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རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཏོག་གི་གཟུངས།

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī
Chapter 11

Ratnaketudhāraṇī

འཕགས་པ་འདུས་པ་ཆེན་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཏོག་གི་གཟུངས་ཤེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

’phags pa ’dus pa chen po rin po che tog gi gzungs shes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī” from the Great Collection

Āryamahāsannipātaratnaketudhāraṇīnāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 138

Degé Kangyur, vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 187.b–277.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

Śilendrabodhi
Yeshé Dé

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2020

Current version v 1.0.29 (2024)

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co.

Summary

s.1

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī is one of the core texts of the Mahāsannipāta collection of Mahāyāna sūtras that dates back to the formative period of Mahāyāna Buddhism, from the first to the third century ᴄᴇ. Its rich and varied narratives, probably redacted from at least two independent works, recount significant events from the lives, past and present, of the Buddha Śākyamuni and some of his main followers and opponents, both human and nonhuman. At the center of these narratives is the climactic episode from the Buddha’s life when Māra, the personification of spiritual death, sets out to destroy the Buddha and his Dharma. The mythic confrontation between these paragons of light and darkness, and the Buddha’s eventual victory, are related in vivid detail. The main narratives are interwoven with Dharma instructions and interspersed with miraculous events. The text also exemplifies two distinctive sūtra genres, “prophecies” (vyākaraṇa) and “incantations” (dhāraṇī), as it includes, respectively, prophecies of the future attainment of buddhahood by some of the Buddha’s followers and the potent phrases that embody the Buddha’s teachings and are meant to ensure their survival and the thriving of its practitioners.

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Acknowledgements

ac.1

This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the extant parts from the Sanskrit and wrote the introduction. Timothy Hinkle compared the translation from the Sanskrit against the Tibetan translation and translated from the Tibetan the parts that are lost in the original Sanskrit.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

ac.2

The generous sponsorship of Twenty and family, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is gratefully acknowledged. They would like to dedicate their sponsorship to Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche.

Introduction

i.1

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī presents the dramatic events in the life of the Buddha when Māra attempts to destroy the Buddha, break up the Saṅgha, and annihilate the Dharma, a struggle from which the Buddha eventually emerges victorious. This epic confrontation is told with tremendous verve and poignancy, and features characters, dialogue, and plot twists that rank among the best in Buddhist literature. The narrative starts with its own version of the well-known story of the conversion of two of the Buddha’s most prominent early disciples, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, and is soon embellished with quaint stories from the past lives of some of the characters, ranging from well-known buddha figures down to (at one time) ordinary human and nonhuman beings. The parts of the narrative that unfold on earth are centered around the city of Rājagṛha, the capital of Magadha. They provide some interesting insight into the everyday life of India at the time, with its division into secular and religious members of society, and vividly capture the experiences that Buddhist monks might have had when going on their daily alms-rounds in the city streets. This is interspersed with lively dialogue that is at once didactic and aesthetically captivating. Especially moving is the conversation that Māra has with his children, when the daughters try to console their distraught father, who bitterly despairs over the impending loss of his realm and the humiliation of seeing his minions, even his own children, desert him, with all the pathos of a broken old man and all the obduracy of a petulant child.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī
from the Great Collection

Homage

[F.187.b] [B1]10

h.1

Homage to the thus-gone Splendorous with the Gentle Glow of Light and Fragrance!

h.2

Homage to the one with the melodious voice of Mahābrahmā!

h.3

Having paid homage to him, one should employ the dhāraṇī called unharmed by the assemblies of Māra. May I accomplish the following mantra:11

h.4

Avāme avāme amvare amvare {TK4} parikuñja naṭa naṭa puṣkaravaha jalukha khama khaya ili mili kili mili kīrtipara mudre mudramukhe svāhā! {TK5}

Chapter 1

1.1

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Veṇuvana, at the Kalandakanivāpa, near the city of Rājagṛha, with a great saṅgha of a thousand monks, all of whom were noble ones. They had all exhausted defilements, were free from the afflictions, were powerful, had liberated minds, had liberated insight, were of noble birth, were great elephants,12 had done what needed to be done, had completed their mission, had cast off the burden, had achieved their own welfare, had severed the bonds that tied them to existence, had liberated their minds with genuine knowledge, and had perfected all mental powers. There was also a great saṅgha of ten thousand bodhisattvas, including [F.188.a] {TK6} the princely youth Holder of Meru’s Peak, the princely youth Varuṇamati, the princely youth Sumati, the princely youth Jayamati, the princely youth Jinamati, the princely youth Intelligent Light, the princely youth Intelligent Sky, the princely youth Intelligent Lightning, the princely youth Mañjuśrī, the princely youth Durdharṣa, the princely youth Varuṇa, the princely youth Vimala, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, and others. Each of these ten thousand bodhisattvas had achieved acceptance, retention, and absorption. {TK7} Each possessed the wisdom that is unobscured by any phenomenon, had equal concern for all beings, had transcended all the domains of Māra, and had entered the domain of all the thus-gone ones. Each was knowledgeable, possessed great love and compassion, and was skilled in means.

Chapter 2

2.1

The daughters and sons of Māra, accompanied by their retinues, said to the Blessed One, “The extent to which the Thus-Gone One is endowed with means and wisdom is incredible! We seek, O Blessed One, the same sort of Dharma vehicle, wisdom, magical powers, compassion, means, and eloquence. What are the qualities, O Blessed One, that a person should have in order to not fall into the hands of evil companions, but instead swiftly realize unsurpassed and perfect awakening?”

Chapter 3

3.1

While the Ratnaketu dhāraṇī was being recited by the thus-gone Śākyamuni, the entire Sahā world became clearly visible, illuminated by a powerful light. The one hundred billion lords of sensual pleasure, each one a māra active in one of the one hundred billion worlds of four continents in this buddha field of Śākyamuni, became alarmed by this display of the Buddha’s power and directed their eyes toward this world of four continents. “Where is this light emanating from?” they wondered. “Surely this must be through the power of Māra, the evil one, who lives in that particular world of four continents. He is stronger, mightier, and more powerful than us.”

