The King of Samādhis Sūtra
Glossary

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

A buddha countless eons in the past.

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

The absence of any conceptual goal that one is focused upon achieving, knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering. One of the three doorways to liberation.

The absence of the conceptual identification of perceptions. Knowing that the true nature has no attributes, such as color, shape, etc. One of the three doorways to liberation.

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

A buddha countless eons in the past.

See “kleśa.”

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

Synonymous with Kubera, who, in this sūtra, is distinct from Vaiśravaṇa. The name Ailavila is derived from his mother, and means “the son of Ilavilā.”

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

The highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm. Within the form realm it is the highest of the eight paradises of the fourth dhyāna. Within the fourth dhyāna it is the highest of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

The buddha in the eastern realm, Abhirati. Akṣobhya, who in the higher tantras is the head of one the five buddha families, the vajra family in the east, was well-known early in the Mahāyāna tradition.

The world of yakṣas ruled over by Kubera.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.

Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

The buddha in the realm of Sukhāvatī. Later and presently, he is better known by his alternative name, Amitābha. Not to be confused with the buddha of long life, Aparimitāyus, whose name has been incorrectly back-translated into Sanskrit as Amitāyus also.

A bodhisattva who appears in Mahāyāna sūtras.

A celebrated text on the graduated path by Gampopa, also known as the Dakpo Thargyen (dwags po thar rgyan).

Buddha Śākyamuni’s cousin, who was his attendant for the last twenty years of his life. He was the subject of criticism and opposition from the monastic community after the Buddha’s passing, but eventually succeeded to the position of the patriarch of Buddhism in India after the passing of the first patriarch, Mahākaśyapa.

One of the principal nāga kings. Also known as Śeṣa or Anataśeṣa. Considered the source of Patañjali grammar in Buddhism. In Vaiśnavism he is the serpent that Viṣṇu rests upon in between the creations of worlds.

The name of two separate buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja in previous lifetimes.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A nāga king whose domain is Lake Anavatapta. According to Buddhist cosmology, this lake is located near Mount Sumeru and is the source of the four great rivers of Jambudvīpa. It is often identified with Lake Manasarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet.

The rishi who is said to have composed most of the fourth Veda, the Atharvaveda.

The Buddha’s cousin, and one of his ten principal pupils. Renowned for his clairvoyance.

Nāga king who became a pupil of the Buddha.

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

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

In this sūtra, “apsaras” (or “apsarases” in plural) is synonymous with devī, the female equivalent of deva. In Indian culture, it is also the name for goddesses of the clouds and water, and the wives of the gandharvas.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

This eon is literally called “incalculable” but nevertheless has a calculated span of time and therefore, to avoid confusion, its Sanskrit name is used here. The number of years in an asaṃkhyeya eon differs in various sūtras. Twenty “intermediate eons” are said to be one asaṃkhyeya eon, and four asaṃkhyeya eons are one great eon (mahākalpa). In that case those four asaṃkhyeya eons represent the eons of the creation, presence, destruction, and absence of a world. Therefore buddhas are often described as appearing in a second asaṃkhyeya eon.

Indian master of the fourth century ᴄᴇ, and a major founder of the Yogācāra school of Buddhism.

Saraca asoca. The aromatic blossoms of this plant are clustered together as orange, yellow, and red bunches of petals.

The qualities necessary as a method to attain the enlightenment of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or buddha. There are thirty-seven of these: (1–4) the four kinds of mindfulness: mindfulness of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena; (5–8) the four correct exertions: the intention to not do bad actions that are not done, to give up bad actions that are being done, to do good actions that have not been done, and increase the good actions that are being done; (9–12) the foundations for miraculous powers: intention, diligence, mind, and analysis; (13–17) five powers: faith, diligence, mindfulness, samādhi, and wisdom; (18–22) five strengths: an even stronger form of faith, diligence, mindfulness, samādhi, and wisdom; (23–29) seven limbs of enlightenment: correct mindfulness, correct wisdom of the analysis of phenomena, correct diligence, correct joy, correct serenity, correct samādhi, and correct equanimity; and (30–37) the eightfold noble path: right view, examination, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and samādhi.

This term has developed further meanings such as the ultimate bodhicitta of realizing emptiness, but in this sūtra it is used with its basic meaning.

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

The fourth highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the fourth of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

The Bengali Buddhist master (980–1054) who came to Tibet, and whose pupils founded the Kadampa tradition.

