The King of Samādhis Sūtra
Notes

According to the BHS vipañcita. The Tibetan translates as rnam par spros pa.

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

Toh 129, see bibliography.

Brian Houghton Hodgson (1801–1894) was a linguist, ethnologist, naturalist, and diplomat who lived in Nepal from 1824 to 1844, becoming British Resident; among his many other activities, he studied and collected Sanskrit Buddhist texts. Haraprasad Shastri (1853–1931) was an Indian Sanskrit scholar and historian who visited Nepal several times, also collecting and publishing manuscripts. Both scholars were associated with the Asiatic Society in Kolkata. The Sanskrit edition of the sūtra published by Dutt (as one of a series centered on the Gilgit manuscripts; see bibliography) is not only based on the Gilgit manuscript, but also represents the Hodgson and Shastri manuscripts, which Dutt refers to, respectively, as manuscripts A and B.

Vibhuticandra; dpal bde mchog gi dkyil ’khor kyi cho ga; Śrī-samvara-maṇḍala-vidhi. Toh 1511, Degé Tengyur, Vol. 22, (rgyud, zha), 322b. 308b–334a.

The Yogacāra tradition of Asaṅga and his followers has philosophical viewpoints quite distinct from those of the Mādhyamika tradition, of which Candrakīrti was perhaps the most uncompromising proponent.

The Tibetan of the quote is: nga ’das lo ni nyis stong na / gdong dmar yul du bstan pa ’byung / spyan ras gzigs kyi gdul byar ’gyur / de yi bstan pa’i snyigs ma la / byang chub sems dpa’ seng ge’i sgra / karma pa zhes ba ba ’byung / ting ’dzin dbang thob ’gro ba ’dul / mthong thos dran regs bde la bkod (Rinchen Palzang, p. 650).

This line of homage, as is customary for Kangyur texts, was added by the Tibetan translators, and therefore does not appear in the Sanskrit or Chinese. The Gilgit Sanskrit manuscript has 12 initial verses, Hodgson 14 verses, and Shastri 43 verses, none of which are in the Tibetan.

This number depends on whether niyuta is taken to mean “one million,” as in Classical Sanskrit, or “a hundred thousand million,” as is found in BHS. The Tibetan has chosen the latter meaning, translating it as khrag khrig. Therefore the resulting number in Tibetan is “ten million [times] a hundred thousand million times eighty,” i.e., eighty million million million (eighty quintillion in the American or short scale system) (bye ba khrag khrig phrag brgyad bcu, apparently translating koṭiniyutena aśityā). The translation of the commentary by Mañjuśrīkīrti, however, has khrag khrig phrag brgyad bcu: “a hundred thousand million times eighty,” which would be eight million million, i.e., eight trillion. The Vaidya Sanskrit edition has niyuta­śata­sahasrena aśītyā which would be literally “a hundred thousand million [times] a hundred [times] a thousand times eighty,” which comes to eight hundred thousand million million, i.e., eight hundred thousand trillion. However if niyuta is taken as only one million, this would be eight million million, i.e., eight trillion, which would agree with the resulting number in Mañjuśrīkīrti’s commentary. The Dutt edition of the Gilgit manuscript has aśityā ca bodhisattva-niyutaiḥ and accordingly the translation of Gómez et al. is “eighty million,” where niyuta has presumably been given the value of one million. The Chinese simply transliterates as na-yo-ta. The Chinese tradition gives numerous, widely differing explanations of what this number means.

In the Chinese the description of the bodhisattvas and the list of names do not appear. The Chinese continues at this point with Ajita.

According to the BHS abhi­jñābhijñātair. The Tibetan, translating both abhijña and abhijñāta as mngon par shes pa, has mngon par shes pas mngon par shes pa. However, the translation of the commentary has a preferable translation of the second abhijñāta: rab tu grags pa.

According to the BHS gatiṃgata. The Tibetan translates as rtogs par khong du chud pa.

According to the commentary these are not only the dhāraṇī in recited form, but comprise the four kinds of retention (dhāraṇī): the recited dhāraṇī sentences and phrases themselves, the retention of the memory of the words of all teachings given, the retention of the memory of the meaning of these teachings, and the retention of the realization gained through meditation on that meaning.

According to the Tibetan, though the Sanskrit compound could also be interpreted to mean “who had praised, extolled, and lauded all the buddhas.”

According to the Tibetan and the commentary. The Sanskrit could also be interpreted, as in Gómez et al., as “knowing all the terrors [that come from] the māras.”

According to the commentary, this means “adorned by the ten good actions: three of body, four of speech, and three of mind,” or, among the primary and secondary signs of a great being: “the voice of Brahmā, and the mind’s realization of the nature of beings so that they may be guided.”

According to most Kangyurs, the commentary, and the Sanskrit. The Degé has kyi instead of kyis.

According to the commentary, this means the bodhisattvas are on the tenth bhūmi, as taught in the Sūtra of the Ten Bhūmis. The ten-bhūmi system does not appear in the Gilgit version or the Chinese but does in the later Sanskrit versions and the Tibetan.

According to the Sanskrit. Absent from the Tibetan.

According to the Tibetan lhun po’i rtse mo ’dzin and Matsunami. Vaidya: Meruśikhariṁdhara. Dutt: Meruśikharindhara.

According to the Tibetan lhun po’i rgyal po and Matsunami. Dutt: Merugāja. Does not appear in Hodgson.

According to the Tibetan and Matsunami. Dutt: Meruśikhare saṁghaṭṭanarājena. Hodgson: Meruśikhare saṃghaḍanagajena. Shastri: Meruśikhare saṃghaṭanagajena.

According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.

According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.

According to the Tibetan (nyi ma me’i ’od ’phro can) and the Hodgson. The Tibetan takes daśaśataraśmi, “a hundred thousand rays,” as an epithet of the sun and translates it simply as nyi ma (“sun”). Gilgit and Shastri: Daśaśataraśmikṛtārci with huta (“fire,” equivalent to the Tibetan me) replaced by kṛta (“made,” “created”).

According to the Tibetan and Hodgson. Vaidya: Satatam­abhayaṁdadāna. Dutt has both versions.

Another name for Maitreya, the bodhisattva who will be the fifth buddha of the Good Eon.

According to the Sanskrit anupamacitta. The Tibetan has dpe med sems dpa’, whereas one would expect dpe med sems pa. The Sūtra of the Samādhi of the Seal of the Wisdom of the Tathāgatas (see bibliography) refers to this group as sems dpa’ dpe med pa, naming two of them: Pramodyarāja (mchog tu dga’ ba’i rgyal po) and Mañjuśrī (Degé Kangyur, vol. 55, F.248.a). The Sūtra of Possessing the Roots of Goodness (see bibliography) refers to byang chub sems dpa’ dpe med pa sems pa (“bodhisattvas with incomparable minds”), with Bhadrapāla being the one that is named (Degé Kangyur, vol. 48, F.48.a). Bhadrapāla is also listed as one of a group of five hundred bodhisattvas in that sūtra (F.22.b).

This is referencing a group of beings that is listed in the White Lotus of the Good Dharma Sūtra (Degé Kangyur, vol. 67, 2.b). In that sūtra Bhadrapāla is also listed as one of a group of fifty bodhisattvas (F.142.b).

A bodhisattva who appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas, and perhaps also the merchant of that name who is the principal interlocutor in the Sūtra of the Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (see bibliography).

This refers to the standard list of god realms beginning with the lowest, that of the Four Mahārājas.

According to the Sanskrit udārodārair, which repeats udāra. The Tibetan translates as “vast and illustrious.”

According to the Sanskrit, which uses repetition to state that each one of them has that quality, maheśākhya­maheśākhyair. The Tibetan translates as “very powerful and renowned to be very powerful.”

Tibetan: bkur stir bya ba. Sanskrit: satkṛta.

Tibetan: bla mar bya ba. Sanskrit: gurukṛta.

Tibetan: ri mor bya ba. Sanskrit: mānita.

Tibetan: mchod par bya ba. Sanskrit: pūjita.

Tibetan: rjed par bya ba. Sanskrit: arcita.

Tibetan: gsol ba. Sanskrit: apacāyita.

According to the Sanskrit repetition of lokasya lokasya.

Tibetan: phyag bya ba. Sanskrit: vandanīya.

This epithet “youth” or “young man” has been translated by others as part of his name, resulting in “Candraprabhakumāra.” However, in the Sanskrit it is not compounded as it would be in a name, but is clearly in adjectival apposition. Kumāra can also have the meaning of “prince” and is so translated in the translation of the Gilgit manuscript. However, there is no indication that he is a prince, and therefore it more likely has its usual meaning of “a youth.”

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit at this point has in addition, “I am a perfectly enlightened buddha,” which does not appear in the Chinese or the Tibetan.

According to the Tibetan, Chinese, and later Sanskrit manuscripts. The Gilgit has an additional part in the sentence: “there is nothing among all phenomena in the endless, infinite worlds….”

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Sanskrit here has a number of adjectives describing his state of joy.

According to the Tibetan gzhal med. The BHS has atuliyu (“unequaled”).

According to the Sanskrit śāṭhyaṁ mama na vidyate.

According to the Sanskrit sākṣī and the Tibetan dpang in the Lithang and the Lhasa Kangyurs; other Kangyurs have dbang (“power”).

According to the Tibetan gces spras bgyid. The BHS has bahuṃkāra (“beneficial”).

According to the Tibetan zhe sdang and Matsunami. The Dutt and Vaidya have doṣa, which is the BHS equivalent of the Classical Sanskrit dveṣa (“anger”), while the Classical Sanskrit doṣa means “fault.”

Only this half-verse appears in the Hodgson and the Tibetan. In the Chinese, no part of this verse is present. The Shastri manuscript has a second half to this verse: “Will be without arrogance, desire, anger, and ignorance, / And will practice conduct in which all faults have ceased / So that his body becomes like space, / And all phenomena are destroyed.” The Matsunami version of this last line has prakṛti-prabhāsa instead of pramṛtiprahāra: “And all phenomena will have a radiant nature.”

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan has: “How is there increase through wisdoms?”

Different words are translated as quality and qualities here: the one quality is the Sanskrit dharma (Tibetan chos), which has a wide range of other meanings, while for qualities the word is the more specific guṇa (Tibetan yon tan).

According to the Tibetan and the commentary, which must have translated from caraṇapāṇatalāḥ (“feet and hands”) instead of caraṇavaratalāḥ (“soles of the perfect feet”) as in the Sanskrit. The Chinese has only “soles.”

The singular is according to the Sanskrit. In the commentary it is in the plural.

From this point on in the Chinese translation, the qualities are grouped into 21 sets with 10 qualities in each set.

The explanation of these first three qualities (counting the three kinds of restraint as one) will form chapter 39, and all of the others are explained in chapter 40.

According to the commentary and the definitions in chapter 40. The commentary states that this is engagement in actions in order to benefit beings.

According to the Tibetan gsal ba, the commentary’s bstan pa, and the Chinese 顯示諸因 (xian shi zhu yin). The Sanskrit dīpanā could mean “burning up.”

According to the commentary and chapter 40, where the Sanskrit is sattvānupraveśa and the Tibetan translates accordingly. Here the Sanskrit is satyānupraveśa (“penetrating the truth”) in all available editions, and is translated accordingly in the Tibetan, although it does not match the definition given in the commentary or in chapter 40.

According to the commentary, dharma here means “knowing the nature of phenomena” rather than “the Dharma teachings.”

The Tibetan drang ba, literally “straight,” can also mean “honest.” The Sanskrit ārjavatā could also mean straightforwardness and honesty, as well as sincerity. In chapter 40 [F.162.a] it is defined as “uncontrived.” The commentary defines it as both “sincerity” and “directness,” as in a direct route to buddhahood, unlike the paths of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas

According to the Tibetan mnyen pa and the Sanskrit mārdavatā. It is missing from the definitions of the terms in chapter 40 and also from the commentary. It is followed in the Sanskrit by ṛjakatā, “It is being honest,” which is absent from the Tibetan and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan gya gyu med pa and the Sanskrit akutilatā. It is missing from the definitions of the terms in chapter 40 and also from the commentary. Apparently Matsunami has yet another item, translated by Gómez et al. as “lack of deviousness.”

According to the Tibetan des pa, the commentary, and the Sanskrit suratatā. The list in chapter 40 [F.162.a.6] has dge ba instead of des pa, although the definition matches that in the commentary for des pa. This may be the remainder of the following ngang tshul dge ba, which is absent from the chapter 40 definitions and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan ngang tshul dge ba and the Sanskrit suśīlatā. This is absent from the chapter 40 definitions and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan ’byams par ’dzin pa and the Sanskrit sākhilyam. This is absent from the chapter 40 definitions and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan ’jam pa and the Sanskrit mādhuryam, which can also mean “sweet.” In the chapter 40 definitions it is translated as mnyen pa, which in the first chapter had just been used to translate mārdavat. This was translated as “tolerant,” although it can also according to context mean “lenient,” “pliable,” “kind,” “soft,” “weak,” or “gentle.”