Chapter 4

4.1

When the four great hearers were, as described before, in the great city of Rājagṛha collecting alms, they were rudely accosted by the māra youths who urged them, “Dance, monk! Sing, monk!” When, subsequently, the great hearers, running along the street, sang their verses with lyrics that describe the path to nirvāṇa, this great earth trembled. At that moment many hundreds of thousands of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, inspired with faith in the Blessed One’s instructions,215 said this, their faces awash with tears:

Chapter 5

5.1

The millions of māras then thought, “We should adorn the gates of the city through which the Blessed One is to enter, as well as the earth surrounding them, with sublime and magnificent ornaments in the same manner as the gods, nāgas, and yakṣas have adorned the surroundings of the city.”

5.2

With his mind, however, the Blessed One knew the thoughts of the millions of māras,[F.227.a] and he manifested a miracle such that through the twelve gates of the city, twelve blessed buddhas entered the city of Rājagṛha. The millions of māras then, while hovering in the sky, adorned the city gates, the area around them, the city walls, its trees, and the surface of the earth with magical ornaments of the māra realm, as well as countless other magnificent miraculous manifestations set in the finest and most beautiful arrangements. Some of the millions of māras transformed into guises ranging from that of Brahmā to those of great sages. {TK131} From their perch in the sky, they placed various flowers, incense, scented powders, garlands, gold, silver, jewels, and pearls on the windows, ledges, and turrets of the mansions in the city, as well as in the trees. They also cast down a rain of cloth, cotton, linen, and ornaments, played many instruments, and venerated the Blessed One with songs of praise, extolling his qualities. The Blessed One then entered Rājagṛha’s city gates, adorned as they were with a supremely extensive and elevating display made in such a novel, incredible, and miraculous fashion.

Chapter 6

6.1

At that time the thus-gone Akṣobhya set out from the world in the east called Abhirati in the company of an infinite number of bodhisattva great beings. Through the power and mastery of miracles particular to a buddha, he arrived instantaneously in the buddha field that includes the central world with its four continents, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Śākyamuni was staying. Having arrived, he sat upon a lotus seat that appeared just as needed. The bodhisattva great beings [F.237.a] from his retinue also sat upon lotus seats that appeared through their own magical power.

Chapter 7

7.1

At that time, a bodhisattva great being called Discriminating Intellect was seated before the blessed, thus-gone [F.250.a] Glorious and Brilliantly Shining Jewel, not far from the blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni. For a short time he was in the guise of Brahmā, before instantaneously appearing in the form of Māra. He likewise briefly appeared in the forms of Śakra, as well as a lord of the gods in the heavens of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, Delighting in Emanations, Tuṣita, Free from Strife, and the Four Great Kings, as well as in the form of Maheśvara, and also as a yakṣa, an asura, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a mahoraga, a rākṣasa, a preta, a piśāca, a kumbhāṇḍa, a kṣatriya, a brahmin, a vaiśya, a śūdra, a lion, an elephant, a buffalo, and myriad other species of the animal realm. Instantaneously he appeared in the form of a bird, a tree, a mountain, fruit, clothing, bedding, heavy cloth, a vase, ornaments, jewelry, medicinal herbs, and a jewel. Instantaneously he also appeared in the form of a monk, a nun, and a buddha. Instantaneously he appeared in eighty-four different colors, characteristics, shapes, and forms.

Chapter 8

8.1

At that time, the thus-gone Akṣobhya addressed the entire assembly: “Noble children, all of you śakras, brahmās, world protectors, and lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and so forth, as well as human and nonhuman beings, who have arrived here out of faith in the buddhas’ teaching‍—I will uplift you! It is rare to find such a congregation of the blessed buddhas, bodhisattva great beings, śakras, [F.252.a] brahmās, world protectors, and lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and so forth, as well as human and nonhuman beings! Therefore, now that you have seen this, may those of you who are happy to sustain this sacred Dharma‍—this Dharma method‍—and propagate the lineage of the Three Jewels in the future in this buddha field each make an aspiration before the Blessed One.” {TK204}

Chapter 9

9.1

The blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni then said, “O all you [F.258.a] blessed buddhas who have come here to this buddha field motivated by compassion to engage in discussion, please give these beings your attention. These noble children will satisfy others with clothing, food, drink, medicine, and supplies. They will use the female form to mature others for unsurpassed and perfect awakening. From the moment they developed the mind of awakening in order to mature others, they have been dedicated to emanating and providing clothing, food, drink, medicine, and supplies to fulfill their hopes‍—no matter what, why, or how these things are desired. These sublime beings will enact this great power and be able to serve beings with what is enjoyable and useful.”

10.

Chapter 10

10.1

The thus-gone Māndāravagandharoca then addressed the thus-gone Śākyamuni, saying, “In the past, previous thus-gone ones came from their disparate buddha fields and congregated in buddha fields that were afflicted and rife with the five degenerations. They excellently blessed this sacred Dharma method. They defeated billions of māras and gazed upon all beings with the eyes of great love and compassion. They freed them from evil views, lit the lamp of insight, and laid out the peaceful path. They delivered this Dharma discourse, this exposition of the dhāraṇī-seal, including its verbal formula, which is called the terminator of birth based on the essential nature of phenomena in their vajra-like indivisibility. Thus they defeated the black faction and planted the banner of the Dharma. In the same way, right now, so many of us blessed buddhas who live and spend our time in the ten directions have assembled in this buddha field filled with the afflictions and the five degenerations out of our concern for others. We have performed acts such as excellently blessing this Dharma method and so forth, as well as planting the banner of the Dharma. However, Śākyamuni, [F.260.a] after your sun has set, who will reign supreme in this buddha field? Who will uphold this sacred Dharma? {TK230} Who will nurture these Dharma methods? Who will bring beings to maturity? Who will be included in this great assembly? Into whose hands shall I entrust this Dharma discourse?”

11.

Chapter 11

11.1

Now the blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni addressed Śakra, Brahmā, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Kubera:

“O sublime beings, I have fully realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening in this buddha field, which is afflicted by the five degenerations and lacking in Dharma, through my compassionate dedication to sentient beings. In order to quell the pain of beings441 thrown into the darkness of ignorance and overwhelmed by the thieves and rogues of the afflictions,442 I have conquered the faction of Māra, raised the banner of the sacred Dharma, delivered countless beings from suffering, rained showers of the sacred Dharma, and defeated ten million māras.

