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བློ་གྲོས་རྒྱ་མཚོས་ཞུས་པ།

The Questions of Sāgaramati
Chapter Six: Teaching on the Qualities of Buddhahood

Sāgaramati­paripṛcchā
འཕགས་པ་བློ་གྲོས་རྒྱ་མཚོས་ཞུས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Questions of Sāgaramati”
Ārya­sāgaramati­paripṛcchā­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra

Toh 152

Toh 152, Degé Kangyur, vol. 58, (mdo sde, pha), folios 1.b–115.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
  • Jinamitra
  • Dānaśīla
  • Buddhaprabha
  • ye shes sde

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

First published 2020

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 12 chapters- 12 chapters
1. Chapter One: Refining the Precious Mind of Omniscience
2. Chapter Two: Accepting Harm and Gaining Certainty
3. Chapter Three: The Teaching on the Absorption
4. Chapter Four: Teaching Through Analogies
5. Chapter Five: Practicing Diligence
6. Chapter Six: Teaching on the Qualities of Buddhahood
7. Chapter Seven: Entrustment
8. Chapter Eight
9. Chapter Nine: Dedication
10. Chapter Ten: A Tale of What Came Before
11. Chapter Eleven: The Revelation of Buddha Realms
12. Chapter Twelve: Blessings
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

Heralded by a miraculous flood, the celestial bodhisattva Sāgaramati arrives in Rājagṛha to engage in a Dharma discussion with Buddha Śākyamuni. He discusses an absorption called “The Pristine and Immaculate Seal” and many other subjects relevant to bodhisattvas who are in the process of developing the mind of awakening and practicing the bodhisattva path. The sūtra strongly advises that bodhisattvas not shy away from the afflictive emotions of beings‍—no matter how unpleasant they may be‍—and that insight into these emotions is critical for a bodhisattva’s compassionate activity. The sūtra deals with the preeminence of wisdom and non-grasping on the path. In the end, as a teaching on how to deal with māras, the sūtra illuminates the many pitfalls possible on the path of the Great Vehicle.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Timothy Hinkle, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text.

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


ac.­2

The generous sponsorship of Zhou Tian Yu, Chen Yi Qin, Zhou Xun, and Zhao Xuan, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Questions of Sāgaramati begins in a courtyard in the city of Rājagṛha, where the Buddha Śākyamuni, a celestial bodhisattva named Sāgaramati, and many other gods and bodhisattvas converse on a wide variety of subjects relevant to the Great Vehicle. Sāgaramati’s arrival in our world is preceded by a great miracle in which the world is flooded like a vast ocean, a miracle prompted by Sāgaramati’s departure from a distant realm for our world, where he can receive the Buddha’s teachings in person. The conversation between the Buddha Śākyamuni and Sāgaramati in Rājagṛha touches on many issues of the bodhisattva path. They converse about the adversities that bodhisattvas must face, the preeminence of wisdom, how māras are to be defeated, the necessity of understanding the afflictive emotions of sentient beings, the importance of diligence, the commonalities between all phenomena and buddhahood, the nature of the Dharma, and the importance of dedication. Much of the dialogue presupposes a duality between agents and objects, but at times Mañjuśrī and other exalted beings challenge this and articulate the teachings in the light of the wisdom of nonduality.


Text Body

The Translation
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Questions of Sāgaramati

1.

Chapter One: Refining the Precious Mind of Omniscience

[B1] [F.1.b]


1.­1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!


1.­2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying at Rājagṛha, domain of the thus-gone ones, in a jeweled pavilion. It is the home of the thus-gone ones, adorned with accumulations of great merit, produced by great deeds, the result of the ripening of all qualities of buddhahood; the home of great bodhisattvas; an infinite display; a place blessed with the thus-gone ones’ magic; an entry point to wisdom’s unobstructed domain; a source of great joy; a gateway to mindfulness, intelligence, and realization; a place without blame; [F.2.a] a place formed with wisdom; a gateway to unobstructed wisdom; a place that has been praised for limitless eons; and a place that embodies an immeasurable accumulation of positive qualities.


2.

Chapter Two: Accepting Harm and Gaining Certainty

2.­1

“Sāgaramati, how does one accept challenges to the jewel of developing the mind directed toward omniscience? What are the challenges to the jewel of developing the mind directed toward omniscience?

2.­2

“Sāgaramati, once bodhisattva great beings have engendered the jewel of developing the mind directed toward omniscience in the aforementioned manner, they will not lose their development of the intention to awaken in the face of ignoble beings who have corrupt discipline, māras, gods of the echelon of māra, those blessed by māras, threats from Māra’s messengers, menaces, disturbances, violent disturbances, agitation, violent agitation, threats, or abuse. [F.14.a] They will not lose their compassionate diligence that seeks to free all beings. They will not lose the effort needed to keep the lineage of the Three Jewels unbroken. They will not lose their training in the roots of virtue that manifest the qualities of buddhahood. They will not lose their accumulation of merit that manifests the major and minor marks of perfection. They will not lose the effort needed to actualize the purification of buddha realms. They will not lose their effort to give up concern for body and life and uphold the sublime Dharma. They will not lose the effort to ripen all beings nor will they lose their lack of attachment to their personal happiness.


3.

Chapter Three: The Teaching on the Absorption

3.­1

The Blessed One then spoke to the bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati: “Along these lines, Sāgaramati, when bodhisattva great beings become completely pure, they have a genuinely good motivation and, even if all beings were to rise up to challenge them, they would not be angered. They develop the wisdom of deep certainty and the insight free from doubt. At that time, they sustain the fundamental state of the pristine and immaculate absorption seal. What is the fundamental state of this absorption? [F.23.a] It is great compassion that knows no anger toward any being.


4.

Chapter Four: Teaching Through Analogies

4.­1

The bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how do bodhisattvas defeat māras and obstructers?”

“Sāgaramati,” answered the Blessed One, “when bodhisattva great beings are no longer interested in any clinging, they defeat māras and obstructers. When they are no longer interested in marks and reference points, they defeat māras and obstructers. Sāgaramati, there are four māras: the māra of the aggregates, the māra of the afflictions, the māra of the Lord of Death, and the māra of the gods.


5.

Chapter Five: Practicing Diligence

5.­1

The Blessed One then spoke to the bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati: “Sāgaramati, bodhisattvas must practice diligence. Bodhisattvas must always persevere and show great determination. They should not give up their dedication. Sāgaramati, unsurpassed and perfect awakening is not difficult to discover for bodhisattvas who practice diligence. And why not? Sāgaramati, where there is diligence there is awakening. Awakening is far and distant from those who are lazy. Those who are lazy have no generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, insight, personal benefit, or benefit for others. Sāgaramati, one should understand from this lesson that unsurpassed and perfect awakening is not difficult for bodhisattvas who practice diligence.


6.

Chapter Six: Teaching on the Qualities of Buddhahood

6.­1

Then, Mahābrahmā Great Compassionate One asked the bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati, “Noble son, what does the term qualities of buddhahood refer to?”

Bodhisattva Sāgaramati responded, “Brahmā, ‘the qualities of buddhahood’ refers to all phenomena.22 Why is this? Brahmā, a thus-gone one does not awaken to perfect buddhahood in a restricted and limited manner. Rather, a thus-gone one awakens to perfect buddhahood in an unrestricted and unlimited manner [F.47.a] due to realizing the sameness of all phenomena. Brahmā, realizing all phenomena to be sameness is awakening. Therefore, Brahmā, all phenomena are qualities of buddhahood. Brahmā, all phenomena are precisely the qualities of buddhahood. The essence of all phenomena is the essence of all the qualities of buddhahood. The qualities of buddhahood are realized to be disengaged because all phenomena are disengaged. Because all phenomena are empty, the qualities of buddhahood are realized as emptiness. Brahmā, because all phenomena are dependently originated, realizing dependent origination is awakening. The qualities of buddhahood are seen by a thus-gone one in the same way that all phenomena are seen.”

6.­2

“Noble son,” asked Mahābrahma Great Compassionate One, “do the qualities of buddhahood not transcend the three realms?”