According to the Tibetan, Sanskrit, and commentary. Absent from the list in chapter 40 [F.162.a.6].

According to the BHS pūrvābhilāpitā (literally, “speaking first”), translated into Tibetan as “speaking honestly” (gsong por smra ba).

According to the Degé Tibetan tshur shog legs par ’ong so and the Sanskrit ehīti svāgatavāditā. In both the commentary and chapter 40 [F.162.a.6-7] this item appears within the definition of “courteous.” The Degé appears to divide this into two: legs par ’ong so / tshur shog ces smra ba.

From the Tibetan le lo med pa and the Sanskrit anālasya. Absent from the list in chapter 40 [F.162.a.7] and in the commentary, it is included within the definition of “serving the guru.”

Tibetan: gus pa. Sanskrit: gaurava. The commentary’s explanation is to be fearful in the guru’s presence while seeing him as your teacher and being his follower at all times.

The Chinese divides this into two qualities (respecting and making offerings) and has “venerable elders” instead of guru.

Tibetan: sri zhu che ba. Sanskrit: guruśuśrūṣā. The Tibetan means “respect or reverence,” while the Sanskrit is “wish to listen” or “obedience.” The definition in chapter 40 [F.162.a.7] is to honor and serve the guru. The commentary defines it as the wish to listen to the guru, be near him, and look at him.

There are spelling mistakes in the online version of the Vaidya Sanskrit: saṃghi­samuddhāta should be saṃdhi­samudghāta.

According to the Tibetan khyad par du ’gro ba, and its definition in chapter 40 [F.162.b.7-8] and in the commentary, which say that this refers to the strengths, fearlessness, distinct qualities, and knowledge of the buddhas; the Sanskrit has jñāna­viśeṣa­gāmitā (“being brought to superior or special knowledge”).

Bhāvanābhiniṣyandaḥ could be translated literally as “irrigation” or “outflow of meditation.” The Tibetan rgyu mthun pa has also been translated literally as “having a concordant cause.”

According to the Sanskrit āpatti, which in this chapter was translated as nyes pa (“bad action,” “fault”). In chapter 40, when it is being defined, it is translated as ltung ba.

According to the BHS Sanskrit (anunaya) and the Tibetan (rjes su chags pa) of chapter 40, and the first part of its definition. There appears to be a scribal error in this chapter in all the extant Sanskrit manuscripts of anuśaya for anunaya, and the Tibetan translates accordingly as bag la nyal (“latent tendency”). It is possible the scribal error is the other way around.

Sanskrit: ājāneya. Tibetan: cang shes. Ājāneya was incorrectly defined as meaning “all-knowing” and was translated therefore into Tibetan as cang shes (“all-knowing”). The term ājāneya was primarily used for thoroughbred horses, but was also applied to people in a laudatory sense. According to chapter 40 [F.163.a.6] and the commentary, here it refers to a bodhisattva.

According to the Tibetan and the Sanskrit. In chapter 40 [F.163.b.1] and the commentary it is translated as “a perfection of good qualities.”

According to the definition in chapter 40 [F.163.b.4] and the commentary, where mtha’ yas pa’i ye shes is obviously translated from anantajñāna; in chapter 1 the term is samatajñāna (“knowledge of equality”), but the definition indicates that to be a scribal corruption. The word samatā appears just over a dozen items later.

Pratisaṃdhi is translated into Tibetan in chapter 1 as tshig gi mtshams sbyor (“the connection of words”), while the commentary to chapter 1 translates this as tshig gi dgongs pa (possibly from abhisaṃdhi). The definition in chapter 40 of tshig gi mtshams sbyar ba [F.163.b.4-5] is ldem po ngag (saṃdhābhāṣya) (“words in which the intended meaning is not obvious”).

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. It is absent from the list in chapter 40 and the commentary.

The Gilgit manuscript has here an extra term pravrajyācittam, “the aspiration to mendicancy,” which does not appear in the Hodgson, Shastri, commentary, or Tibetan.

According to the Tibetan, commentary, and Sanskrit. In the translation of chapter 40, “the words of” is omitted.

Absent from chapter 1, but in the list in chapter 40 [F.164.a.5], the commentary, and the Sanskrit. Therefore it is added here for consistency, as it is evidently an unintended omission.

Absent from the list of definitions in chapter 40, and from the translation of the commentary to chapter 1.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has īryā­patha­vikopanam instead of īryā­pathāvikopanam, so that the negation is omitted.

The Tibetan translates avikalpa here and in the commentary as mi ’chos pa’i, but as rnam par mi rtog pa (“not conceptually fabricated”), a particular BHS meaning of the word, in chapter 40, [F.164.b] when it is being defined. The Sanskrit has īryā­patha­vikalpanam instead of īryā­pathāvikalpanam here, so that the negation is omitted, but the negation is present in chapter 40 in the Sanskrit. The commentary encompasses both meanings by saying that this means being free of negative thoughts and therefore the conduct is uncontrived, unfabricated.

Here the Tibetan translates īryāpatha-prāsādikatā as spyod pa mdzes pa (“beautiful conduct”). The Chinese translates prāsādikatā as two different qualities: 端 (duan) (“proper,” “upright,” “dignified”), and 雅 (ya) (“elegant,” “graceful”). However, in chapter 40 [F.164.b] the Tibetan translates prāsādikatā in the more usual way as dang ba (“clear,” “serene,” “attractive”), but the Sanskrit has indriyapatha, presumably a corruption of īryāpatha, and therefore the Tibetan has dbang (“faculties”) instead of spyod pa (“conduct”). In that chapter the term is defined as the mind “being focused upon engagement with the Dharma, speaking rationally, knowing the right time, and teaching the Dharma correctly.” In this translation, for consistency, it will be translated here and in chapter 40 as spyod lam dang ba, in accord with the Sanskrit. The commentary to chapter 1, however, has dbang mdzas pa (“beautiful faculties”). The commentary states that this means seeing the equality of all phenomena, and therefore seeing what is correct and incorrect, and teaching others according to their aspirations. However, both the commentary and the definition in chapter 40 have subsumed the following two qualities as given in the sūtra’s first chapter.

In chapter 40, this forms part of the definition of attractive conduct.

In chapter 40, this forms part of the definition of attractive conduct.

Literally, “the hands are always extended.” The commentary says “ready to give material possessions or the Dharma.”

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent from the definitions in chapter 40 [F.165.a.1] and in the commentary.

According to the Tibetan sgrub pa dang nges par sgrub pa. Sanskrit: āhāranirhāra. Cf. Edgerton (112), where āharaṇatā means “winning, getting, attainment.” The Mahāvyutpatti has ’phrogs pa (“take”), zas (“food”), and when with prefixes as brjod (“say”) and gsol (“request”), and also ’snyod cing stobs pa, which means “to feed someone.” Also there is āharana, “to take” or “to hold.” The Tibetan translators have not been consistent, as in the definitions of the terms in chapter 40 where the Tibetan is zas sgrub pa (“attainment of food”), [F.165.a.1] with āhāra here translated as “food.” The definition is “sharp wisdom,” which does not appear to be food related. The commentary also defines it as “perfecting good qualities and eliminating negative ones, and that sharp wisdom develops from that.” Gómez et al. (n. 18, p. 85) describe this compound as a problematic term and give a conjectural translation as “bringing together and taking away” (p. 57).

According to the Tibetan nges pa’i tshig rnam par gzhag pa shes pa and the Sanskrit nirukti­vyavasthāna­jñānam. Chapter 40 and the commentary omit “definitions” and define rnam par gzhag pa shes pa and vyavasthāna­jñānam, which the commentary describes as “skill in presenting the teachings to various kinds of individuals.”

This is absent from the list in chapter 1, but present in the list in chapter 40, in the commentary, the Sanskrit, and the Chinese.

In chapter 40 this is called “delight in dhyāna.”

In chapter 40 this is called “no clinging” (Tibetan: ma chags pa; BHS: anadhyavasāna).

According to the Sanskrit kurvaṇa. Translated into Tibetan as cho ’phrul.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit of chapter 40, its definition there, and the commentary. Here in chapter 1 the Sanskrit has saṃskāra, translated into Tibetan as ’du byed, “composite activity.”

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. It is later in the list in chapter 40 and the commentary.

This paragraph differs in its order and contents from chapter 40 and the commentary, with an extra term, “no interest in gain and honors,” and without the two items of happiness and suffering.

This is presented in two separate points in chapter 40.

At this point the Matsunami Sanskrit apparently has another item in the list, translated by Gómez et al. as “gentleness.”

According to chapter 40 [F.168.b.5], this is “not gaining profit from wisdom,” and in the commentary it is “not dishonoring the family of the tathāgata, by keeping one’s commitment.”

The Tibetan smra ba nyung zhing mnyen pa literally means “speaking little and softly,” which could be taken as one quality. The BHS (malpabhāṣaṇatā / mitabhāṣaṇatā) and Chapter 40 have these two qualities clearly separated. In chapter 40 mnyen pa translates mārdavatā, which more explicitly means “softly.”

According to the Tibetan; apparently does not appear in the Sanskrit, chapter 40, or the commentary.

According to the Tibetan and the BHS meaning of avasādanatā.

According to the commentary this is “the path of the Dharma.”

According to the Tibetan (mi g.yo ba) and the Gilgit Sanskrit (akampya) of chapter 1, and the Sanskrit and Tibetan of chapter 40. For chapter 1 the Vaidya has aśāṭhya and the Hodgson and Shastri have sasādhya.

According to the Tibetan gnyer pa. Sanskrit nimantraṇatā (Shastri: nimantrahatā): “to invite”; chapter 40 [F.166.a.6], and the commentary: mgron du gnyer ba (take care of as one’s guests). Does not appear in the Matsunami.

In accordance with the commentary and chapter 40. In chapter 1, “characteristics” is absent.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

From the Sanskrit upalakṣanatā. The Tibetan has rtogs, which can mean “realize” or “understand.”

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

In chapter 1 the Sanskrit has śīladṛdhatā (“stability of conduct”) and the Tibetan has tshul khrims dam pa (“excellent conduct”). In chapter 40 the Sanskrit has śīlādhiṣṭhānatā and the Tibetan has tshul khrims kyi gnas (“the basis of conduct”).

According to the Sanskrit prajñā­pratilambhaḥ in chapter 40 [F.166.b.6] and in the commentary. Although it is absent in chapter 1, it is included here, as it has evidently been inadvertently omitted.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Nevertheless, this does not appear in the list of qualities as given in chapter 40 [F.166.b]. According to Gómez et al. (n.20, p.85) this ātmajñatā and the preceding item, ekāramatā, form the single compound ekālambātajñatā (“knowledge of relying on solitude”) in Matsunami’s edition, even though they are separate items in all his three sources, and in the Gilgit. However, ekārāmatjñānatā is a possible original form of the compound.

According to the Tibetan and Matsunami. The Sanskrit separates “contentment” and “little known” into separate items: alpajñatā / santuṣti. Although the phrase alpajñatā can mean “ignorance” in Sanskrit, here the BHS meaning is being assumed (Edgerton 68).

According to the BHS meaning of dṛṣṛikṛta (Tibetan: lta bar gyur pa in chapter 1; lta bar byas pa in chapter 40 [F.166.b.7]; and lta bas byas pa in the commentary). Edgerton (269) translates them as “heresy.”

According to the Tibetan, the Sanskrit here and in chapter 40, and the commentary.

According to the Sanskrit and chapter 1 in the Tibetan, which could be read as dividing these into separate terms, with “knowledge” applying to the last. According to the commentary and chapter 40 [F.167.a.1-2], sthāna is translated as gnas, and is defined as the basis or root for a time of opportunity to practice good actions. The second part of the compound according to the commentary and chapter 40 is āsthāna (“basis” or “ground”) and not asthāna (Tibetan: gnas min) as translated in chapter 1. In chapter 40 the Sanskrit is avasthāna, translated as gzhi (“basis,” “foundation,” “ground”) and in the commentary as gnas skabs (“state,” “level,” “situation”), and this is defined as “the mind as the basis for all phenomena.” Third, in chapter 1, prasthāna was translated as ’jug pa (“entry,” “engagement”). The commentary translates this as rab tu gnas, and in chapter 40 the Sanskrit is pratisthāna, translated as rten. The commentary defines this as “faith as the foundation for all buddha qualities.” The commentary agrees with the translation in chapter 1 of pratipatti as sgrub pa (“accomplishment,” or “practice”), while chapter 40 translates it as nan tan (“application”). The commentary defines it as “perfecting that which is to be accomplished through familiarization with the path.” Neither the commentary nor chapter 40 have the concluding part of the compound: jñāna (Tibetan: shes pa, “knowledge”). The Tibetan translation of chapter 1 seems to be at fault in comparison to chapter 40 and the commentary, and therefore for consistency it has not been followed. gnas dang gnas min would be the standard way of saying “the appropriate and the inappropriate.”