11.2

“O sublime beings, {K159} this Dharma discourse and exposition of the dhāraṇī-seal, including its verbal formula, which is called the terminator of birth based on the essential nature of phenomena in their vajra-like indivisibility, [F.266.a] has been consecrated {TK243} by infinite numbers of blessed buddhas and bodhisattva great beings, impossible to count, who have gathered from the world spheres in the ten directions; it has been consecrated by them to pacify the negativities of beings in this buddha field who depend for life on the earth’s vitality to bring them to maturity, to exhaust all their negative action, to ensure the long continuity of the lineage of the Three Jewels,… and to completely fulfill all the buddhas’ intentions. So, too, you should bless it and protect it.

11.3

“I entrust you with the responsibility for the formation of merit through the roots of virtue of anyone who protects this sacred Dharma method. Likewise, I entrust you with the responsibility for the formation of merit through the roots of virtue of anyone who imparts the scriptures or recites, memorizes, pronounces, or explains them, goes for refuge in the Three Jewels, maintains lay vows, or observes pure conduct. I also entrust you with the responsibility for the formation of merit in the process that begins with entry into the first concentration and continues until the cultivation of the cessation of perception and sensation, as well as the process that begins with actualizing the fruit of entering the stream443 and continues until actualizing the awakening of buddhahood. I entrust you with the responsibility for the formation of the roots of virtue of these kinds of accumulations of merit in the present and in the future, as well as the formation of merit that results from shining the lamp of the sacred Dharma. I entrust you with the responsibility for the formation of merit for anyone who strives to propagate the Dharma methods blessed by the thus-gone ones. Anyone in the future who retains, or even writes down, this Dharma in the form of a book and carries it will purify all karmic action through this Dharma discourse. Friends, whether in a town, a home, or another place, should a Dharma preacher bathe, put on new garments, and sit on a lion throne strewn with various flowers, censed with fragrant incense, and covered with fine fabrics and linens to teach this Dharma discourse from the tip of his tongue, or even just write it down and recite it, will you care for the Dharma teacher and student? Will you protect the Dharma students? [F.266.b] {TK244} If you do not go there to exhaust the nonvirtue of both yourselves and others, you will have deceived us and will have become deluded with regard to the development of the path.”

11.4

Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, then made a pledge to the Blessed One, “Now or in the future, as long as this sacred Dharma method still exists, should a Dharma teacher, or a faithful noble son or daughter‍—whether a monk or a nun, a layman or a laywoman‍—in any village, town, city, country, border town, capital, temple, forest, palace, brahmin household, merchant household, or common household, first bathe, anoint their body, and put on new garments and then, in a courtyard adorned with various flowers, take a seat on a lion throne that is covered with fine fabrics and linens, censed with fragrant incense, and surrounded by delicious foods and teach this dhāraṇī-seal extensively to others from the tip of their tongue or, alternatively, write it down or read it, if I do not come, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of members of my retinue, to protect that Dharma teacher and clear away the afflicted karmic actions of those Dharma students‍—both myself and others444‍—and to ripen their virtuous qualities, to nurture this great Dharma method, and set them on the supreme path of the great light of wisdom‍—if I do not come to care for those villages… and common households and fill their treasuries and granaries with wealth and grain, then I will have transgressed the unprecedented vow I took before the blessed buddhas. [F.267.a] {TK245}

11.5

“My dhāraṇī is as follows: aṃ guha aṃ guha dhaṅga pura hana yami kha kha kha kha kha kha khava khava klinnakhava svāhā!

“Blessed One, if I do not come to support and satisfy those Dharma teachers and students with treasuries and granaries of wealth and grain, then I will have transgressed my vow.”

All the blessed buddhas, bodhisattva great beings, gods, humans, and asuras expressed their approval of Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world.

11.6

Then Kauśika repeated Brahmā’s vow and said, “My dhāraṇī is khavam rikha khavam rikha na lagha amudaña amuvaha akaṭaṭa akha aśakha jinavrakhe svāhā! Blessed One, if I do not follow through on my pledge, then I will have transgressed my vows.” Everyone then expressed their approval of Śakra, lord of the gods.

11.7

Next Virūḍhaka spoke up as well, repeating the same vow {TK246} before saying, “My dhāraṇī is ukhanavana vasavana samudrasaṅṅidjña tathachyudta varuṇa vavārājā svāhā!”445 Everyone also expressed their approval of Virūḍhaka, the great king.

11.8

Now Virūpākṣa spoke up, [F.267.b] repeating the same vow before saying, “My dhāraṇī is jalaugha atogha amama mogha amasarājanacaryayamuja svāhā!” Everyone expressed their approval of Virūpākṣa, the great king.

11.9

Next Dhṛtarāṣṭra spoke up as well, repeating the same vow before saying, “My dhāraṇī is bindujava khava javaramukha kṣa sāra {TK247} pukavaha amārgavaṭa svāhā!” Everyone expressed their approval of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the great king.

11.10

Then Kubera spoke up as well, repeating the same vow before saying, “My dhāraṇī is kṣutre kṣu kṣu kṣutre kha kṣutre atikṣutre anayanakṣutre hrīdakṣutre sagarahrīdakṣutre saṃkusukṣutre dharmakṣayamutre svāhā!” Everyone also expressed their approval of Kubera, the great king.

11.11

After this, twelve hundred great yakṣa commanders who live in this world system of four continents and guard it; forty thousand who live in other four-continent systems; and other gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, [F.268.a] and mahoragas of great magical power all said with one voice, “Blessed One, now or in the future, as long as this sacred Dharma lamp still shines, should a Dharma teacher, or a faithful noble son or daughter‍—whether a monk or a nun, a layman or a laywoman‍—in any village, town, city, country, border town, {TK248} capital, forest, palace, brahmin household, merchant household, aristocratic household, or common household, first bathe, anoint their body, and put on new garments and then, in a courtyard adorned with various flowers and censed with fragrant incense, take a seat on a lion throne that is covered with fine fabrics and linens and surrounded by delicious foods and teach this dhāraṇī-seal extensively to others from the tip of their tongue or, alternatively, write it down or read it, if any one of us does not come surrounded by hundreds of thousands of members in our retinues to such places to protect the Dharma teacher and the students, protect their assemblies, protect other beings, and bring beings to maturity; or if we and our retinues do not heed their command and protect them; or if we do not come there and fill their treasuries and granaries with much wealth and grain; or if we do not avert beings’ discord, quarrels, famines, diseases, foreign invasions, untimely rains, storms, cold snaps, and heatwaves, then we will have deceived, betrayed, and displeased the blessed buddhas of the past, present, and future. [F.268.b] Our bodies will then be struck by leprosy, our sight will deteriorate, and our bodies will rot. We and our retinues will propagate this Dharma method of the blessed {TK249} thus-gone Śākyamuni in both the present and the future in this four-continent world. We will teach this Dharma discourse. We will protect people who have faith in this Dharma discourse. We will nurture them. We will make them mature. {K160}446We will encourage any Dharma teacher to teach this Dharma discourse in order to purify bad actions. We will cause the wealth, grain harvests, enjoyments, and pleasures of these Dharma teachers and students to increase. We will support the doctrine of the victorious ones so that it is not destroyed.”