“Brahmā,” replied Sāgaramati, “the essential quality of the three realms is to possess the qualities of buddhahood. Why is this? Brahmā, in the sameness of the qualities of buddhahood, there is no better or worse. Analogously, Brahmā, in space there is no better or worse. Likewise, Brahmā, the qualities of buddhahood are equal to space, wherein there is nothing better or worse. Brahmā, the nature of all phenomena is that they are empty by their very nature, meaning there is nothing better or worse. Brahmā, a noble son or daughter who wishes to realize the qualities of buddhahood should realize the qualities of buddhahood in a nonconceptual manner. Furthermore, Brahmā, the qualities of buddhahood do not persist in objects, nor in any direction. They are unborn and unceasing. They are not like the colors blue, [F.47.b] yellow, red, white, green, crystal, or silver; in fact, they have no color, shape, or characteristics. They are signless. Brahmā, the meaning of signlessness is the meaning of the qualities23 of buddhahood. The meaning of the qualities of buddhahood is the meaning of the words ‘without death or transmigration.’ The meaning of the words without death or transmigration is the meaning of peace. The meaning of peace is the meaning of disengaged. The meaning of disengaged is the meaning of empty. The meaning of empty is the meaning of unenduring. The meaning of unenduring is the meaning of thatness. The meaning of thatness is the meaning of unborn. The meaning of unborn is the meaning of unceasing. The meaning of unceasing is the meaning of unenduring.

6.­3

“Of this we can say:

“To express the meaning of signlessness
Is to refer to the sublime qualities of buddhahood.
To express the meaning of the qualities of buddhahood
Is to refer to ‘no death or transmigration.’
6.­4
“The meaning of no death or transmigration is peace,
And that was proclaimed to be the meaning of disengagement.
The meaning of disengagement is the meaning of empty,
And that is the meaning of unenduring.
6.­5
“The meaning of unenduring is thatness,
And the meaning of that is suchness,
Which was proclaimed to be the meaning of
Being without birth or cessation.
6.­6
“The meaning of unceasing is the meaning of unenduring.
The meaning of this quality of being unenduring
Is that all phenomena endure in the same manner
As the realm of phenomena.
6.­7
“The qualities of buddhahood endure
In the same way as all phenomena.
6.­8
“The qualities of training also endure
In the same way as the qualities of buddhahood.
The qualities of nonattachment have the same meaning
As they do not endure in any other way.
6.­9
“The qualities of the solitary buddhas
Endure likewise in sameness.
Yet among the phenomena that endure in this way,
The qualities of buddhahood are unsurpassed.
6.­10
“For the qualities of buddhahood
Endure neither in objects nor directions.
They cannot be divided
In terms of birth and destruction. [F.48.a]
6.­11
“Shape and color will never be found
Anywhere in these qualities.
The qualities of buddhahood are revealed as being
Without signs or identifying marks.
6.­12
“The nature of all phenomena
Is the very mode of the qualities of buddhahood.
Thus, they are revealed as sameness,
Without distinction or characteristics.
6.­13
“Those who yearn to realize the qualities of buddhahood
Must look to all phenomena.
When one is free of the slightest apprehension,
That is truly seeing.
6.­14
“Both buddhahood and its qualities
Are realized at the seat of awakening
By the great sage
To be equal with all phenomena.
6.­15
“The qualities of buddhahood are precisely what are seen
By a buddha at the seat of awakening.
The qualities of buddhahood that are taught
Are forever the same due to their sameness.
6.­16
“Phenomena are the same, with no dissimilarity.
They are immaculate and like space.
This is realized through a buddha’s wisdom.
Thus, he says, ‘This is the nature of awakening.’
6.­17
“Whatever is dependently originated
Is without any inherent nature.
What lacks an essential nature
Never actually arises.
6.­18
“The one who knows the limit
In which the world is sameness without limit,
Is someone whose wisdom has reached the limit,
And so knows all phenomena.
6.­19
“Any phenomena from the past,
Any phenomena in the future,
And any phenomena of the present
Are asserted to be the qualities of buddhahood.
6.­20
“In this way, the wisdom of buddhahood
Is without attachment within the three times.
The Dharma of the sages is taught
Where there is no attachment to syllables.
6.­21
“The ten strengths,
The four fearlessnesses,
The unique qualities of buddhahood‍—
All eighteen of these‍—
6.­22
“And any other qualities
Are all contained within this.
Thus, all phenomena can be claimed
To be the qualities of buddhahood.” [B5] [F.48.b]
6.­23

Mahābrahma Great Compassionate One further asked the bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati, “Noble son, do you directly perceive these qualities?”

“Brahmā, do you think that the qualities of buddhahood can be counted among form?”

“No, they cannot.”

6.­24

“Brahmā, can phenomena that are formless, unidentifiable, unobstructing, and uncognizable be directly perceived?”

“Noble son, they cannot.”

6.­25

“In this way, Brahmā, the qualities of buddhahood are imperceptible. Why is this? Because there is not even the slightest duality. Brahmā, all phenomena are nondual. All that is perceptible is of that very characteristic. Brahmā, what is perceptible and the qualities of buddhahood are not different. Whatever is perceptible is also whatever is a quality of buddhahood. Whatever is a quality of buddhahood is also whatever is perceptible.”

6.­26

“Noble son, are the qualities of buddhahood not perceptible to the thus-gone ones?”

“Brahmā, if there were any quality of buddhahood, which would be established as a quality of the thus-gone ones or the buddhas, it would also be perceptible to the thus-gone ones.”

6.­27

“Noble son, are the qualities of buddhahood totally nonexistent?”

“Brahmā, any phenomenon that is not established cannot be asserted as being existent or nonexistent. Any phenomenon that cannot be asserted as being existent or nonexistent is not perceptible.”

6.­28

“Well then, what do we mean by the term qualities of buddhahood?”

“Brahmā, I will draw an analogy. Even though we still use the term space to refer to space, it is not established in any way. Likewise, Brahmā, even though we use the term qualities of buddhahood to refer to the qualities of buddhahood, they are not established in any way.” [F.49.a]

6.­29

“Noble son, it is incredible that novice bodhisattvas are not intimidated when they hear this teaching, for they don armor for the sake of attaining these very qualities of buddhahood.”

6.­30

“Brahmā, beings who have been blessed by the buddhas develop the mind of awakening and are not intimidated when they hear of the profound qualities of buddhahood. Brahmā, if one grasps and clings, then one will be intimidated. If one does not grasp or cling, then one will not be intimidated. If one exists or desires, then one will be intimidated. If one does not exist or desire, then one will not be intimidated. If one clings to ‘I’ or ‘mine,’ then one will be intimidated. If one does not cling to ‘I’ or ‘mine,’ then one will not be intimidated.”

6.­31

“What power do bodhisattvas possess such that they are not intimidated by the profound qualities of buddhahood? What is this bodhisattva power?”

“Brahmā, this bodhisattva power, which prevents bodhisattvas from being intimidated by the profound qualities of buddhahood, is eightfold. What are these eight? (1) Aspiring to the qualities of buddhahood, they have the power of unobstructed faith. (2) Recognizing their similarity with the teacher, they have the power of the spiritual friend that comes from respect. (3) Perfecting transcendental qualities, they have the power of insight that comes from study. (4) Perfecting immeasurable merit, they have the power of service that comes from merit. (5) Having defeated all māras, they have the power of wisdom that comes from approaching reality. (6) Without any apprehension about the fact that all phenomena are selfless, they have the power of great compassion that comes from great love. (7) Never forgetting the mind of awakening, they have the power of mind that comes from certainty. (8) Attaining the acceptance that phenomena are unborn, they have the power of acceptance that comes from not being led around by others. Brahmā, if bodhisattvas have this power that is replete with these eight qualities, [F.49.b] then they will not be intimidated by the profound qualities of buddhahood.”

6.­32

Then the Blessed One expressed his approval of Sāgaramati: “Sāgaramati, you have explained well these bodhisattva powers. Excellent, excellent! There are no qualities of buddhahood that could intimidate a bodhisattva who has this kind of power. All the sounds of this teaching by Sāgaramati are terrifying. Ultimate awakening is inexpressible. Why is this? What is inexpressible cannot be explained and does not conform with letters. If the mind and mental phenomena themselves cannot be formed, how could they possibly conform to letters? This profound teaching is beyond language, unexplainable, inexpressible, and unspeakable. However, even though this is understood, it can still be taught to other beings and people through knowledge of language. Just consider how the great compassion of the blessed buddhas can be introduced to an unfathomable number of beings. Sāgaramati, to draw an analogy, imagine that somebody painted an image with various colors on space, which is formless, inexpressible, unobstructing, and uncognizable. Imagine that this person painted horses, elephants, chariots, infantrymen, and mounts, or that they painted an image of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and gandharvas. Sāgaramati, do you think that being would have done something difficult?”

6.­33

“Blessed One, that person would definitely have done something difficult. Well-Gone One, he or she would have done something extraordinarily difficult!”