The Tibetan means literally “the lessening of requisites.”

Several species of finch belonging to the genus Amandava, part of the Estrildid finch family (Estrildidae). They are renowned as songbirds, and in Tibetan texts the Sanskrit kalaviṅka was sometimes simply transliterated ka la ping ka, sometimes translated as khu byug, “cuckoo.”

First appeared as a bodhisattva beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvatī Sūtra. The name has been variously interpreted. In “The lord of Avalokita,” Avalokita has been interpreted as “seeing,” although, as a past passive participle, it is literally “lord of what has been seen.” One of the principal sūtras in the Mahāsamghika tradition was the Avalokita Sūtra, which has not been translated into Tibetan, in which the word is a synonym for enlightenment, as it is “that which has been seen” by the buddhas. In the early tantras, he is one of the lords of the three families, as the embodiment of the compassion of the buddhas. The Potalaka Mountain in southern India became important in Southern Indian Buddhism as his residence in this world, but Potalaka does not yet feature in the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra (Toh 116), which emphasized the preeminence of Avalokiteśvara above all buddhas and bodhisattvas and introduced the mantra oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ.

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

The fifth highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the fifth of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

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

A yakṣa lord.

A leader of the asuras.

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

Four qualities of the samādhi that have the activity of eliminating negative factors: aspiration, diligence, contemplation, and analysis.

The Tibetan is literally “the view of the destructible accumulation,” and the Sanskrit is “the view of the existing body.” They mean the view that identifies the existence of a self in relation to the skandhas.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Supreme among the upper-class monks. He became an arhat in the first rainy season. One of the first group of Śākya princes to become a monk. He is said to have been a king in many successive previous lifetimes, which is why the title of “king” is added after his name in the sūtra. He is not to be confused with the Bhadrika who was one of the Buddha’s first five pupils.

A conical or bowl-shaped kettledrum, with an upper surface that is beaten with sticks.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term bhikṣuṇī, often translated as “nun,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term bhikṣu (to which the female grammatical ending ṇī is added) literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist nuns and monks‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a bhikṣuṇī follows 364 rules and a bhikṣu follows 253 rules as part of their moral discipline.

For the first few years of the Buddha’s teachings in India, there was no ordination for women. It started at the persistent request and display of determination of Mahāprajāpatī, the Buddha’s stepmother and aunt, together with five hundred former wives of men of Kapilavastu, who had themselves become monks. Mahāprajāpatī is thus considered to be the founder of the nun’s order.

The name of both a previous life of Buddha Śākyamuni as a king (translated as ’jigs pa’i bla ma) and the name of one of the buddhas (translated as ’jigs mchog) that Śākyamuni received the samādhi teaching from in a previous life.

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India. The founder of Indian astrology.

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

Bignonia suaveolens. The Indian species of bigonia. They have trumpet-shaped flowers and the small trees are common throughout India.

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The place where the Buddha Śākyamuni achieved awakening and where every buddha will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. In our world this is understood to be located under the Bodhi tree, the Vajrāsana, in present-day Bodhgaya, India. It can also refer to the state of awakening itself.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

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

A monk who was a previous incarnation of Buddha Dīpaṃkara.

A tathāgata.

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

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

The four qualities that are said to result in rebirth in the paradise of Brahmā, and were a practice already prevalent before Śākyamuni’s teaching, are limitless love, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity.

Name of two past buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the samādhi teachings.

Both the deity of the planet Jupiter and the guru of the devas.

The fourth bodhisattva bhūmi.

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

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

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

Sometimes synonymous with stūpa, but can refer to a temple that may or may not contain a stūpa, or any place or thing that is worthy of veneration. The Tibetan translation is identical for stūpa and caitya.

“Circular mass.” There are at least three interpretations of what this name refers to. In the Kṣitigarbha Sutra it is a mountain that contains the hells, in which case it is equivalent to the Vaḍaba submarine mountain of fire, also said to be the entrance to the hells. More commonly it is the name of the outer ring of mountains at the edge of the flat disk that is the world, with Sumeru in the center. This is also equated with Vaḍaba, the heat of which evaporates the ocean so that it does not overflow. Jambudvīpa, the world of humans is in this sea to Sumeru’s south. However, it is also used to mean the entire disk, including Sumeru and the paradises above it.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.

Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

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

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

The tenth bodhisattva bhūmi.

Literally “signs,” or attributes.