11.12

Hearing this, all the blessed buddhas applauded all the human and nonhuman beings. The bodhisattva Kautūhalika, the great being, asked the thus-gone Śākyamuni, “Blessed One, what is this? Are all the billions of māras here with their retinues?”

“Yes, they are here with their retinues,” the Blessed One replied.

11.13

The bodhisattva Kautūhalika then asked, “Have all of them and their retinues developed faith in the Three Jewels?”447

“No, O noble son!” answered the Blessed One. “Māra, the evil one, who has thousands of servants, has not developed faith. He is outraged and frustrated now and will still be so in the future. He will wait and watch for the opportunity, for as long as this method of the sacred Dharma is glorified, to strive [F.269.a] to bring about {K161} its destruction and disappearance. Likewise, the eighty māras with their thirteen thousand servants, and the two hundred māras with their twenty-one servants, have not developed faith in the Three Jewels. They are outraged and frustrated now and will still be so in the future. As long as this method of the sacred {TK250} Dharma proliferates, they will wait and watch for the opportunity to harm my doctrine. They will strive to destroy and obliterate it. Why is this?448

11.14

“It is because they are under the sway of their previous enmity. They have not planted any roots of virtue, have been taken in by evil companions, have no desire for the happiness of nirvāṇa, and are discouraged by virtue. Because they have not made any aspirations, they are unable to put their thoughts together, cannot be faithful, are never pleased, and do not become liberated. However, simply because they have seen this great gathering of the buddhas and heard this profound dhāraṇī discourse, they will later develop faith in unsurpassable and perfect awakening.”449

11.15

450“Blessed One, it is incredible,” marveled the bodhisattva Kautūhalika, {K162} “that if beings who have not produced roots of virtue hear this Dharma discourse, that in itself becomes a cause for their unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Well-Gone One, it is incredible.”

11.16

At that time there was a māra named Agasti who had worshiped former victors, developed roots of virtue, discovered unfailing faith in the Three Jewels, and received his prophecy of unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Appearing in the guise of a great sage, he sat before the thus-gone Śākyamuni. He rose from his seat and, gazing ahead, joined his palms together. Invigorated by the blessed buddhas, he filled the entire buddha field with his voice, saying, [F.269.b] “Buddhas and bodhisattva great beings, please give me your attention! Gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, {TK251} mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, māras and your retinues, heed my words! This teacher, the blessed Śākyamuni, is a lord of great compassion. He is a teacher who eliminates all degenerated buddha fields and perfects them with a complete array of positive attributes. It is through his past aspirations that he fully awakened to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood in this kind of buddha field, which is rife with the afflictions and the five degenerations. Thus he proceeded to mature the minds of beings who have committed the acts of immediate retribution, who spurn the sacred Dharma, slander noble beings, develop roots of nonvirtue, and indulge in evil deeds. He set out to turn them back from the three lower realms, to bring them to maturity in the three vehicles, to establish them in absorption, dhāraṇī, and acceptance, to purify the buddha field, and to ensure that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted.

11.17

“I implore you to ensure, by whatever means necessary, that this Teacher’s doctrine remains for a long time, so that this way of the buddhas is put into practice and does not perish. Otherwise, whether now or in the future, should this doctrine of the victors that the Thus-Gone One teaches be deprecated, threatened, or assailed by anyone, whether a māra or their retinue, then I implore you all to prevent this situation and dispel distractions and the obstacle to virtue. The same applies should Māra, the sons or daughters of Māra, his male or female retinue, or his messengers wait and watch for the opportunity to harm those who uphold this sacred Dharma, who exert themselves in it or teach it; or if they do so to monks or nuns, laymen or laywomen, or any noble sons or daughters who have faith and listen to the Dharma; or if they do so to those who are diligent in body, speech, and mind, delight in the creation of merit, [F.270.a] and exert themselves in {TK252} acts of venerating the Three Jewels; or if they do so to those who exert themselves in discarding the afflictions ubiquitous in the three realms; or if they do so to those who seek to completely free all beings from suffering.

11.18

“I pray to all the blessed buddhas of the present: please bestow the mastery of activity upon me! All bodhisattva great beings, retinues of Māra, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, please be on my side! All who abide on the earth within this buddha field, please be on my side in order to benefit all beings and ensure the longevity of the Buddha’s teaching, the way of the sacred Dharma. Bestow the mastery of mantra upon me! I shall then oppose Māra and his retinues by intoning a mantra that serves to destroy, disturb, harm, and intimidate them and destroy their magical powers. This mantra will hurt Māra, the sons or daughters of Māra, his male or female retinue, and his messengers, should they persist in arousing just a single faithless attitude toward the blessed ones’ teaching, or should they develop intentions to harm a monk, or even disturb his mind and the like for a brief moment, or cross-examine him. Should they decide to endanger any village, town, city, country, {TK253} capital, or border town; [F.270.b] or should they desire to cause strife, discord, famine, disease, or foreign invasions, or untimely winds, rain, cold, or heat, or any flooding, earthquakes, fissures in the earth, or falling meteors in a place where this Dharma discourse is taught; or should they spoil the nutrients in leaves, flowers, fruit, grain, or herbs, then, as soon as they form that wish, I will ravage them with plagues. I will make their bodies heavy, dark, degenerate, stinky, inefficient, and unable to get up. I will then tie them down with a fivefold noose and the like, until they are unable to move their limbs. I will then bring darkness upon them such that they no longer can see the shining sun. Because of the loss of their magical powers,451 their minds will then become disturbed and their six sense faculties will be unable to apprehend objects. The dhāraṇī is:

11.19

amale ahaṃ male ahaṃ male ajavava ajavava mūlasare vyākhasale jamasale haha haha haha ghorasaṭṭa jatakhaga jñeyakhaga vijñevāsakhaga amūkṣara kṣakṣakṣa kṣakṣakṣa mūlabaha khagasvakajña svaparivartamūra ajñajña vāyujñajña {TK254} candrasūryaujñajña nāvahajñajña khurakṣajñajña babajñajña bhūtakoṭitathatājñajña sarvajñebhir {K163} adhiṣṭhitajñajña vakrama trigatakṣava kṣamamakṣamajña kṣitāmāraviṣaya svāhā!”