According to the Sanskrit hetu, chapter 40 (rgyu), and the commentary. In chapter 1, hetu is translated as gtan tshigs (“reason”).

According to the Sanskrit yukti. Tibetan: rigs pa.

Sanskrit: naya. Tibetan: tshul.

Sanskrit: kāraṇa. Tibetan: rgyu. Absent in chapter 40 and the commentary.

Sanskrit: dvāra. Tibetan: sgo. Defined in chapter 40 [F.167.a.3] as “giving up bad actions,” and defined by the commentary as “skill in methods of eliminating faults, which is the doorway into the city of liberation.”

Sanskrit: mārga. Tibetan: lam. In chapter 40 this is part of the definition of “practice.”

The Tibetan here in chapter 1 appears to translate pratipatti as two separate terms: nan tan dang sgrub pa, which does not occur in chapter 40 or in the commentary. The Sanskrit follows pratipatti with saṃdeśa (“teaching”), which is absent from the Tibetan, the commentary, and chapter 40.

From the Tibetan phrin. Does not appear in the Sanskrit, chapter 40, or the commentary.

Sanskrit: avavāda. Tibetan: gdams pa. The Sanskrit is in chapter 40, but the Tibetan is absent.

According to the Tibetan of most Kangyurs: bstan pa la spyod pa. The Sanskrit divides this into two: anuśasanī caryā (“the instruction and the conduct”). The Degé has bsten pa (“reliance”), which is a scribal error.

Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary. In chapter 6 [F.19.a.3] it is defined as patience that is in accord with the Buddha’s teaching, in which there is no doubt about the Buddha’s teaching and no negative conduct is engaged in.

According to the Sanskrit and chapter 1 Tibetan. In chapter 40 and the commentary there is only “the level.”

According to the Sanskrit akṣāntivigama and the Tibetan mi bzod pa dang bral ba. However, in chapter 40 and the commentary this is jātivigama (skye ba dang bral ba), “freedom from rebirth.”

Yogācārabhūmi. Here, “yoga” according to chapter 40 is “meditation on the thirty-seven aspects of enlightenment.” It does not refer here to “the Yogācāra tradition of Asaṅga.”

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary.

This is divided into two points in chapter 40.

According to the Sanskrit vandanīyā. Tibetan: phyag bya ba (“pays homage,” “bows down to”).

This is in the plural, because although Brahmā is the presiding deity over a thousand million worlds, each of those worlds has a Śakra or Indra upon its central mountain.

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Absent from chapter 40 [F.167.b.7] and the commentary, which instead have, “It is freedom from misery.”

According to the Sanskrit viṣaya. Tibetan: g.yul, “battle,” which may be a scribal corruption of yul, perhaps because they are homophones and the copying was done by dictation.

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary.

According to the Sanskrit kola. The Tibetan gzings can mean “a boat,” but also “a ferry,” which in Tibet was sometimes a raft.

According to the commentary and chapter 40, which has “anger” (zhe sdang), while this chapter has “evil” or “wickedness” (nyes pa), mistakenly translating doṣa according to its meaning in Classical Sanskrit, while the BHS doṣa is the equivalent of the Classical Sanskrit dveṣa (“anger”).

In the Sanskrit this appears earlier in the list, after “medicine for the sick.” Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary.

In the Vaidya Sanskrit there follows at this point, “It is the liberation of all beings,” which is absent in the Tibetan, the commentary, and the Matsunami edition. The Dutt edition, online page 225, is not available.

According to the Tibetan in chapter 1: sgrub pa. The Sanskrit āhārikā was translated by Gómez et al. according to an alternate meaning, “that which brings.” Chapter 40 has asaṃhartya, and therefore in that chapter and in the commentary it is accordingly translated as mi ’phrogs (“cannot be taken away”). The Sanskrit and Tibetan of chapter 1 better fit the definition of this term as given in chapter 40, but the commentary specifies that it cannot be undermined by māras or tīrthikas.

Sanskrit: dharmakāya. Tibetan: chos kyi sku. Here, according to the commentary and chapter 40 [F.168.b.4], this does not refer to the immaterial state of buddhahood, but to the thirty-two physical signs that adorn the evident body of a buddha. However, this definition explaining what is meant by “adornment” may possibly refer instead to the next item but one, “the adornment of the bodhisattvas,” since both in chapter 40 and the commentary only one instance of “adornment” is mentioned.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary. The text has only “conduct,” and “bodhisattva” is implied.

Sanskrit: buddhaputra, Tibetan: sangs rgyas kyi sras. Literally, “sons of the buddhas.”

Literally, “eldest sons.” Sanskrit: jyeṣṭhaputra; Tibetan: sras thu bo. A designation for the principal bodhisattvas.

In chapter 40 this is combined with the next quality, while omitting “the wisdom of buddhahood.”

In the commentary and chapter 40 this and the preceding quality appear to have been combined into one, perhaps due a scribal ommission.

According to the Tibetan thos pa, and the Sanskrit śruta. The commentary has thob pa (“attainment”) in error for thos pa.

This is separated into three points in chapter 40.

According to the Tibetan and the Vaidya Sanskrit. Absent from chapter 40 and the commentary, but apparently partially present, conjoined with the preceding term, in the Matsunami.

Sanskrit: sūratā. Tibetan: des pa. It can also mean “pleasant,” “heroic,” “noble.”

Depending on the value of nayuta, which means “a million” in classical Sanskrit and can mean “a hundred thousand million” in BHS. It is the latter meaning that has been taken here, translated as khrag khrig. Thus, “eighty hundred thousand,” which is “eight million million,” which is “eight trillion.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has just “a thousand,” though “a hundred thousand” is mentioned at the beginning of the sūtra.

According to the Tibetan dge slong ma. The Sanskrit repeats bhikṣu.

Literally, “ten million times a hundred thousand times a hundred thousand million.”

According to the Sanskrit vihāra. Tibetan: gtsug lag khang. These are equivalents in the Mahāvyutpatti, but gtsug lag khang can also mean “temple” in Tibetan.

Literally, “a hundred thousand [times a] hundred thousand million.”

Literally, “seventy-six hundred thousand.”

Literally, “eighteen thousand ten-millions.”

Literally, “seventy-six thousand ten-millions.”

Literally, “fourteen thousand ten-millions.”

According to the Tibetan and the Shastri and Hodgson manuscripts. The prose up to this point does not appear in the Chinese or the Gilgit manuscript.

The Sanskrit is in the third person in this first line of the verse, and the Tibetan is non-specific, but the first person is used here to avoid an appearance of contradiction.

I.e. buddhas. In the Chinese, “who have the ten strengths” does not appear, but it is in the Tibetan and all Sanskrit versions.

In all appearances in the translation that read “bodhisattva conduct,” “bodhisattva” is only implied in the original, but added in the translation for clarity.

Literally, “biped” in the Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan.

According to the Sanskrit sadā. Does not appear in the Tibetan or Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the plural “those jinas,” which does not fit the narrative here. The Chinese does not specify singular or plural.

Literally, “biped.” The Chinese has “who save(s) beings from lower realms.”

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan btsun mo is honorific for “wife,” but could also mean “queen.”

Sanskrit: bimbara (variants: viṃbara, viṃvara, vivara). Tibetan: dkrigs. In the Sanskrit the value of the number varies between “a hundredth of a kaṅkara” or “a hundred kaṅkara.” According to Edgerton (p. 400), bimbara in the Tibetan tradition is synonymous with kaṅkara. In the Tibetan tradition of numbers, dkrigs is “a hundred thousand trillion.” In this verse, the number is “a thousand million dkrigs,” yielding “a hundred million million million million,” a hundred followed by 24 zeros, i.e., a hundred septillion. The Chinese has a number that is most likely four billion.

According to the Tibetan lag rkang and the Chinese. “Legs” does not appear in the available Sanskrit. Unavailable in the Gilgit manuscript.

The Buddha’s hometown. In the Sanskrit and Chinese there is only the shorter form, Kapila.

According to the Sanskrit yuga. According to the Mahāvyutpatti, the Tibetan equivalent would be zung (pair). The Tibetan here seems corrupt. The Degé has ’phrul (“miracle”). Kangyurs such as Lithang, Peking, and Narthang have phrugs. However, this is clearly intended to be a reference to the Buddha’s two principal students. The Chinese has a transliteration that resembles śiṣya.

According to the Sanskrit alolupa, the Chinese, and the Yongle and Peking Kangyurs, brkam. The Degé has bskam (“withered”).

According to the Sanskrit īryāya caryāya, īryā (lifestyle of a mendicant) and caryā, which regularly implies that the conduct is that of a bodhisattva. Tibetan: spyod dang spyod lam, which could be translated as “just conduct and behavior.” The Chinese combines them both into one: 安住威儀諸行等 (an zhu wei yi zhu xing deng), which usually refers to the conduct of the ordained saṅgha, but can refer to bodhisattva conduct as well.

According to the Sanskrit pratibhāna and the Chinese. The Tibetan spobs pa is “confidence,” though it implies confidence in teaching.

According to the Sanskrit ananta and the Chinese. Absent from the Tibetan.

According to the Tibetan, Hodgson, and Shastri. The Gilgit and Chinese have “the buddhas in the ten directions / who have appeared in the past.”

From the Sanskrit udgrahītavya. Tibetan: gzung.

From the BHS paryavāptavya. Tibetan: kun chub pa.

From the Sanskrit dhārayitavya. Tibetan: bcang.

From the Sanskrit vācayitavya. Tibetan: klog.

From the Sanskrit pravartayitavya. Tibetan: rab tu gdon pa.

From the Sanskrit uddeṣṭavya. Tibetan: lung mnod par bya.

From the Sanskrit svādhyātavya. Tibetan: kha ton du bya.

From the Sanskrit araṇa, which also means “passionless, sinless, without impurity.” This is regularly translated into Tibetan as nyon mongs, which is also used to translate kleśa. Gómez et al. have interpreted it as “being in solitude,” presumably from an edition with araṇya (“solitude”).

From the Sanskrit bahulīkartavya. Tibetan: mang du bya.

From the Sanskrit parebhyaśca vistarena saṃprakāśayitavya. Tibetan: gshan dag la yang rgya cher rab tu bstan par bya. This entire list is simplified in the Chinese to three elements: “should recite, uphold / retain, and explain it to others widely.”

Sanskrit: vidyā­caraṇa­saṃpannaḥ; Tibetan: rig pa dang zhabs su ldan pa. A common description of buddhas. According to the commentary, it refers to the eightfold path, with “wisdom” being the right view and “conduct” the other seven aspects of the path.

From the Sanskrit āgama. Tibetan: gzhi (“basis”), but the commentary defines it as “a direct perception by those who are worthy.”

According to the Tibetan. “Blossomed” does not appear in the Sanskrit. The Chinese is similar to the Tibetan interpretation, but uses the verb “attain” 得諸相花 (de zhu xiang hua).

According to the Tibetan bsam gyis mi khyab. The Sanskrit has ananta (“infinite,” “endless”) and the Chinese has “infinite.” Apparently absent from the Mitsunami.

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. Absent from the Tibetan.

From one of the meanings of the Sanskrit saṃvrta. Tibetan: bsdams pa.

According to the Tibetan. BHS Sanskrit: grantha (“fetters”); the Chinese corresponds to the Sanskrit. The commentary defines this as “the bondage of the māras.”

Sanskrit literally, “burning” (paridāha).

According to the Sanskrit tṛṣṇa and the Yongle and Peking sred pa. The Degé has srid pa (“becoming”) in error for sred pa. Sred pa is also confirmed by the commentary. The Chinese seems to have combined this with the preceding quality into one 盡諸渴愛 (jin zhu ke ai): literally, “the exhaustion of all thirsts (渴, ke, derived from “burning”) and cravings (愛, ai),” which can be understood as “strong cravings.”

This long passage, starting from “The Bhāgavan is thus…” (3.­3) forms the text of the sūtra Remembering the Buddha (Toh 279, Buddhanusmṛti). Although composed of groups of epithets, many of which are found elsewhere (particularly in the Vinaya texts), the passage as a whole is only found in the Kangyur in these two places, and the King of Samādhis is therefore presumably the source of the shorter text. See also i.­15.