6.­34

“Sāgaramati,” said the Blessed One, “that the blessed buddhas express the inexpressible to other beings and people once they have understood the inexpressible qualities of buddhahood, [F.50.a] and thus bring forth a recognition and understanding in them, is even more difficult than that. It is even harder than that to not be intimidated, apprehensive, or fearful about these profound qualities of buddhahood. Sāgaramati, beings who are not intimidated by these profound qualities of buddhahood have already developed roots of virtue and served the victors of the past. Sāgaramati, those who understand these profound sūtras that do not conform to the world, and then carry, uphold, and widely teach them to others, uphold the Dharma treasury of the Thus-Gone One. They uphold the side of virtue of all beings.

6.­35

“Sāgaramati, if a bodhisattva were to fill the limitless buddha realms that can be seen with a buddha’s eyes with all manner of jewels and offer them to the thus-gone ones as an act of veneration, do you think, Sāgaramati, that they would develop a lot of merit on that basis?”

6.­36

“Blessed One, it would be a lot. Well-Gone One, it would be limitless. That mass of merit would be so limitless that it could hardly be described.”

6.­37

“Sāgaramati,” said the Blessed One, “you should trust and realize this: If bodhisattvas, who arouse great compassion for beings and who seek to preserve the teachings of the thus-gone ones and maintain the lineage of the Three Jewels, understand that this profound sūtra accomplishes the wisdom of the thus-gone ones, and then uphold, carry, and master it, they will develop even more merit than that. [F.50.b] That being the case, what can be said of accomplishing it in actuality? Why is this? Sāgaramati, all material giving depends on the world. Giving Dharma, on the other hand, transcends the world entirely.

6.­38

“Sāgaramati, upholding the sublime Dharma means that one will acquire four kinds of care. What are these four? One will acquire the care of the buddhas, the care of the gods, the care of merit, and the care of wisdom.

6.­39

“Sāgaramati, there are four things that distinguish bodhisattvas who are sustained by the buddhas. What are these four? (1) They will never cease seeing the thus-gone ones, (2) no māra will ever affect them, (3) they will achieve recollection and become inexhaustible, and (4) they will attain super-knowledge and the irreversible level. Sāgaramati, these are the four things that distinguish bodhisattvas who are being cared for by the buddhas.

6.­40

“Sāgaramati, there are four ways in which bodhisattvas who are sustained by the gods will be purified. What are these four? (1) The gods will purify their assembly, (2) inspire them to study the Dharma with a one-pointed mind, (3) ensure that no external adversity occurs, and (4) create faith in all who do not have faith in them. Sāgaramati, these are the four ways in which bodhisattvas who are being cared for by the gods will be purified.

6.­41

“Sāgaramati, there are four ways in which bodhisattvas who are sustained by merit will be adorned. What are these four? (1) Their bodies will be adorned by accomplishing the major and minor marks of perfection. (2) Their speech will be adorned by pleasing all beings. (3) Their realms will be adorned by displaying all kinds of actions. [F.51.a] (4) Their rebirths will be adorned by attaining rebirth as Śakra, Brahmā, and the world protectors. Sāgaramati, these are the four ways in which bodhisattvas who are being cared for by merit will be adorned.

6.­42

“Sāgaramati, there are four ways in which bodhisattvas who are sustained by wisdom will illuminate. What are these four? (1) By teaching the Dharma that is appropriate for each individual, they will illuminate the faculties of beings. (2) By preparing the medicine of Dharma, they will illuminate the diseases of the afflictions. (3) By traveling to other buddha realms, they will illuminate super-knowledge. (4) By knowing all phenomena just as they are, they will illuminate the realm of phenomena. Sāgaramati, these are the four ways in which bodhisattvas who are being cared for by wisdom will illuminate.

6.­43

“Sāgaramati, thus a bodhisattva great being who yearns to possess these beneficial qualities should strive to uphold the sublime Dharma. Sāgaramati, the distinct qualities of a bodhisattva who strives to uphold the sublime Dharma are limitless.”

6.­44

The Blessed One then expressed this in verse:

“Upholding the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Brings multifaceted benefits.
Here I will state just a fraction of them,
Like plucking a single drop of water from the ocean.
6.­45
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Show their gratitude for thus-gone ones.
These reliable guards of the victors’ treasury
Venerate the buddhas of the ten directions.
6.­46
“One may fill the many realms seen with buddha eyes
With jewels and offer them to the Thus-Gone One,
Yet that merit will eventually be exhausted and not increase,
Unlike the mass of merit that comes from upholding the Dharma.
6.­47
“Material generosity, honoring the victors,
And other mundane actions will never bring liberation. [F.51.b]
Yet, in seeking out the transcendental Dharma,
The learned transcend worldly phenomena.
6.­48
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Are cared for by the victors,
Just as they are cared for by the gods, nāgas, kinnaras,
Merit, and wisdom.
6.­49
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Become mindful, intelligent, and wise.
Their insight expands, and they possess all-embracing wisdom.
The learned discard afflictions and their habitual patterns.
6.­50
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Are free from faults in the eyes of the māras.
They have no regret or worry,
And eliminate all bondage and even the slightest obscuration.
6.­51
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Do not take rebirth in the many thousands of realms.
They will behold the victors in all their lifetimes,
And in seeing them, achieve faith.
6.­52
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Are great Dharma personages who recall previous lifetimes.
They go forth lifetime after lifetime.
With their pure conduct they make their lives meaningful.
6.­53
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Study discipline and then practice the Dharma of the noble ones.
The learned swiftly achieve the five super-knowledges,
And attain excellent concentration and freedom.
6.­54
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Master the realization of the profound Dharma.
They have no doubt about emptiness‍—the buddhas’ experience.
They aspire to the selflessness of beings.
6.­55
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Achieve the correct discriminations.
They are fearless, have sharp insight, and no attachment.
They resolve the doubt of all beings.
6.­56
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Are learned beings who achieve recollection.
They do not forget what they have heard even over a thousand eons.
They lose all attachment and come to possess eloquence.
6.­57
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Always delight the learned.
They are pleasing to gods, nāgas, and kinnaras.
They are praised by the buddhas as if they were their only child. [F.52.a]
6.­58
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Become Śakra, Brahmā, world protectors,
Universal monarchs, and the lords of humanity.
They awaken to buddhahood in bliss and joy.
6.­59
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Will possess a body with the thirty-two marks.
Even the limbs of these learned beings will be faultless.
One will never tire of gazing upon them.
6.­60
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Will find no scarcity of spiritual friends
To show them the Dharma seal.
They will listen, never knowing the exhaustion of the Dharma treasury.
6.­61
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Will have pure body, speech, and mind.
Their discipline, absorption, and insight will be refined,
And their liberation and wisdom will be pure.
6.­62
“Those who uphold the sublime Dharma of the Thus-Gone One
Will never forget the mind of awakening.
Their conduct will not contradict the perfections.
They will embrace hundreds of virtues.
6.­63
“Even if the beneficial qualities of these bodhisattvas
Were continuously described for an eon,
The benefits of upholding the Dharma
Could never be fully described.”

7.

Chapter Seven: Entrustment

7.­1

Then, the bodhisattva great being Light King of Qualities, who was seated amongst the assembly, addressed the Blessed One: “Blessed One, you have said that all phenomena that you understand are indescribable. In that case, Blessed One, since all phenomena are indescribable, how is the Dharma to be upheld?”

7.­2

“Noble son,” answered the Blessed One, “that is true. You have described it accurately. Any phenomenon that I understand is indescribable. However, noble son, while all phenomena are indescribable and unconditioned, [F.52.b] using linguistic definitions to apprehend, perceive, teach, demonstrate, define, elucidate, distinguish, clarify, or teach such phenomena is what is meant by upholding the Dharma. Moreover, noble son, when Dharma teachers uphold, teach, or practice a sūtra such as this, that is also upholding the Dharma. Likewise, when others attend such Dharma teachers and rely upon them while extending them honor, reverence, service, respect, praise, care, protection, shielding, and shelter, that is also upholding the Dharma. Likewise, so is providing them with clothing, food, bedding, medicine, or provisions; as is offering them approval, protection, preservation of their virtues, praise, or concealment of their unflattering sides. Moreover, noble son, having faith in emptiness, trusting signlessness, believing in wishlessness, and gaining certainty that suchness is the unconditioned state is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, seeking to avoid debate, yet using proper Dharma arguments to defeat those who argue against the Dharma, is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, giving Dharma to others with a mind free of anger, an intention to gather and free beings, and a mind free of concern for material things, is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, disregarding one’s body and life and staying in solitude to preserve, conceal, and practice sūtras such as this is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, even a single step or a single inhalation or exhalation of the breath that comes from the cause of having either studied or taught the Dharma [F.53.a] is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Moreover, noble son, not grasping to or appropriating any phenomena is also upholding the sublime Dharma. Light King of Qualities, based on this explanation, you should understand this point.