An etymologically obscure term, which can mean elaboration, diffusion, or expansion, but is basically describing the mind’s conceptualization, and is always connected to the words for notions and ideas, and mental fabrications.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.

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

A rishi of ancient India, the son of Rishi Bhṛgu, known for having become a youth again after he had reached an old age.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

A cousin of Buddha Śākyamuni who broke with him and established his own community. His tradition was still continuing during the first millennium ᴄᴇ. He is portrayed as engendering evil schemes against the Buddha and even succeeding in wounding him. He is usually identified with wicked beings in accounts of previous lifetimes.

Another name for Śakra, aka Indra.

See “retention.”

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

In distinction to the rūpakāya, or “form body” of a buddha, this is the eternal, imperceivable realization of a buddha. In origin it was a term for the presence of the Dharma, and has come to be synonymous with the true nature.

A tathāgata.

The 9th century Tibetan translator of this text.

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

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

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

The fifth bodhisattva bhūmi.

A previous buddha who gave Śākyamuni the prophecy of his buddhahood.

A previous buddha in the distant past.

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

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

Emptiness, absence of attributes, and absence of aspiration.

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

A king in the distant past.

The name of all the buddhas who had been followers of King Mahābala in a previous lifetime.

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

King of the kinnaras.

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

Name of a bodhisattva only mentioned in one other sūtra.

Ancient Indian sage, known primarily for tales of his short temper and the curses he inflicted, hence the meaning of his name: “difficult to live with.”

Being reborn in hell, or as a preta, an animal, or a long-lived deity (of the formless realms), or being a human in a time without a Buddha’s teaching, in a land without the teaching, with a defective mind, or without faith.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

A nāga king who in the lifetime of the previous buddha had cut down a tree and had therefore been reborn as a nāga. Residing in Taxila, he is said to have miraculously extended himself to where the Buddha was present. This tale is found represented in ancient sculpture.

Vachellia farnesiana. The common English name is “needle bush,” because of its numerous thorns

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

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

A bacterial infection of the skin, also called Ignis Sacer and St. Anthony’s Fire. The Tibetan means “fireflames.” Its worst form as described in the sūtra is “necrotizing fasciitis,” when the skin and flesh beneath blacken and die; it can lead quickly to death.

Defined in the commentary as the ultimate nature of phenomena, or the supreme among phenomena. Also defined as the essence of the Dharma. Literally “the element of phenomena, or the Dharma.” This term is also used to mean “the realm of phenomena,” meaning all phenomena.

A particular kind of mirage in which buildings, mountains, and so on can appear in the sky above the horizon. In India, called the “city of gandharvas,” as it was believed to be a glimpse of the residences of these divine beings.

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

A simile for rarity, as fig trees do not have discernible blossoms. In Tibet the udumbara (Ficus glomerata), being unknown, became portrayed as a gigantic lotuslike flower. The Chinese adds the adjective “rare” and, like the Tibetan, simply transliterates udumbara.

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

Male and female lay followers, and male and female monastic followers.

Gampopa Sonam Rinchen (sgam po pa bsod nams rin chen, 1079–1153). A disciple of Milarepa, and the founder of the monastic Kagyu tradition; also known as Dakpopa (dwags po pa) or Dakpo Lharjé (dwags po lha rje).

A principal bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna sūtras. He is described in this sūtra as coming from Akṣobhya’s realm.

A legendary mountain north of the Himalayas, with Lake Anavatapta, the source of the world’s great rivers, at its base. It is said to be south of Mount Kailash, though both have been identified with Mount Tise in west Tibet.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

A name that appears twice in the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni in previous lifetimes received the Samādhirāja, and who is described in particular in chapter 38.

A powerful yakṣa of the Himalayas.

A famous Puranic rishi of India, who features particularly in the Vaishnavite literature.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

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

A buddha in the distant past.

A nāga king who was a devotee of the Buddha. King Bimbisara once banished him and another nāga because they did not honor him. A drought occurred, and on the Buddha’s advice, he asked the nāgas for their forgiveness.

The seventh bodhisattva bhūmi.

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

A type of sandalwood that is reddish in color and has medicinal properties. It is said to have the finest fragrance of all sandalwood. In the Mahāvyutpatti it is translated as sa mchog, which means “supreme earth.” Later translations translate gośirṣa literally as “ox-head,” which is said to refer to the shape or name of the mountain where it grows. Appears to be red sandalwood, though that appears separately in the list of incenses.