11.20

By the blessing of the omniscient ones, the ephemeral dominions of Māra faded away and became ineffective. The same happened to all those who harbored ill will. All the blessed buddhas applauded Kautūhalika, and so did all the bodhisattva great beings, the gods, and the other human and nonhuman beings. [F.271.a] Simultaneously, the earth in that area trembled, the waters were stirred,452 and the kings of mountains quaked. Except for those who had faith in the Buddha’s teachings and the bodhisattvas among them who had attained acceptance, Māra, his retinue, and the kaṭapūtanas were shaken.453

11.21

Māra, the evil one, inquired of the bodhisattva Dṛḍhamati, “O noble son, where has the power of the māra Agasti gone? And where is his might, if, because of the cruel Buddha, his own followers and also the power and valor of my own realm have been destroyed, the dark factions have been defeated,454 and the followers of the monk Gautama who preaches the extreme form of nihilism have been elevated? I myself, after hearing that dhāraṇī, have become stinky {TK255} and sweaty and unable to act. It has grown dark for me in all directions, and I can’t see the light. I am burning with great anguish.”

11.22

“The māra Agasti, O evil one, has brought about the ruin of the entire realm of Māra, along with its power and valor,” replied the bodhisattva Dṛḍhamati. “This transpired through the blessing of all the buddhas, involving the power of all human and nonhuman beings. {K164} He pronounced this dhāraṇī with its mantra words that cannot be conquered by others. So please, evil one, be inspired with faith in the presence of the thus-gone ones and develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening, so that you may be freed from the suffering of your body, speech, and mind.”

11.23

Māra, the evil one, retorted, “I would rather endure worse suffering of my evil body, speech, and mind than this, far into the unreckonable future, than to develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”

11.24

This concludes the eleventh chapter on protecting the methods of the sacred Dharma in the “Ratnaketu” section of the Great Collection of Mahāyāna sūtras. {K165} {TK256}

12.

Chapter 12

12.1

The great general of the yakṣas, [F.271.b] Āṭavaka, in the form of the yakṣa Bhīṣaṇaka, and Saṃjñika in the form of a deer, Jñānolka in the form of a monkey, Tṛṣṇājaha in the form of a jackal,455 and Chinnasrotas in the form of an elephant‍—these five great beings‍—were sitting not too far from the thus-gone Śākyamuni and in front of the thus-gone Kauṇḍiṇyārcis. From each of their bodies a pure light radiated, suffused with fragrance. Each of these five great beings was holding in his hands a great precious gem called Starlight for the sake of worshipping the Blessed One.456

13.

Chapter 13

13.1

At this time, all the blessed buddhas displayed the signs of rising and returning472 to their respective buddha fields. At the same moment, the beings of this entire assembly, who were on earth as well as in the sky, shuddered, and so did the entire earth. A rain of flowers poured from the sky, millions of instruments resounded in midair, and all kinds of fragrances of perfume and incense were released. As the entire buddha field filled with light, those in the assembly pressed their hands together. Then Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, asked the thus-gone Mahācandanagandha, “How many roots of virtue, O Blessed One, will those beings accumulate who in the future uphold and preserve this Dharma discourse‍—who read it, master it, and teach it authentically and extensively to others? How many roots of virtue will those beings accumulate who set it down in writing and uphold it in writing?473 What qualities will they be rewarded with by the blessed buddhas?”

Colophon

c.1

Because of the special merit that I have accumulated when refining, with all my devotion, care, and a joyous mind,

The text of this Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī‍—the dhāraṇī that removes great fear‍—

May this entire world obtain in this very moment this Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī

Adorned with words of the Sage’s doctrine, clear in meaning, and resplendent with great qualities!

Tibetan Translators’ Colophon

c.2

This sūtra was translated by the Indian preceptor Śilendrabodhi and the translator-editor Yeshé Dé. It was later standardized in line with the new terminological register.

ab.

Abbreviations

D	Tibetan Degé edition
G	Gilgit manuscript
K	Kurumiya 1978 (page numbers entered in braces, e.g. {K26} denotes page 26)
TK	Kurumiya 1979 (page numbers entered in braces, e.g. {TK26} denotes page 26)

Notes

n.1

Braarvig 1993.

n.2

Kurumiya 1978.

n.3

Denkarma, folio 297.a.4. See also Herrmann-Pfandt (2008), p. 52, no. 91.

n.4

Phangthangma, p. 7 (with abbreviated title ’phags pa rin po che’i tog).

n.5

Interestingly, the catalog of the Narthang Kangyur records the tradition that The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī was first translated into Tibetan by Tönmi Sambhoṭa (thon mi sam+b+ho Ta), the legendary seventh century minister and scholar credited with the development of the Tibetan alphabet during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo (ca. 617–650). See Narthang Catalog, folio 14.a.1, and Skilling 1997, p. 89.

n.6

Lamotte 2001, pp. 1541–42.

n.7

This information is based on a private communiqué from Peter Skilling, who does not recall seeing the feminine form vyākaraṇī in any other sūtra.

n.8

Toh 1-1, 1.233 et seq.; see translation in Miller et al. (2018). The Chapter on Going Forth contains a much longer and more detailed account of the story of Upatiṣya and Kaulita (Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana), but the culmination of their story in their encounter with Aśvajit and meeting with the Buddha is related in the present text with a little more detail, including some verses of which the Vinayavastu account has much briefer equivalents. The main additional element in the story in the present version‍—the advent of Māra following that meeting with Aśvajit‍—is of course the narrative theme that ties together all the component parts of The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī.