8.

Chapter Eight

8.­1

The bodhisattva Sāgaramati then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is incredible how much the Great Vehicle is able to benefit beings so that they experience the pleasures of gods and humans and attain the unsurpassed pleasure of nirvāṇa. Blessed One, what are the teachings that summarize the Great Vehicle? What are the teachings that are held in high regard in the Great Vehicle? What are the teachings that are challenging in the Great Vehicle? What are the teachings that reveal the Great Vehicle? Blessed One, what are the ways the Great Vehicle is obstructed? Blessed One, why is the Great Vehicle called the Great Vehicle?”


9.

Chapter Nine: Dedication

9.­1

The Blessed One then addressed the bodhisattva Sāgaramati: “Sāgaramati, thus a bodhisattva should retain the following entrance words, seal words, and vajra statements in order to protect, guard, and preserve this Dharma teaching; so that they may delight their own minds; and so that they may understand the faculties‍—supreme and otherwise‍—of other beings and people. Beyond retaining them, they should also examine them. They should carefully reflect on them with insightful engagement.


10.

Chapter Ten: A Tale of What Came Before

10.­1

Then the bodhisattva Sāgaramati said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, even though bodhisattvas guard against confusion to this extent, they must work hard to be free from confusion. Blessed One, for that reason bodhisattvas are continuously skilled in dedication and skilled in means. Why is this? Blessed One, through skillful means, when bodhisattvas practice concentration, freedom, absorption, and equipoise, they are not disturbed by the concentration, freedom, absorption, and equipoise. Through skill in means, they demonstrate all these deeds but do not fall prey to doing things. [F.84.b] They sustain the sameness of phenomena and teach the Dharma in order to bring beings who have gone astray to the fixed state of reality. Until they complete their intention, they do not themselves fall into that state.”


11.

Chapter Eleven: The Revelation of Buddha Realms

11.­1

Then the Blessed One said to Sāgaramati, [F.94.b] “Therefore, Sāgaramati, bodhisattva great beings who wish to swiftly and fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should follow your training, sublime being. Bodhisattvas should not be verbose and obsessed with the use of words; rather, they should practice what they preach. How do bodhisattvas practice what they preach, you ask? Sāgaramati, they do so by appreciating how easy it is to say, ‘I am going to become a buddha,’ yet how hard it is to actually accomplish the virtues of the factors of awakening. Sāgaramati, any bodhisattva who regales beings with the gift of Dharma, announcing to them, ‘You will be satisfied by my gift of Dharma,’ and then teaches them extensively, but himself acts otherwise, failing to strive toward the virtues of the factors of awakening, has let those beings down. He has not practiced what he preached. However, Sāgaramati, when he regales everyone with the gift of the factors of awakening, announcing to them, ‘You will be satisfied by my gift of Dharma,’ and then teaches them extensively and himself strives toward the virtues of the factors of awakening, then he has practiced what he preached.


12.

Chapter Twelve: Blessings

12.­1

The bodhisattva Sāgaramati then requested the Blessed One, “Blessed One, given that the awakening of the thus-gone ones encounters many obstacles and much opposition, please carefully grant your blessings, Blessed One, such that through the blessings of the Thus-Gone One, these sūtras will not fade, but grow; that they will be upheld and read; that their teachers will not have to vie with māras and gods of the class of māras; that this sublime Dharma may long remain; and that these sūtras will be preserved, kept safe, and accepted.”


c.

Colophon

c.­1

This was translated, proofed, and finalized according to the new terminological register by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Buddhaprabhā, as well as the editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.


n.

Notes

n.­1
On these citations, see Skilling 2018, 441–42. Moreover, the jātaka tale told in this sūtra, in which the Buddha, in a former life as a lion, saves two baby monkeys from the clutches of a vulture by offering his own flesh and blood as ransom, was also included in the Mahā­prajñā­pāramitā­śāstra attributed to Nāgārjuna (Lamotte 2007, pp. 1902–6).
n.­2
See The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (2) (Toh 154), i.2.
n.­3
On the date of Taishō 397 see Lancaster, K 56; for Taishō 400, see Lancaster, K 1481. Taishō 397, the Mahāsaṃnipāta, is 大方等大集經 (Dafang deng daji jing); Taishō 400 is 佛說海意菩薩所問淨印法門經 (Haiyi pusa suowen jing famen jing).
n.­4
See Griffiths 2015 (p. 994) and Skilling 2018.
n.­5
The Denkarma catalogue is dated to c. 812 ᴄᴇ. In this catalogue, The Questions of Sāgaramati is included among the “Miscellaneous Sūtras” (mdo sde sna tshogs) less than ten sections (bam po) long. Denkarma, 297.a.3. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 49, no. 86.
n.­6
In Tibet most commentators appear to have classified this sūtra under the rubric of Yogācāra-Mādhyamika (rnal ’byor spyod pa’i dbu ma), such as, for example, the sixteenth century scholar Pekar Sangpo (pad dkar bzang po) in his survey of the sūtras (Pekar Sangpo 2006, p. 228).
n.­7
Conze 1955, p. 136.
n.­8
See for example Ju Mipham 2004 and Tsongkhapa 2000. Numerous other such brief citations have appeared in translation.
n.­22
Whereas the single word dharma (Tib. chos) can be used in both Sanskrit and Tibetan to denote a range of meanings, we have to translate it variably here as “qualities” and “phenomena.”
n.­23
kyi chos kyi chos read as kyi chos following the Stok Palace manuscript, p. 68.a.

b.

Bibliography

’phags pa blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 152, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 1.b–115.b.

’phags pa blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes 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), 2006–2009, vol. 58, pp. 3–270.

’phags pa blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. In bka’ ’gyur (stog pho brang bris ma). Vol. 66 (mdo sde ba), folios 1.b– 166.a.

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.

Pekar Sangpo (pad dkar bzang po). mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang [Minorities Publishing House], 2006.

Braarvig, Jens (tr.). The Teaching of Akṣaya­mati (Akṣaya­mati­nirdeśa, Toh 175). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.

Conze, Edward. Buddhist Texts Through the Ages. Oxford: Bruno Cassirer, 1955.

Griffiths, Arlo. “Epigraphy: Southeast Asia.” In Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism, edited by Jonathan Silk et al., vol. 1, Literature and Languages, 988–1009. Leiden: Brill, 2015.

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

Ju Mipham (’jam mgon mi pham rgya mtsho). Speech of Delight: Mipham’s Commentary on Śāntarakṣita’s Ornament of the Middle Way. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2004.

Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue. Accessed July 18, 2023.

Lamotte, Étienne. The Treatise on the Great Virtue of Wisdom of Nāgārjuna (Mahā­prajñā­pāramitā­śāstra), Vol. 5. English translation from the French (Le Traité de La Grande Vertu De Sagesse, Louvain 1944–1980) by Gelongma Karma Migme Chodron, 2007.

Skilling, Peter. “Sāgaramati-paripṛcchā Inscriptions from Kedah, Malaysia.” In Reading Slowly: A Festschrift for Jens. E. Braarvig, edited by Lutz Edzard, Jens W. Borgland, and Ute Hüsken. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2018

Tsongkhapa. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Vol. 1. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2000.


g.

Glossary

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

AS

Attested in source text

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

AO

Attested in other text

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

AD

Attested in dictionary

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

AA

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.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

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

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

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

SU

Source unspecified

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

g.­1

absorption

Wylie:
  • ting nge ’dzin
  • ting ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
  • ཏིང་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • samādhi

A synonym for meditation, this refers to the state of deep meditative immersion that results from different modes of Buddhist practice.

