? It is preserving your good qualities.
“What is not dishonoring your family? It is avoiding profiting from wisdom.
“What is preserving the teaching? It is the determined seeking of the Dharma and practicing the Dharma in accord with the Dharma.
“What is speaking little? It is the attainment of śamatha.
“What is skillfulness in answers? It is the knowledge of replies and rejoinders.
“What is defeating opposition? It is the correct presentation and teaching of the Dharma and defeating those who believe in objective reality.1436
“What is arriving at the right time? It is knowledge of the time. [F.166.a]
“What is not relying on ordinary people?1437 It is seeing the qualities of the foolish to be faults.
“What is not having contempt for those in suffering?1438 It is having impartiality toward all beings.
“What is not rebuking the poor? It is having kindness toward others.
“What is having compassion for those whose conduct is incorrect? It is saving others from transgression and establishing them in correct conduct.
“What is having that which will bring benefit to others? It is benefiting others.
“What is having a compassionate mind? It is consideration of the future suffering of beings.
“What is benefiting others through the Dharma? It is bringing others correctly into the Dharma.
“What is giving away material wealth? It is giving away whatever has been accumulated and benefiting others through material things.
“What is not hoarding? It is renouncing material wealth and seeing it as harmful to the maintenance of correct conduct.
“What is condemning incorrect conduct? It is the understanding of the faults of incorrect conduct.
“What is unwaveringly attending upon those who have correct conduct? It is the knowledge that perceives those who have correct conduct to be difficult to find.
“What is giving up all possessions? It is having a virtuous motivation.
“What is doing exactly what one has said one will do? It is having a completely virtuous motivation.
“What is perpetual application? It is seeking for and inquiring about any virtue.
“What is having veneration1442 and experiencing joy? It is knowledge through realization and knowledge through scripture.
“What is the knowledge of using examples? It is having the knowledge of similarities and the knowledge of teaching.
“What is being skilled concerning past lifetimes? It is remembering lifetimes [F.166.b] and having received many teachings.
“What is putting roots of merit first? It is having a strong longing for enlightenment and also inspring that in others.
“What is skill in methods? It is being skilled in confession, rejoicing, supplication, and the dedication of the roots of goodness.
“What is the negation of attributes? It is realizing that all phenomena are like a dream, and the extinction of things.
“What is turning away from conceptualization? It is the rejection of error.
“What is the knowledge of the characteristics of things?1443 It is the knowledge of things having no characteristics.
“What is skill in the accomplishment of the sūtras? It is teaching through describing accurately the understanding of, and the examples for, good and bad qualities.
“What is certainty in the truth? It is the cessation of consciousness, and the nonarising of names-and-form.
“What is the direct experience of liberation? It is not wavering from the samādhi that is like a vajra.
“What is the attainment of fearlessness? It is understanding the Buddha’s Dharma and developing the strength of dhyāna.1444
“What is the basis1445 of correct conduct? It is the restraint of the body and the prātimokṣa vows.
“What is entering into samāpatti? It is being free of desire for the three existences.
“What is the attainment of wisdom? It is the knowledge of power and having no objectification.
“What is delighting in solitude? It is avoiding the faults from being with others and not forsaking good qualities.
“What is contentment with having no high reputation? It is being pleased with whatever there is.
“What is the absence of pollution in the mind? It is the suppression of the obscurations.
“What is rejecting incorrect views? It is rejecting the view of objective reality.
“What is the attainment of mental retention? [F.167.a] It is teaching correctly and without impediment the Dharma just as it has been seen.
“What is the basis? It is the basis of correct conduct.
“What is the ground? It is the ground of the mind.
“What is the foundation? It is the foundation of faith.
“What is the practice? It is the practice of the path.
“What is the knowledge1447 of the cause? It is the knowledge that ignorance is the cause of saṃsāra.
“What is the way? It is the way of the rejection of craving.
“What is the doorway? It is abandoning faults.
“What is the path? It is the knowledge of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness.
“What is being free from rebirth?1451 It is putting an end to rebirth.
“What is the elimination of ignorance? It is the elimination of stupidity.
“What is the basis of wisdom? It is without a basis.
“What is the level of spiritual practice? It is meditation on the qualities of the thirty-seven aspects of enlightenment.
“What is the scope of practice of the bodhisattvas? It is composed of the six perfections.
“What is attending upon wise beings? It is attending upon buddhas.
“What is rejecting those who are not wise beings? It is rejecting tīrthikas who have the view of objective reality.
“What is the teaching of the tathāgatas? It is liberation through knowledge of the true nature, having gained the strengths of buddhahood.
“What is meant by the wise rejoicing in it? It means the buddha bhagavāns, and the śrāvakas of the past, future, and present, rejoicing.
“What is meant by the foolish rejecting it? It means that it is difficult for all who are foolish to understand. [F.167.b]
“What is meant by it being difficult for the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas to know? It means that the Buddha’s Dharma is inconceivable.