n.10

The following section, up to “I must make them embrace the view of the evil one” at 1.19, has been translated entirely from the Tib., filling a lengthy lacuna in the Skt. text.

n.11

Because of their magical character, uncertain readings, and the extent of corruption, the Sanskrit dhāraṇī formulae in this text would be impossible to translate in full. Although some individual words and phrases are intelligible, it would be risky to attempt a coherent translation‍—the alliterations (which possibly are part of the magic), for example, would be impossible to replicate in English. These dhāraṇīs have therefore been quoted throughout the translation in the original Sanskrit, with some editorial emendments that affect mainly word divisions and orthography. These emendments by no means make the Sanskrit text correct or even consistent, and have not been reported in the critical apparatus.

n.12

The Buddha and his hearer disciples are often compared to elephants or “great elephants” (mahānāga).

n.215

“Instructions” is not in the Tib.

n.441

“In order to quell the pain of beings” has been supplied from the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.442

“Overwhelmed by the thieves and rogues of the afflictions” has been supplied from the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.443

The beginning of this paragraph up to this point the translation relies heavily on the Tib. because of frequent lacunae in the Skt. text; from this point on, up to the words “we will encourage any Dharma teacher” at the end of 11.11, the translation is entirely from the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.444

Translation tentative. Tib. bdag dang gzhan gnyi ga’i nyon mongs pa’i las yongs su sbyang ba’am.

n.445

The Skt. of this dhāraṇī is too corrupt to be edited reliably.

n.446

Translation from the Skt. resumes here.

n.447

Missing passages from the Skt. text corresponding to the translated section beginning with “I entrust you with the responsibility…” at {K159} to this point have been supplied from the Tib.

n.448

Gaps in this paragraph have been filled in using the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.449

Gaps in this paragraph have been filled in using the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.450

From this point, up to the words “the loss of their magical powers” near the end of 11.18, the translation is mostly from the Tib. (Skt. lacunae).

n.451

Translation from the Skt. resumes here.

n.452

In place of “the waters were stirred,” the Tib. reads “the clouds billowed.”

n.453

The translation of the last sentence is based on the Tib. and the Chinese. The Skt. reads, “Trembled also Māra along with his retinue. However, the gods, the kaṭapūtanas, and the bodhisattvas, who attained acceptance, did not tremble.”

n.454

“The dark faction defeated” has been supplied from the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.455

In place of “jackal,” the Tib. reads “goat.”

n.456

In place of “Starlight,” the Tib. reads “Firelight.”

n.472

The reading “returning” was obtained by emending the Skt. gagana to gamana (supported by the Tib. and the Chinese).

n.473

The passage from “who read it…” up to this point has been supplied from the Tib.; it is absent in the Skt. text.

Bibliography

Primary literature (manuscripts and editions)

Sanskrit

Dutt, Nalinaksha, ed. Gilgit Manuscripts. Vols. 1–4. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1984.

Kurumiya, Yenshu, ed. Ratnaketuparivarta: Sanskrit Text. Kyoto: Heirakuji-shoten, 1978.

Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī‍—the Gilgit manuscript. National Archives of India, New Delhi.

Tibetan

’phags pa ’dus pa rin po che tog gi gzungs shes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 138, Degé Kangyur vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 187.b–277.b.

’phags pa ’dus pa rin po che tog gi gzungs shes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 56, pp. 509–734.

Kurumiya, Yenshu, ed. ’Dus Pa Chen Po Rin Po Che Tog Gi Gzungs, ’Dus Pa Chen Po Dkon Mchog Dbal Zes Bya Ba’i Gzungs: being the Tibetan translation of the Ratnaketu Parivarta. Kyoto: Heirakuji-shoten, 1979.

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan[/lhan] dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

Narthang Catalog (bka’ ’gyur dkar chag ngo mtshar bkod pa rgya mtsho’i lde mig). Narthang Kangyur vol. 102 (dkar chag), folios 1.a–124.a.

Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.

Translations and secondary literature:

Braarvig, Jens (1993). Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra. Vol. 2, The Tradition of Imperishability in Buddhist Thought. Oslo: Solum Verlag, 1993.

‍—‍—‍—(1985). “Dhāraṇī and Pratibhāna: Memory and Eloquence of the Bodhisattvas.” The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 8, no. 1: 17–29. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1985.

Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Lamotte, Étienne. The Treatise of the Great Virtue of Wisdom of Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra). Translated from the French by Karma Migme Chodron, 2001.

Mak, Bill M. “Ratnaketu-parivarta, Sūryagarbha-parivarta, and Candragarbha-parivarta of Mahāsannipātasūtra (MSN): Indian Jyotiṣa through the lens of Chinese Buddhist Canon.” Paper presented at the World Sanskrit Conference, New Delhi, January 8, 2012.

Miller, Adam T. “To Feel Like We Feel: Reading the Precious Banner Sūtra as Affective Regime.” PhD dissertation. University of Chicago, 2022.

‍—‍—‍—(2013). “The Buddha Said That Buddha Said So: A Translation and Analysis of ‘Pūrvayogaparivarta’ from the Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Sūtra.” MA thesis. University of Missouri-Columbia, 2013.

Miller, Robert, et al., trans. The Chapter on Going Forth (Pravrajyāvastu, Toh 1-1). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

Negi, J. S. Bod skad daṅ Legs-sbyar gyi tshig mdzod chen mo. Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary. Sarnath: Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, 1993.

Skilling, Peter. “From bKa’ bstan bcos to bKa’ ’gyur and bsTan ’gyur.” In Transmission of the Tibetan Canon: Papers Presented at a Panel of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995, edited by Helmut Eimer, 87–111. Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997.

Ui, Hakuju. A catalogue-index of the Tibetan Buddhist canons (Bkaḥ-ḥgyur and Bstan-ḥgyur). Sendai: Tōhoku Imperial University, 1934.

Glossary

Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language

Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.

Approximate attestation

The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.

Source unspecified

This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.1

Abhirati

mngon par dga’ ba

མངོན་པར་དགའ་བ།

abhirati

g.2

absorption

ting nge ’dzin

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།

samādhi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.