Located in 69 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­49-50
  • 1.­52-53
  • 2.­56-59
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­92
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­13-18
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­38
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­46
  • 3.­49
  • 3.­51-70
  • 3.­74
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­46
  • 5.­77
  • 6.­61
  • 8.­72
  • 8.­114
  • 8.­124
  • 8.­138
  • 9.­9-10
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­32
  • 9.­38-39
  • 9.­42-43
  • 10.­1
  • 11.­11
  • 11.­46
  • g.­16
  • g.­42
  • g.­45
  • g.­47
  • g.­54
g.­2

absorption of the heroic gait

Wylie:
  • dpa’ bar ’gro ba
Tibetan:
  • དཔའ་བར་འགྲོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • śūraṃgama

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­5
g.­3

Acceptance of phenomena concurring with reality

Wylie:
  • rjes su ’thun pa’i chos la bzod pa
  • rjes su ’thun pa’i chos kyi bzod pa
Tibetan:
  • རྗེས་སུ་འཐུན་པའི་ཆོས་ལ་བཟོད་པ།
  • རྗེས་སུ་འཐུན་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་བཟོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ānulomikadharmakṣānti

A particular realization attained by a bodhisattva on the sixth bodhisattva level. This realization arises as a result of analysis of the essential nature of phenomena (dharmas).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­13
  • 10.­36
g.­5

Adorned with Immaculate and Countless Precious Qualities

Wylie:
  • yon tan rin po che dri ma dang bral ba dpag tu med pa bkod pas brgyan pa
Tibetan:
  • ཡོན་ཏན་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དྲི་མ་དང་བྲལ་བ་དཔག་ཏུ་མེད་པ་བཀོད་པས་བརྒྱན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha realm below our world where the buddha Master of the Ocean with Noble and Playful Super-knowledge resides.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­19
  • 1.­23
  • g.­109
  • g.­140
g.­6

aggregate

Wylie:
  • phung po
Tibetan:
  • ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • skandha

The five psycho-physical components of personal experience: form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­52
  • 4.­1-13
  • 5.­32
  • 5.­39
  • 5.­74
  • 8.­103
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­33
  • 11.­24
  • g.­20
  • g.­44
  • g.­49
  • g.­51
  • g.­107
  • g.­120
  • g.­186
g.­11

asura

Wylie:
  • lha ma yin
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
Sanskrit:
  • asura

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­44
  • 4.­48
  • 5.­86
  • 8.­187
  • 11.­2
  • 12.­10
  • 12.­43
  • 12.­47
  • g.­133
  • g.­180
g.­12

bases of miracles

Wylie:
  • rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa
Tibetan:
  • རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛddhipāda

The four factors that serve as the basis for magical abilities: intention, diligence, attention, and discernment.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­17
  • 1.­88
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­88
  • 4.­30
  • 8.­69
  • 8.­192
  • 8.­194
  • 8.­196
  • 9.­26
  • 10.­42
  • 11.­80
  • g.­42
g.­14

Blessed One

Wylie:
  • bcom ldan ’das
Tibetan:
  • བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
Sanskrit:
  • bhagavat

In Buddhist literature, an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generically means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of the virtuous qualities and wisdom associated with complete awakening.

Located in 223 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2-3
  • 1.­7-9
  • 1.­12-15
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­19-29
  • 1.­47-51
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­70-71
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­49
  • 3.­52-68
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­33-35
  • 4.­65
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­7
  • 5.­42
  • 5.­49
  • 6.­32-34
  • 6.­36-37
  • 6.­44
  • 7.­1-4
  • 7.­10-12
  • 7.­14-41
  • 8.­1-2
  • 8.­184-190
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­26-30
  • 9.­34-35
  • 9.­41
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­10-11
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­18-20
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­25-26
  • 10.­36
  • 10.­38-40
  • 10.­42-43
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­13-57
  • 11.­70-72
  • 11.­75-77
  • 11.­81-82
  • 11.­86-93
  • 11.­96
  • 12.­1-2
  • 12.­5-6
  • 12.­9-10
  • 12.­13-14
  • 12.­18-24
  • 12.­26-28
  • 12.­30-32
  • 12.­46-47
g.­15

Brahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmā

One of the primary deities of the Brahmanical pantheon, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two deities (the other being Indra/Śakra) that are said to have first exhorted Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Among his epithets is “Lord of Sahā World” (Sahāṃpati).

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­21-30
  • 6.­1-2
  • 6.­23-28
  • 6.­30-31
  • 6.­41
  • 6.­58
  • 8.­187
  • 8.­197
  • 8.­209
  • 8.­219
  • 9.­11
  • 10.­33
  • 12.­15-18
  • 12.­43
  • g.­67
  • g.­114
g.­16

branches of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi yan lag
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག
Sanskrit:
  • bodhyaṅga

Mindfulness, discrimination, diligence, joy, pliability, absorption, and equanimity.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­61
  • 1.­89
  • 2.­93
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­39
  • 5.­37
  • 5.­79
  • 8.­28
  • 8.­74
  • 8.­196
  • 9.­26
  • g.­42
g.­17

buddha realm

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas kyi zhing
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • buddhakṣetra

A pure realm manifested by a buddha or advanced bodhisattva through the power of their great merit and aspirations.

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­10
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­31
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­66
  • 3.­8-9
  • 3.­36
  • 4.­59
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­86
  • 6.­35
  • 6.­42
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­9
  • 8.­69
  • 8.­220
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­42
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­31
  • 11.­51
  • 11.­74
  • 11.­80-82
  • 11.­87
  • 11.­91
  • 11.­93
  • 11.­96
  • 12.­27
  • g.­4
  • g.­5
  • g.­10
  • g.­37
  • g.­48
  • g.­131
g.­20

consciousness

Wylie:
  • rnam par shes pa
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vijñāna

One of the five aggregates; also counted as the sixth of the six elements.

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­33
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­80
  • 2.­82
  • 2.­85
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­70
  • 3.­73
  • 4.­73
  • 7.­5
  • 8.­118-123
  • 9.­11
  • 9.­32
  • 9.­39
  • 11.­19
  • 11.­67
  • g.­6
  • g.­35
  • g.­61
  • g.­154
g.­22

correct discriminations

Wylie:
  • so so yang dag par rig pa
Tibetan:
  • སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pratisaṃvid

Genuine discrimination with respect to dharmas, meaning, language, and eloquence.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7
  • 6.­55
  • g.­132
g.­23

Dānaśīla

Wylie:
  • dA na shI la
Tibetan:
  • དཱ་ན་ཤཱི་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • dānaśīla

One of the Indian preceptors who assisted in translating this text.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­5
  • c.­1
  • n.­26
g.­24

desire realm

Wylie:
  • ’dod pa’i khams
Tibetan:
  • འདོད་པའི་ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • kāmadhātu

In Buddhist cosmology, our sphere of existence where beings are driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification and attachment to material substance. See also “three realms.”

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­9
  • 1.­22
  • 8.­22
  • 8.­109
  • g.­50
  • g.­52
  • g.­66
  • g.­73
  • g.­74
  • g.­75
  • g.­170
  • g.­180
g.­35

element

Wylie:
  • khams
Tibetan:
  • ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhātu

In the context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, odor, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).

These also refer to the elements of the physical world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six elements. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added. The six elements are earth, water, fire, air, space, and consciousness.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­64
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­79
  • 4.­9-10
  • 4.­13
  • 5.­39
  • 8.­103
  • 9.­33
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­27
  • g.­20
  • g.­55
g.­36

eloquence

Wylie:
  • spobs pa
Tibetan:
  • སྤོབས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pratibhāna

The capacity of realized beings to speak in a confident and inspiring manner.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­24
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­40
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­42
  • 6.­56
  • 8.­142-143
  • 10.­16
  • 11.­49
  • 11.­51-52
  • 12.­18
  • g.­22
  • g.­139
g.­38

emptiness

Wylie:
  • stong pa yid
Tibetan:
  • སྟོང་པ་ཡིད།
Sanskrit:
  • śūnyatā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

Located in 32 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­35
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­64
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­50
  • 3.­72
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­11
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­54
  • 7.­2
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­52
  • 8.­71
  • 8.­117-123
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­33
  • 9.­42-43
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­41
  • 11.­58
  • g.­111
  • g.­179
g.­42

factors of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhipakṣadharma

The qualities necessary as a method to attain the awakening of a hearer, solitary buddha, or buddha. There are thirty-seven of these: (1–4) the four applications of mindfulness: mindfulness of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena; (5–8) the four right abandonments: 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 bases of miracles: intention, diligence, attention, and discernment; (13–17) five faculties: faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and wisdom; (18–22) five strengths: an even stronger form of faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and wisdom; (23–29) seven branches of awakening: correct mindfulness, correct discrimination of phenomena, correct diligence, correct joy, correct pliability, correct absorption, and correct equanimity; and (30–37) the eightfold noble path: right view, examination, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and absorption.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­44
  • 9.­38-39
  • 11.­1-2
  • g.­45
g.­43

faculties

Wylie:
  • dbang po
Tibetan:
  • དབང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • indriya

The term “faculties,” depending on the context, can refer to the five senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste) plus the mental faculty, but also to spiritual “faculties,” see “five faculties.”