According to the Tibetan bsngags pa. The Sanskrit varṇa has a number of meanings, including “color” and “caste.” In this instance it could mean “qualities,” “nature,” “splendor,” and so on, which could have been a more appropriate translation.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit and Chinese are much briefer: “Then at that time, the Bhagavān recited these verses.”

Literally, “ten millions.” Sanskrit: koṭi. Tibetan: bye ba. The highest number in Classical Sanskrit. Does not appear in the Chinese.

The Chinese adds 無量 (wu liang), “numerous, countless times.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “I showed great kindness at all times.”

The order of verses 7 and 8 is reversed in the Sanskrit. Verse 7 is not present in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit śīla. Tibetan: ngang tshul.

According to the Tibetan translation of matsarī, which accords with the Mahāvyutpatti and the Chinese, whereas in Sanskrit dictionaries it is said to mean “envy.”

According to the Sanskrit īrṣya, the Mahāvyutpatti definition, and the Chinese. The Tibetan repeats ser sna (“stinginess”).

According to the Sanskrit nimantraṇa. The Tibetan and Chinese translate it by the more usual meaning “invite.”

According to the Tibetan dad pa. Sanskrit: prema (affection).

The order of the first and second half of this four-line verse is reversed in the Sanskrit and Chinese.

Chinese: “those with the ten strengths” 諸十力 (zhu shi li).

According to the Sanskrit where samāhita is in the accusative. The Tibetan translates it as instrumental, “through meditation,” probably through an error of pas for pa’i, which was used in an earlier verse: “verses of meditation.” Chinese: “one verse of this samādhi.”

At this point in the Gilgit, Sanskrit, and Chinese (but not in the Tibetan, Hodgson, or Shastri), there is a prose section where the Buddha tells Candraprabha that a bodhisattva should preserve and promulgate this teaching.

According to the Tibetan, which here has the unusual spelling mnod pa. For the Sanskrit here, uddiśatha, the Mahāvyutpatti has both “give” (phog pa) and “receive” (nod pa), as in “receive instruction.” Uddiśatha is a BHS word that usually means “propose” or “calculate.” The Classical Sanskrit uddiśatha can mean “show, explain.” The Chinese word used here is 說 (shuo), which literally means “tell,” but can also mean “teach, explain.”

This alternative title for the sūtra was used in a few instances by Indian authors quoting it, e.g. Śāntarakṣita and Kamalaśīla (see Gómez et al., 1989, p. 16).

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Chinese: “sandalwood is the best of all kinds of incense.”

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has vana (“wood”) in error for varṇa (“praise”).

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Chinese: 實不聞香 (shi bu wen xiang), “never smelled that incense.”

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Chinese: “There will be bhikṣus with inappropriate conduct,” 不應式比丘 (bu ying shi bi qiu).

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Chinese: “There will be bhikṣus...”

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Chinese: “There will be bhikṣus...”

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Chinese: “…by teaching it.”

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Chinese: “There will be bhikṣus...”

The Sanskrit is maruta, which can mean specifically the deities of storms and winds, but is also used generally for “deities,” and therefore like deva was translated into the Tibetan as lha. Chinese: “gods and dragons.”

Verses 31 and 32 are combined into one in the Chinese.

According to the Tibetan. BHS: atuliyu (“unequaled”).

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. Chinese: 若得三昧微妙地，智者便得廣智藏 (ruo de san mei wei miao di, zhi zhe bian de gang zhi zang), “If he attains the level of subtle samādhi, the wise will gain the vast treasure of wisdom (or the treasure of vast wisdom).”

Verse 33 in the Chinese.

According to the BHS saukhya. The Tibetan has skyed (“born”) in error for skyid (“happiness”). Chinese: “all kinds of happiness.”

According to the Sanskrit pūrvamgama (“going first”), which is usually translated as ’dren pa (“leader”). The Chinese also has 上首 (shang shou, “leader”).

According to the commentary, the title of this chapter is “Mindfulness of the Buddha’s Qualities.”

According to Tibetan, Hodgson, and Shastri. In the Gilgit manuscript, the opening of this chapter is just one sentence: “Then the youth Candraprabha asked the Bhagavān.” This opening does not appear in the Chinese.

Sanskrit: upapatti. Tibetan: skyes pa. Chinese: 無所起 (wu suo qi) This term is also used for “physical,” but here the commentary defines it as “the non-arising of thoughts in samādhi.”

Sanskrit apratisaṃdhi. Tibetan: mtshams sbyor ba med pa. This is the negation of pratisaṃdhi, a term that is used for the transition between lives, i.e., conception in the womb, but here the commentary defines it as being “the continued process of thinking.”

Sanskrit pratisaṃdhi­jñāna. According to the commentary this means that it is not a state of cessation but a continuous clear knowledge. Translation according to the Tibetan, Gilgit, Hodgson, and Shastri. However, the Matsunami edition apparently has “knowledge of non-continuation.” The Chinese agrees with the Matsunami edition: 無和合智 (wu he he zhi).

The commentary has khung in error for khur.

According to the commentary, the burden comprises the skandhas, the kleśas, vows, and diligence.

According to the Tibetan, Matsunami, and Chinese. The BHS Sanskrit doṣa is the equivalent of the Classical Sanskrit dveṣa (“anger”), while in Classical Sanskrit doṣa means “fault” or “wickedness.”

These are listed as three, 7-9, in Chinese.

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Vaidya Sanskrit has akuśala (“wickedness”) in error for kuśala (“goodness”).

According to the commentary, this means “abstaining from sleeping in the first and last of the three periods of the night, in order to engage in virtuous activities.”

Sanskrit: prahāṇa. Tibetan spong ba. Gómez et al. (p. 87) discuss its alternative meaning of “exertion.” Its definition seems to not be present in the commentary. The Chinese has “not abandoning samādhi,” 不捨禪定　(bu she chan ding).

According to the Sanskrit upapattiṣu, most Kangyurs skye ba, and the Chinese. The Degé has skye bo (“beings”), which occurs later in this list as the translation of pṛthagjaneṣu. The commentary defines it as “not creating the causes of continuing in saṃsāra.”

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Vaidya Sanskrit adds karmaṇām, “the activities of the internal āyatanas.”

[23] is not present in the Chinese.

According to Tibetan gzi chen po and Matsunami. The Vaidya has BHS mahaujaskatā, which can mean both “great might” and “great majesty” or “great brilliance.” The Chinese has “great merit” 大福德 (da fu de).

The Chinese has 善知識 (shan zhi shi) from the Sanskrit kalyāṇa-mitra.

According to the Sanskrit. In the Tibetan, this has been conjoined with “not harming those with good conduct.” The Chinese has combined [30], [31], and [35] into one, 無怒恚心 (wu nu hui xin), and added “abandoning crude and malicious speech” 捨麁惡言 (she cu er yan) and “helping and protecting others” 救護於彼 (jiu hu yu bi).

According to the Tibetan and the commentary. The Vaidya Sanskrit divides this into two: “the emptiness of phenomena” and “analogous patience.”

The Chinese has combined [39] and [40] into one quality: 於一切智而得順忍 (yu yi qie zhi er de shun ren).

The Gilgit and Chinese have simply, “Then, the Bhagavān taught these extensive verses.”

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan has thos (“hear”), apparently in error for thob (“attain”).

As elsewhere in the sūtra, āhārī is translated into Tibetan as “taking food.” This does not make much sense here, and so it is translated here in one of its other Sanskrit meanings. The Chinese also translates as 食 (shi), which is “food” as a noun and “eating (and drinking)” as a verb, but interprets the entire verse as a vipaśyanā practice: “If jealousy arises in your mind because of food, you should meditate on the impurity of food. If you strive for accomplishment with boundless effort and meditate deeply on this, you will attain samādhi.” 若為食起嫉妬心, 當觀食已無有淨, 用功無量乃得成, 若深觀此能得定 (ruo wei shi qi ji du xin, dang guan shi yi wu you jing, yong gong wu liang nai de cheng, ruo shen guan ci neng de ding).

According to the BHS arthi. Absent from the Tibetan, but added here for clarity.

This verse is described by Gómez et al. as being problematic in Sanskrit. The Tibetan and Chinese translations differ from each other.

According to the Tibetan and Dutt. The Hodgson, Shastri, and Matsunami have the unusual na yubuddhi instead of bhayubuddhi. The Chinese has a slightly different translation of this line.

I.e., the buddhas.

The commentary explains that this means “knowing the equality of the composite and noncomposite.”

Chinese: 此緣佛相是有作, 能除一切有相想 (ci yuan fo xiang shi you zuo, neng chu yi qie you xiang xiang) “such an attribute of the Buddha is created, it can eliminate the conceptualization of attributes.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “having ceased conceptualizing ‘nothing.’ ”

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit mahānubhava has many meanings, such as “great experience” or “great authority.” Gómez et al. translate it as “overpowering inspiration.” Chinese: “buddhas of the ten directions.”

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Sanskrit does not have “suffering.”

According to the Tibetan ’ongs dang mi ’ongs, literally, “come (i.e. ‘is present’) and not come,” and the Sanskrit anāgatā āgatā. This was translated in Gómez et al. (p. 78) as “past and future,” though “past” is usually gata (which also means “gone”), but “past” is implied and therefore added to the translation. The Chinese has simply “all phenomena.”

According to most Kangyurs rkyal pa and the Sanskrit vastra. The Degé has the scribal corruption rgyal ba. Chinese: “excellent medicines,” 良妙藥 (liang miao yao).

According to the Tibetan, Vaidya, Sanskrit, and Chinese. The Matsunami edition appears to be quite different from the translation by Gómez et al.

According to the Tibetan. The title of this chapter in the Sanskrit is Buddhānusmṛti (“Remembering the Buddha,” or “Mindfulness of the Buddha”). This is the end of fascicle 1 in the Chinese.

This entire opening does not appear in the Gilgit or Chinese. There is simply, “Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha.”

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan appears to translate as “more innumerable than innumerable.”

The Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese use two synonymous phrases.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan in the Degé has the negative: “they are not concerned with their next life.” Chinese: “They are merely concerned with this life and their next life.”

Chinese: “They do not emphasize the accumulation …”

There is a paragraph in the Gilgit Sanskrit and the Chinese that does not appear in the later Sanskrit or the Tibetan: “What, young man, is the concern for the present life? It is the intention to have the five sensory pleasures. What, young man, is the concern for the next life? It is attaining rebirth in higher existences.”

The Chinese has a different interpretation here: 我今說如是法, 令眾生於其檀行不為究竟勝供養, 但以無上行而供養我 (wo jin shuo ru shi fa, ling zhong sheng yu qi tan xing bu wei jiu jing sheng gong yang, dan yi wu shang xing er gong yang wo) “I will now teach this Dharma so that beings will not perceive their acts of generosity as the ultimate supreme offering; instead, they will make their unsurpassable conduct / practice as their offering to me.”

According to the Tibetan skyo bar bya ba (literally, “to make sad”) and the BHS saṃvejana (“to shudder at”). Chinese: 覺悟 (jue wu), literally, “waking them up,” and also “making them realize, or enlightening them.”

According to the Tibetan, the commentary, and the Hodgson Sanskrit. The commentary states that the Buddha has praised entering the homeless life. In the Gilgit and Shastri Sanskrit: “He does not praise the perfection of generosity, he does not praise the perfection of conduct. He praises the ultimate conclusion.” Chinese: 如來非說檀波羅蜜以為究竟清淨，究竟吉祥，究竟梵行，究竟窮盡，究竟最後，究竟涅槃 (ru lai fei shuo tan po luo mi yi wei jiu jing qing jing, jiu jing ji xiang, jiu jing fan xing, jiu jing qiong jin, jiu jing zui hou, jiu jing nie pan) The Chinese interprets this as, “He does not consider the generosity paramita as ultimate purity,” and so on. The Chinese sentence includes more items.

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. Sanskrit: “800,000.”

This name does not appear in the Sanskrit, but śūra as the original of dpa’ ba, rather than vīra, is based on the name that his followers attain.

According to the bye phrag of the Urga Kangyur. The Degé has bye brag, which does not match the prose passage. The Chinese has eight “yi” 八億, which can be “800,000” or “80 million.”

This verse does not appear in the Chinese, but is present in the Sanskrit, including the Gilgit.

According to the Tibetan, Hodgson, and Chinese. The Gilgit and Shastri Sanskrit have “as an offering to the Dharma.”

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “Through all that good karma.”

Not in the Gilgit or Chinese.

Chinese: 若人增上修此忍 (ruo ren zeng shang xiu ci ren), “If a person practices this patience with great force.”

