The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata
Toh 147
Degé Kangyur, vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 142.a–242.b
- Śīlendrabodhi
- Yeshé Dé
Imprint
Translated by Anne Burchardi
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2020
Current version v 1.2.29 (2025)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.26.1
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata opens with the Buddha presiding over a large congregation of disciples at Vulture Peak. Entering a special state of meditative absorption, he magically displays a pavilion in the sky, attracting a vast audience of divine and human Dharma followers. At the request of the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvararāja, the Buddha gives a discourse on the qualities of bodhisattvas, which are specified as bodhisattva ornaments, illuminations, compassion, and activities. He also teaches about the compassionate awakening of tathāgatas and the scope of a tathāgata’s activities. At the request of a bodhisattva named Siṃhaketu, Dhāraṇīśvararāja then gives a discourse on eight dhāraṇīs, following which the Buddha explains the sources and functions of a dhāraṇī known as the jewel lamp. As the text concludes, various deities and Dharma protectors praise the sūtra’s qualities and vow to preserve and protect it in the future, and the Buddha entrusts the sūtra and its propagation to Dhāraṇīśvararāja. The sūtra is a particularly rich source of detail on the qualities of bodhisattvas and buddhas.
Acknowledgements
This sūtra was translated by Anne Burchardi, with Dr. Ulrich Pagel acting as consultant. Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, Jens Braarvig, and Tom Tillemans provided help and advice, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche provided inspiration. Anne Burchardi introduced the text, the translation and introduction were edited by the 84000 editorial team.
We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of May and George Gu, made in memory of Frank ST Gu. Their support has helped make the work on this translation possible.
Text Body
The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata
Colophon
This text was translated and edited by the Indian preceptor Śīlendrabodhi and the principal editor-translator, Bandé Yeshé Dé. It was reviewed and finalized in accordance with the new language reforms.
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