co.

Table of Contents

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.

Text Body

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

9.­2

“Why is that? Young man, this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, has given birth to all the tathāgatas, the arhats, the perfectly enlightened buddhas; all tathāgatas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas have come from it.

9.­3

“Therefore, young man, you also should obtain this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, which is praised by all the buddhas and is the mother of the tathāgatas.326 It has been said:

9.­4
“Therefore, those who wish for enlightenment and buddhahood,
And to liberate beings from the ocean of existence,
Should obtain this sūtra praised by the buddhas,
And then sublime enlightenment will not be difficult to attain.”327
9.­5

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish328 to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood should become skilled329 in the patience of profound Dharma.330

9.­6

“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas become skilled in the patience of profound Dharma?

“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should know that all phenomena are like illusions. [F.25.a] They should know that all phenomena are like dreams, like mirages, like echoes, like optical illusions, like the moon on water, like hallucinations,331 like reflections, and like space.

9.­7

“Young man, when bodhisattva mahāsattvas know that all phenomena are like illusions,332 they are skilled in the patience of profound Dharma. Those who have the patience of profound Dharma have no desire for any phenomenon that causes desire, have no anger toward any phenomenon that causes anger, and have no ignorance regarding any phenomenon that causes ignorance. Why is that? It is because they do not see that phenomenon; they do not perceive that phenomenon. They do not see the phenomena and they do not perceive the phenomena of that which is desired, the desire, or the desirer; that which angers, the anger, or one who is angry; nor that of which one is ignorant, the ignorance, or the one who is ignorant. Because they do not see and do not perceive those phenomena they have no desire, they have no anger, they have no ignorance, their minds do not regress, and they rest in meditation. They are without conceptual elaboration. They have crossed over to the other side. They have reached dry land. They have reached safety. They have attained freedom from fear.333 They have correct conduct. They have knowledge. They have wisdom. They have merit. They have miraculous powers. They have memory.334 They have intelligence. They have realization.335 They have a sense of modesty. They have stability. They have bodhisattva conduct. They have the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy. They are unblemished.336 [F.25.b] They have nothing. They are arhats. Their defilements have ceased. They have no kleśas. They have power. Their minds are liberated. Their wisdom is liberated. They are thoroughbred stallions.337 They are great elephants.338 They have done what had to be done. They have accomplished what had to be accomplished. They have put down their burden. They have reached their goals. They have ended engagement with existence. They have liberated their minds through true knowledge. They are mendicants who have attained all the perfect, highest, complete powers of the mind. They are brahmins.339 They are snātakas.340 They are masters of the Vedas.341 They know the Vedas.342 They are śrotriyas.343 They are children of the buddhas. They are children of the Śākya.344 They have crushed the thorns.345 They have not left the law behind.346 They have left the trench barrier behind.347 They have crossed over the trench barrier.348 They have extracted the splinters.349 They have no illness.350 They are bhikṣus. They are free from all bondage. They have been born as humans. They are good humans. They are supreme humans. They are great humans. They are human lions.351 They are human elephants.352 They are human stallions.353 They are human carthorses.354 They are human heroes.355 They are human strongmen.356 They are human flowers.357 They are human lotuses.358 They are human white lotuses.359 They are human tamers.360 They are human moons.361 They are extraordinary humans. They are stainless humans.”362

9.­8

Then the Bhagavān, in order to give this Dharma teaching on entering the patience of profound Dharma, recited these verses:

9.­9
“At one time a world appears,
And later the entire world becomes space.
As it was before, so it is afterward.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {1}
9.­10
“All that there is in this world
Later dissolves into the mass of water below.
As it is below, so it is above.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {2} [F.26.a]
9.­11
“Just as in a completely cloudless sky
In an instant a mass of clouds appears‍—
From where did they first originate?
Know that all phenomena are like that. {3}
9.­12
“If you think of a tathāgata who has passed into nirvāṇa,
His image will appear in your mind.
As he was before, so he is afterward.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {4}
9.­13
“When a person sees a mass of foam
That is carried along in a river
And examines it, they see that it has no essence.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {5}
9.­14
“When large drops of rain fall,
There appear separate bubbles of water.
They vanish as they appear; the bubbles have no existence.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {6}
9.­15
“When a letter is sent to another town
With news of the good or bad that has been done,
A voice does not accompany the letter.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {7}
9.­16
“When a man is intoxicated from alcohol,
He perceives the ground to be spinning,
But the earth is not moving or shaking.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {8}
9.­17
“A woman sees her beautified face
On the surface of a mirror or a bowl of oil.
The fool feels passion for it
And runs in search for the desired. {9}
9.­18
“The face was not transferred there.
The face will never be found in the reflection,
And yet fools have desire for it.
Know that all phenomena are like that.363 {10}
9.­19
“Just like optical illusions and fata morganas,
Just like dreams and just like illusions,
When their attributes are meditated on, their nature is empty.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {11}
9.­20
“When the moon is in a clear sky,
Its reflection appears on the sea,
But the moon has not moved onto the water.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {12}
9.­21
“A man who is inside a canyon364
Sees no one but hears the echoes
Of singing, speaking, and laughter.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {13} [F.26.b]
9.­22
“Echoes are produced
By songs, music, and weeping,
But the song that is heard does not exist.
Know that all phenomena are like that.365 {14}
9.­23
“Although pleasures are enjoyed in a dream,
When the person awakes they are not be seen.
The fool, though, becomes attached to those pleasures.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {15}
9.­24
“A magician causes forms to appear,
Creating horses, elephants, chariots, and so on.
But though they appear they do not exist at all.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {16}
9.­25
“In a young woman’s dream
She gives birth to a son and then sees him die.
She is happy when he’s born and sad when he dies.
Know that all phenomena are like that.366 {18}
9.­26
“In the night the reflection of the moon
Appears on clear, undisturbed water,
But it is empty of a moon and there is nothing to grasp.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {19}
9.­27
“A thirsty person traveling
At noon during the summer
Sees a lake that is a mirage.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {20}
9.­28
“The water that is a mirage cannot be found.
Foolish beings want to drink it,
But water that is not real cannot be drunk.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {21}
9.­29
“When a person in search of its essence
Pulls apart the trunk of a green banana plant,
They find no essence either inside or outside.
Know that all phenomena are like that. {22}
9.­30
“The eyes, the ears, and the nose are unreliable.
The tongue, the body, and the mind are unreliable.
If the senses could be relied upon,
What need would there be for the path of the noble ones? {23}
9.­31
“These senses are unreliable.
Their nature is material and neutral.
Therefore those who wish for the path to nirvāṇa
Must follow the path of the noble ones. {24}
9.­32
“If one examines the body back into the past,
There is no body and no conception of a body.
When there is no body and no conception of a body
This is called the lineage of the noncomposite.367 {25}
9.­33
“There are no phenomena in the phenomena of nirvāṇa,
For if it is nonexistent there could never be an existence. [F.27.a]
Those who conceptualize teach existence and nonexistence,
But practicing in that way will not bring an end to suffering. {26}
9.­34
“ ‘Existing,’ ‘not existing,’ and both are extremes.
‘Pure’ and ‘impure’ are also extremes.
Therefore, rejecting both extremes,
The wise do not even remain in the middle. {27}
9.­35
“ ‘Existing’ and ‘not existing’ are in conflict.
‘Pure’ and ‘impure’ are also in conflict.
When there is conflict, suffering cannot be ended.
When there is no conflict, suffering ceases.368 {28}
9.­36
“When fools speak about remaining in mindfulness369
They become proud, saying, ‘I have witnessed it in my body.’370
But those who have witnessed it in their body have no pride;
They are those who are freed from all such pride.371 {29}
9.­37
“When speaking of the four dhyānas,
The foolish claim they can experience dhyāna.
But those who know and realize that dhyāna
Is without kleśas or pride reject such arrogance. {30}
9.­38
“When speaking of the four truths,
The foolish say that they see the truth.
But there is no pride when the truth is seen.
The Jina taught the truth that is without pride. {31}
9.­39
“Do not be proud of maintaining correct conduct.
Do not become proud through listening to the Dharma.
When those with little wisdom become proud,
That is the root of increasing suffering. {32}
9.­40
“The world’s guide, the omniscient one,
Taught that pride is the root of suffering.
To be puffed up with pride makes suffering grow;
To have no pride brings suffering to an end. {33}
9.­41
“However much Dharma you have learned,
If you feel proud of your learning and let your proper conduct lapse,
Your misconduct will take you to the lower realms
And all that great learning will not protect you. {34}
9.­42
“If you feel proud of being renowned for correct conduct
And do not dedicate yourself to listening to many teachings,
When the results of your correct conduct have been used up
You will afterward experience suffering.372 {35}