Located in 36 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­64-65
  • 1.­75
  • 1.­85
  • 1.­89
  • 2.­51
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­37
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­42
  • 5.­77
  • 6.­42
  • 7.­22
  • 7.­30
  • 8.­72
  • 8.­111
  • 8.­163
  • 8.­196
  • 8.­204
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­26
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­41
  • 11.­46-47
  • 12.­16-17
  • g.­45
  • g.­153
g.­44

feeling

Wylie:
  • tshor ba
Tibetan:
  • ཚོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • vedanā

One of the five aggregates.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­33
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­68
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­86
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­70
  • 3.­73
  • 4.­12
  • 8.­65
  • 8.­115
  • 8.­176
  • 11.­23
  • g.­6
g.­45

five faculties

Wylie:
  • dbang po lnga
Tibetan:
  • དབང་པོ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcendriya

These are spiritual “faculties” (indriya) or capacities to be developed: faith (śraddhā), diligence (vīrya), mindfulness (smṛti), absorption (samādhi), and insight (prajña). These are included in the thirty-seven factors of awakening. See also “five strengths.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­87
  • g.­42
  • g.­43
  • g.­47
g.­47

Five strengths

Wylie:
  • stobs lnga
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañca­bala

Similar to the five faculties but at a further stage of development and thus cannot be shaken by adverse conditions, these are: faith (śraddhā), diligence (vīrya), mindfulness (smṛti), absorption (samādhi), and insight (prajñā).

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­71
  • 1.­87
  • 4.­30
  • 8.­196
  • 9.­26
  • g.­42
  • g.­45
g.­49

form

Wylie:
  • gzugs
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས།
Sanskrit:
  • rūpa

One of the five aggregates.

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­77
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­29
  • 3.­73
  • 4.­20-21
  • 5.­39
  • 5.­81
  • 6.­23
  • 7.­5
  • 8.­118
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­8
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­19
  • 9.­31
  • 9.­33
  • 11.­87
  • 12.­21
  • g.­6
  • g.­35
  • g.­153
g.­50

form realm

Wylie:
  • gzugs kyi khams
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས་ཀྱི་ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • rūpadhātu

In Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence one level more subtle than our own (the desire realm), where beings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification. See also “three realms.”

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­49
  • 8.­109
  • 11.­46
  • g.­54
  • g.­66
  • g.­114
  • g.­180
g.­51

formation

Wylie:
  • ’du byed
Tibetan:
  • འདུ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃskāra

One of the five aggregates; formative forces concomitant with the production of karmic seeds causing future saṃsāric existence.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­9
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­78
  • 3.­73
  • 4.­4
  • 8.­137
  • 9.­8
  • 11.­46-47
  • 11.­70
  • g.­6
g.­52

formless realm

Wylie:
  • gzugs med pa’i khams
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས་མེད་པའི་ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • ārūpyadhātu

In Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence two levels more subtle than our own (the desire realm), where beings are no longer physically embodied, and thus not subject to the sufferings that physical embodiment brings. See also “three realms.”

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 8.­109
  • 11.­46
  • g.­66
  • g.­154
  • g.­180
  • g.­187
g.­53

four applications of mindfulness

Wylie:
  • dran pa nye bar bzhag pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catuḥsmṛtyupasthāna

Mindfulness of the (1) body, (2) feelings, (3) mind, and (4) mental phenomena.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­88
  • g.­8
  • g.­42
g.­55

four elements

Wylie:
  • khams bzhi
Tibetan:
  • ཁམས་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturdhātu

The four “great” outer elements (mahābhūta, ’byung ba chen po): earth, water, fire, and air. See also “element.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­35
  • 2.­79
  • 12.­21
  • g.­35
g.­57

four fearlessnesses

Wylie:
  • mi ’jigs pa rnam pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • མི་འཇིགས་པ་རྣམ་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturvaiśāradya

The four types of fearlessness possessed by all buddhas: They have full confidence that (1) they are fully awakened; (2) they have removed all defilements; (3) they have taught about the obstacles to liberation; and (4) have shown the path to liberation.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7
  • 3.­17
  • 6.­21
  • g.­132
g.­62

four right abandonments

Wylie:
  • spong ba bzhi
  • yang dag par spong ba bzhi
Tibetan:
  • སྤོང་བ་བཞི།
  • ཡང་དག་པར་སྤོང་བ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catuḥ­prahā­ṇa
  • catuḥsamyakprahāṇa

Four types of right effort consisting in (1) abandoning existing negative mind states, (2) abandoning the production of such states, (3) giving rise to virtuous mind states that are not yet produced, and (4) letting those states continue.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­88
  • 2.­55
  • 4.­30
  • 8.­196
  • 9.­26
  • g.­42
g.­64

gandharva

Wylie:
  • dri za
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་ཟ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.”

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­32
  • 12.­43
  • 12.­47
g.­66

god

Wylie:
  • lha
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.

Located in 68 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­22
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­70
  • 4.­1-12
  • 4.­44
  • 4.­49
  • 5.­2-4
  • 5.­32
  • 5.­42
  • 5.­47
  • 5.­86
  • 6.­32
  • 6.­38
  • 6.­40
  • 6.­48
  • 6.­57
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­13
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­143
  • 8.­170
  • 8.­184
  • 8.­187
  • 8.­189
  • 8.­209
  • 10.­20-21
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­33
  • 10.­37
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­50
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­6-12
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­25
  • 12.­43
  • 12.­47
  • g.­107
  • g.­114
  • g.­180
  • g.­187
  • g.­202
g.­67

Great Compassionate One

Wylie:
  • snying rje chen po sems pa
Tibetan:
  • སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་སེམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A divine being from the Brahmā world.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­21-23
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­30
  • 6.­1-2
  • 6.­23
g.­72

hearer

Wylie:
  • nyan thos
Tibetan:
  • ཉན་ཐོས།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvaka

Derived from the Sanskrit verb “to hear,” the term is used in reference to followers of the non-Great Vehicle traditions of Buddhism, in contrast to the bodhisattvas who follow the Great Vehicle path.

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7
  • 1.­54
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­39
  • 4.­38
  • 4.­43
  • 4.­53-54
  • 8.­12
  • 8.­126
  • 8.­176
  • 8.­187
  • 9.­39
  • 9.­42-43
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­23
  • 11.­45
  • 11.­51
  • 12.­24
  • g.­42
  • g.­93
  • g.­201
g.­84

Jinamitra

Wylie:
  • dzi na mi tra
Tibetan:
  • ཛི་ན་མི་ཏྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • jinamitra

An Kashmiri paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­5
  • c.­1
  • n.­26
g.­91

kinnara

Wylie:
  • mi’am ci
Tibetan:
  • མིའམ་ཅི།
Sanskrit:
  • kinnara
  • kiṃnara

A class of semidivine beings depicted as half horse and half human, or half bird and half human.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­86
  • 6.­48
  • 6.­57
  • 8.­219
  • 12.­43
g.­94

Light King of Qualities

Wylie:
  • yon tan gyi rgyal po snang ba
Tibetan:
  • ཡོན་ཏན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་སྣང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­1-2
  • 7.­13
g.­102

Mahābrahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa chen po
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahābrahma

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 6.­1
g.­105

major and minor marks of perfection

Wylie:
  • mtshan dang dpe byad bzang po
Tibetan:
  • མཚན་དང་དཔེ་བྱད་བཟང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • lakṣaṇānuvyañjana

The thirty-two major and the eighty minor distinctive physical attributes of a buddha or a superior being.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­26
  • 2.­2
  • 3.­15
  • 5.­31
  • 6.­41
  • 10.­31
g.­106

Mañjuśrī

Wylie:
  • ’jam dpal
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་དཔལ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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:

In this text, he is one of the main interlocutors of the Buddha.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • 7.­36-38
  • g.­204
g.­107

Māra

Wylie:
  • bdud
Tibetan:
  • བདུད།
Sanskrit:
  • māra

The demon who assailed Śākyamuni prior to his awakening. When used in the plural, the term refers to a class of beings who, like Māra himself, are the primary adversaries and tempters of people who vow to take up the religious life. Figuratively, they are the personification of everything that acts as a hindrance to awakening, and are often listed as a set of four: the Māra of the aggregates, the Māra of the afflictions, the Māra of the Lord of Death, and the Māra of the gods.