See “Vulture Peak.”

A class of devas that, like the yakṣas, are ruled over by Kubera, but are also said to be his most trusted helpers.

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

Synonymous with Himavat. This “mountain” is actually the entire Himalayan range.

Synonymous with Himagiri. This “mountain” is actually the entire Himalayan range.

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

This is a family lineage that many royal families claimed adherence to. It is the name of an early royal dynasty in India, which is said to be a solar dynasty. Though there are many versions of how the dynasty received its name, they all relate it to the sugar cane (ikṣu). In Buddhism he was said to have been miraculously born from the rishi Gautama’s semen and blood when it was heated by the sun, and subsequently hid among sugar cane. Buddha Śākyamuni was also considered to be in this family line.

A yakṣa lord.

A buddha in the distant past, who is not mentioned in any other sūtra.

Mesua ferrea, specifically “Ceylon ironwood,” also called Indian rose chestnut, Cobra’s saffron, and nāgakesara. The flowers are large and fragrant, with four white petals and a yellow center.

A rishi of ancient India, who was said to have swallowed the Ganges when it first appeared, and then on being supplicated allowed it to come out of his ear.

A rishi who was a pupil of Vyāsa, the first master of the Sāmaveda and the source of the Mīmāṃsā tradition.

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India. Also known as the father of Paraśurāma, the sixth incarnation of Viṣṇu.

Legendary river carrying the remains of the golden fruit of a legendary jambu (rose apple) tree.

An alternative name for Jambudvīpa (rose-apple continent), which means “rose-apple banner.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

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

“Son of the Jina,” a synonym for bodhisattva.

A cakravartin king countless eons in the past.

A buddha countless eons in the past.

A buddha countless eons in the past.

A past buddha who eons previously had been King Mahābala. Also the name of one of the two hundred buddhas Śākyamuni had received the samādhi teaching from in previous lifetimes.

A princess countless eons ago.

Phanera variegata. One of the most beautiful and aromatic of Indian trees, also known as orchid tree, mountain ebony, and camel’s foot tree.

Kāla was the son of Anāthapiṇḍada (Pali: Anāthapindika), the merchant who donated to the Buddha the land for the Jetavana Monastery.

A nāga king who became a pupil of the Buddha. Gandhara scultpures represent his conversion.

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

Indian Buddhist master (713–763) who came to Tibet in the late 8th century. Said to have been assassinated after a debate with the representatives of Chinese Buddhism. A later legend has him return to India and come back in another body in the eleventh century as the master Padampa Sangye.

Appears to mean “a person from Kañci.” Unidentified. Possibly a description of Pūrna, who is next in the list of the Buddha’s disciples. Alternatively this may be Kaccāna, also known as Kaccāyana, but principally as Katyayāna, one of the Buddha’s ten principal pupils.

The Buddha’s home town.

A principal teacher of the monastic saṅgha during the Buddha’s lifetime. Described as pale skinned and with a prominent nose.

Successive incarnations as the heads of the Karma Kagyu tradition, beginning with Dusum Khyenpa (dus gsum mkhyen pa, 1110–1193).

Pterospermum acerifolium. Other names include bayur, muchakunda, muchalinda, and dinner-plate tree.

One of the three classes of yakṣas at the base of Sumeru, below the paradises of the mahārājas, as part of the lowest class of paradises in the desire realm. Their name means “those who have basins in their hands.” They are said to be at the very base of Sumeru, and worry that the rising ocean is going to flood them. Because they are continually bailing out water with the basins, they are unable to follow the path to enlightenment.

The lunar month in autum which falls in October-November, which in general Indian tradition was considered the most powerful time to perform good actions.

The name of King Mahā­karuṇā­cintin as given in verse.

One of the Buddha’s principal pupils, who became the Buddha’s successor on his passing. Also the name of the preceding Buddha, the third in this eon, with Śākyamuni as the fourth. Also one of the seven great rishis of ancient India at the origin of Vedic culture. He is portrayed in this sūtra as coming to make offerings to the Buddha along with the other great rishis.

The court priest in the Buddha’s father’s kingdom, he predicted the Buddha’s enlightenment, and was the first of the Buddha’s pupils to become an arhat.

A rishi, usually said to be identical with Viśvamati, but his son and descendants also carried this name.

Foremost among the Buddha’s pupils in analytic reasoning.