According to the Sanskrit and the commentary. The Tibetan translation here reads, “This is the path to deathlessness.” Chinese: 非此能證甘露道 (fei cie neng zheng gan lu dao), which can mean, “abandoning this (incorrect view) is the path to deathlessness.”

Chinese: 勸捨惡道住善趣 (quan she er dao zhu shan qu), “Therefore they advise beings to abandon the wrong / nonvirtuous path and dwell in the correct / virtuous path.”

There is a play on words in the Sanskrit in relation to why the word bodhisattva is used, which is not evident in Tibetan or English. In the first line, the words “knows” (Tibetan: rtogs) and “beings” (sems can), which are the first two words of the verse, are in Sanskrit: bodheti sattvān.

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese for clarity. The Tibetan has “There is no soul within the body / And you have not attained buddhahood.” The commentary has “If as many millions of māras as there are sands in the Ganges came before them in the forms of buddhas, and said, ‘There are beings and souls,’ and so on, they would, with an unwavering mind, answer them in this way: ‘Through the power of the realization of selflessness by valid knowledge, I have realized correctly that there are no beings, souls, and so on. And you are not buddhas!’ ”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “within.” Chinese: 悉斷惡見煩惱盡 (xi duan er jian fan nao jin), “They have terminated all wrong views and exhausted all defilements.”

According to the Sanskrit nara, the commentary skye ba, and the Chinese 眾生及壽命 (zhong sheng ji shou ming). The Tibetan has ming (“name”) in error for mi (“human,” “man”).

According to the Sanskrit stabdha. The Tibetan translates as “proud” (nga rgyal). The Chinese has 姦偽 (jian wei, “crafty”), 兇暴 (xiong bao, “cruel, violent”), and 不攝斂 (bu she nian, “unrestrained, undisciplined”).

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Sanskrit (BHS) has prasādu (to be attracted to, or to have faith in).

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese, for the sake of clarity. The Tibetan appears to have blended together the last two groups to create “brings fulfilment” (don, artha), “benefit” (phan pa, hita), “and happiness to a multitude of beings, to humans, and devas.”

These are the four retentions (dhāraṇī) explained in this sūtra (see 24.­63) to be retention of all that is taught about the infinite composite phenomena, retention of what is said in infinite sounds, retention of everything that is taught about the infinite kleśas, and retention of everything that is taught about the infinite benefits of the qualities of purification.

The corresponding Chinese verse is a summary of the three kinds of patience.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “the best of humans, the sugatas, see him.” The Chinese has, “When the sugatas see such bodhisattvas,” 善逝見彼菩薩時 (shan shi jian bi pu sa shi).

BHS: āryacetikā (revered noble ones). The Tibetan mchod rten could be misunderstood to mean “stūpa.” The Chinese devotes the last three lines to various auspicious signs instead.

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan seems to be the result of a corruption so that jāyati (birth) was changed to perhaps jānāti (“know,” “perceive”): “The emptinesses do not see / are not seen and have no death.”

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit vijānatha 
is the present-tense, second-person-plural form, but presumably this is the Sanskritization of a second-person-plural middle-Indic optative, such as the Pali second-person-plural optative ending yetha.

The first part of the chapter until this point is missing in the Gilgit and the Chinese.

The name means “arising from nonexistence,” 無所有起 (wu suo you qi) in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit tṛṇa and the Yongle and Peking rtswa. The Degé has rtsa ba (“roots”).

The Sanskrit adds auṣadha (“herbs”) before “forests.” Chinese: “trees, forests, and medicinal herbs.”

According to the Tibetan ri. Sanskrit: auṣadha (“herbs”).

According to the Tibetan dpa’ bo. The Sanskrit dhīra can mean “constant and resolute and calm” as well as “brave and courageous.”

The past passive participle nirvṛta means “extinguished,” so the line reads literally, “he was extinguished like a flame.” Nirvāna literally means “extinguishment.”

These concluding eleven verses do not appear in the Chinese. Instead there is this concluding sentence: “Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, ‘Young man, you should reflect that this samādhi has such great power. It can cause a bodhisattva to attain perfect buddhahood.’ ”

The Sanskrit has an additional concluding verse exhorting those who wish to attain buddhahood to possess this sūtra.

This opening of the chapter until this point is absent in the Gilgit and the Chinese.

In Gilgit, this verse was the last verse of the preceding chapter. This verse and the preceding prose that begin this chapter do not appear in the Chinese.

Sanskrit: “who wish for this samādhi.” Absent from the Tibetan. “Who wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood” does not appear in the Chinese.

Chinese: “should rest in.”

According to the Sanskrit, including Gilgit. The Chinese is briefer: “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should rest in the patience of profound Dharma.” The entire passage in Chinese is: “Young man, you should know that this samādhi has such great power; it will enable bodhisattva mahāsattvas to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should rest in the patience of profound Dharma.”

According to the commentary: “They arise from oneself and not from illusions created by another.” In this sentence, the Chinese includes another analogy: “like a wild horse” 如野馬 (ru ye ma).

The Chinese repeats all the analogies here.

According to the Tibetan mi ’jigs pa thob pa, the Gilgit abhayaprāpta, and the Chinese 無畏 (wu wei). The Dutt has arūpaprāpta (attainment of formlessness), apparently from the Hodgson and Shastri, which is repeated in the Vaidya edition.

According to the commentary, this means “the memory of previous lives.”

According to the Tibetan rtogs pa can and the BHS meaning of gatiman. The Chinese has translated it literally as 去者 (qu zhe), “those who have gone to.”

According to the BHS ananganaḥ and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as nyon mongs med pa, which it also uses as the translation for niṣkleśa (being without kleśas) just a little further on in this list.

Sanskrit: ājāneya. Tibetan: cang shes. Ājāneya was incorrectly defined as meaning “all-knowing” and was translated therefore into Tibetan as cang shes (“all-knowing”). The term ājāneya was primarily used for thoroughbred horses, but was also applied to people in a laudatory sense. The commentary at a later point states this this means both “tamed” and “fearless.” Chinese translates as “those who are tamed” 調伏者 (tiao fu zhe).

This term probably has its origins in the Middle Indic mahānāga, from which came the BHS Sanskrit mahānagna, meaning “a great champion,” “a man of distinction and nobility.” The BHS nagna can mean both “champion” and “naked” while in Classical Sanskrit it only means “naked.” Nāga can mean “elephant” and can also refer to the cobra deity that is called “nāga” in this translation. Therefore the Chinese translated this as “great dragon” 大龍 (da long).

In this passage the prestigious titles of those in the traditional brahmanical tradition are used as titles of those who have mastered the Buddhist path. The commentary states, “the bodhisattvas are brahmins because they do no bad actions.”

For snātaka, see glossary; Chinese: “one who has bathed” 沐浴者 (mu yu zhe). However, the commentary states here that bodhisattvas are snātaka because they have been washed clean of all the stains of the kleśas and remain in the water of patience.

The Sanskrit of the threefold description here (of which this is the first) is pāragaḥ vedakaḥ śrotriyaḥ. The commentary states that bodhisattvas are masters (pāraga, pha rol du song ba) of the Vedas, as they have reached their ultimate conclusion (rig byed kyi mthar thug pa’i pha rol du song bas so, F.43.b.4).

The commentary states that bodhisattvas are vedaka (rig par byed), as they know the nature of whatever is taught.

For śrotriya, see glossary. However, the commentary states here that bodhisattvas are śrotriya because they have renounced everything.

The commentary states that “Śākya” refers to Buddha Śākyamuni, who was born in the Śākya clan.

The commentary states that this means there are no more “thorns of māras, kleśas, and so on,” that appear.

According to the Tibetan and Chinese; does not appear in the Vaidya Sanskrit or the commentary.

This is an analogy to the defensive trench around a fortification, which the commentary states is a boundary created by anger, and so on.

The commentary states this is a boundary created by the kleśas.

The commentary states this refers to the habitual tendency for the kleśas.

The commentary states this means the vicious disease of the kleśas.

The commentary states this means that they utter the lion’s roar that proclaims selflessness.

The commentary states this means that their minds are at rest in meditation at all times.

The commentary states this means that they are both trained and fearless in the battle with the kleśas.

The commentary states this means that they are able to pull the heavy burden of benefiting all beings.

The commentary states this means that they are victorious over the māras.

The commentary states this means that they can single-handedly overcome the strength of the māras.

The commentary states this means that their qualities are a delight to beings.

The commentary states this means that they are unstained by the mud of saṃsāra.

The commentary states this means that thay are filled with “white,” i.e. good, qualities.

The commentary states this means that they know how to tame the most malicious beings.

The commentary states this means that they bring delight and light that is like amrita to beings.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan and Chinese omit “human.”

Verses 9 and 10 are condensed into one verse in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit śailavanāntare and the commentary gcong rong du. The Tibetan translates this as nags ri’i khrod (“a mountain forest”). The Chinese translates it as “mountain valley” 山谷 (shan gu).

Verses 13 and 14 are condensed into one verse in the Chinese.

The numbering follows the Sanskrit. Verse 17 is absent in the Tibetan, but it is commented on in the commentary. It repeats much of the content of verse 16: “When the mother’s son dies / In a dream she loudly laments. / But no son died for that mother. / Know that all phenomena are like that.” Absent in the Chinese as well.

Tibetan: de ni ’dus ma byas kyi rigs zhes bya. Sanskrit: asaṃskṛtaṃ gotramidaṃ pravucyati. The language of the Tibetan and the commentary, and the notion of a noncomposite lineage (gotra) is here reminiscent of tathāgatagarbha theory.

This verse is not present in the Chinese.

The Chinese has “four methods of mindfulness.”

The Sanskrit uses the term kāyasakṣin, “one who has the body as a witness,” which is explained in, for example, the Pali Kāyasakkhisutta as someone whose body has experienced the qualities, such as bliss and samādhi, of the four dhyānas. That is, they have directly experienced it for themselves.

BHS: pṛthu sarva manyanā, “all worldly pride.”

The order of verses 7–35 is heavily rearranged in the Chinese.

The commentary states that Udraka was also known as Digambhara, which is also the name of a Jain school. However, the name Udraka (Rudraka in some texts) is best known in Buddhism as one of the first teachers of the Buddha. The Buddha stated that after death he was born in the formless realm but would eventually be reborn as an animal. The story for Udraka given in the commentary is that his motivation to meditate was to attain miraculous powers. He succeeded and was famous for being able to fly. But when he was told that his path was not genuine, he fell from the sky and went to the hells.

According to the Sanskirt hanyate. The Tibetan translates as bcom (“vanquished”). The Chinese has “he will be killed ….”

According to the Tibetan mi rgod. The Sanskrit caura is “bandit” or “thief.” The Chinese omits “thousands” and describes the bandits or thieves as “strong and carrying spears.” In Tibetan mi rgod can also mean “an ape” and could be used for “bandits.”

The singular form is according to the Sanskrit.

According to the Tibetan mar. The Sanskrit arpimaṇḍa actually means the scum formed when heating melted butter in order to create ghee. The Chinese has “like two clarified butters in accord” 猶二醍醐合 (you er ti hu he).

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “eat and drink.” The Chinese does not contain either verb and inteprets generally as, “Without proper understanding of the way.” 不應於其法 (bu ying yu qi fa).

According to the Sanskrit bisā and the commentary pad ma’i rtsa ba. The Tibetan here has simply rtsa ba. Here the Chinese translates the Sanskrit bisā as 泥藕 (ni ou), “mud and lotus roots,” rather than simply as “lotus roots,” denoting that lotus roots grow in the mud and are covered in mud when the elephants rip them up from the mud.

According to the Sanskrit hastipota. The Mahāvyutpatti has glang for “elephant,” though in later translations this was used exclusively for “oxen.” The Chinese has “elephant.”

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Sanskrit has “birth and illness.”

According to the Sanskrit. In Tibetan “beyond description” is an adjective only for the true nature of the jinas. In Chinese, it works both as a noun and an adjective.

The prose and verse from this point down to “Young Candraprabha adorned the road with many different precious arrangements” 10.­30 do not appear in the Chinese, apart from the one prose sentence in which Candraprabha requests the Buddha to come to his home. There is somewhat more in the Gilgit manuscript than in the Chinese.

The Roman numerals indicate verses that are not contained in the Gilgit manuscript and therefore are not in the Vaidya edition, but are given in footnotes in the Dutt edition of the Gilgit manuscript.

The commentary states that this means that anything the samādhi is focused upon will be overcome.

The commentary states that this means that whatever is desired will appear from space.

The commentary states that this means that it is invulnerable to all distractions.

The commentary states that this means that one can go miraculously anywhere at the speed of thought.

The commentary states that this means that all forms can be perceived.

The commentary states that this means that one can directly perceive the tathāgatas in infinite realms.