In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.

g.3

acceptance

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣānti

g.6

affliction

nyon mongs

ཉོན་མོངས།

kleśa

g.7

Agasti

ri byi

རི་བྱི།

agasti

g.8

aggregate

phung po

ཕུང་པོ།

skandha

g.12

Akṣobhya

mi ’khrugs pa

མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།

akṣobhya

g.20

asura

lha ma yin

ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།

asura

g.23

Āṭavaka

’brog gnas

འབྲོག་གནས།

āṭavaka

g.24

awakening

byang chub

བྱང་ཆུབ།

bodhi

g.29

Bhīṣaṇaka

’jigs ’jigs

འཇིགས་འཇིགས།

bhīṣaṇaka

g.31

black faction

nag po’i phyogs

ནག་པོའི་ཕྱོགས།

kṛṣṇapakṣa

g.32

blessed one

bcom ldan ’das

བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།

bhagavat

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

g.35

bodhisattva

byang chub sems dpa’

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།

bodhisattva

g.36

brahmā

tshangs pa

ཚངས་པ།

brahmā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (Sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (Mahābrahmā).

g.37

Brahmā

tshangs pa

ཚངས་པ།

brahmā

g.39

Buddha

sangs rgyas

སངས་རྒྱས།

buddha

g.44

cessation of perception and sensation

’du shes dang tshor ba ’gog pa

འདུ་ཤེས་དང་ཚོར་བ་འགོག་པ།

saṃjñāvedayitanirodha
saṃjñāveditanirodha

g.45

Chinnasrotas

rgyun bcad pa

རྒྱུན་བཅད་པ།

chinnasrotas

g.47

concentration

bsam gtan

བསམ་གཏན།

dhyāna

g.48

consciousness

rnam par shes pa

རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ།

vijñāna

g.52

Delighting in Emanations

’phrul dga’

འཕྲུལ་དགའ།

nirmāṇarati

g.59

dhāraṇī

gzungs

གཟུངས།

dhāraṇī

g.60

dhāraṇī-seal

gzungs kyi phyag rgya

གཟུངས་ཀྱི་ཕྱག་རྒྱ།

dhāraṇīmudrā

g.61

Dharma

chos

ཆོས།

dharma

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term dharma conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyāyukti. The primary meanings are as follows: the doctrine taught by the Buddha (Dharma); the ultimate reality underlying and expressed through the Buddha’s teaching (Dharma); the trainings that the Buddha’s teaching stipulates (dharmas); the various awakened qualities or attainments acquired through practicing and realizing the Buddha’s teaching (dharmas); qualities or aspects more generally, i.e., phenomena or phenomenal attributes (dharmas); and mental objects (dharmas).

g.62

Dharma discourse

chos kyi rnam grangs

ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་གྲངས།

dharmaparyāya

g.63

Dharma method

chos kyi tshul

ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཚུལ།

dharmanetrī

The Skt. term, which means “way,” “method,” or “system,” could be interpreted as that which is “conducive” to the Dharma, which “leads” to the Dharma or which “guides” in accordance with the principles of the Dharma. In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, it variously refers to individual dhāraṇīs, the sections that deal with these dhāraṇīs, or the entire text of the Ratnaketudhāraṇī.

g.64

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

yul ’khor srung

ཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང་།

dhṛtarāṣṭra

g.65

diligence

brtson ’grus

བརྩོན་འགྲུས།

vīrya

g.66

discipline

tshul khrims

ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།

śīla

g.67

Discriminating Intellect

shin tu rnam par phye ba’i blo gros

ཤིན་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་ཕྱེ་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།

g.70

Dṛḍhamati

sra ba’i blo gros

སྲ་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།

dṛḍhamati

g.72

Durdharṣa

thub dka’

ཐུབ་དཀའ།

durdharṣa

g.80

exposition

lung bstan

ལུང་བསྟན།

vyākaraṇa

g.85

five aggregates

phung po lnga

ཕུང་པོ་ལྔ།

pañcaskandha

g.86

five degenerations

snyigs ma lnga

སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།

pañcakaṣāya

g.88

form

gzugs

གཟུགས།

rūpa

g.89

formation

’du byed

འདུ་བྱེད།

saṃskāra

g.94

Four Great Kings

rgyal po chen po bzhi

རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།

caturmahārāja

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahārājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

g.100

Free from Strife

’thab bral

འཐབ་བྲལ།

yāma

g.101

gandharva

dri za

དྲི་ཟ།

gandharva

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.”

g.103

garuḍa

nam mkha’ lding

ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།

garuḍa

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.

g.104

Gautama

gau ta ma

གཽ་ཏ་མ།

gautama

g.105

generosity

sbyin pa

སྦྱིན་པ།

dāna

g.109

Glorious and Brilliantly Shining Jewel

nor bu ’od ’bar ba dpal

ནོར་བུ་འོད་འབར་བ་དཔལ།

g.110

god

ལྷ།

deva

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.

g.115

hearer

nyan thos

ཉན་ཐོས།

śrāvaka

g.119

Holder of Meru’s Peak

lhun po’i rtse ’dzin

ལྷུན་པོའི་རྩེ་འཛིན།

g.122

insight

shes rab

ཤེས་རབ།

prajñā

g.123

Intelligent Light

’od kyi blo gros

འོད་ཀྱི་བློ་གྲོས།

g.124

Intelligent Lightning

glog gi blo gros

གློག་གི་བློ་གྲོས།

g.125

Intelligent Sky

nam mkha’i blo gros

ནམ་མཁའི་བློ་གྲོས།

g.128

Jayamati

rgyal ba’i blo gros

རྒྱལ་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།

jayamati

g.129

Jinamati

jinamati

g.132

Jñānolka

shes pa’i sgron ma

ཤེས་པའི་སྒྲོན་མ།

jñānolka

g.138

Kalandakanivāpa

bya ka lan ta ka

བྱ་ཀ་ལན་ཏ་ཀ

kalandakanivāpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A place where the Buddha often resided, within the Bamboo Park (Veṇuvana) outside Rajagṛha that had been donated to him. The name is said to have arisen when, one day, King Bimbisāra fell asleep after a romantic liaison in the Bamboo Park. While the king rested, his consort wandered off. A snake (the reincarnation of the park’s previous owner, who still resented the king’s acquisition of the park) approached with malign intentions. Through the king’s tremendous merit, a gathering of kalandaka‍—crows or other birds according to Tibetan renderings, but some Sanskrit and Pali sources suggest flying squirrels‍—miraculously appeared and began squawking. Their clamor alerted the king’s consort to the danger, who rushed back and hacked the snake to pieces, thereby saving the king’s life. King Bimbisāra then named the spot Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’ Feeding Ground”), sometimes (though not in the Vinayavastu) given as Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’ Abode”) in their honor. The story is told in the Saṃghabhedavastu (Toh 1, ch.17, Degé Kangyur vol.4, folio 77.b et seq.).