Located in 107 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­7
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23-24
  • 2.­48
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­38
  • 3.­47
  • 3.­74
  • 4.­1-13
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­75-76
  • 5.­32
  • 5.­74
  • 6.­31
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­50
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­77
  • 8.­111
  • 8.­147
  • 8.­159
  • 8.­183
  • 8.­188
  • 8.­193
  • 8.­198
  • 8.­208
  • 9.­9-11
  • 10.­33
  • 11.­28
  • 11.­38-52
  • 11.­54-72
  • 11.­75-76
  • 11.­78
  • 11.­80-86
  • 11.­89-96
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­11-14
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­21
g.­109

Master of the Ocean with Noble and Playful Super-knowledge

Wylie:
  • rgya mtsho’i mchog mnga’ ba’i blos rnam par rol pa mngon par ’phags pa’i mgnon par mkhyen pa
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱ་མཚོའི་མཆོག་མངའ་བའི་བློས་རྣམ་པར་རོལ་པ་མངོན་པར་འཕགས་པའི་མགནོན་པར་མཁྱེན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha that resides in a world system below our world called Adorned with Immaculate and Countless Precious Qualities.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­23
  • g.­5
g.­111

mind of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi sems
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhicitta

The intent at heart of the Great Vehicle, namely to obtain buddhahood in order to liberate all sentient beings from suffering. In it’s relative aspect, it is both this aspiration and the practices towards buddhahood. In it’s absolute aspect, it is the realization of emptiness or the awakened mind itself.

Located in 49 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­90
  • 1.­92
  • 1.­97-98
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­43
  • 2.­71
  • 3.­48
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­44-46
  • 5.­51
  • 6.­30-31
  • 6.­62
  • 7.­40
  • 8.­2-3
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­14
  • 8.­39
  • 8.­42
  • 8.­79-80
  • 8.­83
  • 8.­144
  • 8.­183
  • 8.­188
  • 8.­194
  • 8.­199
  • 9.­21
  • 9.­30-31
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­37
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­53
  • 11.­67
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­37-38
  • 12.­41
g.­112

nāga

Wylie:
  • klu
Tibetan:
  • ཀླུ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • 6.­32
  • 6.­48
  • 6.­57
  • 12.­43
g.­120

perception

Wylie:
  • ’du shes
Tibetan:
  • འདུ་ཤེས།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃjñā

One of the five aggregates.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­51
  • 2.­78
  • 3.­73
  • 4.­13-15
  • 7.­11
  • g.­6
g.­125

preceptor

Wylie:
  • mkhan po
Tibetan:
  • མཁན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • upādhyāya

Teacher, (monastic) preceptor; “having approached him, one studies from him” (upetyādhīyate asmāt).

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­5
  • 8.­160
  • 8.­170
  • 11.­52
  • c.­1
  • g.­18
  • g.­23
g.­132

qualities of buddhahood

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas kyi chos
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • buddhadharma
  • buddhadharmāḥ

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 correct discriminations, the eighteen unique qualities of buddhahood, 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 Chapter Six.

Located in 38 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­7
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­26
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­17
  • 4.­50-51
  • 6.­1-3
  • 6.­7-13
  • 6.­15
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­22-23
  • 6.­25-32
  • 6.­34
  • 8.­12
  • 8.­217
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­36
  • 9.­43
g.­135

Rājagṛha

Wylie:
  • rgyal po’i khab
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­2
g.­137

reality

Wylie:
  • chos nyid
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་ཉིད།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmatā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The real nature, true quality, or condition of things. Throughout Buddhist discourse this term is used in two distinct ways. In one, it designates the relative nature that is either the essential characteristic of a specific phenomenon, such as the heat of fire and the moisture of water, or the defining feature of a specific term or category. The other very important and widespread way it is used is to designate the ultimate nature of all phenomena, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms and is often synonymous with emptiness or the absence of intrinsic existence.

In this text:

(Note that the term “reality” has also been used to render terms of similar meaning such as yang dag nyid and others.)

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­11
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­68
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­97
  • 5.­39
  • 5.­65
  • 6.­31
  • 7.­38
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­40
  • 8.­101
  • 9.­31
  • 10.­1
  • g.­169
g.­138

realm of phenomena

Wylie:
  • chos kyi dbyings
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmadhātu

The “sphere of dharmas,” a synonym for the nature of things.

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7
  • 2.­54
  • 2.­68
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­50
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­42
  • 8.­50
  • 8.­69
  • 8.­103
  • 9.­2-3
  • 9.­5
  • 9.­11
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­33
  • 10.­12
  • 11.­34
g.­139

recollection

Wylie:
  • gzungs
Tibetan:
  • གཟུངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhāraṇī

Often paired with “eloquence” (pratibhāna), recollection is the capacity to properly retain and recall the teachings.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­15
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­56
  • 11.­51-52
  • 12.­28
  • g.­25
g.­140

Sāgaramati

Wylie:
  • blo gros rgya mtsho
Tibetan:
  • བློ་གྲོས་རྒྱ་མཚོ།
Sanskrit:
  • sāgaramati

A bodhisattva from the world Adorned with Immaculate and Countless Precious Qualities. The protagonist of this discourse, his name can be translated as Oceanic Intelligence, which is referenced in the omen of the flooding of the trichiliocosm at the beginning of the sūtra.

Located in 245 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­3
  • 1.­13-14
  • 1.­17-20
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­27-28
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­47-56
  • 1.­63
  • 1.­66
  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­9-11
  • 2.­13-16
  • 2.­22-25
  • 2.­50
  • 2.­65-67
  • 2.­69
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­10-18
  • 3.­49
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­69-72
  • 3.­74
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­5-13
  • 4.­15-32
  • 5.­1-4
  • 5.­6-8
  • 5.­39-41
  • 6.­1-2
  • 6.­23
  • 6.­32
  • 6.­34-35
  • 6.­37-43
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­1-3
  • 8.­11-14
  • 8.­82-84
  • 8.­146-147
  • 8.­183
  • 9.­1-12
  • 9.­29-40
  • 9.­42-47
  • 10.­1-12
  • 10.­14-15
  • 10.­17-20
  • 10.­22-25
  • 10.­36-40
  • 10.­42
  • 11.­1-4
  • 11.­10-12
  • 11.­38-41
  • 11.­57-68
  • 11.­71-74
  • 11.­76-82
  • 11.­86-87
  • 11.­90-91
  • 11.­93
  • 12.­1-3
  • 12.­6-7
  • 12.­11-13
  • 12.­15-17
  • 12.­19-20
  • 12.­23-26
  • 12.­28-30
  • 12.­46-47
g.­141

sage

Wylie:
  • thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • muni

An ancient title given to ascetics, monks, hermits, and saints, namely, someone who has attained the realization of a truth through their own contemplation and not by divine revelation.

Here also used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­31
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­40-41
  • 1.­44
  • 3.­73
  • 5.­48
  • 6.­14
  • 6.­20
  • 8.­218
  • 11.­8
g.­142

Sahā world

Wylie:
  • mi mjed
Tibetan:
  • མི་མཇེད།
Sanskrit:
  • sahā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name for our world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which the four-continent world is located. Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. The world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni where he teaches the Dharma to beings.

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 being able to endure the suffering they encounter. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not painful,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­23
  • 7.­39
  • 11.­82
  • 11.­86-87
  • 11.­92-93
  • 12.­15-18
  • g.­15
g.­143

Śakra

Wylie:
  • brgya byin
Tibetan:
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • śakra

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.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­41
  • 6.­58
  • 8.­197
  • 8.­209
  • 10.­33
  • 12.­6-10
  • 12.­43
  • g.­15
  • g.­86
g.­144

Śākyamuni

Wylie:
  • shAkya thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śākyamuni

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

Located in 65 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 9.­32
  • 11.­82
  • 11.­86-87
  • 11.­92
  • 12.­21
  • g.­13
  • g.­14
  • g.­15
  • g.­19
  • g.­21
  • g.­27
  • g.­28
  • g.­29
  • g.­31
  • g.­40
  • g.­69
  • g.­71
  • g.­76
  • g.­78
  • g.­79
  • g.­80
  • g.­82
  • g.­88
  • g.­89
  • g.­90
  • g.­92
  • g.­94
  • g.­95
  • g.­97
  • g.­98
  • g.­100
  • g.­103
  • g.­104
  • g.­107
  • g.­110
  • g.­117
  • g.­118
  • g.­119
  • g.­121
  • g.­122
  • g.­123
  • g.­127
  • g.­130
  • g.­141
  • g.­146
  • g.­150
  • g.­152
  • g.­158
  • g.­160
  • g.­166
  • g.­168
  • g.­172
  • g.­173
  • g.­178
  • g.­184
  • g.­188
  • g.­191
  • g.­193
  • g.­195
  • g.­197
  • g.­198
  • g.­199
g.­145

sameness

Wylie:
  • mnyam pa nyid
Tibetan:
  • མཉམ་པ་ཉིད།
Sanskrit:
  • samatā

(The state of) “equality,” “equal nature,” “equanimity,” or “equalness.”