“What is meant by it not being the level of the tīrthikas? It means that their level is the false pride of a practitioner.
“What is meant by the bodhisattvas1452 possessing it? It means that it is difficult to obtain and is a great medicine.1453
“What is meant by its being realized by those who have the ten strengths? It means that it is an arduous practice.
“Why should the devas make offerings to it? They should do so in order to attain every happiness.
“Why should Brahmā praise1454 it? Because it is a practice that brings the attainment of all liberations.
“Why should the nāgas pay homage to it? Because it destroys all habitual tendencies.
“Why should the yakṣas rejoice in it? Because it closes the pathways to all the lower realms.
“Why should the kinnaras praise it in song? Because it brings the attainment of all the happiness of liberation.
“Why should the bodhisattvas meditate on it? Because it brings the attainment of omniscient wisdom.
“Why should the wise comprehend it? Because it brings the attainment of irreversibility.
“Why is it the highest wealth? Because it brings the attainment of an excellent rebirth as a deva or human and it brings the attainment of liberation.
“Why is it a medicine for the sick? Because it brings desire, anger, and ignorance to an end.
“Why is it a treasure of wisdom? Because it is meditation.
“Why is it unceasing eloquence? Because it is truly correct knowledge and vision.
“Why is it freedom from misery? Because it is the realization that harm and suffering are meaningless [F.168.a] and that suffering has no self.
“Why is it the comprehension of the entire three realms? Because it is the realization that they are like dreams and illusions.
“Why is it a raft1455 for crossing to the other shore? Because it is the meditation on impermanence, suffering, and emptiness by those who have the higher motivation of desiring to attain nirvāṇa.
“Why is it like a boat for those in the middle of a river? Because it brings the attainment of nirvāṇa.
“Why is it fame for those who wish for renown? Because it brings the attainment of vast qualities.
“Why do the buddhas praise it? Because it is the benefactor that provides a medicine with infinite good qualities.
“Why do the tathāgatas laud it? Because it is the benefactor that provides all qualities and happiness and liberation.
“Why do those who have the ten strengths praise it? Because it is the benefactor that provides the precious Dharma that is difficult to find.
“Why is it the quality1456 of the bodhisattvas? Because it is the acquisition of training in the Dharma.
“Why is it the equanimity of those with compassion? Because it is the activity that accomplishes a buddha’s deeds.
“Why is it the love that brings evil to an end? Because it provides the remedy.
“Why does it provide relief for those who follow the Mahāyāna? Because it fulfills all the wishes for the Buddha’s Dharma.
“Why is it the diligent practice of those with a lion’s roar? Because it brings the attainment of the best Dharma, the superior Dharma.
“Why is it the path of the wisdom of the buddhas? Because it brings the attainment of all good qualities.
“Why is it the seal upon all phenomena? Because it brings the realization of this side from the other side.
“Why is it the accomplishment of omniscient wisdom?1457 Because it eliminates all bad qualities, accomplishes all good qualities, [F.168.b] and brings liberation to all beings.1458
“Why is it the pleasure garden of bodhisattvas? Because their every happiness, joy, and pleasure bring happiness to all beings.
“Why does it terrify the māras? Because it accomplishes all the strengths and because it brings all the kleśas to an end.
“Why is it the knowledge of those who have reached happiness? Because it is the cessation of all distress.1459
“Why is it the benefit from those who accomplish benefit? Because it brings the accomplishment of all good fortune.
“Why is it the refuge for those among enemies? Because it brings defeat to all those who believe in objective reality and have wrong views.
“Why is it the subjugation of adversaries by those who have the Dharma? Because it brings the defeat of the tīrthikas by those who have the Dharma.
“Why is it the expression of truth for those who have fearlessness?1460 Because it brings the tranquility1461 of having analyzed well and analyzed precisely1462 all phenomena.
“Why is it the correct search for the strengths? Because it is a practice that is not incorrect.
“Why is it the omen for the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha? Because it brings the attainment of all good qualities.
“Why is it an adornment? Because it brings the attainment of the thirty-two primary signs of a great being.
“Why is it the delight of those who desire liberation? Because it is good in the beginning, the middle, and the end.
“Why is it the joy of the eldest sons? Because it brings the attainment of experiencing their father’s wealth, the Buddha’s wealth.
“Why is it the completion of buddha wisdom? Because it brings the maintenance of all good qualities and the attainment of the cultivation of all good qualities and nothing else.
“Why is it not the level of śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas? Because it brings the accomplishment of the vast, inconceivable qualities of buddhahood.
“Why is it the purity of the mind? Because there is the elimination of all stains. [F.169.a]
“Why is it the purity of the body? Because it brings the cessation of all illness.
“Why is it the completion of the doorways to liberation? Because it brings the accomplishment of contemplating impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness.
“Why is it devoid of the kleśa of desire?1463 Because it brings the accomplishment of the deathless state.
“Why is it devoid of anger? Because it brings the accomplishment of great love.