g.140

karma

ལས།

karman

g.142

kaṭapūtana

’byung po
lus srul po

འབྱུང་པོ།
ལུས་སྲུལ་པོ།

kaṭapūtana

g.145

Kauṇḍiṇyārcis

kauN+Di n+ya ’od ’phro ba

ཀཽཎྜི་ནྱ་འོད་འཕྲོ་བ།

kauṇḍiṇyārcis

g.146

Kauśika

kau shi ka

ཀཽ་ཤི་ཀ

kauśika

g.147

Kautūhalika

ltad mo can

ལྟད་མོ་ཅན།

kautūhalika

g.150

kinnara

mi ’am ci

མི་འམ་ཅི།

kinnara

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.

g.153

kṣatriya

rgyal rigs

རྒྱལ་རིགས།

kṣatriya

g.155

Kubera

lus ngan po

ལུས་ངན་པོ།

kubera
kuvera

g.158

kumbhāṇḍa

grul bum

གྲུལ་བུམ།

kumbhāṇḍa

g.165

Magadha

ma ga d+hA

མ་ག་དྷཱ།

māgadha
magadha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.

This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhrakūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

g.168

Mahācandanagandha

tsan dan gyi dri chen po

ཙན་དན་གྱི་དྲི་ཆེན་པོ།

mahācandanagandha

g.169

Maheśvara

dbang phyug chen po

དབང་ཕྱུག་ཆེན་པོ།

maheśvara

g.170

mahoraga

lto ’phye chen po

ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahoraga

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.

g.172

Maitreya

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

maitreya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”

For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).

g.173

Making Use of Others’ Emanations

gzhan ’phrul dbang byed

གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད།

paranirmitavaśavartin

g.175

Māndāravagandharoca

me tog man dA ra ba’i dri mo

མེ་ཏོག་མན་དཱ་ར་བའི་དྲི་མོ།

māndāravagandharoca

g.176

Mañjuśrī

’jam dpal

འཇམ་དཔལ།

mañjuśrī

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:

One of the bodhisattvas in the retinue of the Buddha.

g.177

Māra

bdud

བདུད།

māra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra:

(1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree‍—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1‍—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputramāra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.

g.178

Maudgalyāyana

maud gal gyi bu

མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ།

maudgalyāyana

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, paired with Śāriputra. He was renowned for his miraculous powers. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyāyana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” Respectfully referred to as Mahāmaudgalyāyana, “Great Maudgalyāyana.”

g.179

mind of awakening

byang chub kyi sems

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས།

bodhicitta

g.184

nāga

ཀླུ།

nāga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

g.187

nirvāṇa

mya ngan las ’das pa

མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།

nirvāṇa

g.188

noble one

’phags pa

འཕགས་པ།

ārya

g.191

patience

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣānti

g.193

perception

’du shes

འདུ་ཤེས།

saṃjñā

g.194

perfection

pha rol tu phyin pa

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

pāramitā

g.195

phenomenon

chos

ཆོས།

dharma

g.196

piśāca

sha za

ཤ་ཟ།

piśāca

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that, like several other classes of nonhuman beings, take spontaneous birth. Ranking below rākṣasas, they are less powerful and more akin to pretas. They are said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh. This could account for the name piśāca, which possibly derives from √piś, to carve or chop meat, as reflected also in the Tibetan sha za, “meat eater.” They are often described as having an unpleasant appearance, and at times they appear with animal bodies. Some possess the ability to enter the dead bodies of humans, thereby becoming so-called vetāla, to touch whom is fatal.

g.200

preta

yi dags

ཡི་དགས།

preta

g.201

prophecy

lung bstan

ལུང་བསྟན།

vyākaraṇa

g.211

Rājagṛha

rgyal po’i khab

རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།

rājagṛha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

g.212

rākṣasa

srin po

སྲིན་པོ།

rākṣasa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

g.215

Ratnaketu

rin po che tog

རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཏོག

ratnaketu

g.218

Realm of the Thirty-Three

sum bcu rtsa gsum pa

སུམ་བཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ་པ།

trayastṛṃśa

g.223

sage

drang srong

དྲང་སྲོང་།

ṛṣi

g.224

Sahā world

mi mjed

མི་མཇེད།

sahā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name for our particular world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which our four-continent world is located. Although it is sometimes said that it can refer only to our own four-continent world around Mount Meru, the sūtras largely seem to equate it with this trichiliocosm, and this is confirmed by scholars like Jamgön Kongtrul (see The Treasury of Knowledge, Book One). Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. Our world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as being the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni. He teaches the Dharma here to beings who adhere to inferior ways and perceive this universe as an impure buddhafield contaminated with the five degenerations (pañcakaṣāya, snyigs ma lnga): the degeneration of time, sentient beings, place, lifespan, and mental afflictions (see The Teaching of Vimalakīrti, Toh 176). It is also mentioned as the field of activity of all the thousand buddhas of this Fortunate Eon (see The White Lotus of Compassion, Toh 112).

The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world having to endure suffering. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not unbearable,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

g.225

śakra

brgya byin

བརྒྱ་བྱིན།

śakra

Usually (when spelled with the capital letter) this is one of the names of Indra; in this case is denotes any of the ruling gods in the Realm of the Thirty-Three Gods.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

g.226

Śakra

brgya byin

བརྒྱ་བྱིན།

śakra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

g.227

Śākya

shAkya

ཤཱཀྱ།

śākya

g.228

Śākyamuni

shAkya thub pa

ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།

śākyamuni

g.230

Saṃjñika

yang dag shes

ཡང་དག་ཤེས།

saṃjñika

g.231

saṃsāra

’khor ba

འཁོར་བ།

saṃsāra

g.232

saṅgha

dge ’dun

དགེ་འདུན།

saṅgha

g.235

Śāriputra

shA ri’i bu

ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ།

śāriputra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyāyana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

g.237

sensation

tshor ba

ཚོར་བ།

vedanā

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Chapter 11

Toh 138

Imprint

Text Body

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī
Chapter 11