The commentary states that this means the consecration of the perfection of wisdom, which has the direct perception of the essence of all emptiness.

The usual traditional list is of eight liberations, but as in the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra, this term can be used for any method that brings liberation.

According to the commentary, these four enemies are the four māras: the māra of the kleśas, the māra of death, the divine māra (of distracting pleasures), and the māra of the aggregates (of the mind and body).

Literally deva, and translated into Tibetan as lha, but this was a term of respect used for kings, as the equivalent of “Your Majesty,” and so on. It is not meant to be taken literally as “a deity.”

According to the Sanskrit toraṇa. Translated into Tibetan as rta babs.

Synonymous with agallochum and aloeswood. A dark resin in the heartwood of certain tropical trees.

According to the Sanskrit. Basically the same as damaru. Translated into Tibetan as mkhar rnga.

The text gives both the Sanskrit tuṇava and the Tibetan translation pi wang rgyud gcig pa.

A kettle drum played horizontally, wider in the middle with the skin at both ends, played by the hands. One drumhead is smaller than the other. It is a South Indian drum, and maintains the rhythm in Karnataka music.

Tibetan rnga mu kun da. Also called rnga zlum (“round drum”). From its representation in a sculpture of a mukunda drummer, it appears to be a much smaller version of the mṛḍaṅga drum, held in the middle with one hand with one end beaten by the other hand.

Tibetan rdza rnga chen po (“large kettle drum”). It is a kettle drum played horizontally. Unlike the mṛdaṅga, one half of the body of the drum is wider than the other. The Sanskrit for the list of instruments is in Dutt (116). There the spelling is muruja.

Considered the purest form of gold, found in the rivers, and believed to have come from a legendary site beyond the Himalayas.

The Chinese account of this event resumes here, after a few introductory sentences. The Gilgit also omits all the preceding passage, apart from the description of Candraprabha taking leave of the Buddha and returning home.

From the Sanskrit svādanīya (“tasty,” “flavorful”). The Tibetan translates as a noun: myang ba.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit niryūha can also mean “a pinnacle” or “turret.”

According to the Tibetan ba gam, which is an ornamental roof. The Sanskrit pañjara principally means “a cage,” and therefore could be “railings.”

Tibetan: skar khung dra ba ris (“window-net pattern”). Sanskrit jāla (“net”), though jālaka does mean “lattice-window.”

Sanskrit: ardhacandra. Tibetan: zla ba kham pa. This appears to have been a prominent part of a building’s design.

None of the verses with Roman numerals appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan, perhaps as a result of a scribal omission in the Sanskrit manuscript, or an omission in translation, as the next name is Durabhisambhava.

The commentary states that this is on the south side of the city. Rājagṛha is well known for its natural hot springs. This passage does not appear in the Chinese from “accompanied by many adorned horses” up to this point.

From this point until Candraprabha speaks does not appear in the Chinese.

The following seven verses and two lines of prose do not appear in the Chinese or the Gilgit manuscript.

According to most Kangyurs: zan. Degé: bran.

According to the Narthang, Cone, and Degé: ’dong. Pedurma: ’dod.

“After speaking these lines” does not appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.

“kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas” does not appear in the Gilgit.

Literally “ten million [times] a hundred thousand million [times] a hundred thousand, which adds up to “a hundred thousand quintillion.” The Chinese has 百千萬億那由他 (bai qian wan yi na yu ta), “one thousand million” (yi’ nayuta).

Also known in the past as “Indian blue jay.”

According to the Gilgit Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan, presumably accidentally.

Also called “red avadavats,” “strawberry finches,” and “kalavinka sparrows.” Dictionaries have erroneously identified them as cuckoos; kalaviṅka birds outside India have evolved into a mythical half-human bird. The avadavat is a significant bird in the Ganges plain and is renowned for its beautiful song.

The birds do not appear in Gilgit manuscript. The following prose and verses do not appear in the Chinese.

From the Sanskrit muṣala. Yongle, Lithang, Peking Narthang, Cone, and Lhasa: rdung ’dzin. Degé: gtun ’dzin. Musala here refers to a large pestle, about three feet long, which is also used as a weapon, like a mace, by a deity such as a yakṣa who hurls it at an enemy.

These are the four traditional divisions of the army: cavalry, elephants, chariots, and infantry. These are also the basis for the game of chess, which originated in India.

These do not appear in the Gilgit manuscript.

The Gilgit manuscript fragment has tilaka[ba]kula with what appears to be an omission of the syllable ba (sesame flowers, medlar flowers).

This prose section does not appear in the Gilgit, but is present in the Shastri and Hodgson (Dutt p. 121).

In the BHS verse their names are given as Avalokitu and Sthāmu.

In the BHS verse this name is shortened to Amogha.

In the verse this is given in the short form, “Ratna.” The commentary states that this is another name for Ratnapāṇi, a bodhisattva who appears in Mahāyāna sūtras.

The BHS verse uses this synonym for Subāhu.

In the BHS verse his name is given as Durabhisambhavu.

In the BHS verse the name is shortened to Vīra.

According to the BHS jina­pādānubaddha. The Tibetan could be interpreted as just meaning “attendants.”

Synonym for Maitreya. In the BHS verse the form is Matraku.

The Tibetan erroneously translates the kāya in bhāvitakāya as lus (body).

Here the Tibetan has three lines of verse, where the Sanskrit has four. The BHS verse is: “He is one who has cultivated love, rejoicing, and equanimity, / He is a great being who has developed compassion, / And through the qualities of the teaching of the Dharma / He has infinite understanding of the qualities of the Lord of jinas.” The Tibetan translation therefore has the last line of each verse being the first line of the following verse, as compared to the Sanskrit. In addition, the last three lines of the final śloka in Sanskrit are not present in the Tibetan.

According to the BHS. The Tibetan, zhabs ’bring byed, could be interpreted as “attended to.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “those humans.”

In the verse, for the sake of the meter, the name is given as Mañjuśirī.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to mean “many thousands of millions of Mañjuśrīs.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “Who have accomplished bodies with the qualities of superior powers.” The Tibetan may have been translating śura instead of śarira.

The Sanskrit here uses the synonym Śārisuta for Śāriputra.

The Sanskrit here is “Maudgal,” which is the name shortened for the verse.

BHS: Bhradrikurāja. Usually referred to simply as “Bhadrika.”

In the BHS verse the name is given as Kauñciku. This may be Katyayāna (also known as Kaccāyana or Kaccāna), the only one of the Buddha’s ten principal students not to appear in this list.

In the BHS verse the name is given as Koṣṭhilu.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has stong du, which appears to be a scribal error for stong dgu.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit also has vrata (“vows of discipline”), which would have been translated into Tibetan as brtul zhugs.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “And had mastered the recitation of curses and beneficial incantations.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: Kārttika, the twelfth month of the Indian year, named after the Pleiades constellation, as the full moon appears near that constellation. In the Western calendar it is in October / November. In India, this is the time after the monsoon has ended and the sky is at its clearest.

The Sanskrit uses the synonym dānava instead of asura.

The Tibetan concludes here. The Sanskrit has the final line of that verse being the first of a four-line verse: “Scattered excellent flowers and supreme incense, / And an abundant variety of sandalwoods. / They circumambulated the Instructor, / And bowed down to the enlightened one.”

The Chinese account of this event resumes again. This paragraph is brief in the Gilgit and Chinese.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: ṛṣabha-gaṇa, “herds of bulls.” Chinese: “a hundred thousand.”

Chinese: “kings of bulls.”

According to the Sanskrit dvirada and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates both “bull” and “elephant” with glang.

The BHS has parihāraka, equivalent to the Sanskrit parihaṭaka, which can mean “anklet” or “bracelet.” “Anklet” is chosen here, as the others follow. The Tibetan translates this and the following ornament identically as gdu bu.

From the Sanskrit kaṭaka.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: ambarakusumān (“cloth and flowers”).

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: maṇisūtra (“strings of jewels”).

According to the Tibetan mtsho bya (“lake birds”). The Sanskrit has haṃsa-krauñca (“ducks / geese and cranes”).

The last half of this verse in the Sanskrit does not appear in the Tibetan. The entire verse does not appear in the Chinese. In the Gilgit and Shastri the second half is: “They were free from the net of fear, evil, and ignorance / And wished to bow down before the Sugata.” Hodgson has “stains” (mala) instead of “fear” (bhaya).

The Chinese has “the body of the Buddha with the ten strengths.”

Literally, a hundred-thousand ten-million.

Chinese: “The celestial palaces became empty, as devas had come to see the Buddha.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: lokanātha (“Lord of the World”). Chinese: “the Buddha, the Lord with the ten strengths.”

This verse is absent in the Chinese.

The main road connecting towns.

Literally “principal and intermediate directions.” Chinese: “ten directions.”

This verse is in the Gilgit, Shastri, and Hodgson, but does not appear in the Tibetan or the Chinese.

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

This verse does not appear in the Chinese, but there is an alternative verse that relates how joy arose in those who saw the Buddha and that they wondered when they, too, could make supreme offerings.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit does not have “in saṃsāra.” Chinese: “difficult to encounter for a long time,” 久遠難值遇 (jiu yuan nan zhi yu).

According to the Sanskrit mahānubhāva and most Kangyurs. The Degé has thub chen (“great muni / sage”). The Chinese has 大比丘眾 (da bi qiu zhong), from the Sanskrit bhikṣu-saṃgha.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “precious jewels.” (BHS maṇiratana = Sanskrit maṇiratna.)

The Sanskrit has Śubhamarutāḥ. Maruta is a synonym for deva, and Śubha is a shorter form for the name of the Parī­ttaśubha paradise.

The Sanskrit has the synonym “Aparimitaśubha.”

The Chinese has an additional verse about other devas coming to see the Lord of the World.

This refers to the Mahābrahma paradise, where Brahmā resides, and is the highest of the three deva realms that are the realms of the first dhyāna in the form realm.

Both the Sanskrit and Tibetan give here the shortened form of the name of this realm: Paranirmita; gzhan ’phrul. Chinese: 他化天 (ta hua tian), a shortened form too.

The Sanskrit gives a shortened form tridaśa (thirty) instead of the usual Trāyastriṃśa (“thirty-three”). The Tibetan and Chinese, however, translate as thirty-three.

This first line is conjoined into Verse 53 in the Chinese; the rest is omitted.

It is Virūpākṣa that is traditionally said to be the lord over the nāgas. Nevertheless, this may reflect an earlier variant tradition. Not mentioned in the Chinese.

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Sanskrit omits this and instead has “Also countless Māladhāra devas.”

This verse is in the Gilgit manuscript but not present in the Chinese.

This verse and the following two do not appear in the Gilgit manuscript or the Chinese. They are present in the Shastri and Hodgson. The Tibetan corresponds with the Hodgson version of the verses.

According to the Tibetan gdengs ka can and the Mahāvyutpatti. Gilgit: Bhogaka.

This verse is not present in the Gilgit or the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit, which is in the singular. The Chinese assumes the plural, referring to all the previous nāga kings.

The Sanskrit name is kept in both the English and Chinese translation because it is the origin of the nāga’s name.

According to the Sanskrit, which has the adjective “little,” and also the account in the Vinaya, which states that as a monk in the time of Buddha Kāśyapa he cut down the thorny bush at the entrance of his cave because it always snagged his robes. Cutting down bushes or even grass is contrary to the bhikṣu rules. Therefore he was reborn as a nāga with a tree growing out of his head. This caused him pain whenever the wind blew. In Chinese the word 小 (xiao), as an adjective, means “little,” as in the Sanskrit. As a verb it means “belittle” or “make something small.” The main verb used is 壞 (huai), i.e., “to destroy or damage,” rather than “to cut down.” These two verbs together, 壞小 (huai xiao), could be interpreted as “cutting the bush to make it small,” or “cutting the bush in contempt.”

This verse is considerably different in the Chinese.

In terms of early Mahāyāna cosmology, “the king of Alakavatī” is Kubera, king of the yakṣas. In the tantric tradition, Alakavatī is the realm of Vajrapāṇi.

This is the first of eight verses that in the Chinese are reduced to three verses listing names.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan here translates the names, earlier translated as lngas rtsen and shā kya ’phel, as dus ’phel lnga po, which appears to indicate a corruption in the Sanskrit text that was used for the translation, resulting in kālavṛddho (“time increase”), which would match dus ’phel (“time increase”).

This verse and the following verses are absent in the Chinese.

This name seems to appear twice, once in transliteration and once in translation in another line: mi’u thung (dwarf).

According to the Sanskrit nadi and the Chinese 河 (he). The Tibetan ’bab chu could have been interpreted to mean “waterfall.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “rejoiced at the Jina’s entry.” The line order follows the Sanskrit. The last two lines are not present in the Chinese.