“Why is it not the level of ignorance? Because it brings the accomplishment of seeing phenomena as they truly are.
“Why is it the arising of wisdom? Because it brings the development of knowing all that is necessary, both mundane and supramundane.
“Why is it the birth of knowledge? Because it brings the accomplishment of all appropriate mental engagement.
“Why is it the elimination of ignorance? Because it brings freedom from all inappropriate mental engagement.
“Why is it the contentment of those dedicated to liberation? Because it brings the accomplishment of noble greatness.
“Why is it the satisfaction of those dedicated to samādhi? Because it brings the accomplishment of all bliss, joyful bliss, and a one-pointed mind.
“Why is it eyes for those who wish for the view? Because it brings the accomplishment of seeing for oneself.
“Why is it higher knowledge for those who wish to perform miracles? Because it brings freedom from obscuration and the desired true nature of phenomena.
“Why is it miraculous power for those who wish for accomplishment? Because it brings the accomplishment of the unobscured, inconceivable knowledge of all phenomena.
“Why is it retentive memory for those dedicated to listening to the Dharma? Because it brings the equality of all phenomena and nirvāṇa.
“Why is it unceasing mindfulness? Because it is the natural peace of focusing upon nirvāṇa.
“Why is it the blessing of the buddhas? Because it brings infinite accomplishment. [F.169.b]
“Why is it the skillful method of the guides? Because it conveys all to happiness and goodness.
“Why is it difficult to know? Because it is difficult to discern.
“Why is it difficult to know for those without dedication? Because they have not previously obtained it.
“Why is it beyond words and difficult to know through speech? Because of the inconceivability of all phenomena.
“Why is it known by the wise? Because it is a great, precious meaning.
“Why is it the knowledge of pleasant beings? Because they know all forms of reverence.
“Why is it possessed by those who have undertaken it? Because they do not abandon their undertaking.
“Why is it kept by those who are mindful? Because they do not allow it to perish.
“Why is it the cessation of suffering? Because it brings the elimination of desire, anger, and ignorance.
“Why is it the birthlessness of all phenomena? Because it brings the cessation of all consciousness.
“Why is it the single teaching? Because all classes of existence, all death and transference, and all rebirths are like dreams, which means that all phenomena are without origination.
“You should know these three hundred points. Young man, they are the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena.”1465
Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:
When the Bhagavān taught this Dharma teaching of the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, countless beings developed the aspiration for complete enlightenment. Countless beings attained irreversibility from the highest, complete enlightenment. Countless beings developed the aspiration for their own enlightenment. Countless beings developed the aspiration for attaining the result of becoming an arhat.
This universe of a thousand million worlds shook in six ways. It trembled, trembled strongly, and trembled intensely; it quivered, quivered strongly, and quivered intensely; it shook, shook strongly, and shook intensely; it shuddered, shuddered strongly, and shuddered intensely; it quaked, quaked strongly, and quaked intensely; the east sank and the west rose, the west sank and the east rose, the north sank and the south rose, the south sank and the north rose, the perimeter sank and the center rose, and the center sank and the perimeter rose. In all the world there shone an immeasurable radiance, there fell a great rain of divine incense, the devas threw down a great rain of flowers, hundreds of thousands of divine musical instruments were played up in the sky, the sky above was covered with divine food, and these words were spoken:
“The beings who hear this Dharma teaching on entering great compassion will easily reach attainment, and those beings will serve and honor many buddhas. [F.170.b]
“Those who hear this samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, and, having heard it, write it out, possess it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and teach it extensively to others will become the subject of offerings from all beings.”
Then the Bhagavān said to Brother Ānanda, “Ānanda, you must hold this Dharma teaching, recite it, promulgate it, and teach it extensively to others.”
Then Brother Ānanda asked the Bhagavān, “What is the name of this teaching? In what way shall I keep it?”
The Bhagavān said, “Ānanda, you should keep this sūtra as having the name Entering Great Compassion. You should also keep this sūtra as having the name The Samādhi, the Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena.”
Ānanda said, “Bhagavān, I shall keep this Dharma teaching.”
The Bhagavān, having spoken those words, the youth Candraprabha, Brother Ānanda, the fourfold assembly of bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās, the devas of Śuddhāvāsa, and the world with its devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Bhagavān.1468
“The Samādhi, the Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena,” is concluded.
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). |
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.
———. 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.
———. Lhasa Kangyur (lha sa bka’ ’gyur) vol. 55 (mdo sde, ta), folios 1.b–269.b.
———. Narthang Kangyur (snar thang bka’ ’gyur) vol. 55 (mdo sde, ta), folios 1.b–273.b.
———. Shelkar Drima Kangyur (shel mkhar bris ma bka’ ’gyur) vol. 54 (mdo sde, ja), folios 157.a–436.a.
———. Stok Palace Kangyur (stog pho brang bris ma bka’ ’gyur) vol. 58 (mdo sde, ja), folios 145.a–405.a.
———. 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.
———. 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.