Located in 48 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 1.­7
  • 2.­52-53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­58-59
  • 2.­81-82
  • 2.­85
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­20-21
  • 3.­50-51
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­69-70
  • 6.­1-2
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­15
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­18
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­38
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­81
  • 8.­103
  • 9.­3-4
  • 9.­8
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­15-17
  • 9.­19
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­17-18
  • 11.­16
  • 11.­25
  • 11.­33
g.­151

seat of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi snying po
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhimaṇda

The seat of awakening, which can mean both the physical location where buddhas sit to become awakened and the state of awakening itself.

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­19
  • 2.­24
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­18
  • 6.­14-15
  • 7.­35-38
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­79
  • 8.­187
  • 8.­189-191
  • 8.­193
  • 8.­196
  • 9.­12
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­32
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­69-70
  • 11.­75
g.­156

signlessness

Wylie:
  • mtshan ma med pa
Tibetan:
  • མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • animitta

One of the three gateways to liberation; the ultimate absence of marks and signs in perceived objects.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­54
  • 2.­51
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­50
  • 3.­71
  • 6.­2-3
  • 7.­2
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­51
  • 8.­117
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­33
  • 9.­42-43
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­41
  • 11.­59
  • g.­179
g.­161

solitary buddha

Wylie:
  • rang sangs rgyas
Tibetan:
  • རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • pratyekabuddha

Beings who attain buddhahood without relying on a teacher in their final lifetime. They may live alone or with peers, but do not teach the path of liberation to others because of a lack of motivation or the requisite merit.

Located in 23 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7
  • 1.­54
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­39
  • 4.­38
  • 4.­43
  • 4.­53
  • 6.­9
  • 8.­12
  • 8.­126
  • 8.­176
  • 8.­187
  • 8.­200
  • 9.­39
  • 9.­42
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­15-16
  • 11.­45
  • 11.­51
  • g.­42
  • g.­183
g.­169

suchness

Wylie:
  • de bzhin nyid
Tibetan:
  • དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད།
Sanskrit:
  • tathatā

The ultimate nature of things, or the way things are in reality, as opposed to the way they appear to non-enlightened beings.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­68
  • 3.­50
  • 6.­5
  • 7.­2
  • 8.­101
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­5
  • 9.­10-11
g.­171

super-knowledge

Wylie:
  • mngon par shes pa
Tibetan:
  • མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • abhijñā

Traditionally listed as five: divine sight, divine hearing, the ability to know past and future lives, the ability to know the minds of others, and the ability to produce miracles.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­39
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­17
  • 5.­4
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­42
  • 6.­53
  • 7.­3
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­188
  • 8.­198
  • 8.­205
  • 8.­216
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­26
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­42
g.­177

ten strengths

Wylie:
  • stobs pa rnam pa bcu
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་པ་རྣམ་པ་བཅུ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśabala

The ten strengths are (1) the knowledge of what is possible and not possible; (2) the knowledge of the ripening of karma; (3) the knowledge of the variety of aspirations; (4) the knowledge of the variety of natures; (5) the knowledge of the different levels of capabilities; (6) the knowledge of the destinations of all paths; (7) the knowledge of various states of meditation (dhyāna, liberation, samādhi, samāpatti, and so on); (8) the knowledge of remembering previous lives; (9) the knowledge of deaths and rebirths; and (10) the knowledge of the cessation of defilements.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7
  • 1.­32
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­49
  • 3.­17
  • 6.­21
  • 8.­217
  • 8.­219
  • g.­132
g.­180

three realms

Wylie:
  • khams gsum
Tibetan:
  • ཁམས་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • tridhātu
  • traidhātuka

The three realms are the desire realm (kāmadhātu, ’dod khams), form realm (rūpadhātu, gzugs khams) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu, gzugs med khams), i.e., the three worlds that make up saṃsāra. The first is composed of the six sorts of beings (gods, asuras, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings), whereas the latter two are only realms of gods and are thus higher, more ethereal states of saṃsāra. See also three realms of existence.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­64
  • 6.­2
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­73
  • 8.­116-117
  • 8.­136
  • 9.­8
  • 10.­8-9
  • g.­24
  • g.­50
  • g.­52
  • g.­181
g.­181

three realms of existence

Wylie:
  • srid pa gsum
Tibetan:
  • སྲིད་པ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • tribhava
  • tribhuvana

This alternatively refers to the underworlds, earth, and heavens, or can be synonymous with the three realms of desire, form, and formlessness (see three realms).

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­44
  • 2.­36
  • 8.­190
  • 8.­197
  • 8.­209
  • 9.­24
  • g.­180
g.­184

thus-gone one

Wylie:
  • de bzhin gshegs pa
Tibetan:
  • དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tathāgata

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 79 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­8
  • 1.­19
  • 1.­24
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­75
  • 3.­74
  • 4.­35
  • 4.­53
  • 4.­64
  • 5.­7
  • 5.­40
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­26
  • 6.­34-35
  • 6.­37
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­44-46
  • 6.­48-62
  • 7.­10-12
  • 7.­14
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­33-34
  • 7.­38-39
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­185
  • 8.­187-188
  • 9.­9-10
  • 9.­19
  • 9.­31
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­22
  • 10.­37
  • 11.­13
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­45
  • 11.­70
  • 11.­73
  • 11.­75
  • 11.­83
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­18-21
  • 12.­24-26
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­41
g.­187

trichiliocosm

Wylie:
  • stong gsum gyi stong chen po’i ’jig rten gyi khams
Tibetan:
  • སྟོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྟོང་ཆེན་པོའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • tri­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvi­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­lokadhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Sumeru, continents, sun and moon, etc.

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­9
  • 1.­12-13
  • 1.­21-23
  • 2.­24
  • 3.­18
  • 4.­63
  • 5.­3
  • 8.­184
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­80
  • 12.­20
  • 12.­32
  • g.­140
g.­189

unique qualities of buddhahood

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas rnams kyi ma ’dras chos
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས་རྣམས་ཀྱི་མ་འདྲས་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • āveṇikabuddhadharma

Eighteen qualities that are exclusively possessed by a buddha. These are listed in the Dharma­saṃgraha as follows: The tathāgata does not possess (1) confusion; (2) noisiness; (3) forgetfulness; (4) loss of meditative equipoise; (5) cognition of distinctness; or (6) nonanalytical equanimity. A buddha totally lacks (7) degeneration of motivation; (8) degeneration of perseverance; (9) degeneration of mindfulness; (10) degeneration of samādhi; (11) degeneration of prajñā; (12) degeneration of complete liberation; and (13) degeneration of seeing the wisdom of complete liberation. (14) A tathāgata’s every action of body is preceded by wisdom and followed through with wisdom; (15) every action of speech is preceded by wisdom and followed through with wisdom; (16) a buddha’s every action of mind is preceded by wisdom and followed through with wisdom. (17) A tathāgata engages in seeing the past through wisdom that is unattached and unobstructed and (18) engages in seeing the present through wisdom that is unattached and unobstructed.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­21
  • g.­132
g.­190

universal monarch

Wylie:
  • ’khor los sgyur ba’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • cakravartin

The term “universal monarch” denotes a just and pious king who rules over the universe according to the laws of Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he wields a disk (cakra) that rolls (vartana) over continents, worlds, and world systems, bringing them under his power. A universal monarch is often considered the worldly, political correlate of a buddha.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­54
  • 4.­44
  • 4.­53
  • 6.­58
  • 8.­209
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­33
  • 10.­42
  • g.­129
g.­200

wishlessness

Wylie:
  • smon pa med pa
Tibetan:
  • སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • apraṇihita

One of the three gateways to liberation; the ultimate absence of any wish, desire, or aspiration, even those directed towards buddhahood.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­51
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­50
  • 7.­2
  • 8.­53
  • 8.­116-117
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­33
  • 9.­42-43
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­41
  • 11.­60
  • g.­179
g.­202

yakṣa

Wylie:
  • gnod sbyin
Tibetan:
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • yakṣa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.

Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­32
  • 12.­43
g.­203

Yeshé Dé

Wylie:
  • ye shes sde
Tibetan:
  • ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­5
  • c.­1
  • n.­26
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    84000. The Questions of Sāgaramati (Sāgaramati­paripṛcchā, blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa, Toh 152). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023. https://84000.co/translation/toh152/UT22084-058-001-chapter-6.Copy
    84000. The Questions of Sāgaramati (Sāgaramati­paripṛcchā, blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa, Toh 152). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023, 84000.co/translation/toh152/UT22084-058-001-chapter-6.Copy
    84000. (2023) The Questions of Sāgaramati (Sāgaramati­paripṛcchā, blo gros rgya mtshos zhus pa, Toh 152). (Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Trans.). Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. https://84000.co/translation/toh152/UT22084-058-001-chapter-6.Copy

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