Chinese: “When the Buddha and others had concluded their meals, put down their alms bowls, and washed their hands…”

The Tibetan ras bcos bu (literally, “processed cotton”) is said in Tibetan-English dictionaries to mean “calico.” The Sanskrit has “divine duṣya cloths.” Duṣya in Sanskrit can mean “cotton” and “calico.” Calico was traditionally made in Karnataka, but was always the cheapest cloth, and therefore it is unlikely that it would have that meaning here. Dūṣya is probably a Sanskritization of a Middle Indic word such as the Pali dussa, which means “woven cloth.” In ancient India, cloth was usually made of cotton, but as the cloth referred to here is extremely expensive it may literally mean “divine cotton,” or alternatively, “silk,” which at that time in ancient India could only be imported from China and was very expensive.

Only the number is given. In the Sanskrit the number is ninety-nine trillion. In the Chinese it is ten thousand. It is assumed that the reader will know this refers to silver coins, the raupya (the origin of the present day rupee), which was also tied to the value of silver until the end of the nineteenth century.

The following verses are not in the Gilgit, Sanskrit, or Chinese, but are in the Shastri and Hodgson manuscripts.

According to the Sanskrit kroṣṭaka. The Tibetan translates this as wa (“fox”), and the Chinese also translates it as “fox,” as the jackal is not native to China. However, the analogy is clearly concerning the rivalry between lions and jackals, the latter generally eating what the lions leave. The Chinese has “lion’s roar” rather than “lion.”

The Sanskrit uses the same word as in the first line, svabhāva, translated in the first line as rang bzhin. In this second line svabhāva is translated into Tibetan as ngo bo nyid instead of rang bzhin (“nature”), and prakṛti (which can also mean “character” as well as “nature”) is translated as rang bzhin.

The Tibetan translates prakṛti as rang bzhin, which in the first line had been used to translate svabhāva.

In the Sanskrit but absent in the Tibetan is vipāka­lakṣaṇānārambhaṇa­lakṣaṇān.

This is repeating with different words what is said in verse 27 of chapter 2. Here prabhāṣa is equivalent to pratibhāṇa (“confident eloquence”) in that verse. The Tibetan has here byang chub (“enlightenment”), possibly from a corruption of bhoti (“will be”) to bodhi (“enlightenment”) in the manuscript it was translated from. The Chinese version is slightly different: 若說如是法, 菩薩了知者, 彼得無愛辯, 說億修多羅 (ruo shuo ru shi fa, pu sa liao zhi zhe, bi de wu ai bian, shuo yi xiu duo luo). The equivalent of pratibhāṇa is used.

The Tibetan sngon pa’i mtha’ from the Sanskrit pūrvāntaṃ means “the past.” The commentary explains this as knowing that phenomena have no past or future. However, this may be the result of an early corruption in the text, perhaps of prakṛtatvaṃ or similar, as the Chinese translates it more cogently as “they know the nature of the sound,” and so on.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. The Chinese has “nature.”

The Sanskrit has hriyate (“ashamed”). The Tibetan ’phrogs appears to have translated from something like hāryate (“taken away”). Chinese: 染 (ran), (“polluted / afflicted”).

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. The Chinese has “nature.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “on birth.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to have translated from a manuscript in which duḥkhaṃ had been corrupted to dharmaṃ, with the resulting meaning “cessation of phenomena.”

Literally, buddhaputra (“sons of the buddhas”).

Sanskrit: mitrabhadra. This is synonymous with kalyāṇamitra.

According to the Tibetan srin po. Sanskrit: niśācarā, a synonym for rākṣasa.

According to the Tibetan and the Chinese 柔何處眾演說法 (rou he chu zhong yan shuo fa). Vaidya Sanskrit: paryāyasūtrato, “teaches the Dharma according to the way of the sūtra.”

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan appears to say, “they teach the buddhas.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “always skilled.”

According to the Tibetan and Dutt’s Gilgit vipāka (ripening). The Shastri and Gilgit have vibhakti (“different categories”) and the Hodgson has the corruption virakti instead of vipāka. Chinese: 為人顯示因果理 (wei ren xian shi yin guo), “they reveal to others the principle / law of cause and results.”

According to the Tibetan and Dutt’s Gilgit. The Vaidya Sanskrit has sbhṛti (“no meaning”) instead of smṛti (“memory”). The Chinese does not have “pure.”

Unusually here nāga has been translated not just as klu but as klu ’brug, adding the syllable for “dragon.” Chinese: “dragon.”

All four lines of this verse begin with vipula (“vast”), though this is not reflected in the Tibetan translation. There the word is translated differently in each line, but here an attempt has been made to keep the repetition in English.

Chinese: 廣大 (guang da), “vast,” appears in the first and third line only.

According to the Sanskrit rāṣṭra, translated into Tibetan as grong, which could mean “village,” “town,” or “city.” Chinese: “of the world” 世間.

The name is in a BHS form: Maitraka.

According to the Sanskrit. The order of the lines in the Tibetan translation is rather awkward, and it appears that the second and third lines have changed place. Rearranged they would be: “Similarly Buddha Amitāyus also / Has taught many kinds of benefits: / ‘All who wish (’dod) for my Sukhāvatī / Will go to Abhirati and see Buddha Akṣobhya.’ The Chinese does not include the name “Abhirati.”

This last verse appears to be spoken by Candraprabha in the Sanskrit and Tibetan. In the Chinese, however, these are the words of the Buddha: “Now I have explained such innumerable benefits and merits / qualities. Those who wish to attain merits / qualities similar to mine should uphold this sūtra during the time of degeneration.”

From the Sanskrit prabhāvyate. The Tibetan appears to have translated from a manuscript with something like pravbhidyate or prabhedyate (“divide,” “categorize”).

According to the Sanskrit, the commentary, and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as “the nature of the mind is without form,” presumably translating from svabhāvam arūpyam as a corruption of niḥsvabhāvam arūpyam.

The Chinese adds “and cannot be seen.”

According to the BHS and the Chinese. The Tibetan has either translated from a corruption in a manuscript from akṣara-vibhāvita-jñāna to akṣaya-vibhāvita-jñāna (“letters” being changed into “indestructible, unending”) or chosen akṣara’s alternative meaning, “imperishable.” The BHS meaning of vibhāva can be “to be free of.” However, vibhāva can be translated into Tibetan as “meditation” as well as “non-existing,” and so on. Therefore the Tibetan has, “They meditate on unending wisdom,” which does not appear to fit the context.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan and Chinese omit “the words.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan and Chinese omit “the words.”

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan omits “the knowledge.”

According to the Sanskrit karmakṛtāyāḥ. The Tibetan yongs su sbyang ba could be translated as “completely purified.” The Chinese omits “who created the karma (or completely purified) in previous lifetimes.”

According to the Tibetan ’khyil ba and the Sanskrit avartāyāḥ, though it could also be translated as “repetition of dharāṇīs.”

The commentary states that here “retention” (dhāraṇī) is equivalent to wisdom. The reference to retentions does not appear in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the list of qualities as all being attainments. The commentary has “unobscured patience.” The Chinese 得修無障法忍 (de xiu wu zhang fa ren) can be interpreted as “became capable of practicing unobscured patience.”

This verse is very different in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit. Tibetan has only “They know all phenomena.”

This verse is very different in the Chinese.

According to the Tibetan, presumably translating from śīlaṃ, though the Sanskrit has śikṣāṃ (“learning,” “study”).

Chinese: “They would rather forsake their own life than violate the teaching of the tathāgatas.”

The Sanskrit manasikāra and the Tibetan yid la byed pa can mean, according to context, “fixed attention,” “concentration,” “focused reflection,” etc. The commentary states that the samādhi being devoid of such factors is in relation to mind and thoughts, subject and object, action and object, and so on. The negative of the term (amanasikāra, yid la mi byed pa) was later adapted into the mahāmudrā tradition.

The BHS term raṇā is synonymous with kleśa, and both are translated into Tibetan as nyon mongs.

In the Chinese, this line uses an unusual expression in conjunction with equality: 平等非嶮地 (ping deng fei xian di). 平等 (ping deng) is “equality,” 非 (fei) “not,” 嶮地 (xian) is the same as 險 and means “steep, lofty, precipitous,” and 地 (di) is “land, level, bhūmi.” The term samādhi does not appear.

According to the Sanskrit: na… asti. The commentary and various Kangyurs, including the Degé, have yod med. The Pedurma has yong med.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “grasping.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “grasping.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “without attachment.”

According to the Sanskrit spṛśi. Tibetan: dran pa, translated from a corruption of spṛśi to smrti (“mindfulness” without pride).

According to the Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Chinese: “is the noble path.”

According to the Sanskrit śantibhūmi. The Tibetan has “level of buddhahood,” perhaps translating from buddhabhūmi.

According to the Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Chinese: “meditation and wisdom.”

According to the Sanskrit and the commentary. The Tibetan has “peace” instead of “meditation.”

Some of the lines of this verse have been exchanged with lines from the subsequent verse for a clearer reading.

In the Chinese, the order of this and the preceding verse is reversed.

According to the Sanskrit and the Kangyurs that have the genitive gi. The Degé has the instrumental gis.

From the Sanskrit dharmadhātumaya, and as in the Chinese. The Tibetan may be translated from a manuscript that read dharmadhātunaya: “the way of the essence of phenomena.”

According to the Tibetan mya ngan. The BHS has aṅgana (“blemish,” “impurity,” “evil”). The Chinese 惱 agrees with the BHS.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. The Chinese has “It cannot be understood through words. This is because phenomena do not have characteristics.” This is also a legitimate translation if it is assumed that in sarvadharmāṇa lakṣaṇam the latter word is actually alakṣaṇam.

According to the Sanskrit and most Kangyurs. The Degé has dga’ (“joy”).

The Chinese appears to mean, “through language only knowledge is gained.”

The Degé has erroneously repeated the first two lines of the last verse at the beginning of this penultimate verse, making it into six lines.

There is a play of words here on saṃpāra (“the further side”) and the BHS pārami (“perfection”). The Chinese translates as “the other side” and translates the verse as “a command to the listener.”

Chinese: “Then the youth Candraprabha said these words to the Bhagavān.”

According to the Tibetan spobs. The Sanskrit pratibhāti could also mean “elucidates this for me.”

Chinese: “tormented by sickness, old age, and death.”

According to the Tibetan dpa’ bo, which appears to have translated from a manuscript that had vīra instead of the Sanskrit vīrye, “with diligence.” Chinese: 善哉, the most common translation of Sanskrit sādhu, (“holy man,” “saint”).

According to the Sanskrit krudhyase. The Tibetan translates as ’khrugs, which primarily has the meaning of “disturbed.” According to the Mahāvyuttpati this would be a translation of kṣubhyase, meaning “disturbed.” Therefore this may be a translation from a scribal corruption in the Sanskrit.

According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan has “maintain various views.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to make this line the voice of devas that are accompanying the music.

According to the Sanskrit kalaviṅka, translated into Tibetan here as “cuckoo,” even though earlier they were listed separately where kalaviṅka was simply transliterated. The Chinese transliterates as 迦陵頻伽. The avadavat was unknown in Tibet while the cuckoo was very familiar. However, the avadavat is a bird known in North India for its beautiful song.

The Sanskrit is literally “twice born,” referring to first the egg being laid and then the hatching.

According to the Tibetan, the Gilgit manuscript, and the Chinese. The later Sanskrit manuscripts from Nepal (the Shastri and Hodgson manuscripts) have here the line about musical instruments‍—conches, drums, and so on‍—that will occur in the next verse in this version. There are two verses in the Tibetan and Gilgit version compared to one in the later Sanskrit manuscripts and the Chinese.

The Tibetan here translates paṭaha as rdza rnga, which is usually the translation for the mṛḍaṅga drum.

The Tibetan translation here (rnga bo che) does not make a very strong distinction between the bherī and the earlier muraja drum (rdza rnga chen po). The Chinese has simply “drums” and does not differentiate the two kinds, but also has “three-stringed lutes, lutes, and flutes.”

This verse is in the Gilgit manuscript and the Tibetan. It does not appear in the later Sanskrit versions. In the Chinese this is a continuation of the previous verse without the line about the deva maidens.

In the Chinese, this verse is preceded by a verse describing how the songs and music played by the king of the kinnaras cannot compare to the Buddha’s speech. This verse is not found in the Tibetan or Sanskrit.

In the Sanskrit the synonym sura is used.

In the Sanskrit the synonym dānu is used. In the Chinese both deva and dānu were translated by the same term.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates it as mkhar rnga (“gong”).

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has just rnga (“drums”).