One of the principal pupils of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug tradition. Also retrospectively know as the first Panchen Lama (b. 1385−d. 1438).

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

Literally “pain,” “torment,” or “affliction.” In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit it means literally “impurity” or “depravity.” In its technical use in Buddhism it means any negative quality in the mind that causes continued existence in saṃsāra. The basic three kleśas are ignorance, attachment, and aversion. Also rendered here as “affliction.”

Another name of Maudgalyāyana, one of the Buddha’s two principal pupils. Kolita was the name of his home village, or was (according to The Chapter on Going Forth) a name given by his relatives meaning “born from the lap” [of the gods].

A quarter of a yojana, a distance that could be between one and over two miles. The milestones or kos-stones along the Indian trunk road were just over two miles apart. The Tibetan means “earshot.”

A nāga king.

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

A bodhisattva in the distant past.

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

See “bhūmi.”

This can include any method for liberation. The most commonly listed are the eight liberations: (1) form viewing form: the view of dependent origination and emptiness; (2) the formless viewing form: having seen internal emptiness, seeing the emptiness of external forms; (3) the view of the pleasant: seeing pleasant appearances as empty and contemplating the unpleasant; (4) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of infinite space; (5) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of infinite consciousness; (6) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of nothingness; (7) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of neither perception nor nonperception; and (8) seeing the emptiness of the state of cessation.

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

Honorific term for a Tibetan translator.

Magnolia campaca.

A king in the time of Buddha Ghoṣadatta.

A prince who was a pupil of Buddha Abhāva­samudgata countless eons ago.

A bodhisattva in the audience.

An unidentified mountain mentioned in a number of sūtras, not apparently connected to the well known nāga of that name (who is also known as Mucilinda), but perhaps to the sacred mucilinda tree, known in English mainly as the bayur tree.

A nāga king.

Four deities on the base of Mount Meru, each one the guardian of his direction: Vaiśravaṇa in the north, Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the east, Virūpākṣa in the west, and Virūḍhaka in the south.

One of the two principal bodhisattvas in Sukhāvatī, and prominent in Chinese Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is identified with Vajrapāṇi, though they are separate bodhisattvas in the sūtras.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

A synonym for Maitreya.

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

One of the three classes of yakṣas at the base of Meru, below the paradises of the mahārājas, as part of the lowest class of paradises in the desire realm. Their name means “with māla beads in their hands,” and they are said to be constantly counting and therefore unable to follow the path to enlightenment.

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

A nāga king.

The sixth bodhisattva bhūmi.

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

In this text:

Also known here as Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Mañjughoṣa or Pañcaśikha.

See “Mañjuśrī.”

In the Indian tradition, Manu, similar to Noah in the Biblical tradition, was the survivor of a flood that covered the world, and so is the ancestor of all humans. On divine advice, he built a boat in which he saved his family and all the plants, seeds, and animals necessary to reintroduce to the world after the flood had diminished.

Said to be the principal deity in Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin, the highest paradise in the desire realm. He is also portrayed as attempting to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment, as in early soteriological religions, the principal deity in saṃsāra, such as Indra, would attempt to prevent anyone’s realization that would lead to such a liberation. The name Māra is also used as a generic name for the deities in his realm, and also as an impersonal term for the factors that keep beings in saṃsāra.

The deities ruled over by Māra who attempted to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment, and who do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra. Also, they are symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent enlightenment. These four personifications are: Devaputra-māra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the Divine Māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; Mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the Māra of Death; Skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the Māra of the Aggregates, which is the body; and Kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the Māra of the Afflictions.

A famous Puranic rishi of India, who features particularly in the Shaivite literature.

A prince who was a former life of Śākyamuni.

One of the two principal pupils of the Buddha, renowned for miraculous powers. He was assassinated during the Buddha’s lifetime. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyāyana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” See also under Kolita, his other name.

Buddha Śākyamuni’s mother.

The meaning of this term varies according to context; as one of the skandhas it means the entire array of negative, positive, and neutral mental activities.

Early Mahāyāna sūtras identify this as separate from Sumeru, the mountain at the center of the world. This refers to a legendary mountain in such epics as the Mahābhārata that while sacred is not situated at the world’s center.

A bodhisattva.

A bodhisattva.

(The rendering Merugāja is according to Dutt.)

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

Literally, “gait” or “way of moving,” but also more metaphorically “demeanour,” “stance;” and abstractly “manner,” “type,” “mode.”

A kettledrum 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.