9.­43
“If you meditate on a worldly samādhi
And do not eliminate the conception of a self,
Then the kleśas will arise once more,
As happened in the samādhi practice of Udraka.373 {36} [F.27.b]
9.­44
“If one examines the Dharma of selflessness,
And if after examining, one meditates,
That will be the cause resulting in the attainment of nirvāṇa.
It is impossible for peace to come from any other cause. {37}
9.­45
“If a man is being attacked by bandits
And, wishing to save his life, he tries to run away
But his legs will not move and he cannot run,
He will be captured and killed374 by the bandits. {38}
9.­46
“In the same way, a stupid person without correct conduct
May try to escape from composite phenomena.
But without correct conduct he is not able to flee,
And will be killed by old age, illness, and death. {39}
9.­47
“Just as many thousands of savages375
Do you harm in various ways,
The kleśas will in many ways,
Like savages, destroy that which is good. {40}
9.­48
“Those who have understood the skandhas to be without a self,
Even if insulted or beaten, will not be dismayed.
They will not fall under the power of the kleśa demons.
Those who know emptiness will never become agitated. {41}
9.­49
“Many people teach the emptiness of the skandhas
But have not understood that selflessness;
When those who have not understood are contradicted by others,
They will be overpowered by anger and speak harsh words. {42}
9.­50
“There was a man376 who was ill and suffering physically.
For many years he could not attain freedom from his illness.
For a long time he was tormented by his illness,
And in order to be cured he went in search of a physician. {43}
9.­51
“Searching and searching, again and again,
He found a skilled and wise physician
Who had compassion for him
And said, ‘Take this medicine.’ {44}
9.­52
“He gave him much excellent medicine,
But the sick man didn’t take the healing medicine.
That was not the fault of the physician or the medicine;
It was the fault of the sick person. {45}
9.­53
“In the same way, those who have entered homelessness in this teaching,
Who know of the strengths, the dhyānas, and the powers
But do not dedicate themselves to meditation,
Are not endeavouring in what is correct, so how could they attain nirvāṇa? {46}
9.­54
“All phenomena are always empty by nature.
The heirs of the jinas have eliminated all things.
The entirety of existence has always been empty.
The emptiness of the tīrthikas is limited. {47}
9.­55
“The wise do not argue with fools,
They politely avoid them; [F.28.a]
Thinking, ‘They come to me with malicious intent,’
They do not engage with the Dharma of fools. {48}
9.­56
“Knowing the nature and dispositions of fools,
The wise do not associate with fools.
Whenever they associate well with them
Those fools eventually turn into enemies. {49}
9.­57
“The wise do not depend upon the foolish.
The wise and the foolish have different natures.
The nature of the foolish is naturally contrary,
So the wise do not have ordinary people as friends. {50}
9.­58
“They may speak with words about the Dharma
But do not believe it, showing their anger and aggression.
Such is the Dharma of fools, and knowing this to be so
The wise do not rely on it. {51}
9.­59
“The foolish are in accord with other fools
Like impurity with other impurities.
The wise are in accord with other wise people
Like butter377 is with ghee. {52}
9.­60
“They do not examine the faults of saṃsāra;
They pay no attention to the ripening of karma;
They have no faith in the words of the buddhas:
Those fools will be sliced and cut into pieces. {53}
9.­61
“They have obtained a human life that is difficult to obtain,
But they have not become skilled in any craft.
They have become poor without any wealth.
In order to have a livelihood they become mendicants. {54}
9.­62
“Having become mendicants in this teaching of the Buddha,
They become attached to their robes and alms bowls.
They fall under the influence of bad companions,
And they do not practice the teaching of the Sugata. {55}
9.­63
“They are not observant of their own conduct.
Such fools do not perceive the states of their minds.
Day and night they do not follow the discipline,
And they do not abhor the path of bad actions. {56}
9.­64
“They do not restrain their body and mind.
There is nothing that they will not say.
They are always looking for faults in others,
And criticize any mistake they make. {57}
9.­65
“Such fools have attachment to food.
They know no limit to their eating.
They obtain their food through the Buddha’s merit,
But these fools do not keep that in mind. {58}
9.­66
“When they find food that is delicious and pleasing,
They consume378 it without engaging in the discipline.
For them that food becomes poison, [F.28.b]
Like an unclean lotus stem379 for an elephant calf.380 {59}
9.­67
“The wise, the sagacious, the realized
Also eat food that is pure and pleasing,
But they have no attachment to it.
They eat without clinging, maintaining the discipline. {60}
9.­68
“The wise, sagacious, and realized
Say ‘welcome’ when the foolish come,
Bringing them closer with pleasant words,
And maintaining compassion for them; {61}
9.­69
“They are kind and helpful to them.
But the foolish are happy when harm comes to the wise.
Because of such faults, the wise avoid the foolish
And live alone like deer in the forest. {62}
9.­70
“The wise, knowing these kinds of defects,
Do not associate with fools.
They think, ‘If I depend on those who have no wisdom,
There will be no higher rebirth, let alone the attainment of enlightenment.’ {63}
9.­71
“The wise reach enlightenment by putting into practice
The samādhi of dwelling in love,
Of dwelling in compassion, of acting with joy,
And with constant equanimity toward all existences. {64}
9.­72
“They attain the enlightenment that is peace, free of misery.
They perceive beings afflicted by illness and aging.381
They have compassion toward them,
And give them the teachings of ultimate truth. {65}
9.­73
“Who can know the true nature of the jinas
And the truth of the sugatas, which is beyond description?382
It is they who hear this kind of Dharma
And attain the immaterial patience of the noble ones.” {66}
9.­74

Conclusion of the ninth chapter, “The Patience of the Profound Dharma.”

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).
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.

‍—‍—‍—. 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.