Unidentified Indian musical instrument. It appears in two lists of instruments in the Lalita­vistara­sūtra (see The Play in Full 15.39 and 15.67) with a stringed instrument preceding and following it, but some recent Tibetan-English dictionaries have “cymbals.”

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit appears to be still describing the music: “delightful, beautiful, and divine.”

Literally, marutas and apsarases.

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

Literally, “Lord of the Gods,” another name for Indra / Śakra.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “by the Buddha’s light rays.” The Chinese has “one light ray emitted by the Buddha.”

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “unequaled.”

According to the Tibetan and close to the version in Dutt’s “manuscript A” (the Shastri manuscript). Chinese: “requests the Buddha to be compassionate.”

The Chinese has an extra verse here, requesting a prophecy, which does not appear in the Tibetan or the Sanskrit.

The Chinese has different epithets.

From the first half of the Sanskrit compound ratha-pattiya; the meaning of the second half is obscure, as is the Tibetan translation: rta rkang thang. The commentary glosses it as shing rta mchog (“perfect chariots”).

According to the Tibetan. “Pearls” does not appear in the Sanskrit, but instead, “male and female slaves” (dāsadāsi). The Chinese has “male and female slaves, jewels, pearls, gold, cows, and sheep.”

The commentary states that these lotuses appear as seats for the bodhisattvas.

Chinese: “innumerable.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has rnga (“drums”) and the Chinese also just has “drums.”

According to the Tibetan mkhar rnga. Sanskrit: tunava (“flutes”). Chinese: 鐃, similar to “cymbals.”

From the Sanskrit krauñca. Tibetan: khrung khrung. According to the Mahāvyutpatti, the Tibetan for krauñca is krung krung. See Julia Leslie, A Bird Bereaved: The identity and significance of Vālmīki’s krauñca, for the identification of this bird. Present Sanskrit dictionaries state it is a curlew. However, it is specifically the Sarus crane, which in Sanskrit is also called the sārasa krauñca, which can also be confusing because sārasa, as in this sūtra, is the word for “swan.”

Chinese: 拘翅 (jue chi), 頻迦 (pin jia), 鵞鶴 (er he). The first two are from the pronunciation of the Sanskrit, and the third is a Chinese name, referring to one kind of crane.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “tender ones.” Chinese: “tamed and gentle ones.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan could have been interpreted as “speak to Mañjughoṣa,” except for the adverbial particle su. Chinese: 和潤語, “harmonious and gentle speech.”

Literally in Sanskrit, “sound of the clouds.” Chinese: “thunder” 雷霆.

Although translated earlier in the text as bzhad (in accord with the Mahāvyutpatti), the Tibetan here simply transliterated sārasa (sa ra sa).

According to the Tibetan. Vaidya Sanskrit: “You are sublime because of the results of good actions.”

From the Sanskrit jīvaṃjīva (Tibetan: shang shang te’u). According to the Mahesh Sharma (141), jīvjīva is a pheasant, and jīvaṃjīva (as in Monier-Williams) is the chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar, also known as the Greek partridge). In later times, in China and Tibet this became a legendary half-human bird, or a two-headed bird. The Chinese transliterates: 命命鳥.

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

The Chinese has 47 consecutive verses: the first 16 verses are in chapter 15 of the Tibetan-Sanskrit version and the remaining 31 verses are in chapter 16.

According to the Sanskrit, and the Degé, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa Kangyurs: dpang. The Pedurma has dbang (“power”).

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit aviruddha, and the Chinese 不為他壞不違他.

Sanskrit: ogha. A term also found in the Pali tradition, it refers to ignorance, desire, and so on. Translated in the Chinese as its implied meaning.

Sanskrit: grantha. A term also found in the Pali tradition (gantha), it refers to the knots that bind one to existence. Chinese: “knots.”

According to the Sanskrit tṛṣṇa. The Tibetan has srid pa (“existence”) in error for sred pa.

The prose section that begins this chapter does not appear in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit, the Tibetan klag, and the Chinese. Degé: lhogs.

According to the commentary (’dod pa can) and the Sanskrit lubdha, which can also mean “confused,” hence the Tibetan translation brkam (“scattered”).

Chinese: 放逸 (“careless”), 毀禁 (“do not follow precepts”), and 多慳吝 (“covetous”).

According to the commentary, the Sanskrit, and the Chinese. The Tibetan has “attached to towns.”

Chinese: “slander.”

A euphemism for sexual activity. The Chinese is less specific in its descriptions.

According to the Sanskrit parakumārī and the Tibetan gzhan gyi bu mo (“the girls of others”). Chinese: 童女 “girls” or “virgins.”

Sanskrit: “path of the mendicant.”

In the Chinese this verse is preceded by “one describing deviations from the path of the mendicant.”

According to dhenu in the Sanskrit and gzho in the Mahāvyutpatti. The Tibetan Kangyurs have gzhon and bzhon in error for gzho or bzho.

According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit and Chinese it could mean “among a hundred thousand.”

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has, “They become intoxicated.”

Chinese: 若得虛名自欣慶 (ruo de xu ming zi xin qing), “if they gain false reputation and become overjoyed.”

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

According to the Tibetan, Chinese, and the Shastri and Hodgson manuscripts. The Dutt and Vaidya have vihāru, “play with each other.”

This entire opening section about Maitreya and his miraculous activities does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript and therefore not in the Vaidya either. The Tibetan follows the version in the Hodgson manuscript.

According to the Sanskrit, where tathāgata is clearly in the vocative and the verb “to go” is in the first-person singular.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “Lamp of the three worlds.”

There is a play on words here as “conquered the māras” is jitamārā, and Maitreya’s alternative name is “Ajita.”

The first part of this chapter up to this point does not appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.

This sentence does not appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.

“Through the gateway of peace” does not appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.

“Kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together, bowed toward the Bhagavān” does not appear in Gilgit or the Chinese.

The Chinese gives the full name of the samādhi.

The Chinese gives the full name of the samādhi.

The Sanskrit has an additional quality at this point: “wish to leave them.”

The Sanskrit has an additional quality at this point: “have no endurance for them.”

Chinese: 深怖三界起驚畏心 (shen bu san jie qi jing wei xin), “they are deeply terrified of the three realms and develop a fearful mind”; 厭離三界起不染心 (yan li san jie qi bu ran xin), “they are determined to leave the three realms and develop the aspiration to be free from defilements”; 不著三界起逼惱心 (bu zhuo san jie qi bi nao xin), “they are not attached to the three realms and develop the aspiration to overcome suffering.”

The Chinese omits part of these two sentences, apparently in error, resulting in: “If they accomplish this, they will attain this samādhi” and gives the full name of the samādhi.

According to the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Chinese: “are widely learned.”

According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit and Chinese this is phrased as a question.

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “proved,” “tried.” The Chinese has “trained in.”

According to the Sanskrit (Hodgson and Shastri manuscripts). Absent in the Tibetan.

According to the Tibetan and all Sanskrit. This paragraph does not appear in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. The Chinese has one yi 一憶 (yi yi), which can mean 100,000, one million, or ten million in various Buddhist scriptures.

According to the Sanskrit and most Kangyurs. The Degé has mi in error for me.

According to the Tibetan bye ba. The Sanskrit has ṣaḍvarṣakoṭyaḥ: “sixty times ten million,” i.e., six hundred million.

According to the Tibetan nyin zhag. The Sanskrit has rātrimdivā (“day and night”).

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “thirty thousand years.”

The Chinese lists twelve buddhas in twelve verses up to this point.

According to the Tibetan. The Nepalese manuscripts appear to divide this into two names, and the Gilgit certainly does: brahmā ca devas tathā.

According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: Svara­brahma­datta.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has Brahmaghoṣa (tshangs pa’i dbyangs).

According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit appears to be two names.

Much of this verse repeats the names from the preceding verse, and there may have been a corruption. It is possible that they were meant to be variations of the same compounds but with a group beginning with Dānta, followed by a group beginning with Śānta. This would give: “Dāntottara, Dānta, Sudāntacitta, / Sudānta, Dāntendriya, Dāntamānasa, / Dāntottara, Dāntaśirin, Pradānta, / Dāntīyapāraṃgata and Dāntaśūra, [23] Śantottara, Śānta, Suśāntacitta, / Suśānta, Śāntendriya, Śāntamānasa, / Śāntottara, Śānta­śriya­jvalanta, / Śāntapraśānteśvara, Śāntiśūra. [24]”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan here translates parivarta as le’u (“chapter”) and omits nirhāra. This paragraph is absent in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit viśārada. Tibetan: “very great fame” (grags pa shin tu che). Absent from the Chinese.

The last line of this verse is in the next verse in the Chinese version.

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. Sanskrit: “forsaken the world in all their words.”

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has, literally, “He renounced the earth for accomplishing food,” which differs from all Sanskrit versions. In the Tibetan rendering, nirhāra is translated as sgrub pa (“accomplish”), though its other meanings are “to extract, remove, take, acquire, accumulate, or store,” which seems more appropriate here for food; and sthapetva (“established in”) as bor ba (“renounce”). The Chinese has “remained in peace and practiced great diligence.”

According to the BHS vasthitu. The Tibetan apparently translates as “being upright, standing” (’greng).

Literally, “elephant-king.”

The order of this and the previous verse is reversed in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit śānti. The Tibetan has bzhi (“four”) in error for zhi (“peace”).

The Chinese has an additional line: 於諸白法常無厭 (yu zhu bai fa chang wu yan), “never tired of engaging in virtuous actions [white dharmas].”

The Tibetan ’chad could mean “to teach” or “to explain,” as well as “to cut through, destroy.” The latter meaning is supported by the Sanskrit uccheda and the Chinese 斷 (duan).

Chinese: “termination of the speech (or views) of ordinary people.”

The Chinese has an additional verse at this point concerning not violating precepts and not having attachment to families.

According to the BHS niḥsṛti. The Tibetan translates as ’byung ba.

This verse does not appear in the Chinese.

According to the Sanskrit sadā. The Tibetan and Chinese use synonyms for the first and second line: the Tibetan has rtag tu and khor mo; Chinese: 常 (chang) and 恆 (heng). The third line also uses sadā but with a negative in Tibetan. The Chinese is a simple negative without the meaning “never.”

According to the BHS gatiṃgata.

According to the Sanskrit anartha, translated into Tibetan as gnod pa (“harm”), interpreting it to mean “non-beneficial.” The Chinese also translates as “non-beneficial.” Its other meaning has been translated here, as it appears to be more appropriate to the context.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan lists three separate elements.

According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Sanskrit appears to have no negative: “there is mingling with…”

The online Vaidya has vajane in error for varjane.

Darśī is translated into Tibetan as “seen.” The Chinese translation focuses on how the certainty is arrived at: 心境相稱詞決定 (xin jing xiang chen ci jue ding).

This verse is absent in the Gilgit and Hodgson, but present in the Tibetan and Shastri.

According to the Sanskrit śīla. The Tibetan has only tshul instead of tshul khrims.

According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan. The Chinese lists all four qualities as doorways that are entered.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan makes the second and third lines into a single sentence.

The Chinese here translates yoga as “method.”

Sanskrit: ayuktayogin. Translated into Tibetan as mi rigs brtson pa.

The online Vaidya has abhūbhi in error for abhūmi.

In Chinese the order of the first two lines is reversed, and it begins, “the level of buddhahood is vast but not the level of the two [other] yānas.”

According to the Sanskrit anubuddha and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as rjes su ’brang (“followed”) instead of the expected khong du chud pa, or the like.

According to the Tibetan grags pa chen po, which appears to have translated mahāyaśānām, although all Sanskrit versions have mahāśayānām (“those with great aspiration”). The Chinese translates as “those of the Mahāyāna.”

The Tibetan adds “mantra” to make it vidyāmantra. The Chinese uses the unusual term 作明術 (zuo ming shu), literally meaning “techniques of clarifying,” which can be understood as “knowledge.”

The Chinese has an additional verse before this one. It refers to emptiness and cessation.

According to BHS niraṅga. Chinese: “free of kleśas.”

Chinese: “can quickly attain wisdom.”

According to the Sanskrit. Tibetan: “seeks bliss.”

According to all Sanskrit versions and the Chinese. The Tibetan has “ninety-nine,” which appears to be an early scribal corruption in the Tibetan transmission.

In the Chinese this verse is preceded by an additional verse not found in the Sanskrit or Tibetan.

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “In which there are no extremes or desire,” where anantasaṅga was taken as being negated and saṅga as having a negative meaning. The Chinese has “So that they can see many buddhas after their lives have ended.”

At the beginning of this chapter he is the first in the list of past buddhas related by Śākyamuni, though the Tibetan and Chinese translations of the name differ from previous translations of the name.

According to the Sanskrit prasannacitta. The Tibetan only translates citta (“mind”).